Management Center: Content Carousel widget for Commerce Composer

Content Carousel widget
Use this widget to display two or more pieces of content that transition from one to the next in an image carousel. We can include scrolling controls and image counters on the widget to give customers more control over the transitions. This type of widget is commonly used at the top of a landing page.
The content to display must be included in marketing content. We can either specify the content directly in the widget, or create a web activity to display the content.
For best results, use this widget only in a slot that spans the width of the page. Otherwise, the images overflow into adjacent widgets during each image transition.
The Content Carousel widget can display images, text, HTML, and Flash content. Avoid other types of content, such as documents or audio files, because the widget displays an empty space.

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

Examples of widget content
Figure 1. Widget with image count represented as dots
Figure 2. Widget with image count represented as thumbnail images and scrolling arrows

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, and Flash content 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, Hero spot for home page. This name is not displayed on the storefront.
Image count treatment Select the type of image to display at the bottom of the widget to represent each piece of content in the carousel. Customers can click the images to select content.
Include arrows for scrolling left and right Select this check box to enable scrolling arrows on the widget.
Select a method for populating this widget Choose one of the following options:
Specify existing content or create new content

If you have existing content, in the Content table, find and add two or more pieces of 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. Repeat to create at least two pieces of content.
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 an action that can display two or more pieces of content.

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, Hero spot for home page. This name is not displayed on the storefront.
Image count treatment	Select the type of image to display at the bottom of the widget to represent each piece of content in the carousel. Customers can click the images to select content.
Include arrows for scrolling left and right	Select this check box to enable scrolling arrows on the widget.
Select a method for populating this widget	Choose one of the following options: Specify existing content or create new content If you have existing content, in the Content table, find and add two or more pieces of 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. Repeat to create at least two pieces of content. 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 an action that can display two or more pieces of content. 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.