Administering generic eCommerce administering-generic-ecommerce

The Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) generic solution provides methods of managing the commerce information held within the repository (as opposed to using an external ecommerce engine). This includes:

NOTE
The standard AEM installation includes the generic AEM (JCR) eCommerce implementation.
This is intended for demonstration purposes, or as the basic foundation for a custom implementation according to your requirements.

Products and Product Variations products-and-product-variations

NOTE
The following procedures apply to both Products and Product Variations.

Before creating products, define a scaffold. This specifies the fields that you must define, the products, and how they are edited.

A scaffold is needed for each distinct product type. The appropriate scaffold is associated with the products by either:

  • path
  • the product can reference the scaffold
NOTE
The Geometrixx-Outdoors store has a single product type (and therefore a single scaffold):
/etc/scaffolding/geometrixx-outdoors
The Geometrixx-Outdoors product type is active on:
/etc/commerce/products/geometrixx-outdoors
You can create a product definition anywhere under that without any additional setup.

Importing Products importing-products

Importing Products - Touch-optimized UI importing-products-touch-optimized-ui

  1. Navigate to the Products console, via Commerce.

  2. Using the Products console navigate to the required location.

  3. Use the Import Products icon to open the wizard.

    Import Products icon

  4. Specify:

    • Importer

      The importer for the specific commerce provider, by default Geometrixx.

    • Source

      The file that you want to import; you can use the browser to select a file.

    • Incremental Import

      Indicate whether this is an incremental import (as opposed to full).

    note note
    NOTE
    The incremental import (of the sample geometrixx-outdoor importer) operates at the product level.
    A customized importer can be defined to operate as required.
  5. Select Next to import the products, a log of the actions taken is shown.

    note note
    NOTE
    The products are imported to, or relative to, the current location.
    note note
    NOTE
    Repeatedly using Next and Back repeatedly imports the product definitions. However, as they have the same SKUs, the information existing in the repository is overwritten.
  6. Select Done to close the wizard.

Importing Products - Classic UI importing-products-classic-ui

  1. Using the Tools console open the Commerce folder.

  2. Double-click to open the Product Importer:

    Product Importer Console

  3. Specify:

    • Store Name

      Products are imported to:

      /etc/commerce/products/<*store name*>/

    • Commerce Provider

      The importer for your commerce provider; by default Geometrixx.

    • Source File

      The location in the repository of the file you want imported.

    • Incremental Import

      Indicate whether this is an incremental import (as opposed to full).

  4. Click Import Products.

Creating Product Information creating-product-information

NOTE
The standard product management is basic, because the Geometrixx-Outdoors product set has been kept basic. The complexity is based on the product scaffolding, so with your own product scaffolding it is possible to achieve more sophisticated editing.

Creating Product Information - Touch-optimized UI creating-product-information-touch-optimized-ui

  1. Using the Products console (via Commerce) navigate to the required location.

  2. Use the Create icon to select either (depending on the structure and location):

    • Create Product
    • Create Product Variation

    Plus-shaped create icon

  3. The wizard opens. Use the Basic and Product Tabs to enter the product attributes for the new product or product variant.

    note note
    NOTE
    Title and SKU are the minimum required to create a product or variant.
  4. Select Create to save the information.

NOTE
Many products are offered in a range of colors and/or sizes. Information about the basic product and the related product variants can both be managed from the Products console.
Products and their variants are stored as a tree structure, the product information is at the top, with the variants underneath (this structure is enforced by the UI).

Editing Product Information editing-product-information

NOTE
Product images in geometrixx-outdoors are served from:
/etc/commerce/products/...
This means that, by default, they are blocked by the Dispatcher, so configure as required.

Editing Product Information - Touch-optimized UI editing-product-information-touch-optimized-ui

  1. Using the Products console (via Commerce) navigate to your product information.

  2. Using either:

    Select the View Product Data icon:

    view product data icon - information icon

  3. The product attributes are shown. Use Edit and Done to make any changes.

Showing Product References showing-product-references

Showing Product References - Touch-optimized UI showing-product-references-touch-optimized-ui

  1. Using the Products console (via Commerce) navigate to your product information.

  2. Open the secondary rail for References with the icon:

    double arrow icon

  3. Select your required product - the secondary rail updates, showing you the reference types available:

    products console with references open

  4. Click on the reference type (for example, Product Pages) to expand the list.

  5. Select a specific reference so you can show the options:

    • Navigate to Product Page
    • Edit Product Page

    Products Console reference panel

Search for Products search-for-products

  1. Navigate to the Products console, via Commerce.

  2. Open the secondary rail for Search with the icon:

    magnifying glass icon

  3. Several facets are available for you to search for products. You can use only one or several facets for a search. The products found appear:

    Product data in products console

  4. Clicking/tapping a product opens it. You can also publish it or view the product data.

You can modify an existing facet or add new ones, using CRXDE Lite:

  1. Navigate to:

    http://localhost:4502/crx/de/index.jsp#/libs/commerce/gui/content/products/aside/items/search/items/searchpanel/facets

  2. You can edit, for example, the sizes that appear on the product search page. Click the sizegroup node.

  3. Click items node, then click propertypredicate node.

  4. You can edit the propertyValues. For example, you could add XS, or XXL, or remove a size.

  5. Click Save All and navigate to the products search page. Your changes should appear.

Multiple Assets multiple-assets

You can add multiple assets in the product component, then specify the asset that you want to have appear on the product page.

NOTE
Everything related to multiple assets is done with the Touch-optimized UI.

Adding Multiple Assets adding-multiple-assets

  1. Navigate to the Products console, via Commerce.

  2. Using the Products console, navigate to the required product.

    note note
    NOTE
    You have to be at the product level, not at the variant level.
  3. Select the View Product Data icon with selection mode or quick actions.

  4. Select the Edit icon.

  5. Scroll to Add.

    Adding product data screenshot

  6. Select Add. A new asset placeholder appears.

  7. Selecting Change opens a dialog box that lets you choose an asset.

  8. Select the asset that you want to add.

    note note
    NOTE
    The assets you can select are from Assets.
  9. Select the Done icon.

Two assets are now stored in your product component. You can configure which one appears on the product page. This works with a category system. First you must add a category to the individual assets:

  1. Select View Product Data.

  2. Type an Asset Category under the assets, for example, cat1 and cat2.

    note note
    NOTE
    You can also use tags for categories.
  3. Select the Done icon. You now have to rollout your changes.

Now your assets in the product component have a category. You can configure which category is displayed at three different levels:

NOTE
If you do not set categories, the first asset is displayed on the product page.

The mechanism to select the image to be displayed is as follows:

  1. Verify if a category is set for the Product Page.
  2. If not, verify if a category is set for the Catalog.
  3. If not, verify if a category is set for the Products Console.
NOTE
For both the Catalog level and the Products Console level, you have to rollout your changes to apply the modifications and to see the difference on the product page.

Product Page product-page

  1. Navigate to your product page.
  2. Edit the product component.
  3. Type the Image Category that you chose ( cat1 for example).
  4. Select Done. The page refreshes and the correct asset should be displayed.

Catalog catalog

  1. Navigate to your catalog.
  2. Select View Properties.
  3. Select Edit.
  4. Select the Assets tab.
  5. Type the required Product Asset Category.
  6. Select Done.
  7. Rollout your changes.

Products Console products-console

  1. Using the Products console, navigate to the required Product.
  2. Select View Product Data.
  3. Select Edit.
  4. Type a Default Asset Category.
  5. Select Done.
  6. Rollout your changes.

Publishing/Unpublishing Product Information publishing-unpublishing-product-information

Publishing/Unpublishing Product Information - Touch-optimized UI publishing-unpublishing-product-information-touch-optimized-ui

NOTE
Often the product information is published through the pages that reference it. For instance, when publishing page X which references product Y, AEM asks if you also want to publish product Y.
For special cases, AEM also supports publishing direct from the product data.
  1. Using the Products console (via Commerce) navigate to your product information.

  2. Using either:

    Select the Publish or Unpublish icon as required:

    world icon world icon with a cross - no sign

    The product information is published or unpublished, as appropriate.

Event Handler for Product Updates event-handler-for-product-updates

There is an Event Handler which logs an event when a product is added, edited, or deleted and when a product page is added, edited, or deleted. There are the following OSGi events:

  • com/adobe/cq/commerce/pim/PRODUCT_ADDED
  • com/adobe/cq/commerce/pim/PRODUCT_MODIFIED
  • com/adobe/cq/commerce/pim/PRODUCT_DELETED
  • com/adobe/cq/commerce/pim/PRODUCT_PAGE_ADDED
  • com/adobe/cq/commerce/pim/PRODUCT_PAGE_MODIFIED
  • com/adobe/cq/commerce/pim/PRODUCT_PAGE_DELETED

For the PRODUCT_* events, the path points to the base product in /etc/commerce/products. For the PRODUCT_PAGE_* events, the path points to the cq:Page node.

You can look at them in the Web Console in OSGI events ( /system/console/events), for example:

OSGI events examples

NOTE
Read also Event handling in AEM.

The Image with Add to Cart Links component lets you quickly add a product to the cart by creating a hotspot linked with a product on an image.

Clicking the hotspot opens a dialog which let you choose the size and quantity of the product.

  1. Navigate to the page where you want to add the component.

  2. Drag and drop the component in the page.

  3. Drag and drop an image in the component from the assets browser.

  4. You can either:

    • click the component and then click the Edit icon
    • make a slow double-click
  5. Click the fullscreen icon.

    fullscreen icon

  6. Click the Launch Map icon.

    launch map icon

  7. Click one of the shape icons.

    shape icons

  8. Modify and move the shape as required.

  9. Click the shape.

  10. Clicking the browse icon opens the Asset Picker.

    note note
    NOTE
    Alternatively, you can type directly the product path which has to be at the product level, not the variant level.

    type path

  11. Click the confirm icon twice then click exit fullscreen.

  12. Click somewhere on the page next to the component. The page should refresh and you should see the following symbol on your image:

    plus symbol

  13. Switch to preview mode.

  14. Click the + hotspot. A dialog opens where you can choose the size and quantity of the product you entered in Path.

    product example: poncho

  15. Enter a size and a quantity.

  16. Click the Add to cart button. The dialog closes.

  17. Navigate to your cart. The product should be here.

Configuration Options configuration-options

You can configure how the dialog looks like when you click the hotspot:

  1. Click the component and click the configure icon.

    configure icon

  2. Scroll down. There is an ADD TO CART tab.

    add to cart tab

  3. Click ADD TO CART. There are three configuration options that you can use.

    configuration options

  4. Click the Done icon.

Catalogs catalogs

Generating a Catalog generating-a-catalog

Generating a Catalog - Touch-optimized UI generating-a-catalog-touch-optimized-ui

NOTE
The catalog references your Product Data.

To generate a Catalog:

  1. Open the Sites console (for example, http://localhost:4502/sites.html/content).

  2. Navigate to the location where you want to create the page.

  3. To open the option list, use the Create icon:

    create-icon

  4. From the list, select Create Catalog. The Create Catalog wizard opens.

    create catalog wizard

  5. Navigate to the required Catalog Blueprint.

  6. Select the Select button and click the required Catalog Blueprint.

  7. Select Next.

    catalog properties wizard

  8. Type a Title and a Name.

  9. Select the Create button. The catalog is created and a dialog opens.

    catalog created dialog

  10. Selecting the Done button brings you back to the Sites console where you can see your catalog.

    Tapping/clicking Open Catalog button opens your catalog (for example, http://localhost:4502/editor.html/content/test-catalog.html).

Generating a Catalog - Classic UI generating-a-catalog-classic-ui

NOTE
The catalog references your Product Data.
  1. Using the Websites console, navigate to your Catalog Blueprint, then the Base Catalog.

    For example:

    http://localhost:4502/siteadmin#/content/catalogs/geometrixx-outdoors/base-catalog

  2. Create a page using the Section Blueprint template.

    For example, Swimwear.

  3. Open the new Swimwear page, then click Edit Blueprint. The Properties dialog box opens so you can set up the Products selection.

    For example, open the Tags/Keywords field to select Activity, then Swimming from the Geometrixx-Outdoors section.

  4. Click OK so that your properties are saved; example products are shown under the Product Selection Criteria on the blueprint page.

  5. Click Rollout Changes…, select Rollout page and all sub pages, then click Next then Rollout. Once the rollout is completed successfully, the Status indicator shows as green.

  6. You can now click Close and check the new catalog section; for example, on and under:

    http://localhost:4502/cf#/content/geometrixx-outdoors/en/swimwear.html

  7. Again from the blueprints page click Edit Blueprint and in the Properties dialog open the Generated Page tab. In the Banner list field, select the image that you want to show; for example, summer.jpg

  8. Click OK so your properties are saved; banner information is shown under the Product Selection Criteria on the blueprint page.

  9. Rollout these new changes.

Rolling Out a Catalog rolling-out-a-catalog

Rolling out a Catalog - Touch-optimized UI rolling-out-a-catalog-touch-optimized-ui

To rollout a catalog:

  1. Navigate to the Catalogs console, via Commerce.

  2. Navigate to the catalog that you want to rollout.

  3. Using either:

    Select the Rollout Changes icon:

    rollout

  4. In the wizard, set the rollout as needed and then click Rollout Changes.

  5. A dialog box opens. Select Done when the process is finished.

Rolling out a Catalog - Classic UI rolling-out-a-catalog-classic-ui

To rollout a catalog:

  1. Navigate to the Catalog that you want to rollout. For example:

    http://localhost:4502/cf#/content/catalogs/geometrixx-outdoors/base-catalog.html

  2. Click Rollout Changes…

  3. Set the rollout as needed.

  4. Click Rollout.

Blueprint Importer blueprint-importer

Blueprint Importer - Touch-optimized UI blueprint-importer-touch-optimized-ui

  1. Navigate to the Catalogs console, via Commerce.

  2. Navigate to the location where you want to import the catalog blueprint.

  3. Select the Import Blueprints icon.

    Import blueprints icon

  4. In the wizard, select the Source as required and click Next.

    blueprint wizard

  5. Select Done when the import is finished.

Blueprint Importer - Classic UI blueprint-importer-classic-ui

  1. Using the Tools console, navigate to Commerce.

    For example:

    http://localhost:4502/miscadmin#/etc/commerce

  2. Open the Catalog Bluprint Importer.

  3. Set the import as needed.

  4. Click Import Catalog Blueprints.

Promotions promotions

Creating a Promotion creating-a-promotion

Creating a Promotion - Classic UI creating-a-promotion-classic-ui

NOTE
The following example deals with a promotion held directly in a campaign, this is used for vouchers.
A promotion can also be in an experience within a campaign.
For more information, see Promotions and Vouchers.
  1. Open the Websites console of your author instance.

  2. In the left-hand pane, select your required Campaign.

  3. Click New, select the Promotion template, then specify a Title (and Name if necessary) for your new voucher.

  4. Click Create. The new promotion page is shown in the right-hand pane.

  5. Edit the Properties by either:

    • opening the page, then clicking the Edit button to open the Properties dialog
    • selecting the page in the Websites console, then using the context menu (usually the right mouse button) to select Properties… and open the properties dialog

    Specify the Promotion Type, Discount Type, Discount Value and any other fields as required.

  6. Click OK to save.

  7. You can now activate your promotion, so that shoppers see it on the publish instance.

Vouchers vouchers

Creating a Voucher creating-a-voucher

Creating a Voucher - Classic UI creating-a-voucher-classic-ui

  1. Open the Websites console of your author instance.

  2. In the left-hand pane, select your required Campaign.

  3. Click New, select the Voucher template, then specify a Title (and Name if necessary) for your new voucher.

  4. Click Create. The new voucher page is shown in the right-hand pane.

  5. Open your new voucher page with a double-click, then click Edit and configure the information as required.

  6. Click OK to save.

  7. You can now activate your voucher, so that shoppers can use it in their carts on the publish instance.

Removing Vouchers removing-vouchers

Removing Vouchers - Classic UI removing-vouchers-classic-ui

To make a voucher unavailable to customers, you can either:

  • Deactivate the voucher - it remains available on the author environment so you can reactivate it later.
  • Delete it completely.

Both actions can be done from the Websites console.

Modifying Vouchers modifying-vouchers

Modifying Vouchers - Classic UI modifying-vouchers-classic-ui

To change the properties of a voucher or promotion, you can double-click it on the Websites console and click Edit. After saving it, you should activate it so that the changes get pushed to the publish instances.

Adding Vouchers to a Cart adding-vouchers-to-a-cart

To allow users to add vouchers to their carts, you can use the built-in Vouchers component (Commerce category). Add this to the same page as where the cart is displayed (but this is not mandatory). The vouchers component is merely a form in which the user can enter a voucher code, it is the shopping cart component that actually shows the list of applied vouchers and their discount.

In the demo site (Geometrixx Outdoors - English) you can see the voucher form on the cart page, under the actual shopping cart.

Orders orders

NOTE
It should be remembered that out-of-the-box AEM does not have actions required for standard functionality related to orders, such as returning merchandise, updating order status, doing fulfillment, generating packing slips. It is primarily intended as a technology preview.
The generic Order Management in AEM has been kept basic; the fields available in the wizard depend on the scaffold:
/etc/scaffolding/geometrixx-outdoors/order/jcr:content/cq:dialog
If you create a customized scaffold, you can store more order information.
NOTE
The orders console exposes the vendor order information, which is never published.
The customer order information is held in their home directories and is exposed by the Order History for their Account. This information is published along with the rest of their home directory.

Creating Order Information creating-order-information

Creating Order Information - Touch-optimized UI creating-order-information-touch-optimized-ui

  1. Using the Orders console navigate to the required location.

  2. Use the Create icon to select Create Order.

    Plus-shaped create icon

  3. The wizard opens. Use the Basic, Content, Payment, and Fulfillment tabs to enter the information about the new order.

  4. Select Create to save the information.

Editing Order Information editing-order-information

Editing Order Information - Touch-optimized UI editing-order-information-touch-optimized-ui

  1. Using the Orders console navigate to the order.

  2. Using either:

    Select the View Order Data icon:

    information icon

  3. The order information is shown. Use Edit and Done to make any changes.

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