How To Show Related Products Woocommerce On A Product Page

How to Show Related Products in WooCommerce (and Boost Sales!)

So, you’ve got a fantastic WooCommerce store, and customers are browsing your amazing products. But are you making the most of their visit? One powerful way to increase sales and keep customers engaged is by showing them related products on your product pages. Think of it like this: You’re buying a new camera (the product on the page), wouldn’t it be helpful to see compatible tripods, camera bags, and extra batteries right there? That’s the power of related products!

This guide will walk you through how to set up and customize related products in WooCommerce, even if you’re a complete beginner. We’ll cover everything you need to know to boost your average order value and improve your customers’ shopping experience.

Why Bother with Related Products?

Before diving into the how-to, let’s understand *why* showing related products is so important:

Increase Sales: Seeing complementary or similar items encourages customers to add more to their cart. Imagine someone buying hiking boots. Seeing a recommendation for high-quality hiking socks right below could lead to an impulse purchase!
Improve Customer Experience: Related products help customers discover items they might not have found otherwise. This saves them time and effort, making their shopping experience more enjoyable. They might not even *know* they need something until they see it!
Reduce Bounce Rate: If a customer isn’t completely sold on the current product, related products can keep them browsing your store instead of leaving. This gives you more chances to make a sale.
Boost Product Discovery: Highlighting related items can introduce customers to a wider range of your inventory, improving product visibility.

The Default WooCommerce Related Products Feature

WooCommerce comes with a built-in related products feature. It’s a good starting point, but knowing how it works will help you customize it later.

By default, WooCommerce displays related products based on these factors:

Shared Categories: Products in the same category as the viewed product are more likely to appear.
Shared Tags: Products with similar tags are also prioritized.
“Random” Selection: If enough related products aren’t found through categories and tags, WooCommerce will fill the remaining slots with random products from your store.

How to Ensure Related Products are Enabled (They usually are by default):

While usually enabled, double-check just in case:

1. Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Products.

2. Under the “Display” tab, you’ll find a section labeled “Default product sorting”. There isn’t a specific “Enable/Disable Related Products” setting. Related products are enabled by default. The *absence* of an option to disable them means they are running.

3. However: related products will only show if there are products in the same categories or with the same tags as the current product!

Setting Categories and Tags for Maximum Impact

The key to making the default related product functionality work well is to organize your products effectively using categories and tags. Think of it like this:

* Categories: Broad product groupings (e.g., “Clothing,” “Electronics,” “Books”). A product can belong to one or more categories.

* Tags: More specific keywords that describe the product (e.g., “Running Shoes,” “Waterproof,” “Sci-Fi”). A product can have many tags.

Example:

Let’s say you’re selling a “Nike Running Shoe – Model X.”

* Category: “Running Shoes”

* Tags: “Nike,” “Lightweight,” “Breathable,” “Road Running”

By assigning these categories and tags, WooCommerce can intelligently display other “Running Shoes” or products with similar features (e.g., another pair of “Nike” shoes or “Lightweight” running apparel).

How to Add Categories and Tags:

1. For New Products: When adding a new product in the WordPress admin (Products > Add New), you’ll find the “Product categories” and “Product tags” sections on the right-hand side.

2. For Existing Products: Edit an existing product (Products > All Products > Edit) and use the same sections on the right-hand side.

Pro Tip: Be consistent with your categories and tags across your entire product catalog. This will significantly improve the accuracy of your related product recommendations.

Customizing Related Products (Beyond the Basics)

The default WooCommerce functionality is good, but sometimes you want more control. Here are a few ways to customize related products:

#### 1. Using a Plugin (Recommended for Beginners)

The easiest way to heavily customize your related products is using a dedicated plugin. These plugins often offer more advanced features such as:

Manual Selection: Choose *exactly* which products to display as related.
Cross-Sells and Up-Sells: Differentiate between products that complement the current item (cross-sells) and higher-priced versions (up-sells). These have dedicated fields in the product edit screen.
Advanced Algorithms: Plugins often use more sophisticated algorithms to determine relatedness based on browsing history, purchase history, and other factors.

Some popular options include:

* Related Products for WooCommerce by SomewhereWarm: A robust plugin with many customization options (often paid, but offers great control)

* YITH WooCommerce Frequently Bought Together: Focuses on creating bundles of products (paid)

How to Use a Plugin (Generic Steps):

1. Install and Activate: Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress admin and search for your chosen plugin. Install and activate it.

2. Configure: Most plugins will add a new settings section in WooCommerce or under their own menu item. Follow the plugin’s documentation to configure the settings.

3. Set Related Products (If Manual): Some plugins allow you to manually select related products on the product edit page.

#### 2. Custom Code (For Advanced Users)

If you’re comfortable with PHP and WordPress theme development, you can customize related products using custom code. This is NOT recommended for beginners as incorrect code can break your website.

Here’s a simplified example of how you might modify the number of related products displayed using a `functions.php` file in your theme or a custom plugin:

<?php
/**
Change the number of related products output
*/
function woo_related_products_limit() {
global $product;

$args[‘posts_per_page’] = 6; // Number of related products

return $args;

}

add_filter( ‘woocommerce_output_related_products_args’, ‘woo_related_products_limit’ );

Explanation:

1. This code defines a function `woo_related_products_limit()` that will modify the arguments used to query related products.

2. `$args[‘posts_per_page’] = 6;` sets the number of related products to display to 6.

3. `add_filter( ‘woocommerce_output_related_products_args’, ‘woo_related_products_limit’ );` This line is the most important. It hooks your function into the `woocommerce_output_related_products_args` filter, which allows you to modify the arguments before WooCommerce retrieves the related products.

Important Considerations When Using Custom Code:

Back Up Your Site: Before making any code changes, always back up your website.
Child Theme: Use a child theme to avoid losing your customizations when your main theme is updated.
Testing: Thoroughly test your code changes to ensure they work as expected and don’t introduce any errors.
Consult a Developer: If you’re unsure about any of these steps, consider hiring a WordPress developer.

#### 3. Using Cross-sells and Up-sells

WooCommerce has built in functionality for adding cross-sells and up-sells.

Cross-sells: These are products related to what the customer is currently viewing, often things that complement the product. For example, if the product is a laptop, cross-sells might be a laptop bag or a wireless mouse.
Up-sells: These are products that are similar to the current product but are higher quality, more expensive, or have more features. If the current product is a basic digital camera, an up-sell might be a more advanced DSLR camera.

You add these under the “Linked Products” tab on each individual product edit page.

Testing and Optimization

Once you’ve set up related products, it’s crucial to monitor their performance and make adjustments as needed. Here are some things to consider:

Track Conversions: Use Google Analytics or WooCommerce’s built-in reports to track how related products are affecting your sales. Look for patterns in which related products are most effective.
A/B Testing: Experiment with different types of related products (manual vs. automatic, different category combinations, etc.) to see which ones perform best.
Placement: Test different placements of the related products section on your product pages. For example, you could try displaying them above or below the product description.
Design and Layout: Ensure the related products section is visually appealing and easy to use. Make sure the product images are clear and the descriptions are concise.

By following these tips, you can create a powerful related products strategy that will boost sales, improve customer experience, and help your WooCommerce store thrive!