How Product Recommendations Can Improve the Relevance of Your Online Offering

Published on

March 16, 2020

6
MIN READ
Site Search & Product Discovery
Girl with a striped shirt checking for similar shirts to buy

Displaying product recommendations can be a serious boost to your e-commerce store.

This feature can help you increase sales, achieve a higher conversion rate, and make your offering more valuable. 


A Barillance report states that personalized product recommendations can significantly improve the AOV (average order value).

Their research, which was conducted with 300 randomly selected customers, showed that product recommendations account for up to 31% of online retail revenues


ASOS, H&M, Amazon, Nike, Sephora, and many other e-commerce giants have already added this section on their websites.

It’s a very useful tool that shows visitors products that really interest them.

Sometimes, they come to your e-commerce store just to “look around”, and those are the perfect times to show them some similar products


Another case is when maybe they know what they want, but have no idea which alternative is the best for their needs.

Or, they know exactly what they want but see some complementary products they could also use. 


Product recommendation is useful in all these cases because it helps you guide users through your website and eventually make them convert. 

Suggested read: The What, Why, and How of Product Recommendation Engines

How you can use similar recommendations in order to make your online offering more relevant


1. Showcase your best offering


You certainly know what products are selling the most. There’s nothing too complicated here—track the products that have the biggest popularity and show your visitors the similar products to those they’re looking for. 


In fact, according to the Pareto principle, 80% of profits’ come from 20% of the offering.

That’s most probably the case with your online store as well. So, focus on the products that bring the largest income to your company.


When a visitor hasn’t yet decided, seeing that other people are buying something a lot can help them decide easily.

It’s human psychology that says that we all want to align with others and follow the tribe. 


When your e-commerce store has a rating option, showing the best means adding a section with top-reviewed products.

Showing your best reviews creates a feeling of trust and can be a serious contributor to making reluctant visitors decide.

These can be displayed on the homepage or on each product category page. 


For some visitors, seeing the best offer might mean seeing the latest trends.

Everyone wants to me modern and follow what’s trending.

For example, online gift shop Etsy has a “Popular right now” section. The store even adds a “Bestseller” label to some of the items.

Suggested read: 6 Powerful Ways AI Can Help Fashion Retailers Provide Shoppers With Accurate Recommendations


Popular items for online shopping
Source: Screenshot

Another great example is Nike’s webshop, with its “This week’s pick” section: 



Online shopping platform for sneakers
Source: Screenshot


2. Featured Products

Featured products are the section where you showcase the types of brands and products available on your online retail store.

These can be sorted differently, from the most popular to the newest. 


This section is most frequently used on the home page, with the goal to showcase the most important products and keep the visitor on the website.

In fact, according to Hubspot, 55% of users spend less than 15 seconds on a website.

This means that you have only 15 seconds to convince your visitors to stay, and you should carefully think about what products will appear on the home page. 


For example, Sephora showcased its newest arrivals: 


Newly available products in the stock
Source: Screenshot


And Nike introduced its newest model: 

Newest Nike sneakers model
Source: Screenshot

 

Featured products can also include the products that are at a certain discount or tied to great deals.

Once they enter your website, visitors will immediately see the best-priced items and get a desire to search for more products


Putting the spotlight on the best bargains of your e-commerce store is a great way to keep your visitors’ attention and increase your conversion rate.

Research also confirm this, claiming that 80% of online buyers are more motivated to buy from a new brand when they find a good deal. 

3. Similar products


Displaying similar products can be a great way to give visitors a chance to discover more products from your online store catalog by offering them visually similar items to those they are already interested in.

This feature can subconsciously influence customers in their decision of purchasing an item that’s similar to the one they already liked. 


Adding similar products to your e-commerce store means making it more personalized for every visitor that comes across.

In fact, Epsilon’s research claims that 80% of customers are more likely to buy from a company that offers personalized experiences and 90% of them find personalization appealing. 


What are the benefits of displaying similar products? 


  • More relevant content that leads to a higher conversion rate
  • Offering alternatives when an item the user desires is out of stock
  • Helping customers discover what they really want by offering them visually similar items
  • Improving product visibility and popularity by displaying them more often
  • Reducing site abandonment rate by improving the offer and motivating shoppers to stay longer


For example, one of the leaders in online fashion retail ASOS has a “You might also like” slider under every product, displaying products that are visually similar to the one the user is viewing at that moment. 

Midi dresses with floral print and 3/4 sleeves

Another great example is Zalando, with its “Similar items” section: 


Similar recommendations for brown ankle boots

Ebay also brilliantly displays similar items under every product, suggesting them as “People who viewed this item also viewed.”

Nike sneakers that can be bought online

Conclusion


Product recommendations are here to help customers find what is it that they exactly want.

The online shopping experience needs to be as smooth as possible in order to leave a great impression that will make them come back. 


If you still haven’t gone one step further to personalize your online retail store, you’re missing too many conversions.

Moreover, you’re missing a chance to create a seamless shopping experience that visitors enjoy. 


Improve your online offering by picking the best product recommendations that will be the most suitable for your brand and your target customers.

Be subtle and create a customer journey that makes shopping easy and delightful. 


Pixyle.ai’s similar recommendations tool can help you make your online offering more personalized.

By incorporating this feature, you can improve your product visibility, increase the relevancy of your offering, and increase conversion rate. 


Never miss a conversion!

Inspire your shoppers with relevant product recommendations




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