Marketing tool: frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Find answers to some frequently asked questions about using key features of the Marketing tool and completing tasks.
Browse the Troubleshooting tab for answers to common problems that you might encounter when you are working with the Marketing tool.
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Is there any special setup required before you use the Marketing tool?
Yes, your site administrator must complete some configuration steps in WebSphere Commerce so that certain triggers, targets, and actions in web and dialog activities work properly. If this configuration is not in place, the Marketing tool does not track and record customer behavior, which is required for targeted marketing and personalization. Instructions for site administrators are provided in Enabling Management Center marketing features.Is there any special setup required to view statistics for marketing activities?
Yes. Statistical data is collected on your production server where your live store runs. For you to view these statistics in the Marketing tool, your site administrator must copy the data at a scheduled interval from your production server to the server on which you use Management Center. In addition, if you run marketing experiments, and you want to view revenue statistics for each experiment, your site administrator must complete some additional configuration steps. Instructions for site administrators are provided in Administering marketing statistics for Management Center.How can I test my web activities before they are published to my live store?
In most cases, you can test your web activities in your authoring or staging environment by using store preview, without involving your site administrator. For example:- By setting the date and time options in store preview, you can view a web activity that is scheduled for a future date. See the preview options in Previewing a store.
- If your web activity contains targets, such as a Customer Segment or Shopping Cart target, you can preview your store as a test customer who meets the target criteria. See Tips for testing targets in web and dialog activities.
Web activities that use the Display Top Browsed or Display Best Sellers actions are processed only once a day, typically during an off-peak hour. These lists are not generated right away, so it might seem that they are not working. However, you can get a site administrator to force the daily processing to occur so that you can see the results right away. Instructions are provided in Testing the Display Top Browsed and Display Best Sellers actions in Web activities.
Why do customers still get personalized recommendations after they sign out?
WebSphere Commerce identifies customers by assigning each customer a personalization ID that is stored in a small file, called a persistent session cookie, on their computer or device. A customer's personalization ID stays the same in their persistent session cookie from the moment they first visit your site to after they register. Therefore, when registered customers use the same computer or device to shop your store, they will continue to receive personalized recommendations even after they sign out, or close and reopen the browser.If you want your store to forget
customers after they sign
out or close their browser, a site administrator can make a configuration change to WebSphere Commerce. As a result, your store stops offering personalized content on the current computer
or device until the customer signs in again. For more information, see Personalization ID.
Why does the HTML code that I paste into marketing content get treated as regular text?
