Pin rules for slots

This is for:

Merchandiser

In the Recommendations manager of the Coveo Merchandising Hub (CMH), merchandisers can define pin ranking rules to make specific products appear in specific positions in recommendation slots. However, multiple pin rules with the same target can conflict with one another.

Pin rule for recommendation slots | Coveo

Use case examples

Pin ranking rules can be used to address a variety of use cases. Here are a few examples:

  • Enforce a specific order: Pin products to specific locations in the recommendation slot to enforce a specific order.

  • Pin clearance items: Pin clearance items to the top of a recommendation slot to increase their visibility.

Pin rule conflicts

Pin ranking rules override the content that should otherwise appear at a specific position in the recommendation slot. This includes other pin rules that target the same position, so merchandisers must not create multiple pin rules that target the same position for the same slot.

Pin rule conflicts are resolved on a last-in, first-out basis.

Example

On March 1, you create a rule that pins the product "Safari Khakis" at position 2 for the recommendation slot on the product detail page (PDP) of the product Chinos.

On March 10, you create another rule that pins the product "Blue Jeans" at position 2 for the recommendation slot on the PDP of the product Chinos.

Because both pin rules target the same position for the same recommendation slot, only the most recent rule applies.

When a user views the PDP for Chinos, "Blue Jeans" is pinned at position 2 in the recommendation slot.

Prerequisites

To create rules in the Coveo Merchandising Hub (CMH), you must meet the following prerequisites:

Create a pin rule

  1. In the CMH, access the Recommendations manager.

  2. From the navigation tabs, select ranking rules and then click Create ranking rule.

  3. Under This rule will apply to, define the scope of the rule.

    1. Locale: Select the locale for which the pin rule will apply. By default, a rule applies to all available locales.

    2. slot: Select the recommendation slot to which the pin rule will apply, and then click Done.

      Note

      Currently, ranking rules can only apply to a specific recommendation slot.

  4. Under Choose an action, select Pin.

  5. To pin a product, you can either search for the product or use the preview to select the products to pin.

    • To search for a product:

      1. Under Product ID or name, select the product to pin.

      2. Under Position number, enter the number of the position where the product will appear in the recommendation slot.

      3. (Optional) To pin more than one product, click Pin another product and repeat the previous steps.

    • When using the preview, drag a product and drop it at a position to pin it there. If you selected a slot that requires a seed product to generate recommendations, you must select a seed product to preview the recommendations generated for the selected products.

  6. For a recommendation slot using a seeded strategy, under Choose when to apply, select whether you want the rule to apply in any situation, or only if specific conditions are met.

  7. Click Next: Review and publish.

    Tip
    Leading practices

    You can preview the effect of your rules in the panel on the right side of the page. Use this panel to see how the rule affects the products in the recommendation slot for a given locale.

    If you’re previewing a rule for a recommendation slot using a seeded strategy, you must choose the products for which you want to simulate recommendations to see the effect of the rule.

  8. Review your rule configuration and then click Next: Publish.

  9. Under Rule name, enter a meaningful name for your rule.

  10. Click Publish now. The rule now applies.

Manage existing pin rules

  1. In the CMH, access the Recommendations manager.

  2. From the navigation tabs, select ranking rules.

  3. Locate the rule you want to manage.

  4. Click Modify. You now have to option to modify the rule configuration, modify the publish settings, or delete the rule:

    • To modify the rule configuration, click Rule.

    • To modify the publish settings, click Publish settings.

    • To delete the rule, click Delete.