Why Recently Viewed Products is Essential for Your Shopify Store and How to Make the Most of It?

Imagine walking into a physical store, picking up an item you like, setting it down, and wandering off, only to forget where you found it. This happens every day in online shopping. Enter the "Recently Viewed Products" feature—the digital equivalent of a helpful store assistant who points you back to the items you've shown interest in. It might be small, but it certainly does make an essential difference when one customer is lost to another: loyal. Read more about it below to discover why Shopify features like that can be valuable and how best you can leverage the "Recently Viewed Products" feature toward your sales goal. Your shopping BFF – always remembering what you loved.

"Recently Viewed Products" displays items a customer has browsed during their session. It usually appears as a carousel, sidebar, or section on the site. It provides easy access to those products without forcing customers to navigate multiple pages or use the search bar. Your breadcrumb trail to shopping success!

Many Shopify store owners wonder whether they need “Recently Viewed Products” in their accounts. Are you also one of them? If yes, here are some solid reasons that make this feature a must-have in your Shopify store.

• Improve User Convenience: Simplifies navigation by surfacing previously viewed products and reduces friction.
• Help Tackle Cart Abandonment: Keeps customers engaged and reduces distractions that lead to abandonment.
• Encourage Impulse Shopping: Keeps attractive items visible, driving more spontaneous purchases.
• Building Brand Loyalty: Makes returning customers’ experiences easier and more enjoyable.

The “Recently Viewed Products” feature can drastically boost your online presence, enhance buyer engagement, and multiply returns:

• Increasing Average Order Value (AOV): Encourages customers to add more items to their carts.
• Facilitating Retargeting Campaigns: Provides valuable browsing data for personalized ads and abandoned cart recovery.
• Higher Retention of Customers: Builds trust and loyalty by remembering shoppers’ preferences.

Are you planning to incorporate “Recently Viewed Products” into your store? Here’s a quick guide:

1. Go to the Recently Viewed tab in the Custlo app menu and enable the feature.
2. Preview the section and configure your preferred settings.
3. Save your changes and verify the updates in the Menu Builder or by logging into your store.

Boost conversions and engagement with these best practices:

• Strategic Placement: Position on the homepage, product pages, or cart page.
• Personalized Recommendations: Combine with AI-powered product suggestions for upselling.
• AI and Machine Learning: Use tools like Klaviyo or Nosto to dynamically display products.
• Visual and UX Enhancements: High-quality images, clean design, hover previews.

Track your feature’s performance using:

• KPIs: Click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and engagement time.
• Analytics Tools: Google Analytics and Heatmaps to see how customers interact visually and behaviorally.

These brands leverage the feature effectively:

• Amazon: Strategic placement for conversions.
• ASOS: Combines recently viewed items with outfit suggestions to boost AOV.
• Etsy: Displays recently viewed products on the homepage for quick navigation.

Turn browsing history into powerful marketing:

• Analyze browsing data to understand interests and preferences.
• Create dynamic retargeting ads on platforms like Facebook and Google.
• Use email hyper-personalization with recently viewed product reminders and deals.
• Cross-sell and upsell with related or premium products.
• Automate workflows with tools like Klaviyo or HubSpot.

Make the most of this feature by avoiding:

• Overloading the section with too many products (stick to 5–7).
• Poor placement (hide-and-seek kills engagement).
• Lack of mobile optimization.
• Static or outdated content.
• Generic experiences without personalization.
• Not tracking performance metrics.

Adding the "Recently Viewed Products" feature to your Shopify store improves shopping convenience, drives conversions, and builds loyalty. With smart implementation, placement, and optimization, this feature enhances customer satisfaction while increasing your revenue. Shop smarter, not harder – we’ve got your back!