Management Center: Content Recommendation widget for Commerce Composer

Content Recommendation widget
Use this widget to display content, such as images, text, HTML, and Flash content, on a store page.
Avoid other types of content, such as documents or audio files, because the widget displays an empty space. The content to display must be included in marketing content. We can either specify the marketing content directly in the widget, or create a web activity to display the marketing content.

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

Examples of widget content
Figure 1. Widget containing static HTML
Figure 2. Widget containing multiple images in horizontal orientation
Figure 3. Widget containing multiple images in vertical orientation, with display title set to Shop By Brand

Alternative widgets
Consider the following alternative widgets:
E-Marketing Spot widget

If the layout is assigned to multiple pages, we can set the E-Marketing Spot widget to display different content on each page. Choose the Page-specific e-Marketing Spot option for the E-Marketing Spot widget.

Text Editor widget

The Text Editor widget contains a text editor directly in the widget so that you do not need to include your static HTML or text in marketing content. Therefore, the Text Editor widget might be a simpler option if we are creating HTML content that you plan to use only one time. However, use the Content Recommendation widget if:

If you have reusable content stored in WebSphere Commerce or another connected content repository.
You want to run a web activity in the widget (the Text Editor widget does not support web activities).

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

Action: Recommend Content
Action: Recommend Promotion

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
Prepare the images, text, static HTML, documents, and media files to display in the widget.

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, Sidebar Ads. This name is not displayed on the storefront.
Widget orientation Specify how to arrange multiple pieces of marketing content inside the widget:
Horizontal

Arrange the content side by side across the page (see Figure 2).

Vertical

Stack the content on top of one another down the page (see Figure 3).

Number of content to display in vertical row If you chose vertical orientation, specify how many pieces of marketing content 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 content.
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 existing content or create new content

Select this option if the widget content is the same for all customers and you do not need the extra capabilities that are offered by web activities.Do one of the following things:

If you have existing content, in the Content table, find and add the content.
To create content, click
Create New Content. After creating and save the content, it is automatically added to the Content table in the widget.
Tip: We can change the sequence in which the content is displayed in the widget. In the Content table, click a row that contains content. Then, click the up or down arrow above the table to change the sequence.

Use web activities to recommend content

Select this option to take advantage of web activity capabilities to display the content. 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.

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

Related tasks
Manage marketing content

Property	Description
Widget name	Type a name to identify this widget in this layout, for example, Sidebar Ads. This name is not displayed on the storefront.
Widget orientation	Specify how to arrange multiple pieces of marketing content inside the widget: Horizontal Arrange the content side by side across the page (see Figure 2). Vertical Stack the content on top of one another down the page (see Figure 3).
Number of content to display in vertical row	If you chose vertical orientation, specify how many pieces of marketing content 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 content.
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 existing content or create new content Select this option if the widget content is the same for all customers and you do not need the extra capabilities that are offered by web activities.Do one of the following things: If you have existing content, in the Content table, find and add the content. To create content, click Create New Content. After creating and save the content, it is automatically added to the Content table in the widget. Tip: We can change the sequence in which the content is displayed in the widget. In the Content table, click a row that contains content. Then, click the up or down arrow above the table to change the sequence. Use web activities to recommend content Select this option to take advantage of web activity capabilities to display the content. 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.