# Is the Personalization component the right way to show a banner only to returning users?

Asked by Allegra Conti on 2025-09-30. Tags: react, personalization, cql.

I want to render a small banner only for returning visitors. It feels excessive to
create a whole slot for it, since the banner content itself is fixed. The React SDK
has a `<Personalization>` component and a `useEvaluation` hook, and I am not sure
which one fits this case or how the condition is written. Is one of them intended
exactly for this?

## 1 answer

### Answer from Yuki Tanaka (2025-10-01)

Both fit, and a slot really is overkill for a fixed banner like this.

`<Personalization>` renders its children based on a CQL expression:

```tsx
import {Personalization} from '@croct/plug-react';

<Personalization expression="user is returning">
    {(matches: boolean) => (matches ? <ReturningBanner /> : null)}
</Personalization>
```

`useEvaluation` is the hook equivalent for when you need the boolean inside your
own logic rather than at a render boundary:

```tsx
const isReturning = useEvaluation<boolean>('user is returning');
```

Same query language either way, so pick whichever reads better in your tree.

The dividing line worth keeping in mind: expression-based rendering is for
purely structural toggles like this one, where the content is fixed and only the
visibility changes. The moment marketers should be able to edit the banner copy
or A/B test it, a slot is the better altitude, because then the content lives in
the dashboard instead of your bundle.