Management Center: Tips for testing targets in web and dialog activities

Tips for testing targets in web and dialog activities

When we are testing a web or dialog activity that contains targets, we must run through the activity as a target customer. For a web activity, this means viewing the e-Marketing Spot in the store preview as a target customer. For a dialog activity, we can use the store preview to create a test customer that meets the target criteria.
The following table provides some tips for how to meet the target criteria for different targets while you test the activity:

Target How to meet the target criteria in a test environment
Customer Segment Create a test customer who belongs to the target customer segment. How you do this depends on the definition of the customer segment.
For example, if the customer segment is "Female Customers," then register as a customer who specifies their gender as female on the registration page.
Alternatively, to add a registered customer to any customer segment, open the customer segment in the Marketing tool, and use the Included customers field to add the customer.
If the customer segment is built dynamically using the Add To Or Remove From Customer Segment action in a different marketing activity, then complete the activity flow in that marketing activity as a test customer who is then added dynamically to the segment. Preview the store as a user that belongs to a specific customer segment:

Find the customer segment that the customer belongs to.
In the Search Results list view, right-click the customer segment; then click Preview Store as Segment.

Shopping Cart Place items in the shopping cart that meet the target criteria.
For example, if the target criteria is "Shopping cart contains at least 1 catalog entry from the Desks category," then place a desk in the shopping cart.
Purchase History Place orders that meet the purchase history target criteria.
For example, if the target criteria is "Purchase history contains at least 1 catalog entry from the Tableware category," then place an order from this category.
Current Page
(Web activities only) View the store page that meets the target criteria.
For example, if the target criteria is "Current page is the search results page following a keyword search for lamp," then perform a search for lamp and then view the search results page.
Catalog Browsing Behavior Browse the catalog entries or categories that meet the target criteria.
For example, if the target criteria is "Customer viewed the Furniture category or its subcategories at least 3 times," then view any three pages from the Furniture category.
Online Behavior Perform the search or view the page containing the URL that meets the target criteria.
For example, if the target criteria is "Customers who searched for television at least one time," then perform a keyword search for television.
External Site Referral
(Web activities only) Enter the site from a link on a specific external site that meets the target criteria.
To simulate this in a test environment, there are tools available on the Internet that helps you modify an existing web page by using a scripting language. You could insert a link onto the external site web page using the tool. This link calls the store page on your test or staging environment. The External Site Referral target (associated with an activity on the store page) then gets the information about the external site that linked to the store page.
Cookie Contents
(Web activities only) View the store from a computer whose current session has a cookie that meets the target criteria.
For example, if the target criteria is "Cookie named ZIPCODEhas a value that starts with 902" then ensure that the computer we are using for the store preview has a cookie with this name and value. You might also want to test that the store places this cookie on the computer and stores the value as expected. For the ZIPCODE example, this might require you to register as a customer with a ZIP code that meets the target criteria.
Social Commerce Participation Do any social commerce activity according to the target criteria. For example, if the target criteria is "Customers who participated in social commerce at least three times," then do any of the following things on the site three times (in total):

Post a product review or comment, or rate a product
Post a blog entry or comment, or rate a blog entry
Upload a photo

Do the social commerce activity that is defined in the target. For example, if the target criteria is "Customers who created a blog entry in the Televisions category at least three times," then create three blog entries in the Televisions category.
Day and Time For web activities: Set the store preview to a day and time that meets the target criteria.
For example, if the Day and Time target is set to Tuesday from 9 AM to 11 AM, then set the day and time within the store preview to Tuesday at 9 AM.
Promotion Checker
(Web activities only) View the store page containing the e-Marketing Spot used for the web activity. If applicable, view the page when it displays a catalog entry that does qualify for the promotion. Then, view it again for a catalog entry that does not qualify for the promotion.

Target	How to meet the target criteria in a test environment
Customer Segment	Create a test customer who belongs to the target customer segment. How you do this depends on the definition of the customer segment. For example, if the customer segment is "Female Customers," then register as a customer who specifies their gender as female on the registration page. Alternatively, to add a registered customer to any customer segment, open the customer segment in the Marketing tool, and use the Included customers field to add the customer. If the customer segment is built dynamically using the Add To Or Remove From Customer Segment action in a different marketing activity, then complete the activity flow in that marketing activity as a test customer who is then added dynamically to the segment. Preview the store as a user that belongs to a specific customer segment: Find the customer segment that the customer belongs to. In the Search Results list view, right-click the customer segment; then click Preview Store as Segment.
Shopping Cart	Place items in the shopping cart that meet the target criteria. For example, if the target criteria is "Shopping cart contains at least 1 catalog entry from the Desks category," then place a desk in the shopping cart.
Purchase History	Place orders that meet the purchase history target criteria. For example, if the target criteria is "Purchase history contains at least 1 catalog entry from the Tableware category," then place an order from this category.
Current Page (Web activities only)	View the store page that meets the target criteria. For example, if the target criteria is "Current page is the search results page following a keyword search for lamp," then perform a search for lamp and then view the search results page.
Catalog Browsing Behavior	Browse the catalog entries or categories that meet the target criteria. For example, if the target criteria is "Customer viewed the Furniture category or its subcategories at least 3 times," then view any three pages from the Furniture category.
Online Behavior	Perform the search or view the page containing the URL that meets the target criteria. For example, if the target criteria is "Customers who searched for television at least one time," then perform a keyword search for television.
External Site Referral (Web activities only)	Enter the site from a link on a specific external site that meets the target criteria. To simulate this in a test environment, there are tools available on the Internet that helps you modify an existing web page by using a scripting language. You could insert a link onto the external site web page using the tool. This link calls the store page on your test or staging environment. The External Site Referral target (associated with an activity on the store page) then gets the information about the external site that linked to the store page.
Cookie Contents (Web activities only)	View the store from a computer whose current session has a cookie that meets the target criteria. For example, if the target criteria is "Cookie named ZIPCODEhas a value that starts with 902" then ensure that the computer we are using for the store preview has a cookie with this name and value. You might also want to test that the store places this cookie on the computer and stores the value as expected. For the ZIPCODE example, this might require you to register as a customer with a ZIP code that meets the target criteria.
Social Commerce Participation	Do any social commerce activity according to the target criteria. For example, if the target criteria is "Customers who participated in social commerce at least three times," then do any of the following things on the site three times (in total): Post a product review or comment, or rate a product Post a blog entry or comment, or rate a blog entry Upload a photo Do the social commerce activity that is defined in the target. For example, if the target criteria is "Customers who created a blog entry in the Televisions category at least three times," then create three blog entries in the Televisions category.
Day and Time	For web activities: Set the store preview to a day and time that meets the target criteria. For example, if the Day and Time target is set to Tuesday from 9 AM to 11 AM, then set the day and time within the store preview to Tuesday at 9 AM.
Promotion Checker (Web activities only)	View the store page containing the e-Marketing Spot used for the web activity. If applicable, view the page when it displays a catalog entry that does qualify for the promotion. Then, view it again for a catalog entry that does not qualify for the promotion.