How to Create a New Ranking Rule

Introduction to creating new ranking rules

This guide will provide you with a simple step-by-step guide to creating a ranking rule using Fredhopper's Merchandising Studio.

Ranking rules are strategies developed at the category (and sub-category) level, which govern the relative sequence (ordering and sorting) of products returned to a shopper, which can influence purchase decisions. Ranking rules, therefore, underpin Search or Category Lister pages.

Prerequisites

It is recommended that you read the 'Getting Started with ranking rules' before using ranking rules in your Merchandising Studio.

Key information about this feature

Purpose of this feature	Controls how Fredhopper returns items on your lister page
Menu name in Merchandising studio	Ranking
Sub-menu name in Merchandising studio	Ranking rule

 

Scenario

We want to apply the ranking attribute (cocktail); rc_newin_strategy to Women's Accessories across our FR Store (site).

1. From your Merchandising Studio, navigate to rankings > Ranking Rule.
2. Click New.
3. Type a unique name for the ranking rule. Make it clear what is it and where it's being applied, for example, 'New in Women's Accessories Strategy (FR)'.
4. Click Select Scope and choose the scope where you want the ranking rule to be applied. In this scenario, we will select Store_fr. Use the radio button, then click Select.
5. Click on the 'Select trigger' dropdown. See 'Getting Started with Ranking rules' for more information on triggers. Select 'User Location' to apply this rule to Women's Accessories.
6. Next, I need to tell Fredhopper where the location for this rule should be applied, so click on Add Location.
   
7. Select Women from the Categories, and then select Accessories.
8. Next, click Select location:
   
   Optional:
   • You can change the dropdown for one of the following options from 'starts with' to either 'contains', 'ends with' or 'equals'. See 'Getting Started with ranking rules' for more information on these options.
   • Add more triggers if required by clicking Add Trigger.
   • Once you have added the triggers, you'll need to add the Action; this is where you choose the attributes. In this scenario, we are using the ranking attribute rc_newin_strategy. For more information on ranking rule action, see 'Getting Started with ranking rules'.
9. Check over all your selections, then click Save.
   1. Optional - you can preview this rule in your preview site to check it is set up as expected.
10. Next, click on Send for publication. Only once this rule has been published will it be applied to your live site.
11. Ranking rules homepage. Here you can see the ranking rules that have been created. To the left, there is one ranking rule for Store_fr, which is pending; not yet published. To the right, you can see it is Priority 1 when the shopper lands on Women > Accessories in Store fr this rule will be applied. The symbol tells you that it is 'Waiting for publication'.
    

Best practices

• You should always have a ranking rule for each lister page.
• Always have a default ranking rule if nothing else.
• Housekeeping - retire ranking rules either delete or archive if they are not live or currently required across your site.
• Remember to check which scope a ranking rule is applied to when troubleshooting.

Next steps

You can repeat these steps to create more ranking rules as per your ecommerce strategy.