Inspiration Made Easy: How to Use Product Recommendations Effectively in E-Commerce

In this blog article, we will cover the following topics:

Product recommendation, reco engine, widget – what’s behind the terms

Distinguishing between new and existing customers
Existing customers: online shoppers with a history
New customers: online shoppers without a history

Where product recommendations can be positioned in e-commerce
Homepage: pick up users
Product detail page: refer recommendations to a specific product
Zero hit page: show alternatives
Shopping cart: offer additional products
Thank you page: more than just order information
Content page: topic-related recommendations
Personalized shopping area: relevant recommendations and more
Newsletter: recommendations in real time

Why the visibility of your recommendations is crucial

Conclusion: exploit the potential of product recommendations in e-commerce and place them at different positions in the store

Product recommendation, reco engine, widget – what’s behind the terms

In e-commerce, product recommendations are delivered through recommendation engines – often referred to as “reco engines.” These engines generate personalized and relevant suggestions for each visitor. While these recommendations typically focus on products, they can also include related content or similar items. The presentation of these recommendations is handled through so-called widgets. Widgets serve as the structural framework for displaying relevant product or content suggestions, and they can vary widely in both design and layout.

 

Distinguishing between new and existing customers

Before we dive into where you can place product recommendations in your online store and explore the unique aspects of each page, it’s important to first distinguish between new and existing customers. Why does this matter? Because your recommendation engine offers different options for displaying suggestions depending on whether a visitor has already interacted with your store – by browsing categories, clicking on products, or even making a purchase – or whether they’re visiting for the first time.
 

Existing customers: online shoppers with a history

If a customer has a browsing or purchase history, you can leverage this data to offer personalized recommendations. These are based on their previous behavior and are especially effective, as they reflect the shopper’s individual interests and preferences.

New customers: online shoppers without a history

While you can’t deliver truly personalized recommendations to first-time visitors, you can still engage and inspire them. Highlighting top sellers, current promotions, or new arrivals is a great way to capture their attention and introduce them to your product range.

Where product recommendations can be positioned in e-commerce

There are many ways to place product recommendations in an online store. On the homepage, relevant suggestions can engage and inspire shoppers right from the start. On product detail pages, you can enhance a customer’s selection with items that complement the chosen product. Even the shopping cart can serve as a strategic touchpoint, for example by encouraging add-on purchases before checkout. To help you keep track of the various possibilities, here’s an overview of key areas where product recommendations can be effectively used:

• Homepage
• Category page
• Product detail page
• Zero hits page
• Shopping cart and shopping cart layer
• Wishlist
• Thank you page
• Content page
• Personalized shopping area
• Newsletter

Keep in mind that each of these areas has its own characteristics, and the recommendations shown should be adapted accordingly. To make this more tangible, we’ve selected a few key pages to explore in more detail below. We’ll show you what to consider when placing recommendations on each of them.

Can you think of any other areas in the online store that would be suitable for product recommendations? Feel free to share your ideas in the comments.

Homepage: Pick up users

Product recommendations are often placed right on the homepage. As mentioned earlier, this is a great place to engage returning customers with personalized suggestions. Just like in brick-and-mortar retail, where a salesperson knows their regulars and can recommend products based on their preferences, you can show online shoppers that you understand their interests.

For example, an online pet store might know that a customer owns a cat and regularly buys a specific type of food. In this case, the homepage can display that preferred product along with other cat-related items that may also be of interest.

If no such customer data is available – as with new visitors – the homepage can instead highlight top sellers, sale items, or new arrivals to spark interest.

An example of this in action: the bike retailer ROSE Bikes displays either top-selling products or personalized recommendations on its homepage, depending on the customer’s browsing history.

Product detail page: refer recommendations to a specific product

Unlike the homepage, the product detail page focuses on a specific item — making it the perfect place for context-based recommendations. Two types of product suggestions work especially well here: similar products and relevant cross-selling options.

Show the variety of your product range with similar items

When an online shopper lands on a product detail page, it’s usually because a particular item has caught their attention. If they like what they see but are still considering their options, recommending similar products can help showcase the variety within your assortment. These suggestions may highlight alternatives that better match their preferences or needs, guiding them toward a purchase decision.

Supplement the product selection with cross-selling recommendations

Cross-selling recommendations also work well on the product detail page. If a customer is already convinced by a specific product, you can inspire additional purchases by suggesting items that complement it. This can help draw their attention to related products that enhance the overall shopping experience.

It’s especially important on the product detail page to tailor recommendations to the individual shopper’s preferences. These may include the size they typically purchase, favorite brands, preferred materials, or specific ingredients. The latter is particularly relevant when users need to avoid certain substances — for example, lactose in food products.

Another key factor is availability. Be sure not to recommend products that are currently out of stock. This helps prevent frustration and maintains a positive shopping experience for your customers.

Zero hit page: show alternatives

It’s not uncommon for users to search for something your online store doesn’t carry. To avoid losing potential customers at this point, don’t let them land on a plain “no results” page. Instead, use a recommendation widget to offer relevant alternatives. Just because a search query doesn’t result in a perfect match doesn’t mean the visitor has to be lost.

Recommendations on the zero hit page can guide shoppers to similar products from your assortment. For instance, if someone searches for a brand you don’t carry, you could suggest items from comparable brands or with a similar style. This approach keeps users engaged and encourages continued browsing, even if their original search didn’t yield results.

Shopping cart: offer additional products

A user has decided on a product and adds it to their shopping cart — great! You’re just one step away from completing the purchase. But even at this stage, there’s still potential to boost sales.

Recommendations in the cart layer

When a shopper clicks the “Add to cart” button, you can instantly display personalized recommendations via a cart layer widget. These suggestions are calculated in milliseconds and appear as an overlay, offering relevant add-ons or complementary products at exactly the right moment.

Recommendations on the shopping cart page

The shopping cart page itself is another valuable touchpoint for product recommendations. However, it’s important not to display similar products here, as this could make shoppers second-guess their purchase decision. Instead, personalized cross-selling suggestions work best at this stage. Complementary items or lower-priced add-ons that enhance the main product are particularly effective for increasing cart value. You can also create a dedicated “checkout zone” — similar to impulse-buy areas in brick-and-mortar stores — that encourages customers to add small, affordable extras before completing their purchase.

There are two ways to personalize recommendations in the shopping cart: you can either base them on the entire cart or only on the most recently added item. Depending on your store’s setup and customer behavior, one approach may be more effective than the other.

You can also extend the logic used for cart recommendations to the wishlist, offering relevant suggestions based on saved items.

Want to learn more about how to unlock additional potential in the checkout process? Then check out our blog article Discover New Sales Opportunities in the Checkout Process.

Thank you page: more than just order summary

The thank you page doesn’t have to be the end of the customer journey. Besides order confirmation details, it can also offer inspiration. With relevant recommendations, you can encourage users to continue browsing and ideally bring them right back to a product detail page — keeping them engaged even after checkout.

Content page: topic-driven recommendations

As you’ve seen, relevance is key when it comes to product recommendations. However, in some cases it can be beneficial to manually fine-tune the results — for example, as part of a marketing campaign or on themed content pages.

By combining editorial content with matching product recommendations, you can create engaging digital stories that resonate emotionally with your audience. Whether it’s a ski vacation or a surf trip, storytelling paired with commerce (known as content commerce) transforms your store into a lifestyle experience — far beyond a purely functional shopping platform.

We’ll show you an example of what this might look like in practice: a content page focused on surf trips. In addition to stories and tips about the perfect surf getaway, the page includes thematically relevant product recommendations — offering both inspiration and direct paths to purchase.

Personalized shopping area: relevant recommendations and more

If you want to take personalization in your online store to the next level, consider creating a personalized shopping area. This section of your store is tailored individually to each customer — dynamic, intelligent, and fully personalized. It serves as a central hub for the shopper’s favorite brands, categories, and products. Within this personalized stream, users can explore their own curated brand and product universe. In addition to relevant product suggestions, customers also receive personalized content like blog articles and real-time updates on shopping news.

Product recommendations are at the heart of this experience. For example, dynamic product sets can be displayed as clickable, interactive elements that help customers quickly discover matching items. You can also highlight products that are “back in stock” or “recently discounted,” all while taking preferences such as size and style into account across the board.

Relevant content, intelligent product suggestions, and interactive elements all work together to create a unique and inspiring shopping experience — one that goes far beyond simple personalization.

Newsletter: recommendations in real time

Product recommendations in e-commerce don’t have to be limited to your online store — they can also be effectively integrated into emails and newsletters. To truly engage your recipients, it’s essential that these recommendations are personalized and reflect each customer’s individual preferences.

Since email recipients open their messages at different times, recommendations should always be generated in real time — at the moment the email is opened. This ensures that all relevant data, such as product availability or pricing, is accurate and up to date.

You have a range of options for incorporating different types of recommendations:

Cross-selling recommendations

Tailor your recommendations to the context of the email. For instance, in an order confirmation email, you can recommend complementary products — much like the approach on the thank you page.
Alternative product recommendations

When sending a reminder to customers who abandoned their carts, you can suggest similar items or alternative products to rekindle their interest.

Theme-based recommendations

Newsletters also offer a great opportunity to highlight specific themes or campaigns. By building themed recommendation sections, you can align the content with the focus of the email. For example, the Planet Sports newsletter featured a dedicated theme world for a Naketano brand sale — providing relevant, engaging product suggestions tied to a specific promotion.

How are you using product recommendations in your shop? Share your experiences with us in the comments!

Conclusion: Unlock the full potential of product recommendations in e-commerce by placing them strategically throughout your store

Product recommendations in e-commerce create a win-win situation: your customers are inspired to discover new items while you, as the store owner, benefit from increased basket value and higher sales. To fully leverage the power of a recommendation engine, it’s important to place recommendations across various touchpoints in your store — always tailored to the specific context of each page. Think about what your customers need and expect at each step of their journey, and offer them personalized, relevant suggestions from your assortment. Ensure that your recommendations are actually seen — strategic placement is key. And don’t forget to bring users back to your store with real-time, personalized recommendations in emails. The possibilities are vast — now it’s your turn to make the most of them in your own online store!

Find out how Internetstores used the Reco Engine and achieved a 7.6% increase in sales:

Read the case study now!

More info on the relevant recommendations →

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Feel free to use the comment function!