Action: Display

Use this action in a web activity to display one or more catalog entries that are recommended in an e-Marketing Spot by . This action can display both flat file and dynamic recommendations.

Example 1

Here is an example of a web activity that uses the Display action to display a dynamic recommendation. In this example, a site zone with the ID A123456 is set up using the software. The purpose of the site zone is to display a list of products that other customers also viewed when the customer is viewing the current product:


The Display action

When this web activity is activated, the product details page displays the catalog entries that are recommended by site zone ID A123456.

Figure 1. on the product details page

A store page that shows dynamic Intelligent Offer recommendations

Example 2

Here is an example of a web activity that uses the Display action to display a flat file recommendation. For flat file recommendations, you must specify an offer that is created in the software:


Flat file recommendation web activity

When this web activity is activated, the shopping cart page displays the catalog entry recommendations that are provided in the Shopping Cart Page offer flat file that is imported from :

Figure 2. on the shopping cart page
A store page that shows flat file
Tip: You can use this action to display different recommendations to different sets of customers by using a Branch element to split a single path in the activity into multiple paths. You can also use this action with the Experiment element to perform A/B or multivariate testing on the activity.

Requirements for e-Marketing Spots that display recommendations from

The e-Marketing Spot requirements for flat file recommendations are different from the requirements for dynamic recommendations:
  • For flat file recommendations, you can use any basic e-Marketing Spot that displays catalog entries on store pages. In Commerce+ starter stores, basic e-Marketing Spots use snippets that are named ContentAreaESpot.jsp, ESpotNavDisplay.jsp, and ScrollingProductESpot.jsp.
  • For dynamic recommendations, you must use a specialized e-Marketing Spot that has an added function to include a refresh area.

Guidelines for using this action

When you set up the Display action in a web activity, you can specify the following options:
Option Description
Recommendation delivery
  • For dynamic recommendations, choose Site Zone.
  • For flat file recommendations, choose Flat File.
Zone IDs For dynamic recommendations, enter one or more zone IDs defined in the software. If you specify multiple zone IDs, the e-Marketing Spot displays a separate section for the recommendations for each zone. ensures that the same catalog entry is not recommended in more than one zone on the page.
Ensure that your store developer has configured the e-Marketing Spot to match the corresponding zone function:
  • If the zone displays recommendations for a specific catalog entry, the e-Marketing Spot must be passed the part number ID of the current catalog entry.
  • If the zone has a fallback in the recommendation plan to display category top sellers, the e-Marketing Spot must be passed the parent category ID of the catalog entry.
  • If the zone displays recommendations for the most recently viewed product, the product display page must contain an analytics tag to identify viewed products.
  • If the zone displays recommendations for the most recently purchased product, the order summary page must contain an analytics tag to identify purchased products.
  • If the zone displays recommendations for category top sellers, the e-Marketing Spot must be passed the current category ID.
  • If the zone displays recommendations for site top sellers, the e-Marketing Spot must be passed _TS_ as the category ID.
Offer name For flat file recommendations, type the offer name that is defined in the software. The maximum length of the offer name is 32 characters. The offer name must match the name that is defined in exactly, including case.
Action For flat file recommendations, specify what you want to base the display of recommendations from on. Options are:
Display a recommendation based on the catalog entries of the current page
The server determines which catalog entry the customer is viewing. Then, the server finds any merchandising associations corresponding to the specified flat file offer and displays those catalog entries.

Use this option only on the product details page.

Display a recommendation based on the catalog entries in the customer's shopping cart
The server checks the catalog entries the customer has in the shopping cart. Then, the server finds any merchandising associations corresponding to the specified flat file offer and displays those catalog entries.
Display a recommendation based on the catalog entries in the customer's purchase history
The server checks the customer's purchase history for previously purchased catalog entries. Then, the server finds any merchandising associations corresponding to the specified flat file offer and displays those catalog entries. You can also specify a time frame for the purchase history, for example, within the last 7 days.
Display a recommendation based on specific catalog entries
The server checks that catalog entries are specified in the Display action. Then, the server finds any merchandising associations corresponding to the specified flat file offer and displays those catalog entries.
Tip: For flat file recommendations, consider specifying default catalog entries to display in the e-Marketing Spot. If does not return any recommendations to the e-Marketing Spot, customers see the default catalog entries instead of an empty e-Marketing Spot. Specifying default catalog entries is useful for flat file recommendations when there are no fallback recommendations that are provided for catalog entries that do not pass the view floor threshold in . To specify default catalog entries, open the properties view for the e-Marketing Spot and add the catalog entries to the Default content table.

Limitations for dynamic recommendations

  • If a Display action that displays dynamic recommendations is used in an experiment:
    • If a customer views a recommended catalog entry, statistics are not gathered for the revenue that is associated with purchasing that catalog entry.
    • If a customer clicks a recommended catalog entry, statistics are gathered for the revenue that is associated with purchasing that catalog entry.
  • If the Display action is displaying dynamic recommendations, the web activity cannot be used in a remote widget.
  • If you view an e-Marketing Spot displaying dynamic recommendations in store preview, the red dashed box surrounds only the e-Marketing Spot name. The box does not surround the catalog entries that are displayed in the e-Marketing Spot.