Related Products

Recommend products based on multiple intelligent criteria

Related Products shows a carousel of recommended items under each product page so shoppers discover more of what they're likely to buy. You can let the app pick products automatically, hand-pick which products go together, or mix both approaches.

Which approach should I pick?

Before you start: The carousel only appears on product pages. If a product isn't in any collection, has no product type, and isn't in any set, nothing will show up — assign it somewhere or add it to a set.

Key features

Automatic recommendations (Smart Match + fallbacks)

The app runs through a list of selection sources in order and keeps collecting products until your display limit is met. By default it tries Shopify's Smart Match first, then same collection, same product type, then same vendor. You can reorder or remove any of these to fit your catalog.

When to use this: This is the right starting point for most stores. It needs zero per-product work and adapts as you add new products.

Hand-picked sets

Create individual sets in the dashboard listing which products belong together. When a shopper views any product in the set, the others show up as recommendations.

When to use this: When automatic logic gets it wrong — complementary products (camera + lenses), curated outfits, or items that don't share a collection or type. Worth the effort for your highest-converting products.

Global fallback list

A single store-wide list (typically your bestsellers) that fills in whenever the other criteria don't return enough products.

When to use this: If you have a small catalog or a lot of orphan products that don't match other criteria. Skip it if you'd rather show nothing than show generic recommendations.

Add to Cart directly from the carousel

You can show an Add to Cart button and variant selector on each card so shoppers buy without leaving the current page.

When to use this: Great for stores with simple variants (sizes, colors) where shoppers know what they want. Skip it if your products need explanation or have many variants — the card gets cluttered and the product page sells better.

Ratings, labels, and wishlist on each card

If you use Vitals Product Reviews, Product Labels, or Wishlist, you can show star ratings, badges, and heart buttons on each related product card. Each one is a separate toggle.

Sale and compare-at pricing

You can show a discount badge (with a custom background color) and the original compare-at price next to the current price to highlight savings.

Setup, step by step

1. Open Related Products in your Vitals dashboard and turn it on.
2. In Related Product Criteria, leave the default 2,3,4,5  for a solid starting point (Smart Match → Same Collection → Same Product Type → Same Vendor).
3. (Optional) Add hand-picked sets under Individual Product Sets, then add 1  to the front of your criteria so they take priority.
4. (Optional) Paste product IDs into Global Product Set and add 6  to your criteria as a fallback.
5. Set your Section title (default: "Customers who bought this also bought"), Product limit (default 8, max 16), and toggle extras like star ratings or the discount badge.
6. Save, then open any product page on your storefront to check the carousel.

Tips for getting the most out of it

• Test on mobile first. Most shoppers will see this carousel on a phone — make sure the cards, prices, and buttons look right at a small width before tweaking anything desktop-side.
• Match the carousel heading to your brand voice. "Customers who bought this also bought" works, but a friendlier line ("You might also like" or "Pairs well with") often performs better.
• Hand-pick your bestsellers, automate the rest. Spend the time creating individual sets for your top 10–20 products. Let Smart Match handle the long tail.
• Be honest with the discount badge. Only turn it on if you actually use compare-at prices for real markdowns. A permanent "sale" badge trains shoppers to ignore it.
• Keep the product limit reasonable. 6–8 is the sweet spot. More than that and shoppers stop scrolling.
• Match the carousel arrows and ATC button to your theme. Use the "Copy style from the Add to Cart button" option so the carousel feels native, not bolted on.

FAQ

Why aren't any related products showing up?

The carousel only runs on product pages. If the product isn't in any collection, has no product type, and isn't in a hand-picked set, the criteria won't return anything. Check that the product is in at least one collection, or add it to a product set. Also confirm the app is on and at least one criterion is saved.

How does the order of criteria affect what shows?

The app works through your criteria in order, collecting unique products until the display limit is reached.

Can I control which products show with a specific product?

Yes — create an individual product set with that product and its companions. Sets are two-way: any product in the set shows the others. Put the Individual Product Set as your first criteria so hand-picked sets take priority.

What is Smart Match?

Smart Match uses Shopify's own recommendation engine, which is trained on purchase and browsing patterns across the platform. Shopify caps it at 10 products per request.

Will out-of-stock products appear?

No — by default they're hidden. You can turn that off if you'd rather show them.

Can I place the carousel somewhere other than the bottom of the product page?

Yes. You can use the app's positional controls to choose a different location according to the recommended locations. If you want to have a more specific location, you can insert the Related Products app in your Shopify Theme Editor by looking for the Vitals Related Products app block.

Does the Add to Cart button work with variants?

Yes. When the variant selector + ATC option is on, a dropdown appears on each card so shoppers can pick a variant and add it directly.

What if a shopper is viewing a product that's also in my Global Product Set?

The current product is automatically excluded from its own carousel.

Can I show the carousel on collection pages, the homepage, or the cart?

No — Related Products is product-page only.

Settings reference

General display

Types of Criteria

Product card extras

Add to Cart button

Labels

You can customize the "From" (multi-price label), "Add to cart", and "Out of stock" strings if you want different wording or are translating.