Visual Merchandising enables you to organize your products visually within a category that will be reflected on the storefront. This is useful for making sure that certain products are featured in the top of specific category and therefore more easily accessible when a shopper is shopping within a category. You can also stage multiple sets of category sort definitions and schedule them to apply at different times allowing sort definitions to align with campaigns or promotional cycles.
For more information about product sort definitions and how to use them, see the productSortDefinitions API guide.
Use Cases
Visually Arrange Products in a Category
From the category listing grid in Admin, you can view the products in that category and rearrange the products by either dragging and dropping the product, renumbering the ranking of the product in the rank column, or by applying a sort definition order defined by a product property or custom attribute.
Apply a Sorting Rule but Lock Specific Products at Certain Positions
You have a sorting definition that you want to apply to a category named New Arrivals so that your products will be displayed by age (newest to oldest). However, you also want to keep a few products listed near the top of the category due to an influx of inventory, regardless of those products' age. You can apply the sort order, then lock specific products to a specific position in the category listing regardless of their age while sorting the remaining products by the sorting rule definitions.
Create a New Sort Definition
The category listing grid displays all products within a category and enables you to rearrange the ranking of the products. This page can be accessed by navigating to Main > Catalog > Categories, and then either clicking Create New Sort Definition or clicking a sort definition in the Sort Definitions list. By default, the products will be ordered by create date (Descending).
General Module
The General module contains the Name, Start Date, and End Date fields, and enables you to name your sort definition and define the dates within which the sort definition will apply to the products in this category.
The Start Date must be unique and cannot be shared with another sort definition within the same category. The sort definition that is closest to the current time will be the active definition.
Product Sort Definition Module
The Product Sort Definition module enables you to sort products by up to two properties/attributes. Any products that does not have the custom attributes you specify will be pushed to the bottom of the listing.
- First Class Attributes section: This section enables you to sort your products by first class attributes, which are default product properties that are built into Kibo eCommerce. First class attributes cannot be added to, deleted, or renamed. If you click this field, Kibo eCommerce displays a drop-down menu from which you can select a first-class attribute to sort your products by.
- Custom Attributes section: This section enables you to sort your products by custom attributes you created. To sort by a custom attribute, enter the name of the custom attribute to search for the attribute and select it from the list results that display.
- Apply Sort: This option will apply this sort definition to your catalog. To remove a selected sort: click the x button on the pill. All rankings/Locked products will remain in place.
- Revert All to Sort Order: This option clears your sort settings, removes any ranked/locked items and applies the default sorting settings to this category.
How to Use Visual Merchandising
Create Sort Definitions for a Specific Category
A sort definition is a list of products that are merchandised (ordered) in a specific way. You can save multiple sort definitions (up to a maximum of 50) and schedule them to take effect at specific times. All changes will need to be saved before navigating away from the page or changes will be lost.
When setting a date for a sort definition to take effect, the start date must be unique. If you attempt to give a sort definition the same start date as an existing sort definition and save that setting, Kibo eCommerce will display an error and require you to change the start date to a unique date.
If a sort definition is created on a category, the default theme sort on those categories will be replaced by that active sort definition on the category.
Specify the Sort for a Category
Upon entering a new sort definition page, the list of products within the category will ordered by the default sort Created Date (Descending). You can select up to two values to sort the category listing page. Any ranking or locking can be done on top of the sort for more desired ordering.
Sort is not inherited from the parent category. Each parent and child category will need to specify the sort if different then Created Date (Descending).
Arrange Individual Products
From the Category Listing page, you can drag and drop products, assign a specified rank value, or Boost and Bury. You can indicate the ranking of a product within the category for up to the top and bottom 50.
Set Rank by Drag and drop a product
- Hold the product you want to rearrange.
- Drag the product to the desired position in the listing.
When you drag a product to a specific location, the product and all products above it become ranked.
Set Rank via Rank Column Values
You can set a product to have a specific ranking by typing the desired ranking into the rank column for that product.
When you set a value for a product, the product and all products above it become ranked.
Set Rank via Boost and Bury
You can send a specific product to the top or bottom of the listing by selecting the ellipses menu and selecting Move to Top or Move to Bottom.
Revert to Sort Order
This function will force the product to move back to the sort value designated by the applied sort.
Lock Products in a Position
You can lock a product to a specific position in the category listing so that it retains that position no matter how the other products around it are rearranged. To lock a product's position, select the lock icon in the Locked column for the product you want to lock into place.
Products that are moved to another product's locked position will not store that position in place.
For example, the screenshot below shows a locked product.
The next screenshot shows the ranking of products after moving product 4107 above the locked product. As a result, the grey kitten product moves to the position underneath product 4102 because 4102 is locked.
Search for Products within Category
You can search for products within a category by selecting the search button. This will allow you to locate products by product code, name, and send to bottom or top them if needed.
Search on dynamic categories is not supported.
