Product recommendations
What this section does
Section titled “What this section does”Product recommendations shows a row of suggested products below the product details. The data comes from Shopify’s recommendation service: Related products work out of the box, generated automatically from shopping behavior, while Complementary products must first be curated in Shopify’s free Search & Discovery app. When there are no results, the whole section stays hidden — no empty heading is left behind.
The default product template ships with two instances: Pairs well with (complementary) and Complete the look (related).
Adding it and where to find it
Section titled “Adding it and where to find it”- In your Shopify admin, go to Online store → Themes → Customize.
- Switch the page selector at the top to any product template.
- The default template already contains two Product recommendations sections — click one to configure it. To add another row, use Add section → Product recommendations.
The section reads the current product of the page, so it only makes sense on product templates; on pages without a product it displays nothing.
Settings
Section titled “Settings”| Setting | Default | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heading | Complete the look | — | Heading of the row |
| Recommendation type | Related | Related / Complementary | Related products (automatic) or complementary products (curated in the Search & Discovery app) |
| Number of products to show | 4 | 2–8 | Maximum products shown; the actual count depends on what is available |
| Columns on desktop | 4 | 2–5 | Columns per row on desktop; phones use two columns |
Setting up Complementary (Search & Discovery)
Section titled “Setting up Complementary (Search & Discovery)”Related needs no configuration. To give Complementary rows something to show, configure it once in your Shopify admin:
- Go to Apps and install/open Search & Discovery (a free app by Shopify).
- Open Product recommendations.
- Click Add recommendations, pick a product, and add its complementary products (up to ten per product).
- Save, then in the theme editor set that section’s Recommendation type to Complementary.
Until complementary products are curated, the Complementary row stays hidden and the rest of the page is unaffected.
How it differs from the other “recommendations”
Section titled “How it differs from the other “recommendations””- The Complete the look row in the cart pulls from a collection you choose, not from the recommendation service. Its settings live in Cart.
- Recently viewed shows products the shopper has browsed, from browser history — see Recently viewed.
Suggested setups
Section titled “Suggested setups”- Keep the default pair: retain Pairs well with (Complementary) plus Complete the look (Related) — one sells pairings (hero product plus accessories), the other surfaces the platform’s automatic suggestions.
- One row only: while complementary data is still being curated, remove the Complementary row or switch it to Related so there is no gap; add it back once curated.
- Push bundle sales: on the Complementary row, set Number of products to show to 2–4 and write a Heading that describes a real scenario — specific headings earn more clicks than generic ones.
Common questions
Section titled “Common questions”The Complementary row is empty? Most likely no complementary products have been curated for that product in Search & Discovery yet. Finish the setup above, then check whether the product itself has entries.
Related shows odd choices? Related is generated by the platform; you can customize the related-products list per product inside Search & Discovery’s Product recommendations area.
The row only appears when I scroll to it? Correct. It loads its content when it approaches the viewport and requires JavaScript — that keeps the first screen fast.
Can I put it on the home page or a collection page? The section can be added, but it only reads the product of a product page and shows nothing elsewhere. Use Featured collection or Collection list instead.