Recommendations paragraph
Recommendation generators let you send individualized recommendations in real time mailings, any time a recipient accesses a mailing. Recommendations are based on recipient history and algorithms and retrieved via a URL. Depending on the provider, one or more URLs are made available to each recipient, which they can use to access a variety of elements:
- Recommendation image (such as product image)
- Recommendation text (shown as graphics, such as product name and description)
- Link to a landing page
The recommendation paragraph contains input fields for these URLs for multiple recommendations, providing you with additional layout options. You can place a recommendation paragraph within the header and footer area and inside grouping paragraphs. The Template Kit can contain multiple recommendation paragraphs. However, the recommendation provider can only provide a limited number of recommendations for a recipient.
Note
Fallback for new recipients and incomplete URLs
Store a fallback for your provider so new recipients with no history are shown a recommendation and so URLs with missing or incorrect parameters can be compensated for. Otherwise, an empty image placeholder might appear in the mailing, because no graphic could be retrieved from the recommendation server.
Formatting recommendation URLs
URLs for recommendations include multiple parameters that identify a customer, recipient, layout, type (text, image, or link), and number of recommendations (for more than one). A recommendation is only generated if parameters are generated correctly.
The following URL structure is an example. See the provider you have selected for details.
http://host:port/rde_server/res/[NL-RDE-ID]/newsletter/recomm/[Name-of-message-template]/usr/[User-ID] ?requestType=textImage&recoIndex=[Index]&channel=NL- NL-RDE-ID. Your customer ID; you receive this from the recommendation provider.
- Name-of-message-template. The template determines the recommendation stored for the recommendation provider.
Note
You cannot modify the first two parameters.
- User ID. The recipient ID, used to generate individual recommendations.
- Index. Process multiple recommendations for each recipient. Use this parameter to select the corresponding, consecutive paragraph number.
recommendations-paragraph.mdxCreating a recommendations paragraph
- While editing the mailing content in the Template Kit, click New: Content Paragraph.
Tip
You can also use the paragraph in the header and footer area by clicking Header or Footer.
- Click Recommendations.
- In the configuration window, click Apply. The new recommendation paragraph appears on the left.
recommendations-paragraph.mdxConfiguring a recommendation paragraph
- On the left side of the preview, in the menu bar of the recommendation paragraph, click Recommendations.The configuration window opens on the right.
- See the following tables to set options in the corresponding tabs. Click Apply to confirm your settings.
- Text
- SWYN
recommendations-paragraph.mdxGeneral
Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
Contents | |
Heading | Enter a paragraph caption. |
Show in Desktop Version | Select to include this paragraph in the desktop mailing. |
Show in Mobile Version | Select to show the paragraph in the mobile version of the mailing. The Activate mobile version setting in the general settings must be activated for this option to take effect. |
Show in Text Version | Select to show the paragraph in the text version of the mailing. |
Recommendation 1-5 | |
Image URL | Enter the URL used to generate the recommendation image that appears in a mailing. The height and width of the graphic is set by the recommendation provider and cannot be adjusted to fit the template. |
Text URL | Enter the URL used to generate the recommendation text that appears in a mailing. The text is displayed as a graphics file. The height and width of the graphic is set by the recommendation provider and cannot be adjusted to fit the template. |
Link | Enter the URL used to generate a link to the landing page that appears in a mailing. The layout of the links (color, text and so on) is set by the recommendation provider and cannot be adjusted to fit the template. |
See Click2Go.
Recommendations are incorporated into mailings as graphics and are not displayed in the text version – except for the caption, if one is provided. Instead, you can enter a substitute text to use in the text version of the mailing. If you do not want the paragraph to appear in the text version, disable the Show in Text Version option in the General tab.
Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
Text | Enter alternate text to use in the text version of a mailing. Recommendations will not appear in the text version, except for the caption. |
You can enable the SWYN function for social networks individually for each paragraph. To allow sharing of these paragraphs in a social network, select the Show check box for the network in which you want them to appear.
Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
General | |
Alignment | Links (symbols and text) and the introduction text are right-aligned. |
Position | Links (symbols and text) and the introduction text are positioned at the bottom edge of the paragraph. |
Default Values | |
Title | Displays up to 50 characters in the user's profile if the user shares the paragraph over a social network, as long as no other title is indicated for that network. |
Text | Displays up to 250 characters in the user's profile if the user shares the paragraph over a social network, as long as no other text is specified for that network. |
Image | Displays up to 100 x 100 pixels in the user's profile next to the text if the user shares the paragraph over a social network, as long as no other image is specified for that network. Larger images are scaled down to this size. |
| |
Show | Lets recipients share the paragraph via their Facebook profile. |
Title | Displays up to 50 characters if the recipient shares the paragraph on his or her Facebook profile. If you enter nothing here, the standard title is displayed. |
Text | Displays up to 250 characters if the recipient shares the paragraph on his or her Facebook profile. If you enter nothing here, the standard text is displayed. |
Image | Displays up to 100 x 100 pixels if the recipient shares the paragraph on his or her Facebook profile. If you enter nothing here, the standard image is displayed. Larger images are scaled down to this size. |
| |
Show | Lets recipients share the paragraph via their Twitter account. |
Title | Displays up to 50 characters if the recipient shares the paragraph on his or her Twitter profile. If you enter nothing here, the standard title is displayed. |
| |
Parameters for WhatsApp are identical to Twitter's. | |
| |
Show | Lets recipients share the paragraph via email. |
Title | Displays up to 50 characters as email subject if the recipient shares the paragraph via email. If you enter nothing here, the standard title is displayed. |
Text | Displays up to 250 characters if the recipient shares the paragraph via email. If you enter nothing here, the standard text is displayed. |
| |
Parameters for Xing are identical to Twitter's. | |
recommendations-paragraph.mdxOptions
Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
Layout | |
Width | The maximum available width is used as standard. This is based on the internal spacing and also depends on whether you are using a sidebar and, if so, on the width of the sidebar. Enter a different value in pixels. If the maximum available width is smaller than this value, then the entered value is ignored. |
Height | By default, the paragraph is displayed over the available height, considering the content. Alternatively, you can specify a fixed height. If the content exceeds this height, the value is ignored, and the content is displayed at the default height. |
Recommendation Layout | Images and text used in a recommendation can be placed next to or on top of each other. Bear in mind the available width when changing the layout. |
Space Between Image and Text | Specify (in pixels) how much space there should be between image and text in a recommendation. |
Space Between the Recommendations | Specify (in pixels) how much space there should be between multiple recommendations. This value is irrelevant if you are only inserting one recommendation. |
Arrangement | Indicate whether multiple recommendations should be placed next to each other in one paragraph (for example, in the main body of the text space) or on top of each other (for example, in the sidebar next to the main body of the text space). This value is irrelevant if you are only inserting one recommendation. |
Alignment | Specify how the recommendations should be arranged in a paragraph. This value is only applied if the width of recommendations is less than the width available in the main body of the text space. |
Background Color | The background color is given as a Hex code.To define the color, enter a hexadecimal value preceded by # (such as #000000). The depiction of non-hex web colors may vary from the original, depending on the browser. |
Padding | Specify white space around the paragraph content. You can set white space separately for each page.Enter the values in pixels (integer values) based on the following example, using spaces to separate multiple pixel entries:- 10 = sides are uniform with 10 pixels of white space for the content |
- 10 20 = 10 pixels on the top and bottom, 20 pixels on the left and right
- 10 15 20 25 = 10 pixels on the top, 15 pixels on the right, 20 pixels on the bottom, 25 pixels on the leftIf the value is set to 0, then there will be no padding. | | Recommendation Image | | | Width | Enter the width of the recommendation image. If you do not enter anything here, the image's original width is used. | | Height | Enter the height of the recommendation image. If you do not enter anything here, the image's original height is used. | | Recommendation Text | | | Width | Enter the width of the recommendation text. If you do not enter anything here, the text's original width is used. | | Height | Enter the height of the recommendation text. If you do not enter anything here, the text's original height is used. | | Border | | | Show | Select if you want to apply a border around the entire paragraph. | | Border Width | Enter the thickness of the border. You can set thickness for each side individually.Enter values in pixels (integer values) based on the following example, using spaces to separate multiple pixel entries:- 1 = sides uniform with 1 pixel
- 1 2 = 1 pixel on the top and bottom, 2 pixels on the left and right
- 1 2 3 4 = 1 pixel on the top, 2 pixels on the right, 3 pixel on the bottom, 4 pixel on the left.If you leave the field blank, the border has a thickness of 1 pixel (uniform on all sides). | | Color | To define the color, enter a hexadecimal value preceded by # (such as #000000). The depiction of non-hex web colors may vary from the original, depending on the browser. | | Mobile | | | Width | Set the paragraph width (in percent; 100% default) for mobile view. To display paragraphs next to each another in mobile view, make sure that the widths of two consecutive paragraphs combine to 100%. Otherwise, the paragraphs are displayed on top of each another with the assigned widths. | | Maximum Width of the Text Image | The maximum width is entered as a percentage. It only takes effect if the text is positioned to the left or the right of the image.The value must be between 10 and 90. By default, a maximum width of 50 % is used. | | Table of Contents | | | Show in Table of Contents | Check to display the paragraph in the table of contents for the section. | | Alternative Table of Contents Entry | Enter a heading to be displayed for this section in the table of contents. If you enter nothing, the heading from the General tab is displayed. |
recommendations-paragraph.mdxClick profiles
Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
Click Profile | Clicks on any link in this paragraph are allocated to the selected click profiles. See Click profiles. |
recommendations-paragraph.mdxTarget groups
Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
Target Groups | To show this paragraph to one or more target groups only, select them. If more than one target group is selected, just one must match (OR logic). See Target groups. |