diff --git a/packages/core/src/__tests__/methods/identify.test.ts b/packages/core/src/__tests__/methods/identify.test.ts
index ca1235dc..99c757bb 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/__tests__/methods/identify.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/__tests__/methods/identify.test.ts
@@ -102,4 +102,49 @@ describe('methods #identify', () => {
       },
     });
   });
+
+  it('persists identity traits accross events', () => {
+    const client = new SegmentClient(clientArgs);
+    jest.spyOn(client, 'process');
+    // @ts-ignore accessing the internal timeline to check the processed events
+    jest.spyOn(client.timeline, 'process');
+
+    client.identify('new-user-id', { name: 'Mary', age: 30 });
+
+    const expectedEvent = {
+      traits: {
+        name: 'Mary',
+        age: 30,
+      },
+      userId: 'new-user-id',
+      type: 'identify',
+    };
+
+    expect(client.process).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(client.process).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expectedEvent);
+
+    expect(client.userInfo.get()).toEqual({
+      ...initialUserInfo,
+      userId: 'new-user-id',
+      traits: expectedEvent.traits,
+    });
+
+    client.track('track event');
+
+    // @ts-ignore
+    expect(client.timeline.process).toHaveBeenLastCalledWith({
+      anonymousId: 'very-anonymous',
+      event: 'track event',
+      integrations: {},
+      messageId: 'mocked-uuid',
+      properties: {},
+      timestamp: '2010-01-01T00:00:00.000Z',
+      traits: {
+        age: 30,
+        name: 'Mary',
+      },
+      type: 'track',
+      userId: 'new-user-id',
+    });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/core/src/events.ts b/packages/core/src/events.ts
index ec89c073..10090f4b 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/events.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/events.ts
@@ -82,11 +82,13 @@ const isAliasEvent = (event: SegmentEvent): event is AliasEventType =>
   event.type === EventType.AliasEvent;
 const isIdentifyEvent = (event: SegmentEvent): event is AliasEventType =>
   event.type === EventType.IdentifyEvent;
+const isGroupEvent = (event: SegmentEvent): event is GroupEventType =>
+  event.type === EventType.GroupEvent;
 
 export const applyRawEventData = (
   event: SegmentEvent,
   userInfo: UserInfoState
-) => {
+): SegmentEvent => {
   return {
     ...event,
     anonymousId: userInfo.anonymousId,
@@ -97,5 +99,9 @@ export const applyRawEventData = (
       isAliasEvent(event) || isIdentifyEvent(event)
         ? event.userId
         : userInfo.userId,
+    traits:
+      isIdentifyEvent(event) || isGroupEvent(event)
+        ? event.traits
+        : userInfo.traits,
   };
 };
diff --git a/packages/core/src/types.ts b/packages/core/src/types.ts
index ff9c4825..46317870 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/types.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ interface BaseEventType {
   messageId?: string;
   userId?: string;
   timestamp?: string;
+  traits?: UserTraits | GroupTraits;
 
   context?: PartialContext;
   integrations?: SegmentAPIIntegrations;
@@ -46,13 +47,13 @@ export interface ScreenEventType extends BaseEventType {
 
 export interface IdentifyEventType extends BaseEventType {
   type: EventType.IdentifyEvent;
-  traits: UserTraits;
+  traits?: UserTraits;
 }
 
 export interface GroupEventType extends BaseEventType {
   type: EventType.GroupEvent;
   groupId: string;
-  traits: GroupTraits;
+  traits?: GroupTraits;
 }
 
 export interface AliasEventType extends BaseEventType {
@@ -297,5 +298,5 @@ export enum EventType {
 export type UserInfoState = {
   anonymousId: string;
   userId?: string;
-  traits?: UserTraits;
+  traits?: UserTraits | GroupTraits;
 };
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-braze/src/methods/identify.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-braze/src/methods/identify.ts
index 6e57ffbd..e178ad25 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-braze/src/methods/identify.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-braze/src/methods/identify.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ export default (payload: IdentifyEventType) => {
     ReactAppboy.changeUser(payload.userId);
   }
 
-  if (payload.traits.birthday) {
+  if (payload.traits?.birthday !== undefined) {
     const data = new Date(payload.traits.birthday);
     ReactAppboy.setDateOfBirth(
       data.getFullYear(),
@@ -19,19 +19,19 @@ export default (payload: IdentifyEventType) => {
     );
   }
 
-  if (payload.traits.email) {
+  if (payload.traits?.email !== undefined) {
     ReactAppboy.setEmail(payload.traits.email);
   }
 
-  if (payload.traits.firstName) {
+  if (payload.traits?.firstName !== undefined) {
     ReactAppboy.setFirstName(payload.traits.firstName);
   }
 
-  if (payload.traits.lastName) {
+  if (payload.traits?.lastName !== undefined) {
     ReactAppboy.setLastName(payload.traits.lastName);
   }
 
-  if (payload.traits.gender) {
+  if (payload.traits?.gender !== undefined) {
     const validGenders = ['m', 'f', 'n', 'o', 'p', 'u'];
     const isValidGender = validGenders.indexOf(payload.traits.gender) > -1;
     if (isValidGender) {
@@ -41,15 +41,15 @@ export default (payload: IdentifyEventType) => {
     }
   }
 
-  if (payload.traits.phone) {
+  if (payload.traits?.phone !== undefined) {
     ReactAppboy.setPhoneNumber(payload.traits.phone);
   }
 
-  if (payload.traits.address) {
-    if (payload.traits.address.city) {
+  if (payload.traits?.address !== undefined) {
+    if (payload.traits.address.city !== undefined) {
       ReactAppboy.setHomeCity(payload.traits.address.city);
     }
-    if (payload.traits.address.country) {
+    if (payload.traits?.address.country !== undefined) {
       ReactAppboy.setCountry(payload.traits.address.country);
     }
   }
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ export default (payload: IdentifyEventType) => {
     'address',
   ];
 
-  Object.entries(payload.traits).forEach(([key, value]) => {
+  Object.entries(payload.traits ?? {}).forEach(([key, value]) => {
     if (appBoyTraits.indexOf(key) < 0) {
       ReactAppboy.setCustomUserAttribute(key, value as any);
     }
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-mixpanel/src/methods/__tests__/identify.test.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-mixpanel/src/methods/__tests__/identify.test.ts
index 2d4313da..a9a92384 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-mixpanel/src/methods/__tests__/identify.test.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-mixpanel/src/methods/__tests__/identify.test.ts
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ describe('#identify', () => {
   });
 
   it('registers superProperties', () => {
-    payload.traits.prop1 = 'string';
+    payload.traits!.prop1 = 'string';
     settings.superProperties = ['prop1'];
     let mockedTraits = { prop1: 'string' };
 
diff --git a/packages/plugins/plugin-mixpanel/src/methods/identify.ts b/packages/plugins/plugin-mixpanel/src/methods/identify.ts
index 3ffa2030..d4365e7b 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/plugin-mixpanel/src/methods/identify.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/plugin-mixpanel/src/methods/identify.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ export default (
   settings: SegmentMixpanelSettings
 ) => {
   const userId = event.userId;
-  const mixpanelTraits = mapTransform(event.traits);
+  const mixpanelTraits = mapTransform(event.traits ?? {});
 
   if (userId !== undefined) {
     mixpanel.identify(userId);
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ export default (
   }
 
   if (
+    event.traits !== undefined &&
     settings.people === true &&
     settings.peopleProperties !== undefined &&
     settings.peopleProperties.length
diff --git a/release.config.js b/release.config.js
index f0ba007f..c3b6bfc0 100644
--- a/release.config.js
+++ b/release.config.js
@@ -11,5 +11,4 @@ module.exports = {
     '@semantic-release/git',
   ],
   extends: 'semantic-release-monorepo',
-  dryRun: true,
 };