Get started for business users

Get started for business users
WebSphere Commerce provides tools for store management, merchandising, and marketing tasks including management of catalogs, promotions, campaigns, prices, page layouts, and stores. Sales personnel can manage search term associations and merchandising rules from the Management Center. WebSphere Commerce provides tools to help promote items, categories, or manufacturers relevant to particular customers.

Explore our video series to get started quickly using various Management Center tools and learn about features that can help you work more efficiently. See Getting Stared with Management Center training videos.
Read topics specific to your tasks.

If we are ... We can use the Management Center ...
Manage catalogs and merchandise Catalogs tool

Create master and sales catalogs, including:

define categories
create products and SKUs
categorize SKUs
bundle SKUs
manage dynamic kits

Enrich product content, and create merchandising associations.
Create, restore, view, and delete versions of catalog objects (sales catalog, category, and catalog entries).
Create search term associations, and associate search terms with landing pages.
Manage product attributes with the Management Center attribute dictionary.
Manage search engine optimization (SEO) properties for categories and catalog entries.
View site search statistics for the keywords customers are using to search the site.
Assign one or more attribute dictionary descriptive attributes to multiple catalog entries at a time.
Add multiple catalog entries to multiple sales categories at a time in a single task.
Create rule-based sales categories that use a search based rule to find and automatically assign catalog entries to the categories.
Use search to find catalog entries to assign to a sales category.
View the catalog entries assigned a specific attribute dictionary attribute.

Manage promotions Promotions tool

Create and manage promotions for merchandise.
Review and manage promotions.
Import promotion codes for use with promotions.
Export promotion codes for a promotion.
If Management Center is integrated with IBM Marketing Center, we can open from Management Center to upload exported promotion codes. campaigns can include the promotion codes.
Find promotions using the Advanced Search feature in the Promotions tool.
Archive inactive promotions to remove the promotions from displaying in the main promotions list and promotion folders.
Prevent promotions from displaying in the main promotions list by moving the promotions into promotion folders.

Manage marketing campaigns Marketing tool

Design marketing campaigns that can contain web and email activities.
Create experiments to test campaign activities' effectiveness.
Create marketing content.
Define the flow of marketing activities.
Review marketing activities.
Create search rules.
Create search rule experiments.
If Management Center is integrated with IBM Marketing Center, we can open from Management Center to create and manage marketing campaigns. These campaigns can include promotion codes that are exported from Management Center.
Export customer segment information, such as email addresses, into a downloadable CSV file.
Override the maximum file size limit for attachments associated with marketing content.
Configure marketing activities to target customers who are viewing catalog entries that have specific attributes.

Manage attachments Attachments tool

Browse attachments
Create, change, and delete attachments.

Manage installment rules Installments tool

Create installment rules to offer customers different installment payment options when they purchase items from the store catalog.
Review how installment rules are scheduled in relation to one another in a calendar tool.
Review the list of active and inactive installment rules.
Activate and deactivate installment rules.
Update installment rules.
Delete installment rules.

Manage stores Store Management tool

Update store profile information such as the name or description of a store, contact information, store location, and supported languages and currencies.
Change the style of a store, including the store layout and color.
Specify the functions available in the store, such as which optional fields to display on store pages.
View our changes in the store.
Open or close a store.
Update the URL keyword of a static store page for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) friendly URLs.

Manage catalog filters, price lists, and price rules Catalog Filter and Pricing tool

Create, catalog filters.
Create price lists and price rules.
Upload catalog filters.
Upload price lists.

Manage tasks in Management Center Workspace Management tool

Manage content within a workspace by selecting tasks, managing content within tasks, adding comments, and approving or rejecting tasks.
Work on assigned tasks, complete tasks, and submit tasks for approval.
View, open, and compare business object change history records to quickly see what modifications were made.
Undo change history records to correct mistakes or to approve a task without needing to reject it.
View the change history for a task group after the task group is approved or canceled.

Creating pages and layouts, and managing layouts for store pages Commerce Composer tool

Create pages for the store.
Create layouts for pages by using predefined widgets and templates.
Assign layouts to store pages.
View layouts.

Assist customers on the store IBM Customer Service for WebSphere Commerce IBM Customer Service for Digital Commerce provides customer service enhancements that enable a customer service representative (CSR) to resolve common issues and capture orders. These capabilities are built into the storefront and enable a CSR to complete key tasks on behalf of a guest and registered customers.

Related concepts
Get started

Related information:

Get started video series

If we are ...	We can use the Management Center ...
Manage catalogs and merchandise	Catalogs tool Create master and sales catalogs, including: define categories create products and SKUs categorize SKUs bundle SKUs manage dynamic kits Enrich product content, and create merchandising associations. Create, restore, view, and delete versions of catalog objects (sales catalog, category, and catalog entries). Create search term associations, and associate search terms with landing pages. Manage product attributes with the Management Center attribute dictionary. Manage search engine optimization (SEO) properties for categories and catalog entries. View site search statistics for the keywords customers are using to search the site. Assign one or more attribute dictionary descriptive attributes to multiple catalog entries at a time. Add multiple catalog entries to multiple sales categories at a time in a single task. Create rule-based sales categories that use a search based rule to find and automatically assign catalog entries to the categories. Use search to find catalog entries to assign to a sales category. View the catalog entries assigned a specific attribute dictionary attribute.
Manage promotions	Promotions tool Create and manage promotions for merchandise. Review and manage promotions. Import promotion codes for use with promotions. Export promotion codes for a promotion. If Management Center is integrated with IBM Marketing Center, we can open from Management Center to upload exported promotion codes. campaigns can include the promotion codes. Find promotions using the Advanced Search feature in the Promotions tool. Archive inactive promotions to remove the promotions from displaying in the main promotions list and promotion folders. Prevent promotions from displaying in the main promotions list by moving the promotions into promotion folders.
Manage marketing campaigns	Marketing tool Design marketing campaigns that can contain web and email activities. Create experiments to test campaign activities' effectiveness. Create marketing content. Define the flow of marketing activities. Review marketing activities. Create search rules. Create search rule experiments. If Management Center is integrated with IBM Marketing Center, we can open from Management Center to create and manage marketing campaigns. These campaigns can include promotion codes that are exported from Management Center. Export customer segment information, such as email addresses, into a downloadable CSV file. Override the maximum file size limit for attachments associated with marketing content. Configure marketing activities to target customers who are viewing catalog entries that have specific attributes.
Manage attachments	Attachments tool Browse attachments Create, change, and delete attachments.
Manage installment rules	Installments tool Create installment rules to offer customers different installment payment options when they purchase items from the store catalog. Review how installment rules are scheduled in relation to one another in a calendar tool. Review the list of active and inactive installment rules. Activate and deactivate installment rules. Update installment rules. Delete installment rules.
Manage stores	Store Management tool Update store profile information such as the name or description of a store, contact information, store location, and supported languages and currencies. Change the style of a store, including the store layout and color. Specify the functions available in the store, such as which optional fields to display on store pages. View our changes in the store. Open or close a store. Update the URL keyword of a static store page for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) friendly URLs.
Manage catalog filters, price lists, and price rules	Catalog Filter and Pricing tool Create, catalog filters. Create price lists and price rules. Upload catalog filters. Upload price lists.
Manage tasks in Management Center	Workspace Management tool Manage content within a workspace by selecting tasks, managing content within tasks, adding comments, and approving or rejecting tasks. Work on assigned tasks, complete tasks, and submit tasks for approval. View, open, and compare business object change history records to quickly see what modifications were made. Undo change history records to correct mistakes or to approve a task without needing to reject it. View the change history for a task group after the task group is approved or canceled.
Creating pages and layouts, and managing layouts for store pages	Commerce Composer tool Create pages for the store. Create layouts for pages by using predefined widgets and templates. Assign layouts to store pages. View layouts.