Related and correlated items in SCA

In SuiteCommerce Advanced (SCA), related items and correlated items are two powerful tools for enhancing the shopping experience by suggesting additional products to customers. Here’s a detailed explanation of both concepts and how they can be implemented effectively:

1. Related Items

Related items are manually associated with a product. These are typically complementary products that enhance the primary item. For example:

• A laptop might have related items like a laptop bag, a mouse, or an external hard drive.
• These associations are created manually in the item record within NetSuite.

Key Features:

• Manual Association: Merchants decide which items are related to each other.
• Use Case: Ideal for cross-selling complementary products.
• Customization: You can control how many related items are displayed and where they appear on the website.

2. Correlated Items

Correlated items are system-generated suggestions based on customer behavior. These are determined by analyzing purchase patterns, such as items frequently bought together.

Key Features:

• Automated Suggestions: Generated by the system based on historical data.
• Use Case: Perfect for upselling or suggesting items that are often purchased together.
• Dynamic Updates: Correlated items are updated automatically as new purchase data becomes available.

Implementation in SCA

To implement related and correlated items in SCA, follow these steps:

1. Create a Saved Search for Correlated Items:

• Use NetSuite’s saved search functionality to identify items frequently purchased together.
• Example criteria: Shopping carts with a subtotal greater than 0.00.

1. Fetch Data Using a Custom Module:

• Develop a custom module to fetch the saved search results.
• Extract the internal IDs of items in the customer’s cart.

1. Handle Matrix Items:

• Correlated and related items cannot be linked to child matrix items. They must be associated with the parent item.
• Perform a code-level search to retrieve parent item IDs.

1. Display Items on the Frontend:

• Pass the parent item IDs to the view.
• Use a merchandising zone child view (e.g., ItemRelations.Correlated.View) to display the correlated items in a slider or grid format.

Best Practices

• Optimize Performance: Use lazy loading for images and minimize the number of items displayed to improve page load times.
• Test Thoroughly: Ensure the functionality works across devices and screen sizes.
• Elevate Permissions: Use elevated permissions to allow access to necessary records for fetching correlated items.