How to Add Related Products (You May Also Like) on Shopify
Most shoppers look at one product, decide it isn't quite right and leave. The store may sell the color, cut or matching piece they wanted, but the shopper never finds it.
A related products section puts those products right on the product page, under a heading such as "You may also like". Shoppers keep browsing from product to product instead of going back to search.
Here are the three ways to add related products to a Shopify store: with a Related Products app, from your theme settings, or with custom code.
What Are Related Products?
Related products are other products from your store shown on a product page, picked because they match the product the shopper is viewing. They usually show in a carousel titled "You may also like" or "Customers who bought this also bought", with an image, a price and a link to each product.
A good related products section includes:
- Products that match: The products share a collection, a product type or a style with the product on the page.
- A clear heading: A heading such as "You may also like" tells shoppers what the products are.
- Prices and stars: Each card shows the price and the review rating, so shoppers can compare products at a glance.
- An Add to cart button: Shoppers can add a related product to the cart without leaving the page.
Each related product opens its own product page or goes into the cart as its own line item.
What's the Quickest Way to Add Related Products?
- Vitals - All in One App is the quickest way to add related products for most stores
- Vitals also offers 40+ apps, such as product reviews, product bundles and a wishlist, 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. If you'd rather weigh several related products apps against each other, see our list of the best related products apps for Shopify.
How to Add Related Products With a Related Products App?
Install the Vitals - All in One App, open its Related Products app and click Activate app. The related products carousel then shows on your product pages, and the steps below set which products it shows and how it looks.
Step 1: Install the Vitals App on Shopify
Install the Vitals - All in One App from the Shopify App Store. The 7-day free trial includes the Vitals Related Products app.
Step 2: Approve the Install
Shopify asks you to confirm the data Vitals uses. Click Install to approve it and go to the Vitals dashboard.
Step 3: Open Related Products
In the Vitals dashboard, find Related Products in the list of apps and click it.
Step 4: Activate the Related Products App
On the Related Products page, click Activate app. The carousel starts working on your product pages right away, with no other settings needed. Customize opens the settings used in the steps below.
Step 5: Choose How the Products Are Picked
In Settings, open Selection criteria. Tick the methods to use and drag them into the order you want. The carousel fills from the first method down:
- Smart match: Uses Shopify's product recommendations to pick related products automatically
- Same Collection: Shows products from the same collection
- Same Product Type: Shows products of the same product type
- Same Vendor: Shows products from the same vendor
- Any products: Fills any empty slots with other products from your store
New stores start with Smart match, Same Collection, Same Product Type, Same Vendor and Any products ticked.
Step 6: Hand-Pick Related Products (Optional)
Open the Individual Product Sets tab and click Create New Set. Click Select products, pick the products that belong together and click Save. On the page of each product in the set, the carousel shows the other products in that set.
Then go back to Selection criteria, tick Individual Product Sets and drag it to the top, so your hand-picked products show before the automatic picks. To show the same products on every product page, add them in the Global Product Set tab instead.
Step 7: Change the Title to "You May Also Like"
Open Widget title and type your heading in Title. The default title is "Customers who bought this also bought", so change it to "You may also like" or a heading that fits your store. Title alignment and Title size set the heading's position and size.
Step 8: Choose What Each Product Card Shows
Open Visibility to choose what shows on each card:
- Number of products to show: From 1 to 16 products, 8 by default
- Let customers add to cart from the widget: Adds an Add to cart button to each card
- Show Product Reviews star ratings: Shows stars from the Vitals Product Reviews app
- Show compare-at price: Shows the original price struck through
- Show the discount label: Shows how much a product is marked down
Hide out of stock products is on by default, so the carousel never shows a product shoppers can't buy.
Step 9: Style the Product Cards
Open Product card and pick a Card style: None, Color or Border. Image aspect ratio sets the image shape (Original, Square, Portrait or Landscape), and Show second image on hover shows each product's second photo when shoppers hover on desktop.
Carousel sets Maximum number of products per row, Auto, 3 or 4.
Step 10: Move the Carousel on the Product Page (Optional)
Open Position and choose where the carousel shows: Product description, Buy buttons section, Add to cart button or Product end section. Custom CSS selector places the carousel next to any other element on the page.
To place the carousel by hand, open a product template in the Shopify theme editor and click Add block → Apps → Related Products.
Step 11: Choose Which Product Pages Show the Carousel (Optional)
Open Advanced display rules to limit the carousel to some product pages. Show it only within a Price between, Discount between or Inventory between range, use Display only on specific products, or use Exclude products to keep the carousel off products such as gift cards.
Step 12: Save, Test on Your Phone and Watch the Results
Click Save, then open a few product pages on your phone and on desktop. Check that the products in the carousel match each product, that the heading reads "You may also like" and that the Add to cart buttons add the right variant.
On cards with several variants, Card style None shows a variant dropdown above the button, while Color and Border show a Choose options button. Once the carousel is live, the Analytics tab shows how it performs.
Step 13: Voila, Your Related Products Are Live on the Store
Your shoppers now see related products on every product page, so they can find the next product to buy without searching.
How to Add Related Products From Your Theme Settings?
Many Shopify themes include a Related products section with the heading "You may also like". The section shows Shopify's automatic product recommendations. To check your theme's settings:
- Open the theme editor from Online Store → Themes by clicking Customize
- Open a product template from the page menu at the top of the editor
- Look for a Related products section under the product information, or click Add section and search for it
The theme section picks products automatically, and you can only change the picks product by product in Shopify's free Search & Discovery app. The cards usually have no Add to cart button, no choice of how products are picked and no analytics. If the theme section has everything you need, you may not need an app at all.
How to Add Related Products Without an App?
Hire a developer to build a related products section into your theme with Liquid, CSS and JavaScript.
A custom related products section usually involves:
- Making a theme copy to build and test the code on
- Choosing where the products come from, such as Shopify's product recommendations or a list of products kept per product
- Adding the section's markup and carousel to the product page template
- Writing a script that adds a product and its variant to the cart from each card
- Hiding sold-out products and testing the section on phones and desktop
- 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 section may need rebuilding after each update. Hand-picked sets and analytics have to be built by hand too.
How to Increase AOV With Related Products?
Related products increase average order value (AOV) by putting a second product in front of shoppers who came for one. These settings get more of those second products into the cart:
- Let shoppers add to cart from the carousel. Turn on Let customers add to cart from the widget, so a related product goes into the cart without a trip to its own page
- Hand-pick the products for your best sellers. Create Individual Product Sets for your top products, such as a tee with chinos, and drag Individual Product Sets to the top of Selection criteria
- Push a new or high-margin product everywhere. Add the product to the Global Product Set, so it shows on every product page
- Keep the picks close to the product. Put Smart match or Same Product Type above Same Collection when your collections mix very different products
- Show the deal on marked-down products. Turn on Show compare-at price and Show the discount label, so shoppers see the saving on each card
- Show the carousel near the buy buttons. Set Position to Buy buttons section or Add to cart button, so shoppers see related products while they're deciding
Why Aren't My Related Products Showing or Working?
These fixes solve most related products problems:
- The carousel doesn't show at all: Check that the app is activated. Related Products shows on product pages only, so it won't appear on collection, home or cart pages
- The app won't turn on: Tick at least one method in Selection criteria. If Individual Product Sets or Global Product Set is ticked, add a set or products there first
- My hand-picked set doesn't show: Tick Individual Product Sets in Selection criteria and drag it above the other methods. A set shows the other products in it, so a set needs one more product than you want to show
- The carousel shows fewer products than I chose: Hide out of stock products removes sold-out products and doesn't refill their slots. Raise Number of products to show or turn the setting off
- Unrelated products show up: A product can be in several collections, so Same Collection can match a sweater with a phone case through a "New in" collection. Move Smart match or Same Product Type above it, or untick it
- The cards have no Add to cart button: Turn on Let customers add to cart from the widget under Visibility
- Review stars don't show: The cards show stars from the Vitals Product Reviews app only, and the app has to be active
Which Related Products Method Should You Choose?
Vitals - All in One App suits most stores, but the right method depends on your theme and how much control you want over the picks.
- Choose Vitals - All in One App if you want a "You may also like" carousel with automatic and hand-picked products, Add to cart buttons, review stars and analytics. Vitals 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 related products section and Shopify's automatic picks are all you need
- Choose custom code if a developer can build the recommendations and keep them working after theme updates
If you already use another related products app, see our LC Manual Related Products alternatives, Tipo Related Products alternatives and K Cross Sell alternatives.
Start a 7-day free trial: Install the Vitals - All in One App and show related products
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the best way to add related products on Shopify?
Vitals - All in One App is the best way for most stores. Its Related Products app adds a "You may also like" carousel without code, with automatic picks, hand-picked product sets, Add to cart buttons and review stars.
2. Does Shopify have a built-in "You may also like" section?
Many Shopify themes do. They include a Related products section with the heading "You may also like", filled by Shopify's automatic product recommendations. You can change the picks in the Search & Discovery app, but the section has no Add to cart buttons or analytics.
3. How do I add "You may also like" on Shopify?
Install the Vitals - All in One App, open Related Products and click Activate app. Then go to Settings → Widget title and type "You may also like" in Title.
4. Can I choose the related products myself?
Yes. Create an Individual Product Set for products that belong together, or add products to the Global Product Set to show them on every product page. Then tick that method in Selection criteria and drag it to the top.
5. How many related products can the carousel show?
The Vitals Related Products app shows 1 to 16 products, 8 by default, with Auto, 3 or 4 products per row. Set the number in Visibility → Number of products to show.
6. Can related products show on collection pages?
No. The Vitals Related Products app recommends products for the product a shopper is viewing, so it shows on product pages only.
7. What's the difference between related products and frequently bought together?
Related products show separate products in a carousel, each with its own price and Add to cart button. Frequently bought together sells the product and its matches as one set, with a total price and one button. In Vitals, frequently bought together is part of the Product Bundles app.
