How to Show Frequently Bought Together Products in WooCommerce

By HenryIn Business Efficiency, Business Growth, Business Growth Strategies, Case Studies, Cross-Promotion Strategies, Design Trends, E-Commerce Solutions, Uncategorized, User Experience (UX) DesignPosted

Introduction

In the fiercely competitive world of eCommerce, where every click and conversion is crucial, store owners are constantly looking for ways to maximize revenue and better engage users. One of the most valuable strategies is cross-selling. As a WordPress web designer and developer in the UK, I’ve seen how powerful this can be in real-world scenarios.

A standout technique in this category is the “Frequently Bought Together” feature—first introduced by Amazon and now a staple in most online stores. This feature displays a list of complementary products alongside the product a customer is viewing, encouraging them to add more items to their cart. For WooCommerce store owners, enabling this function can significantly enhance Average Order Value (AOV), boost customer satisfaction, and drive more sales overall. In this guide, we’ll explore the pros and cons of using and optimizing “Frequently Bought Together” functionality in WooCommerce so you can unlock your store’s full potential.

Also Read – BigCommerce Shopify and WooCommerce

What Are Frequently Bought Together Products?

Frequently Bought Together (FBT) products are product combinations that have consistently been purchased by customers in tandem. These bundles are presented as curated suggestions on a product page to encourage customers to add multiple items to their cart with a single click. For example, if a shopper is viewing a DSLR camera, the store might suggest accessories such as a memory card, camera bag, and tripod based on historical data that shows these items are commonly bought together.

Origin and Inspiration

The concept of FBT saw mainstream popularity due to its strategic use by Amazon. The eCommerce giant mastered the art of combining behavioral data with intelligent product recommendations. Their FBT feature became a psychological trust factor for customers, indicating, “Other customers like you also bought these products.” This increased customer confidence and led to larger cart sizes.

How It Works

There are several underlying mechanisms to power FBT recommendations:

  • Historical Purchase Data: The system analyzes past transactions to identify patterns and suggest products that are frequently bought together.
  • Manual Product Grouping: Store admins manually assign related products to be displayed together.
  • Smart Algorithms: Machine learning algorithms examine user behavior (such as browsing history, cart additions, and purchase combinations) to make real-time, data-driven suggestions.

Importance of Cross-Selling in eCommerce

Cross-selling involves presenting complementary or related products to customers based on their current browsing or purchase behavior. This strategy isn’t just about increasing sales it enhances the overall shopping experience in multiple ways.

Why Cross-Selling Matters:

  • Boosts Average Order Value (AOV): By showcasing additional products that go well with the main item, cross-selling increases the total cart value. For example, offering a laptop bag and mouse to someone buying a laptop makes the purchase more comprehensive while raising the final bill.
  • Improves User Experience (UX): Customers often don’t realize what accessories or complementary items they may need. Cross-selling saves them time by surfacing these suggestions at the right moment, reducing friction in the buying process.
  • Drives Impulse Purchases: Well-placed suggestions can trigger unplanned buys. A shopper might not have been looking for screen protectors, but if shown as part of a bundle with a smartphone, they are more likely to include them.
  • Reduces Cart Abandonment: Cross-selling creates a sense of completeness and readiness in a customer’s mind. When users feel their cart contains all they need, they’re less likely to leave the site before purchasing.
  • Builds Trust and Expertise: Offering useful complementary items positions your store as knowledgeable and helpful. It reflects an understanding of the customer’s needs, strengthening brand trust and loyalty.

Cross-Selling vs. Upselling

While both cross-selling and upselling are revenue-boosting strategies, they work in distinct ways and serve different psychological triggers. For instance, suggesting a higher-storage variant of the same smartphone.

Advantages of WooCommerce Frequently Bought Together

  • Increased Revenue: Customers tend to add more products to the cart.
  • Improved Shopping Experience: Enables customers to find associated products they may have overlooked.
  • Personalized Marketing: FBT modules personalize recommendations by behavior or history.
  • Lower Cart Abandonment: Convenience drives checkout.
  • Increased Customer Satisfaction: Builds trust and improves product utility.

Getting to Know WooCommerce Product Pages

  • Product Title and Price
  • Product Description and Tabs
  • Related Products
  • Upsells and Cross-sells (native)
  • Review Section

FBT products should ideally be placed right below the product description or near the “Add to Cart” button to catch attention without being intrusive.

WooCommerce’s Native Options for Product Recommendations

WooCommerce does have some native features:

Related Products

  • Automatically generated based on product tags and categories.
  • No need for manual grouping.

Upsells

  • Shown on the product page.
  • You can manually set upsell products.

Cross-Sells

  • Shown on the cart page.
  • Also manually set.

These alternatives provide straightforward product suggestions but fail to achieve the bundled outcome of FBT.

Best Plugins for Displaying Frequently Bought Together Products

Following are some of the highest-rated plugins:

YITH WooCommerce Frequently Bought Together

  • Sends support for manual bundling.
  • Include group discounts.
  • Simplistic setting and layout customization.

WPC Frequently Bought Together

  • Handles both automatic and manual bundling.
  • Provides a neat UI and dynamic pricing features.
  • Lightweight, supports most themes.

WebToffee WooCommerce Frequently Bought Together

  • Emphasize customization.
  • Sends support for dynamic groupings.
  • Easy integration with analytics tools.

Premmerce Frequently Bought Together

  • AI-based suggestions.
  • Built for performance.
  • Supports top themes and plugins.

Installing and Configuring a Plugin (Step-by-Step)

Let’s walk through YITH’s plugin:

  1. Install Plugin: Go to Dashboard → Plugins → Add New → Search “YITH Frequently Bought Together.”
  2. Activate Plugin: Click Activate upon installation.

Assign FBT Products:

  • Go to Products → Edit
  • Scroll down to “Frequently Bought Together”
  • Add products manually

Customize Display Settings

  • Layout, price display, position

Save and Preview

Repeat process for other products. Test for compatibility with your theme.

Custom Coding Method to Add Frequently Bought Together Products

For developers, here is a basic overview:

  • Make a custom product meta box to attribute FBT products.
  • Employ get_post_meta to retrieve assigned products.
  • Render using custom HTML/CSS and optional JS slider.

This offers you full control but demands coding skills.

Using WooCommerce Hooks and Filters

Key hooks:

  • woocommerce_before_single_product_summary
  • twoocommerce_after_single_product_summary
  • twoocommerce_product_get_related_ids

These hooks enable you to add custom content where it is needed.

Best Practices for Design and UX

Tips to promote high conversion:

  • Keep layout plain and uniform.
  • Employ collapsible sections on mobile.
  • Emphasize bundle discounts.
  • Employ simple “Add All to Cart” buttons.

Testing and Optimization Strategies

How to optimize:

  • Employ session tracking to check which placements convert best.
  • Keep an eye on loading speed influence.
  • Employ Heatmaps (Hotjar, CrazyEgg) to analyze user interaction.

Measuring Performance with Analytics

Integrate with:

  • Google Analytics (Enhanced eCommerce)
  • Facebook Pixel
  • WooCommerce Reports

Measure:

  • FBT section click-through rate
  • Bundled product conversion rate

A/B Testing to Enhance Sales

Utilize tools such as:

  • Google Optimize
  • VWO
  • Optimizely

A/B test variables:

  • Section heading
  • Product images
  • CTA button color/location

Case Studies of Successful Deployments

Example 1: Home Appliance Retailer

  • Before: Average Order Value (AOV): $55
  • After: AOV increased to $79
  • Implementation: The store introduced FBT to recommend complementary accessories such as power cables, surge protectors, and cleaning kits alongside appliances like microwaves and blenders.
  • Impact: Customers appreciated the suggestions, realizing the importance of these accessories. This not only increased revenue but also reduced return rates, as customers were better equipped from the beginning.

Example 2: Beauty Products Store

  • Before: Website Bounce Rate: 58%
  • After: Bounce Rate dropped to 39%
  • Implementation: The store showcased makeup kits, moisturizers, and skincare combos frequently purchased together with viewed products.
  • Impact: This led to users spending more time on site, exploring recommended items. Conversion rates improved, and average session time nearly doubled.

Mobile Optimization Guidelines

Ensure FBT is mobile-friendly:

  • Implement carousel sliders
  • Optimize image dimensions
  • Make CTA buttons tap-friendly
  • Async load FBT section

SEO Value of Frequently Bought Together Sections

Benefits:

  • Internal linking enhances crawlability
  • Longer time-on-page
  • Decreased bounce rate
  • Context and relevance improve

Apply schema.org markup whenever possible for product bundles.

How Not to Overwhelm Users

Don’t present too many products. Adhere to:

  • 2–4 recommendations
  • Simple headings
  • Minimal design

Employ icons or tooltips instead of lengthy texts.

Avoid Common Pitfalls

  • Presenting unrelated products
  • No performance testing
  • Poor mobile display
  • Disregarding analytics

Also Read – YITH WooCommerce Frequently Bought Together

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the “Frequently Bought Together” feature in WooCommerce?

The “Frequently Bought Together” feature displays related or complementary products alongside the main product to encourage customers to purchase multiple items in one go, boosting average order value and improving the shopping experience.

2. Is it possible to add Frequently Bought Together products without using a plugin?

Yes, developers can add this functionality manually using WooCommerce hooks, custom meta boxes, and PHP code. However, it requires technical knowledge of WordPress and WooCommerce architecture.

3. Which is the best plugin for Frequently Bought Together in WooCommerce?

Some of the top-rated plugins include YITH WooCommerce Frequently Bought Together, WPC Frequently Bought Together, and WebToffee’s solution. Each offers different features like bundle discounts, dynamic pricing, and easy customization.

4. Can I customize the design of the Frequently Bought Together section?

Absolutely. Most plugins offer display settings to change layout, colors, text, and placement. For more advanced customization, you can use custom CSS or modify plugin template files.

5. Will this feature slow down my website?

If implemented correctly with optimized code and images, it shouldn’t significantly affect site speed. However, always test performance impact, especially on mobile devices, and use lazy loading or async loading when needed.

6. Does WooCommerce have a built-in Frequently Bought Together feature?

WooCommerce doesn’t natively support this exact functionality. While it does offer Related Products, Upsells, and Cross-Sells, true bundled suggestions like FBT require a plugin or custom development

7. Can I offer discounts on bundled products using this feature?

Yes. Many plugins allow you to set fixed or percentage-based discounts on Frequently Bought Together bundles to further incentivize customers to purchase more.

8. Is this feature mobile-friendly?

Most modern plugins are responsive by default. For the best mobile experience, ensure carousel sliders are used, images are optimized, and buttons are large enough to be tap-friendly.

9. Can I track how well my Frequently Bought Together section is performing?

Yes. Integrating tools like Google Analytics (Enhanced eCommerce), Facebook Pixel, and WooCommerce Reports can help you track clicks, conversions, and revenue generated through this feature.

10. How many products should I recommend in the Frequently Bought Together section?

It’s best to keep it simple—between 2 to 4 items. Recommending too many products can overwhelm customers and hurt conversions instead of helping them.

Conclusion

“Frequently Bought Together” is much more than a sales tactic; it’s a compelling, data-based strategy to maximize your store’s sales and your customers’ buying experience. Done right, it steers users towards related items they might have missed, builds trust with social proof, and minimizes friction in the buying process. Whether you employ a plugin, go for custom development, or work with a WordPress web designer and developer in the UK, the secret is smart placement, contextually relevant recommendations, and ongoing performance monitoring. For WooCommerce store owners, tapping this capability isn’t a nice-to-have it’s a strategic choice to generate greater conversions, optimize value per order, and foster long-term loyalty.

Contact Us