Management Center: Category Recommendation widget for Commerce Composer

Category Recommendation widget
Use this widget to display a list of categories on a store page. For example, we can display a list of subcategories on a department page, or a list of featured categories on a brand landing page.
This widget displays categories in a single horizontal or vertical row. The thumbnail image and name are pulled from the catalog data. We can either specify a list of categories directly in the widget, or create a web activity to display the categories.

Page dependency
We can use this widget in a layout for any page type.

Example of widget content
Figure 1. Widget with horizontal orientation and display title set to Shop for...
Figure 2. Widget with vertical orientation and display title set to Featured Categories

Web activity actions supported in this widget
If you run a web activity in this widget, we must choose an action that displays categories, such as:

Action: Recommend Category
Action: Display Recently Viewed

For the full list of supported actions, see Web activity actions supported in Commerce Composer widgets.
The web activity can also include targets for personalization, and branches to create different paths.

Prerequisites for using this widget
Ensure that the categories that we want to display exist in the catalog.

Widget properties and content
After you add this widget to a layout, we can set the following properties:

Property Description
Widget name Type a name to identify this widget in this layout, for example, Featured categories on home page. This name is not displayed on the storefront.
Widget orientation Specify how the category recommendations are arranged inside the widget:
Horizontal

Arrange the categories side by side across the page (see Figure 1).

Vertical

Stack the categories on top of one another down the page (see Figure 2).

Number of categories to display in vertical row If you chose vertical orientation, specify how many category recommendations this widget can display at the same time. If more than this number are returned to the widget, scrolling controls are included on the widget so that customers can view more categories.
Widget display style Select a style for the widget background and border.
Show a Subscribe link Select this check box to add a Subscribe link and icon to the widget. Customers can subscribe to a feed of the recommendations that are displayed in the widget. When the recommendations change, customers receive updates in their feed reader.
Select a method for populating this widget Choose one of the following options:
Specify a list of categories

Select this option to display a static list of categories that you choose from the catalog. In the Categories table, find and add the categories.
Both master catalog categories and sales categories are supported. By default, only categories in the current catalog that the customer is viewing are displayed. (IT developers can change this behavior.)
Rule-based sales categories are supported for use in this widget. Tip: We can change the sequence in which the categories are displayed in the widget. In the Categories table, click a row that contains a category. Then, click the up or down arrow above the table to change the sequence.

Use web activities to recommend categories

Select this option to take advantage of web activity capabilities to display the categories. These capabilities include personalization, scheduling, and prioritization. The web activity must use one of the actions listed earlier in this topic.

If you have an existing web activity to run in the widget, in the Web activities table, find and add the web activity.
To create a web activity, click
Create New Web Activity. See Creating a web activity from within a Commerce Composer widget.

Important: Do not forget to activate the web activity. In the Web activities table, right-click the web activity, and then click Activate. Tip: When you run a web activity in this widget, an e-Marketing Spot is automatically created in the widget. The e-Marketing Spot name follows this format:
Widget_widgettype_generatednumber
Example: Widget_ContentRecommendation_1234
The e-Marketing Spot name is viewable in the web activity properties view after you save the widget. The e-Marketing Spot is read-only so that it remains associated to the widget until you delete the widget.

Display title Optionally, we can specify a title to display at the top of the widget on the store page, for example, Shop for....
If we are running a web activity in the widget, this field is not available. Instead, use the E-Marketing Spot Title action in the web activity to add a title to the widget.

Related concepts
Widgets for Commerce Composer
Commerce Composer widget library
Web activities

Property	Description
Widget name	Type a name to identify this widget in this layout, for example, Featured categories on home page. This name is not displayed on the storefront.
Widget orientation	Specify how the category recommendations are arranged inside the widget: Horizontal Arrange the categories side by side across the page (see Figure 1). Vertical Stack the categories on top of one another down the page (see Figure 2).
Number of categories to display in vertical row	If you chose vertical orientation, specify how many category recommendations this widget can display at the same time. If more than this number are returned to the widget, scrolling controls are included on the widget so that customers can view more categories.
Widget display style	Select a style for the widget background and border.
Show a Subscribe link	Select this check box to add a Subscribe link and icon to the widget. Customers can subscribe to a feed of the recommendations that are displayed in the widget. When the recommendations change, customers receive updates in their feed reader.
Select a method for populating this widget	Choose one of the following options: Specify a list of categories Select this option to display a static list of categories that you choose from the catalog. In the Categories table, find and add the categories. Both master catalog categories and sales categories are supported. By default, only categories in the current catalog that the customer is viewing are displayed. (IT developers can change this behavior.) Rule-based sales categories are supported for use in this widget. Tip: We can change the sequence in which the categories are displayed in the widget. In the Categories table, click a row that contains a category. Then, click the up or down arrow above the table to change the sequence. Use web activities to recommend categories Select this option to take advantage of web activity capabilities to display the categories. These capabilities include personalization, scheduling, and prioritization. The web activity must use one of the actions listed earlier in this topic. If you have an existing web activity to run in the widget, in the Web activities table, find and add the web activity. To create a web activity, click Create New Web Activity. See Creating a web activity from within a Commerce Composer widget. Important: Do not forget to activate the web activity. In the Web activities table, right-click the web activity, and then click Activate. Tip: When you run a web activity in this widget, an e-Marketing Spot is automatically created in the widget. The e-Marketing Spot name follows this format: Widget_widgettype_generatednumber Example: Widget_ContentRecommendation_1234 The e-Marketing Spot name is viewable in the web activity properties view after you save the widget. The e-Marketing Spot is read-only so that it remains associated to the widget until you delete the widget.
Display title	Optionally, we can specify a title to display at the top of the widget on the store page, for example, Shop for.... If we are running a web activity in the widget, this field is not available. Instead, use the E-Marketing Spot Title action in the web activity to add a title to the widget.