How to Add Frequently Bought Together to Shopify
Most shoppers add one product to the cart and check out. The matching product they would also have bought, such as chinos for a tee, never shows up on the page.
A frequently bought together block puts that matching product right under the Add to cart button. Shoppers see both products, the total price and one button that adds the whole set to the cart.
Here are the three ways to add frequently bought together to a Shopify store: with a Frequently Bought Together app, from your theme settings, or with custom code.
What Is Frequently Bought Together?
Frequently bought together is a product page block that shows the product a shopper is viewing next to products that go well with it. Shoppers can add every product in the block to the cart with one click, often at a small discount.
A good frequently bought together block includes:
- Products that match: The suggested products go with the product on the page, so shoppers see the set as one purchase.
- A total price: Shoppers see what the whole set costs before they click.
- The saving: A struck-through total and a "You save" line show the deal.
- One button: Every product in the block goes into the cart in one click.
Each product in the block goes into the cart as its own line item, so Shopify keeps the stock count of every product accurate.
What's the Quickest Way to Add Frequently Bought Together?
- Vitals - All in One App is the quickest way to add frequently bought together to most stores
- Vitals also offers 40+ apps, such as product reviews, a cart drawer and a sticky add to cart button, in one subscription of $29.99/month, so you don't have to install and pay for each app separately
Here's how the three methods compare. To compare several apps for frequently bought together, see our list of the best bundle apps for Shopify.
How to Add Frequently Bought Together With a Frequently Bought Together App?
Install the Vitals - All in One App, open its Product Bundles app and click Create Product Bundles. Pick the Checklist layout and set the bundled products to Smart match, and the frequently bought together block then shows under the Add to cart button on your product pages.
Step 1: Install the Vitals - All in One App From the App Store
Install the Vitals - All in One App from the Shopify App Store. The Vitals Product Bundles app, which builds frequently bought together, is part of the 7-day free trial.
Step 2: Approve Vitals in Your Shopify Admin
Shopify then lists the store data Vitals needs. Click Install to approve it, and Shopify opens the Vitals dashboard.
Step 3: Find Product Bundles in Vitals
Click Product Bundles in the list of apps on the Vitals dashboard.
Step 4: Start a New Frequently Bought Together Bundle
On the Product Bundles page, click Create Product Bundles. The Choose your bundle page opens with the layouts to start from.
Step 5: Choose the Checklist Layout
Click Choose on the Checklist layout, marked Recommended. Checklist shows the product images in a row, the total price and the button, with a checklist of the products underneath. You can switch to Full size or Compact later in the editor.
Step 6: Choose Which Product Pages Show the Block
Give the bundle an Internal name, which only you see. Under Applies to, choose All products to show frequently bought together on every product page, or Specific products or collections to show the block on the pages you pick.
Use Exclude specific products or collections to keep the block off products such as gift cards.
Step 7: Fill the Block With Smart Match
In the Bundled products card, open Group #1 and choose Smart match. Smart match uses Shopify's Related Products API to suggest a product related to the one the shopper is viewing, so every product page gets its own frequently bought together product without you pairing products by hand.
To pick the products yourself, choose Specific products or collections instead. Same collection as the product the customer is viewing adds a product from the same collection.
Step 8: Let Shoppers Swap Products and Add More
Tick Let customers pick their own product in a group to show a Pick another link, so shoppers can swap the suggested product for another one from that group. Click Add another group to add another product to the block, up to five products in one bundle.
Step 9: Add a Discount (Optional)
New bundles start with No discount, which shows the products as a set at their normal prices. To add a deal, set a Discount type in the Discount card:
- Percentage off: Takes a percentage off the set, such as 10%
- Amount off: Takes a set amount off the set, such as $10
- Fixed price: Sets one price for the whole set
The Discount name, "Bundle and save!" by default, is the label shoppers see in the cart and at checkout. Show savings against decides the struck-through total.
Step 10: Write the Header and Button Text
In the Placements card, the Product page placement is on by default. The Header is the title above the block, "Frequently Bought Together" by default, and the Button text is "Add bundle to cart" by default. Change either one to match your store, such as "Complete the look" for clothing.
Step 11: Move the Block on the Product Page (Optional)
Click Customize appearance in the Product page row. Under Position, Where the widget shows on the product page offers Product description, Buy buttons section, Add to cart button and Product end section, each with Above the section or Below the section.
Position is a shared setting, so it applies to all your Product Bundles offers. To place the block on one theme only, add the Product Bundles app block in that theme's editor instead.
Step 12: Show the Block Again in the Cart and Pop-Ups (Optional)
The same Placements card has more placements to turn on:
- Pop-up on Add to Cart: Shows the set in a pop-up when a shopper adds the product to the cart
- Cart page: Suggests the missing product when the cart holds only part of the set
- Pop-up on Checkout: Shows the missing product when the shopper clicks the Checkout button
- Thank you page: Offers the rest of the set after an order that held only part of it
Pop-up on Add to Cart and Thank you page work on bundles with one bundled group. Cart page works on bundles with up to two bundled groups.
Step 13: Publish, Test on Your Phone and Watch the Results
Click Publish to put the block live, or Save as draft to keep it hidden while you work on it. Nothing goes live until you publish.
Open a few product pages on your phone and on desktop. Check that Smart match suggests a product that fits, that the total price is right, and that the button adds every product to the cart. Once the block is live, Analytics in the More actions menu shows how it performs.
Step 14: Voila, Frequently Bought Together Is Live on the Store
Your shoppers now see frequently bought together on your product pages, so they can add the matching products to their cart in one click.
How to Add Frequently Bought Together From Your Theme Settings?
Some Shopify themes include a Complementary products block that lists products to buy with the one on the page. You choose those products in Shopify's free Search & Discovery app. To check your theme's settings:
- From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store → Themes and click Customize
- Pick a product page from the menu at the top of the editor
- Click Add block in the Product information section and look for Complementary products
The Complementary products block lists products one by one, usually with no total price, no discount and no single button that adds the whole set to the cart. You also pick the complementary products for each product yourself in Search & Discovery. If the theme block has everything you need, you may not need an app at all.
How to Add Frequently Bought Together Without an App?
Hire a developer to build a frequently bought together block into your theme with Liquid, CSS and JavaScript, plus a Shopify discount if the set gets a deal.
A custom frequently bought together block usually involves:
- Working on a duplicate theme, so shoppers don't see the code until it's tested
- Choosing the matching products, from Shopify's product recommendations or a list you keep per product
- Adding the block's markup to the product page template
- Writing a script that adds every product to the cart in one click and keeps each variant and the total price in sync
- Setting up a Shopify automatic discount if the set has a deal
- Testing every product and variant, then publishing the theme copy
Custom code means no extra app, but you or your developer have to maintain it. A theme update can replace the files that hold the code, so the block may need rebuilding after each update. Cart offers, pop-ups and analytics all have to be built by hand too.
How to Increase AOV With Frequently Bought Together?
Frequently bought together increases average order value (AOV) by adding a second product to orders that would otherwise hold one product. These settings get more of those second products into the cart:
- Show the block on your best sellers. Set Applies to to the products shoppers already buy most, so the block shows on the pages with the most orders
- Pick the pairing yourself on your top products. Smart match fills every page, but a hand-picked pair such as a tee with chinos feels like one purchase. Make a second bundle for those products with Specific products or collections
- Keep the block close to the button. Shoppers see the set while they're deciding. Set Position to Add to cart button and Below the section
- Show the saving. Shoppers add the whole set when the deal is clear. Set a Discount type so the block shows a struck-through total and a "You save" line
- Offer the set again after Add to Cart. For a two-product set, turn on Pop-up on Add to Cart, so shoppers who scrolled past the block still see the offer
- Complete the set in the cart. Turn on Cart page to suggest the missing product when the cart holds only part of the set
Why Isn't My Frequently Bought Together Showing or Working?
Most frequently bought together problems have one of these fixes:
- The block doesn't show at all: Check that the bundle is published, not saved as a draft. A bundle also hides when one of its products is deleted or isn't published to your Online Store sales channel
- The block doesn't show below Add to cart: With Position set to Add to cart button, the block needs your theme's own Add to cart button to anchor to. On pages without that button, switch Position to Product description and Above the section
- The block doesn't show on a suggested product's own page: Open the bundle, expand that group in Bundled products and tick Show this bundle on these products' own product pages
- A suggested product doesn't appear: Products in the groups show only while they're in stock, so the block never suggests a product shoppers can't buy
- The total price text is hard to read: Change the colors under Customize appearance in the Product page row, so the Total Price and You save lines stand out from your background
- The discount doesn't apply at checkout: The discount applies only when the whole set is added through the block's button
Which Frequently Bought Together Method Should You Choose?
Vitals - All in One App suits most stores, but the right method depends on your theme and whether you want a deal on the set.
- Choose Vitals - All in One App if you want frequently bought together with Smart match suggestions, a discount and cart placements. It also includes 40+ other apps in one subscription of $29.99/month, so you don't have to install and pay for each app separately
- Choose your theme's setting if your theme includes a Complementary products block and you don't need a total price, a discount or one button for the whole set
- Choose custom code if a developer can build the block and recheck it after every theme update
If you already use another frequently bought together app, see our Frequently Bought Together (CBB) alternatives, K Cross Sell alternatives and Fast Bundle alternatives.
Start a 7-day free trial: Install the Vitals - All in One App and add frequently bought together
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the best way to add frequently bought together to Shopify?
Vitals - All in One App is the best way for most stores. Its Product Bundles app adds frequently bought together without code, with Smart match suggestions, a total price, an optional discount and placements on the product page, cart page and pop-ups.
2. Does Shopify have a built-in frequently bought together feature?
Not with a total price or a discount. Some themes include a Complementary products block that you fill in Shopify's Search & Discovery app. The block lists products one by one, so you'll need a frequently bought together app or custom code to sell the products as a set with one button.
3. What's the difference between frequently bought together and a product bundle?
In Vitals, frequently bought together is a type of product bundle. A fixed bundle always holds the same products, while a frequently bought together bundle uses Smart match to suggest a related product on each product page.
4. Can I choose the frequently bought together products myself?
Yes. In Bundled products, choose Specific products or collections instead of Smart match and pick the products. Set Applies to to the products whose pages should show that pairing.
5. How many products can a frequently bought together block show?
A Vitals frequently bought together block shows up to five products. That's the product the shopper is viewing plus up to four more, one from each bundled group.
6. Can I change the "Frequently Bought Together" title?
Yes. In the Placements card, open the Product page row and change the Header, such as "Complete the look" or "Goes well with". The Button text can be changed in the same row.
7. Can frequently bought together show in the cart?
Yes. Turn on the Cart page placement to suggest the missing product when the cart holds only part of the set. The Cart page placement works on bundles with up to two bundled groups.
