Process: Merchandising
Flow
Objective
Create merchandising constructs that enable businesses to better promote products and categories to their customers.
Description
A Product Manager must plan for methods to promote products to their customers. WebSphere Commerce supports the following merchandising concepts that may be used within JSP files:
- Static merchandising associations that allow one product or category to naturally promote other products or categories to customers. This type of merchandising includes
- Cross-sells: A generic promotional relationship between a product, SKU or category to another product, SKU or category. For example, itemX is a cross-sell to itemY as purchasers of one often purchase the other.
- Up-sells: A relationship between a product or category to a similar or like product or category which is generally more upscale in terms of price, features, quality, and so on. For example, the 15 inch monitor has an up-sell relationship to the 17 inch monitor with speakers.
- Accessories: A relationship between a product or category to a product or category viewed as complementary. For example, the flashlight has an accessory relationship to D batteries.
- Replacement: A relationship between a product meant to replace an existing product. A new product will replace one that is being discontinued.
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- Shopping metaphors to provide assistance to customers in selecting their products from the catalog. WebSphere Commerce supports three different paradigms
- Product Exploration: A parametric search within a category where possible ranges of values for attributes of SKUs are selected by the customer in order to reduce the list of products to display.
- Product Comparison: A view of multiple selected SKUs in a form such that the values of each attribute are displayed for comparison.
- Sales Assistant: A guided sell approach in which a list of SKUs are returned based on the customers answers to a set of presented questions.
Features
- Nested shopping metaphors in which a Sales Assistant or Product Exploration can be displayed with the Product Comparison metaphor.
- Sequencing merchandising associations between source and target products or categories.
- Specify associations with quantities of the target.
Customization
- Extendible merchandising associations for other type of associations, such as Down-sell, Alternative, Substitute. A new type can be introduced to the database and data beans.
Edition
Professional, Enterprise, Express
Tasks
| Task | Description | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Create associations |
The Product Manager creates an association between a source product or SKU and target product or SKU, or between a source category and target category. A search for the source and target is performed and then the following associations can be specified:
The associations can be used within marketing campaign initiatives that schedule and provide content to e-Marketing Spots within JSP files. |
Product Manager |
| Create guided sell rules |
The Guided Sell shopping metaphor provides product recommendations in which a list of SKUs are returned based on the customers answers to a set of presented questions. The Guided Sell Tool within WebSphere Commerce Accelerator is used to create a search space over a set of products. A search space can be created on a specific category within either the master or sales catalog, or by selecting specific products. The Guided Sell Tool is then used to create a set of hierarchical questions on the search space. Each question in the hierarchy reduces the number of products and SKUs within the search space. Creating the tree requires the following:
|
Product Manager |
| Create product comparison rules |
The Product Comparison shopping metaphor provides a view of multiple SKUs usually in tabular form such that the values of each attribute of the SKUs are displayed for comparison. WebSphere Commerce provides the Product Advisor Tool to create a search space over a set of products which have like attributes for the comparison. A search space can be created on a specific category within either the master or sales catalog, or by selecting specific products. Within the search space, attributes are selected to create rules that customers will base their selection of products on. In addition, display mechanisms for the attributes are specified for the comparison view within a JSP file. |
Product Manager |
| Create product exploration rules |
The Product Exploration shopping metaphor provides search capabilities possible ranges of values for attributes of SKUs are selected by the customer in order to reduce the list of products to display. WebSphere Commerce provides the Product Advisor Tool to create a search space over a set of products which have like attributes for the exploration. A search space can be created on a specific category within either the Master or Sales Catalog, or by selecting specific products. Within the search space, attributes are selected to create rules that businesses will base their search of products on. In addition, display mechanisms for the attributes are specified for the exploration view within a JSP file. |
Product Manager |
| Select products and categories |
The Product Manager must first select the set of products or categories to promote with merchandising concepts. |
Product Manager |
Business artifacts
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