Samples > Starter stores > Starter store enhancements
Remote widgets
Remote widgets are portable frames that display store content. You can create remote widgets to display e-Marketing Spot content, wish lists, and gift registries. You and the customers can embed and view remote widgets on sites outside of WebSphere Commerce. This is a great way to extend the brand reach and drive traffic back to the site.
By publishing the MadisonsEnhancements.sar store archive on top of the Madisons starter store, you add support for the following remote widget features:
- E-Marketing Spot remote widgets and feeds
- Wish list remote widgets
- Multiple wish lists
- Gift registry remote widgets
E-Marketing Spot remote widgets and feeds
Marketing managers can syndicate the marketing information displayed in e-Marketing Spots in the following ways:
- Create e-Marketing Spot remote widgets that contain marketing information suitable for external sites, such as partner and affiliate sites. Then embed the widgets on those external sites. When to change the marketing information in the widget, change the Web activity running in the e-Marketing Spot using the Management Center. As a result, all the widgets on the external sites will automatically display the new marketing information.
Here are a two examples of e-Marketing Spot remote widgets created with WebSphere Commerce templates. You can design widgets that look any way you want. The widgets can contain links back to the storefront:
- Create e-Marketing Spot remote widgets that customers can share to social networks, blogs, and other personal Web pages, if they find the widget appealing. On the storefront, store developers can add a Share link to any e-Marketing Spot. Customers can click the link to share the widget.
- Let customers subscribe to feeds from e-Marketing Spots. On the storefront, store developers can add a Subscribe link to any e-Marketing Spot. Customers can subscribe to the feed and view the content in a feed reader of their choice. When you change the Web activity using the Management Center, customers will see new store information in the feed reader.
Here is an example of an e-Marketing Spot feed displayed in a browser:
Wish list remote widgets
When a customer creates a wish list on the storefront, they can share a wish list widget to their social networks, blogs, and other personal Web pages. The wish list widget displays items from the store that the customer has added to the wish list. Customers can take advantage of these portable wish lists to let friends and family know about gifts they want to receive. On the storefront, store developers can add a Share link that customers can click to share the widget.Here is an example of a wish list remote widget created with a WebSphere Commerce template. The product images link back to the storefront:
Multiple wish lists
Customers can create multiple wish lists with different names, such as a Birthday wish list and a Christmas wish list. Without remote widgets store enhancements, customers can create only a single wish list.The multiple wish lists feature uses Web services for the storefront functions, rather than data beans and URL commands. This means that if you have existing wish lists, manually migrate the wish list data to use the multiple wish list feature.
Gift registry remote widgets
This type of remote widget is similar to the wish list version, except that it displays a customer's gift registry information. By offering gift registry remote widgets from the storefront, you provide customers with a convenient and stylish way to publicize their gift registry on social networks, blogs, and other personal Web pages.Here is an example of a gift registry remote widget created with a WebSphere Commerce template. The See Our Registry button links back to the customer's gift registry on the storefront:
To use gift registry remote widgets with the Madisons starter store, publish IBM Gift Center for the Madisons starter store on top of the Madisons starter store. Gift registry pages are not included in the base Madisons starter store or in the MadisonsEnhancements.sar store archive.
- KickApps integration for remote widgets
To demonstrate remote widgets, WebSphere Commerce is integrated with KickApps, a Web-based platform that offers hosted widget services. The KickApps App Studio provides the widget editing and publishing functions accessible through the Madisons starter store and the Management Center Marketing tool.
- Remote widget setup and implementation checklists
To develop and test remote widgets on the Madisons storefront for e-Marketing Spots, wish lists, and gift registries, there are a number of tasks to perform. Refer to these checklist to understand the tasks and the order in which to perform them.
- Site flow and interactions for remote widgets store enhancements
Publishing the MadisonsEnhancements.sar store archive on the Madisons starter store adds several new and changed pages to the store. Use the site flow and interactions to understand which pages are affected and to identify starting points when making changes to the store pages.
- Work with remote widgets
You can create remote widgets for e-Marketing Spots, wish lists, and gift registries. From the storefront, you can let customers share remote widgets to their personal Web pages. The sample Madisons starter store pages that are packaged in the MadisonsEnhancements.sar file illustrate how you can use a Share link on a store page for this purpose. For e-Marketing Spots, the store pages also illustrate how you can add a Subscribe link to an e-Marketing Spot so customers can subscribe to an e-Marketing Spot feed.
Related concepts
Remote widgets for e-Marketing Spots
Related tasks