Management Center: Catalog Entry Recommendation widget for Commerce Composer

Catalog Entry Recommendation widget
Use this widget to display a list of catalog entries (products, SKUs, bundles, and kits) on a store page. For example, we can display a list of featured products on a landing page, or a list of recently viewed products on a category page.
This widget displays catalog entries in a single horizontal or vertical row. The thumbnail image, name, and price are pulled from the catalog data. We can either specify a list of catalog entries directly in the widget, or create a web activity to display the catalog entries.

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

Examples of widget content
Figure 1. Widget displaying products in horizontal orientation with display title set to On Sale Now
Figure 2. Widget displaying products in vertical orientation with display title set to Recommended

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

Action: Recommend Catalog Entry
Action: Display Merchandising Association

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 catalog entries 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, FeaturedProductList. This name is not displayed on the storefront.
Widget orientation Specify how to arrange the catalog entry recommendations inside the widget:
Horizontal

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

Vertical

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

Number of catalog entries to display in vertical row If you chose vertical orientation, specify how many catalog entries 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 catalog entries.
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 catalog entries

Select this option to display a static list of catalog entries that you choose from the catalog. In the Catalog entries table, find and add the catalog entries.Tip: We can change the sequence in which the catalog entries are displayed in the widget. In the Catalog entries table, click a row that contains a catalog entry. Then, click the up or down arrow above the table to change the sequence.

Use web activities to recommend catalog entries

Select this option to take advantage of web activity capabilities to display the catalog entries. These capabilities include personalization, scheduling, and prioritization. The web activity must use an action that displays catalog entries.

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, New This Week. See Figure 1 and Figure 2.
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, FeaturedProductList. This name is not displayed on the storefront.
Widget orientation	Specify how to arrange the catalog entry recommendations inside the widget: Horizontal Arrange the catalog entries side by side across the page (see Figure 1). Vertical Stack the catalog entries on top of one another down the page (see Figure 2).
Number of catalog entries to display in vertical row	If you chose vertical orientation, specify how many catalog entries 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 catalog entries.
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 catalog entries Select this option to display a static list of catalog entries that you choose from the catalog. In the Catalog entries table, find and add the catalog entries.Tip: We can change the sequence in which the catalog entries are displayed in the widget. In the Catalog entries table, click a row that contains a catalog entry. Then, click the up or down arrow above the table to change the sequence. Use web activities to recommend catalog entries Select this option to take advantage of web activity capabilities to display the catalog entries. These capabilities include personalization, scheduling, and prioritization. The web activity must use an action that displays catalog entries. 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, New This Week. See Figure 1 and Figure 2. 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.