Creating an email template

You can create an email template for HCL Commerce using the Management Center.

Procedure

To create an email template in the Management Center:

Open the Create Email Template page by selecting the Create Email Template button. On this page, the Store is pre-selected based on the store selected in the email templates landing page.
Enter the following information:
- Name: Enter a meaningful name. This name appears on the Email Templates - List page and identifies the email template.
- Description: Describe what this email template is used for.
- Email Subject: Enter the subject of the email. This displays to customers as the subject in their email client software.
To collect statistics on the number of target customers who open the email, select the checkbox next to Record number of emails opened.

Note: If you opt to collect this information, when customers open the email, it sends a request to your server. If you send a large number of emails, this volume of emails can affect site performance.
In the Email Content section,
1. Add the information in the Email Content box. This field is similar to a simple text editor. You can enter text and add placeholders for other types of content, such as customer names, e-Marketing Spots, links, and promotion codes.
  
  Note: To add placeholders, from the Insert content list, select a placeholder, complete any fields under the placeholder, and then insert content by selecting the Insert content button.
2. To Insert content, select one of the following options:
  Important: The following are the important common options available for any option selected in this section:
  - You can delete the selected entry by selecting the Delete icon given in the Actions menu.
  - Only one entry can be added to the table at a time. If you attempt to add multiple entries then the latest one will be replaced by the previously added entry.
  - From the Insert content button, all the selected information is added to the email template.
  1. First Name: This option allows users to insert the first name tag into the email template. When the e-mail is sent, the tag is replaced with the target user’s first name. You can either copy the Composed Content to the clipboard or select the Insert content button.
    Note: If you select the Insert content option, the tag will be inserted at the end of the Email Content. Copying to the clipboard enables you to enter the tag at any location you choose.
  2. Last Name: This option allows users to insert the last name tag into the email template. When the e-mail is sent, the tag is replaced with the target user’s last name. You can either copy the Composed Content to the clipboard or select the Insert content button.
    Note: If you select the Insert content option, the tag will be inserted at the end of the Email Content. Copying to the clipboard enables you to enter the tag at any location you choose.
  3. Link: Inserts a link that becomes active when the email is sent to customers. Selecting this option displays the Click action for link list. Select an action for the link:
    - Predefined click action
      
      Select one of the following click actions for the link:
      
      Display catalog entry
      
      This link redirects the customer's browser to the product details page for a specific catalog entry. Selecting this option displays a Catalog entry table in which you must find and add the catalog entry:
      
      From the Add button, you can add the catalog entry you wish to include in the email template. The selected catalog entry is added to the Catalog Entry table.
      
      Display category
      
      This link redirects the customer's browser to the category page for a specific category. Selecting this option displays a Category field in which you must specify the target category:
      
      From the Add button, you can add the category you wish to include in the email template. The selected category is added to the Category table.
      
      Issue coupon
      
      This link adds a coupon to the customer's coupon wallet. Selecting this option displays the following fields:
      
      Coupon promotion: Specify an existing promotion that has a redemption method that is set to a Coupon promotion.
      
      From the Add button, you can add the promotion code you wish to include in the email template. The selected promotion code is added to the Promotion table.
      
      URL: Specify the URL that the browser redirects to when a customer clicks the link. Enter the complete URL, for example, http://www.example.com.
      
      Text: Specify the text for the link, for example, Get a coupon for 20% off.
      
      Add to shopping cart
      
      This link adds a catalog entry to the customer's shopping cart. Selecting this option displays an SKU field in which you must specify the SKU of the catalog entry that you want to add to the customer's shopping cart:
      
      From the Add button, you can add the catalog entry you wish to include in the email template. The selected catalog entry is added to the Catalog Entry table.
      
      Add to wish list
      
      This link adds a catalog entry to the customer's wish list. Selecting this option displays a SKU field in which you must specify the SKU of the catalog entry that you want to add to the customer's wish list:
      
      From the Add button, you can add the category you wish to include the email template. The selected category is added to the Category table.
      
      Note: This option is only available for B2C stores.
      
      Unsubscribe
      
      This link updates the customer's status for receiving email. If you follow this link, you will stop receiving marketing emails.
    - Custom URL for Click Action: If you select this option, you must enter the URL that the browser redirects to when you follow the text specified in the Text field. Enter the complete URL, for example, http://www.example.com. If this URL directs a customer to a site outside of your store, HCL Commerce must be configured to allow redirects to the site; otherwise the redirect will not work properly.
    All click options except unsubscribe display a Record the number of clicks checkbox, which you can select to record the number of times customers click the link. This information can be used in reports to determine the effectiveness of a link.
  4. E-Marketing Spot: This option inserts a placeholder that is replaced with the content displayed in an e-Marketing Spot. Enter the name of the e-Marketing Spot between the quotation marks in name="", for example, name="HomeRow1_Content". To check the name of an e-Marketing Spot, go to the E-Marketing Spots folder, and then look up the name in the Name column of the E-Marketing Spots - List page.
    - From the Add button, you can add the e-marketing spots you wish to include in the email template. The selected e-marketing spots are added to the E-Marketing Spot table.
  5. Promotion Code: This option issues a unique promotion code to each email recipient. Selecting this option displays a Promotion field, in which you must specify the promotion that uses Requires promotion code as its redemption method. The type of promotion code must be either:
    - Simple or advanced system-generated unique promotion codes
    - Imported promotion codes
    Follow the steps given below to add promotion codes to the email content:
    - From the Add button, you can add the promotion code you wish to include in the email template. The selected promotion code is added to the Promotion table.
Select the Finish button to create the email template.

Results

The email template has been created successfully and is now available on the landing page.