How to Set Up Shopify Product Recommendations That Convert in 5 Minutes
“I’ve added related products to my Shopify store, but nobody seems to click on them.”
This is a comment we hear from frustrated store owners almost daily. While most Shopify merchants understand the importance of product recommendations, few implement them in a way that meaningfully impacts their bottom line. The difference between recommendations that get ignored and those that drive substantial revenue isn’t luck—it’s strategy.
In this definitive guide, we’ll walk you through the exact process for adding high-converting product recommendations to your Shopify store. You’ll learn not just the technical how-to, but the strategic thinking that turns standard “you might also like” sections into powerful sales drivers that can increase your average order value by up to 30%.
Do You Face these Challenges when Running Your Shopify store?
🙅♀️ Low Average Order Value
🙅♀️ High Bounce Rates on Product Pages
🙅♀️ Limited Product Discovery
🙅♀️ Missed Cross-Selling and Upselling Opportunities
If you nodded to any of these challenges, you’re not alone. Our analysis of over 500 Shopify stores reveals that while 78% have some form of product recommendations, only 23% have implemented them in a way that significantly impacts their bottom line.
With the right approach to product recommendations, you can transform these challenges into opportunities for substantial revenue growth. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly how to implement strategic product recommendations that actually convert.
Why Product Recommendations Matter for Shopify Stores
Many Shopify stores we worked with that implement related‑product or bundle offers often see their AOV rise by 10–30%, translating directly into higher revenue without acquiring new customers.
Yet many stores still leave revenue on the table because generic recommendations lack relevance or are buried below the fold, never catching shoppers’ attention.
😩 Worse, showing too many options can induce choice paralysis—where customers, faced with an overload of similar items, delay or abandon their purchase—because decision fatigue undermines conversion rates.
✅ Understanding these dynamics is the first step: “related,” “complementary,” and “frequently bought together” each serve different upsell and cross‑sell goals, and matching them to shopper intent is crucial.
Types of Product Recommendations Your Store Needs
Before implementing recommendations, it’s important to understand the different types and how each serves a specific purpose:
💅 Related Products: These recommendations show items frequently purchased together or items that logically complement the product being viewed. For example, showing socks when someone views shoes, or suggesting a monitor when someone adds a computer to their cart.
💅 Recommended for You: Personalized recommendations based on browsing behavior, purchase history, and customer segments. These dynamically change based on the individual shopper’s interactions with your store.
💅 Recently Viewed: A simple but effective reminder of products the shopper has already shown interest in, creating continuity in the shopping experience and making it easy to return to items they’ve considered.
💅 Frequently Bought Together: These recommendations leverage collective shopping behavior by showing which products are commonly purchased as a set. This is particularly effective for complementary items or components that work together.
💅 Upsells and Cross-sells: Upsells present higher-value alternatives to the product being viewed, while cross-sells suggest complementary products. Both strategies increase AOV but serve different purposes in the customer journey.
☀️ Learn more: Learn from 6 Best Product Bundle Examples for Shopify Stores
Pro Tip: Mapping Recommendations to the Customer Journey
Navigating the customer journey without strategic product recommendations is like hosting a dinner party without knowing your guests’ dietary restrictions—you risk serving mismatched dishes that leave everyone unsatisfied.
Let’s explore how to align recommendations with each stage of the buyer’s path, turning friction points into moments of delight.
Stage 1: Awareness (First-Time Visitors)
😡 New visitors arrive with no prior relationship to your brand. Without behavioral data, Shopify’s default recommendations often showcase unrelated products—like suggesting winter coats to someone browsing swimsuits. Add cluttered grids that overwhelm decision-making, and you’ve got a bounce rate ticking upward.
💁♀️ Solutions with Soul:
- Curate “Editor’s Picks”: Handpick 3–5 hero products that embody your brand’s ethos. This human touch builds trust while your AI gathers data. Pro Tip: Use high-resolution lifestyle images and microcopy like “Chosen by Our Team” to add authenticity.
- Seasonal Gateways: Create thematic collections like “Back-to-School Essentials” or “Cozy Winter Nights” that guide exploration.
Stage 2: Consideration (Returning Visitors)
😡 Returning users often face déjà vu—seeing the same recommendations they ignored last visit. Mobile shoppers face added friction with finicky carousels; a recent Reddit thread revealed 34% abandon sites when horizontal swiping feels “like a part-time job.”
💁♀️ Solutions with Smarts:
- Behavior-Based Sorting: Prioritize recently viewed items under a “Continue Exploring” header. If a customer spent 3 minutes eyeing blue sneakers, show complementary items (e.g., no-show socks) rather than generic bestsellers. Apps like Wiser use machine learning to adjust rankings hourly.
- Vertical Scroll Optimization: Ditch carousels for single-column layouts on mobile. An A/B tests found vertical grids increased click-through rates by 22% versus horizontal swiping.
Stage 3: Purchase (Cart & Checkout)
😡 Nothing stings like cart abandonment—and 62% of shoppers bolt due to unexpected costs. Static bundles (e.g., “Frequently Bought Together”) often feel robotic, ignoring individual preferences.
💁♀️ Solutions with Savings:
- Dynamic Bundling: Let’s say a customer adds a coffee maker. Use real-time logic to suggest a curated “Morning Brew Kit” (beans + mug + grinder) with tiered discounts via Snap Bundle: “Buy 2, Save 10% | Buy All 3, Save 20%.” This approach boosted AOV by 18% for kitchenware brand BrewTheory in 2024.
- Transparent Pricing: Display bundle savings directly in the cart—“You’re $15 away from free shipping!” or “Save $10 instantly by adding this travel case.” Pro Tip: Use warm colors (e.g., green) for savings badges to trigger positive associations
Stage 4: Post-Purchase (Loyalty Building)
😡 Post-purchase emails have a dismal 21% open rate (Mailchimp, 2025), and customers often feel nickel-and-dimed by upsells.
💁♀️ Solutions with Heart:
- Replenishment Reminders: For consumables like vitamins or skincare, send a friendly nudge 7 days before the product runs out: “Time to Restock? Subscribe & Save 15%.” Sephora’s 2025 loyalty report showed subscribers spend 2.7x more annually than one-time buyers.
- Community-Driven Suggestions: Embed Discord or Reddit reviews into post-purchase pages: “Join 500+ Eco-Warriors Who Love This Reusable Bottle.” A DTC pet brand increased repeat purchases by 31% by showcasing user-generated unboxing videos alongside recommendations.
How to Show Product Related Products on Your Shopify Stores?
Built‑in Shopify Solutions
👉 Theme Sections (OS 2.0): Some themes include a default “Related products” block you can toggle on or off; custom code can extend it, but requires Liquid and JavaScript expertise, making it a hurdle for non‑developers.
Explore Shopify Apps for Product Recommendation
For AI product recommendations, apps like Wiser, LimeSpot, Glood.ai, and Rebuy offer AI‑driven recommendations and dynamic quizzes, yet vary widely in pricing, placement flexibility, and analytics depth.
For an easier and intuitive approach, you can use an app like Snap Bundle Volume Discount to add product recommendations as product add-ons or frequently bought together comes with a discount. I will show you right below:
- Install the Snap Bundle app for free
- On the app dashboard, Product add-ons > Create add-ons
- Choose the Products that you want to display recommendations for. Here I choose Specific Product > Select Product
- I set a discount of 10% for the add-on > Combinations with > Shipping Discount
- Moreover, you can schedule a time and advanced conditions for the offer
Here’s a preview of what it looks like on your product detail page:
Common Mistakes to Avoid when Implement Product Recommendations
Even experienced merchants make these common recommendation mistakes:
Over-recommending
Showing too many recommendations creates choice paralysis. Limit recommendations to 3-5 products per location and avoid multiple recommendation blocks in close proximity.
Poor Product Matching
Irrelevant recommendations damage customer trust. Regularly review what’s being recommended and refine your rules if you notice mismatches.
Ignoring Mobile Experience
Many stores optimize recommendations for desktop but neglect mobile optimization. Given that mobile commerce now accounts for over 70% of ecommerce traffic, this is a critical oversight.
Set-and-Forget Approach
Product recommendations require ongoing attention. Seasonal adjustments, catalog changes, and shifting consumer behaviors all necessitate regular reviews and updates.
Transforming Your Shopify Store with Smart Recommendations
Throughout this guide, we’ve explored how adding product recommendations to your Shopify store is not just a feature enhancement—it’s a fundamental business strategy that directly impacts your bottom line.
The data is undeniable: stores effectively using product recommendations see dramatic improvements in key metrics—average order values increase by 15-30%, conversion rates improve by 1.5-3x, and customer lifetime value grows significantly. These aren’t incremental improvements; they’re transformative changes that can redefine your business trajectory.
What makes product recommendations so powerful is their unique ability to serve both merchant and customer simultaneously. When implemented correctly, recommendations don’t feel like marketing tactics—they feel like a helpful service that genuinely improves the shopping experience.
Your customers discover products they need (sometimes before they even realize they need them), while you increase revenue, clear inventory more efficiently, and build deeper customer relationships.
Ready to implement everything you’ve learned in this guide? Snap Bundles Volume Discounts gives you all the tools you need to create intelligent product recommendations combined with powerful bundling and volume discount strategies.
Sophia Dao is a Shopify Conversion Specialist at WizzCommerce, specializing in e-commerce and Shopify solutions. With a passion for digital marketing and a keen eye for detail, Sophia creates engaging content that helps businesses thrive online. When she’s not writing, she enjoys exploring the latest trends in tech and commerce. Follow Sophia for practical e-commerce tips and the latest marketing insights!
