Management Center: Action: Display Best Sellers

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Action: Display Best Sellers

Use this action in a Web activity to display in an e-Marketing Spot a list of the best-selling catalog entries for a category you specify. Best-seller lists can motivate customers to purchase catalog entries that are popular with other customers.
When you activate a Web activity with the Display Best Sellers action, the marketing services track orders placed for catalog entries in the category you specify. Each day, a best-seller list is generated based on the current order data. When a customer views the e-Marketing Spot specified in the Web activity, the best-seller list displays.
Here is an example of a Web activity that uses the Display Best Sellers action:
When a customer views the e-Marketing Spot in the right sidebar of the home page, display a list of the 5 best-selling catalog entries from the Coffee Makers category:
In the previous example, a customer sees the best-selling catalog entries from the Coffee Makers category regardless of what they are shopping for.
To make best-seller lists more relevant, you can:

Choose an e-Marketing Spot for the Web activity that is on category or product display page.

Choose one of the Display options that displays the list only when a customer is viewing the specified category or its subcategories.

Here is an example:
When a customer views the e-Marketing Spot on the category display page, display a list of the 5 best-selling catalog entries from the Coffee Makers category, but only when the customer is browsing the Coffee Makers category or its subcategories:
In the previous example, if a customer is viewing any category other than Coffee Makers, the Web activity does not display a best-seller list in the e-Marketing Spot. If you want, you can specify multiple categories for the Display Best Sellers action. As a result, the customer sees a best-seller list on the category display page for each category you specify.
When Web activity containing the Display Best Sellers action is activated, the result on the storefront might look something like this example:
The JSP file for the e-Marketing Spot defines which pieces of information about the associated catalog entries to display in the best-seller list. In the previous example, the JSP file displays a numbered list of catalog entries. Each catalog entry contains the thumbnail image for the product, its name, and its offer price, as defined in the Catalogs tool.
Tip: The Madisons starter store provides an example of a best-seller list displayed in a scrollable e-Marketing Spot that can also display a top-browsed list. See Product Rankings in the Madisons starter store.

Prerequisites for using the Display Best Sellers action

Make sure a site administrator has the site configured to support Management Center marketing features. See Configure marketing for Management Center.

Guidelines for using the Display Best Sellers action
When setting up this action, you can specify the following options:

Option Description
Categories Specify the category for which to display a list of best-selling catalog entries. You can specify more than one category, but only if you choose one of the following Display options:

Display a list for the specified category only when the customer is viewing the category

Display a list for the specified category only when the customer is viewing the category or its subcategories

Display Specify whether the customer must be viewing the category to see the best-seller list. Options are:

Display a list for the specified category

For this option, customers do not need to be viewing the category to see the best-seller list. Therefore, you can use an e-Marketing Spot on any page. The e-Marketing Spot displays the best-seller list for the category you specify.

Display a list for the specified category only when the customer is viewing the category

For this option, use an e-Marketing Spot on the category display page; otherwise, customers will never see the best-seller list.
The best-seller list displays to customers viewing the category but not its subcategories. For example, if you specify the Furniture category and the Tableware category:

Customers viewing the Furniture category page see a list of the best-selling furniture

Customers viewing the Tableware category page see a list of the best-selling tableware

Customers viewing any other category pages, including subcategories of Furniture and Tableware do not see a best-seller list

Display a list for the specified category only when the customer is viewing the category or its subcategories

For this option, use e-Marketing Spots on the category display page or the product display page, or both; otherwise, customers will never see the best-seller list.

If you specify an e-Marketing Spot on a category display page, the best-seller list displays to customers viewing the category or its subcategories. For example, if you specify the Furniture category, customers viewing either the Furniture category page or any category page within the Furniture category (for example, the Desks category page or Love seats category page) see a list of best-selling furniture.

If you specify an e-Marketing Spot on the product display page, the best-seller list displays to customers viewing any catalog entries in the category or its subcategories. For example, if you specify the Furniture category, customers viewing customers viewing a specific desk or a chair see a list of best-selling furniture.

Maximum number Specify the maximum number of catalog entries to include in the best-seller list.
Time frame in days Specify how many days' worth of orders to base the best-seller list on. For example, if you specify 3, then the best-seller list is based on orders placed within the last three days.

To determine when a customer is viewing a page related to the categories you specify, the server uses either the categoryId value on the CategoryDisplay URL or the productId value on the ProductDisplay URL. If the store uses page view names or URL parameter names that are different from the default, then the Display Best Sellers action will not work unless a developer performs some customization steps. See Changing the name of commands used in behavior rule matching.

Performance considerations
To improve storefront performance, a site administrator can configure JSP caching a certain way so that the e-Marketing Spot JSP snippet is refreshed only once a day. See Set up JSP snippet caching for best seller and top browsed lists.

Related concepts

Activity building blocks: triggers, targets, and actions
Actions in marketing activities

Related tasks

Create a Web activity
Create an e-Marketing Spot
Set up JSP snippet caching for best seller and top browsed lists
Changing the daily scheduled time for marketing triggers and lists

Related reference

Sample e-Marketing Spot JSP snippets and the Web activities they support
Tips for testing the Display Top Browsed and Display Best Sellers actions in Web activities

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Option	Description
Categories	Specify the category for which to display a list of best-selling catalog entries. You can specify more than one category, but only if you choose one of the following Display options: Display a list for the specified category only when the customer is viewing the category Display a list for the specified category only when the customer is viewing the category or its subcategories
Display	Specify whether the customer must be viewing the category to see the best-seller list. Options are: Display a list for the specified category For this option, customers do not need to be viewing the category to see the best-seller list. Therefore, you can use an e-Marketing Spot on any page. The e-Marketing Spot displays the best-seller list for the category you specify. Display a list for the specified category only when the customer is viewing the category For this option, use an e-Marketing Spot on the category display page; otherwise, customers will never see the best-seller list. The best-seller list displays to customers viewing the category but not its subcategories. For example, if you specify the Furniture category and the Tableware category: Customers viewing the Furniture category page see a list of the best-selling furniture Customers viewing the Tableware category page see a list of the best-selling tableware Customers viewing any other category pages, including subcategories of Furniture and Tableware do not see a best-seller list Display a list for the specified category only when the customer is viewing the category or its subcategories For this option, use e-Marketing Spots on the category display page or the product display page, or both; otherwise, customers will never see the best-seller list. If you specify an e-Marketing Spot on a category display page, the best-seller list displays to customers viewing the category or its subcategories. For example, if you specify the Furniture category, customers viewing either the Furniture category page or any category page within the Furniture category (for example, the Desks category page or Love seats category page) see a list of best-selling furniture. If you specify an e-Marketing Spot on the product display page, the best-seller list displays to customers viewing any catalog entries in the category or its subcategories. For example, if you specify the Furniture category, customers viewing customers viewing a specific desk or a chair see a list of best-selling furniture.
Maximum number	Specify the maximum number of catalog entries to include in the best-seller list.
Time frame in days	Specify how many days' worth of orders to base the best-seller list on. For example, if you specify 3, then the best-seller list is based on orders placed within the last three days.