Product Recommenders

Product recommenders are blocks that automatically show customers relevant products – for example "Similar products", "Recently viewed" or "Bestsellers". The goal is to raise the average order value and help customers discover more of your range.

Path: Insights › Analytics › Recommendations › Product Recommenders

INFO

If you do not see the item in the menu, switch recommendations on in System › Store features.

Each recommender picks products either automatically (based on the chosen type and the page context) or manually (you choose the specific products yourself). You then show the block in the chosen place in the store.

How to create a recommender

1. Open Insights › Analytics › Recommendations › Product Recommenders.
2. Click Create Recommender.
3. Fill in the Recommender Name (an internal name to find it in the list).
4. Optionally enter a Title and Subtitle for the customer (each can be filled in per language).
5. Set the Placement, Recommendation Type, Layout and Product Selection.
6. Enter the Maximum Products (1 – 20).
7. Set the Order and the Active switch.
8. For the carousel layout, fine-tune its behaviour in the settings section.
9. Click Save Recommender.

TIP

If you leave the Title empty, the internal Name is used in the list and in the page editor. We recommend filling in the title at least in the main language so customers see a clear heading above the block.

Form fields

Field	Description
Recommender Name	Internal name of the recommender (required). Used to tell it apart in the list and in the page editor.
Title	Heading shown to the customer above the block. Translatable per language.
Subtitle	Extra text below the heading. Translatable per language.
Placement	Where the block is shown (see the table below).
Recommendation Type	The logic for picking products in automatic mode (see the table below).
Layout	Grid, Carousel or Thumbnails (other variants) — small previews below the product name, suitable e.g. for other colours of the same model.
Product Selection	Automatic (Smart) or Manual.
Maximum Products	The most products shown (1 – 20).
Order	The order when several blocks share the same place.
Active	Switches the block on or off.

Placement

The placement decides on which page the recommender appears.

Placement	Where it appears
Cart Page	The cart page.
Cart Drawer	The cart panel that slides in from the side.
Product Detail Page	The product detail.
Category Page	The category page.
Home Page	The homepage.
Products Listing Page	The product listing.
Add To Cart Modal	The "Added to cart" window.

Recommendation types (automatic mode)

The type affects how the system picks products when Automatic selection is chosen. Some types need a context product (for example on the product detail); on the homepage or in the listing a sensible fallback is used (bestsellers / popular).

Type	Selection logic
Last Seen Products	Products the customer viewed most recently (in the last 30 days). Without history, it is topped up with popular products.
Alternative Products	Products from the same category as the current product, sorted by sales.
Similar Products	Same category, scored by brand, shared tags, attributes and sales.
Cross-Sell Products	Complementary products – mainly those customers bought together with the current product.
Upsell Products	More expensive products in the same category (a step up).
Most Sold Products	Bestsellers by number of sales; in a category context it filters to that category.

TIP

In manual mode the type is not used to pick products – exactly the products you choose are shown. Leave the type set, but the list of hand-picked products is what counts.

Layout and carousel settings

With the Carousel type, the Carousel Settings section offers more options:

Setting	Description
Slides Per View (Mobile / Tablet / Desktop)	How many products are visible at once — mobile (1 – 2), tablet (1 – 4) and desktop (1 – 6).
Products To Scroll	How many products move at once (1 – 4).
Show Navigation Arrows	Shows arrows for scrolling.
Show Dots Navigation	Shows a page indicator.
Autoplay	The carousel moves by itself.
Loop	Endless repeat.

With the Grid type, the Grid Settings section sets Columns (Mobile) (1 – 2), Columns (Tablet) (1 – 4) and Columns (Desktop) (2 – 6).

The Thumbnails (other variants) layout shows products as a row of small previews right below the product name on its detail. The Alternative products system list uses it (see below).

Product availability

The Exclude Unavailable Products switch (on by default) makes sure the recommender does not show sold-out products without backorders allowed. If backorders are allowed globally, this filter does not apply.

Where customers see recommenders

A recommender appears automatically in the place you chose in the Placement field – for example on the product detail, in the cart or in the window after adding to cart.

You can also place the same recommender on your own page in Canvas: add a product recommender block and choose one of the active recommenders. That gives you full control over where in the page the block goes.

System lists: Related and Alternative products

Every store has two fixed lists marked with a System list badge. Both are shown on the product detail, and for each product you pick their products by hand:

List	How it appears on the product detail
Related products	A product grid titled "Related products".
Alternative products	A row of thumbnails below the product name titled "Other variants" — e.g. other colours of the same model.

• System lists cannot be deleted. If you do not want to use them, switch them off (the Active switch).
• A feed import (e.g. when moving from Shoptet) fills them automatically — related and alternative products from the original store are carried over to the same products.
• You can change the name, title, layout and other settings just like for a regular recommender.

Related products (tab on the product)

You can also manage recommendations right on a specific product — its editor has a Related tab (Catalog › Products › All Products › [product] › Related). It is the same recommender system as this page (same types, the product detail placement, the same analytics), you just manage it without leaving the product.

The tab shows every recommender that can appear on this product's detail — including both system lists, Related products and Alternative products.

• In Picked for this product you search for products (Search products...) and assign them with Add. The selection applies only to this product — change the order with the arrows; a product cannot recommend itself. Confirm the changes with Save.
• If you pick nothing for the product, the store-wide list is used (for regular recommenders) — other products are not affected by your selection.
• The New recommendation button creates another block right on the product; you choose the Recommendation Type (Similar, Alternative, Cross-sell, Upsell, Last seen, Most sold), the selection (manual/automatic) and the maximum number of products (1 – 20). The placement is set to the product detail and the layout to grid.
• The block's Settings (name, title, subtitle, layout, active, Exclude Unavailable Products) are edited in a small window; the Open full settings link takes you to full recommender management.

If an assigned product is out of stock and the block excludes unavailable products, it is marked "will not show". If none of the assigned products would show, the tab warns you.

Common problems

The block does not show

Check:

• whether the recommender is Active,
• whether the chosen Placement matches the page where you expect it,
• whether any products are left to show after unavailable ones are filtered out.

Irrelevant products are shown

• In automatic mode, check that the chosen Type makes sense for the placement (e.g. "Alternative" and "Similar" need a product context).
• For full control, switch to Manual selection and pick the products by hand.