Operate > WebSphere Commerce Accelerator > Marketing
eSpots
eSpots reserve space on the store pages in which content displays.
There are two kinds of eSpots:
- e-Marketing Spots
- This kind of eSpot contains content associated with marketing activities. This content is dynamic, and can be targeted to specific customer segments.
- Content Spots
- This kind of eSpot can contain almost any site content that is not associated with a marketing activity.
eSpots are used during page creation to reserve space for dynamic content that will be shown to the customers. When a page is requested by a customer, the eSpot contains logic to determine the content to display, generating a more flexible site, and providing more direct control to the business users that generate the site content.
Placement and creation of eSpots must be determined collaboratively between the business users responsible for the content, the developer responsible for creating JavaServer Pages files. This ensures that the spots are implemented in a way that provides adequate space and retains the site design's aesthetics. eSpots should be descriptively named so as to include their location, such as HomePageBrandImage, or CheckOutPageRecommendation. This helps to reduce confusion about where it will appear, and what content it should contain. If necessary, numbers can be added to the name to differentiate between two eSpots appearing on the same page. eSpot names must be valid Java identifiers.
The developer is responsible for providing the appropriate eSpots on the required pages and in the specified locations. The eSpots then have to be created using the WebSphere Commerce Accelerator so that they are available for use by content authors.
- e-Marketing Spots
e-Marketing Spots reserve space on the store pages in which personalized marketing content displays. The e-Marketing Spots are used during page creation to reserve space for the dynamic content that will be shown to the customers. When a page is requested by a customer, any e-Marketing Spots present on the page will communicate with the rule server to process the rule-based code associated with the spot. Each e-Marketing Spot has one or more Web activities associated with it. e-Marketing Spots are supported by special data beans that are used in conjunction with JSP technology to generate Web page content using the WebSphere Commerce rule processing system.
- Content spots
Content spots reserve space on the store pages in which site content displays. The content spots are used during page creation to reserve space for the content that will be shown to the customers. When a page is requested by a customer, any content spots present on the page will communicate with the server to determine the appropriate content associated with the spot. Content spots are supported by special data beans that are used in conjunction with JSP technology to generate Web page content using WebSphere Commerce.
- Content
Content refers to any creative material created for the site. This material is typically created by a team of writers or graphic artists, depending on the content. Content frequently includes display content, whether that be product pictures, graphics used in advertising, or marketing text supporting products. Content can be used either in content spots, or as advertisements in e-Marketing Spots, as part of a campaign activity.
Related concepts
Related tasks
Add an e-Marketing Spot to a store page (WebSphere Commerce Accelerator)