Recommendation Placements

Placement strategy determines where recommendations appear in the customer journey. The right placement at the right moment can significantly increase engagement and conversion.

Available Placements

Product Page

Show related products while customers are browsing:

Product Page Placement

{
  "placement": {
    "location": "product_page",
    "positions": [
      {
        "id": "below_add_to_cart",
        "title": "Frequently Bought Together",
        "algorithm": "frequently_bought_together",
        "max_products": 3,
        "layout": "horizontal_cards"
      },
      {
        "id": "below_description",
        "title": "You May Also Like",
        "algorithm": "content_based",
        "max_products": 4,
        "layout": "grid_2x2"
      },
      {
        "id": "sidebar",
        "title": "Recently Viewed",
        "algorithm": "recently_viewed",
        "max_products": 4,
        "layout": "vertical_list"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Product Page Best Algorithms

Frequently bought together — High conversion for complementary products
Content-based similarity — Find alternatives
Recently viewed — Re-engagement
Upgrade options — Higher-tier upsells

Cart Page

Last chance to add items before checkout:

Cart Page Placement

{
  "placement": {
    "location": "cart_page",
    "positions": [
      {
        "id": "below_cart_items",
        "title": "Complete Your Order",
        "algorithm": "based_on_cart",
        "max_products": 3,
        "layout": "horizontal_scroll",
        "show_add_button": true
      },
      {
        "id": "cart_sidebar",
        "title": "Don't Forget",
        "algorithm": "frequently_bought_together",
        "max_products": 2,
        "layout": "compact_cards"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Cart Page Strategy

Focus on low-friction additions at this stage. Show products that complement cart contents and are easy "yes" decisions — accessories, consumables, or small add-ons.

Checkout

Strategic upsell moments during checkout:

Checkout Placements

{
  "placement": {
    "location": "checkout",
    "positions": [
      {
        "id": "pre_payment",
        "title": "Add to Your Order",
        "algorithm": "high_converting_upsells",
        "max_products": 1,
        "layout": "inline_banner",
        "timing": "before_payment_step"
      },
      {
        "id": "post_purchase",
        "title": "One More Thing...",
        "algorithm": "personalized",
        "max_products": 2,
        "layout": "featured_card",
        "timing": "after_order_confirmed"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Thank You Page

Re-engage customers after purchase:

Thank You Page Placement

{
  "placement": {
    "location": "thank_you_page",
    "positions": [
      {
        "id": "main_recommendations",
        "title": "Based on Your Purchase",
        "algorithm": "post_purchase",
        "max_products": 4,
        "layout": "grid_2x2",
        "offer_discount": true,
        "discount_amount": "10%"
      },
      {
        "id": "trending_section",
        "title": "Trending Now",
        "algorithm": "trending",
        "max_products": 4,
        "layout": "horizontal_scroll"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Layout Options

Available Layouts

horizontal_cards — Side-by-side product cards
vertical_list — Stacked list view
grid_2x2 — 2x2 product grid
grid_3x2 — 3x2 product grid
horizontal_scroll — Scrollable carousel
compact_cards — Smaller cards for sidebars
inline_banner — Single product banner
featured_card — Large prominent card

Display Configuration

Display Options

{
  "display": {
    "product_card": {
      "show_image": true,
      "image_size": "medium",
      "show_title": true,
      "title_max_lines": 2,
      "show_price": true,
      "show_compare_at_price": true,
      "show_rating": true,
      "show_reviews_count": false,
      "show_badges": ["sale", "new", "bestseller"],
      "show_quick_add": true
    },
    "section": {
      "title_style": "bold",
      "show_view_all_link": true,
      "background_color": "transparent",
      "padding": "medium"
    },
    "responsive": {
      "mobile_products": 2,
      "tablet_products": 3,
      "desktop_products": 4
    }
  }
}

A/B Testing Placements

Test different placements to find what works:

Placement A/B Test

{
  "experiment": {
    "name": "Cart Recommendation Position",
    "variants": [
      {
        "name": "Control",
        "weight": 50,
        "position": "below_cart_items"
      },
      {
        "name": "Sidebar",
        "weight": 50,
        "position": "cart_sidebar"
      }
    ],
    "success_metric": "recommendation_ctr"
  }
}

Mobile Optimization

Recommendations should adapt to mobile screens:

Mobile Best Practices

Reduce products shown (2-3 on mobile vs 4 on desktop)
Use horizontal scroll for space efficiency
Larger touch targets for add buttons
Lazy load images below the fold
Consider collapsible sections

Mobile Configuration

{
  "mobile": {
    "placements": {
      "product_page": {
        "positions": ["below_add_to_cart"],
        "max_products": 2,
        "layout": "horizontal_scroll"
      },
      "cart_page": {
        "positions": ["below_cart_items"],
        "max_products": 2,
        "layout": "horizontal_scroll",
        "collapsed_by_default": false
      }
    }
  }
}

Performance Considerations

Page Load Impact

Each recommendation placement adds load time. Use lazy loading, limit initial products shown, and monitor Core Web Vitals to ensure recommendations don't hurt page performance.

Best Practices

Placement Strategy

Match algorithm to context — Cart-based for cart page, personalized for logged-in users
Don't overwhelm — 2-3 placements per page maximum
Test titles — "You May Also Like" vs "Complete Your Look"
Consider the journey — Discovery early, urgency late
Measure each placement — Some may underperform