How to Add Frequently Bought Together on Shopify

Here’s the thing: Amazon makes about 35% of its sales from product recommendations like the  “Frequently Bought Together” feature. That’s billions of dollars from simply suggesting what goes well together. The best part? You can add this same feature to your store without writing a single line of code. If you’re running a Shopify store and want to boost your sales, learn how to add Frequently Bought Together on Shopify is one of the smartest moves you can make. Let’s dive into exactly how to set this up on your store.

Key Takeaways

• The “Frequently Bought Together” feature increases sales by suggesting complementary products that naturally go together, making it easy for customers to buy more.
• Using the Pareto app, you can add the feature to your Shopify store without coding, offering automated discounts and smart product recommendations based on sales data.
• Display the bundle section strategically, like near the “Add to Cart” button, and limit options to 2-3 related products to avoid overwhelming customers.
• Offering small discounts (5-10%) on bundles can motivate customers to purchase more, creating a better deal without much effort.

Why Adding Frequently Bought Together Makes Sense

Here are the top 5 reasons why you should add this feature to your store:

1. Natural Shopping Behavior: People naturally buy items that complement each other, like a phone and case or a dress and shoes, but sometimes they forget or don’t think about it.
2. “Frequently Bought Together” Reminder: This feature reminds customers of related items they may want, making it easy to add them to the cart all at once.
3. Helps, Not Pushes: Unlike hard sales tactics, the feature helps customers by offering useful suggestions without being intrusive.
4. Increased Sales: Customers often buy everything they need in one go, sometimes with a small discount, leading to higher sales.
5. Win-Win: Shoppers get a better shopping experience and value, while store owners benefit from higher sales and customer satisfaction.

And that’s why it’s important to learn how to add frequently bought together on Shopify.

How to Add Frequently Bought Together on Shopify?

For full control over your “Frequently Bought Together” recommendations with discount capabilities, the Pareto app is your best option. Here’s how to set it up:

Step 1: Install the Pareto Volume Discount & Bundles App

1. Go to your Shopify admin panel
2. Navigate to Apps → Shopify App Store
3. Search for “Pareto Volume Discount & Bundles“
4. Click Add app and follow the installation prompts
5. The app offers both free and paid plans—start with the free plan to test features

Step 2: Create Your Frequently Bought Together Section

1. Open the Pareto app from your Apps section
2. Click on Offers in the sidebar
3. Switch to the Mix & match bundles tab
4. Choose Bought Together as your offer type

Step 3: Configure Rule Settings

1. Select Included Products: Choose the products you want to include in the Frequently Bought Together. You can either search or browse through your available products.
2. Set Quantity for Each Product: For each product, set the desired quantity.
3. Choose Discount Type
   You have three discount options:

• Percentage (%): Apply a percentage-based discount to the entire bundle price.
• Amount off each: A fixed amount discount for each individual item in the bundle.
• Fixed price: A single fixed price for the entire bundle.

Note: You can include up to 3 products in each bundle.

Step 4: Customize Display Settings

1. Countdown Timers: Display a countdown timer to create urgency for your campaign.
2. Product Page Customization: Customize how the Frequently Bought Together is displayed on the product page:

• Show/hide campaign name, original price, and discount price
• Customize label, font, and color settings

3. Pop-Up Suggestions: Enable pop-ups that encourage customers to purchase Frequently Bought Together products directly. You can choose to display them automatically or manually.
4. Notice in Cart: Add a message in the cart to notify customers about the Frequently Bought Together section and encourage them to explore more.

Step 5: Advanced Features (Shopify Plus Only)

If you’re on Shopify Plus, you can add checkout upsells:

1. Enable Active upsell display under the Checkout page
2. Click Go to theme to access the Checkout Editor
3. Add the Pareto – Upsell Bundle block to your checkout layout
4. Position it in the cart summary area for maximum visibility
5. Customize the display text and countdown timer

Step 6: Test and Launch

1. Visit your online store (preferably in an incognito window)
2. Navigate to a product with a bundle offer
3. Add products to cart and verify:
   • Bundle displays correctly
   • Discount applies automatically
   • Visual elements appear as expected
   • Mobile experience works smoothly

You might be tempted to hire a developer to code this feature from scratch. Don’t. Pareto Volume Discount & Bundles app can handle “Frequently Bought Together” promotion is way better, and here’s why:

• No Coding Needed: These apps install in minutes. You click a button, adjust a few settings, and you’re done. No theme editing, no code mess.
• Smart Suggestions: Good apps use AI to figure out what products actually go together based on your sales data. They get smarter over time, just like Amazon’s system.
• Built-in Discounts: Most apps let you offer bundle discounts automatically. “Buy all three and save 10%” – that kind of thing. Try coding that yourself and you’ll be there for weeks.
• Easy Updates: When Shopify updates or you change themes, the app developers handle the fixes. You don’t have to worry about breaking anything.

Best Practices To Add Frequently Bought Together on Shopify?

Getting the most out of your “Frequently Bought Together” feature isn’t just about installing an app. Here are the key strategies that actually work:

Make Sure Products Actually Go Together

This sounds obvious, but it’s crucial. Don’t just throw random products together hoping people will buy them. Think about what your customers actually need:

• Phone + case + screen protector
• Dress + shoes + handbag
• Laptop + mouse + laptop bag
• Skincare cleanser + toner + moisturizer

The recommendations should make sense to anyone looking at them.

Offer a Small Incentive

Even a 5-10% discount can make the difference between someone buying just one item or the whole bundle. People love feeling like they’re getting a deal, even if it’s small.

Some ideas:

• “Save 10% when you buy all three”
• “Get the cheapest item free”
• “Free shipping on bundles over $50”

Keep Bundles Simple

Don’t overwhelm customers with too many choices. Showing 2-3 related items works best. More than that and people get decision paralysis.

Amazon typically shows just 2 additional items – there’s a reason for that. Keep it simple.

Position the Section Strategically

Put your “Frequently Bought Together” section where customers will actually see it. Good spots include:

• Right below the product description
• Above the reviews section
• Near the “Add to Cart” button

Avoid putting it at the very top of the page where it might distract from the main product.

Use High-Quality Images

The recommended products should have clear, appealing photos. Blurry or unattractive images will hurt your conversion rates.

If you use a review app, make sure star ratings show up in the bundle section too. Social proof helps a lot.

Test and Adjust

Keep an eye on what’s working:

• Which product pages generate the most bundle sales?
• What discount percentage works best?
• Are customers actually adding the recommended items?

Use this data to improve your recommendations over time.

Common Mistakes When Adding FBT on Shopify

Weird Product Combinations

Your app starts suggesting random stuff together, like pairing a phone case with dog food. Customers think “that’s dumb” and ignore your bundles.

Easy fix:

• Check your suggestions once a week
• Remove anything that doesn’t make sense
• Ask: “Would I buy these together?” If not, delete it

Too Many Choices

What happens if you show 5+ items and customers can’t decide? Then there will be no sales. Customers get confused and buy nothing instead.

For example, a makeup store found something interesting:

• When they showed 5 items, hardly anyone bought bundles
• When they showed just 2 items, way more people bought them

Sometimes, less really is more.

Easy fix:

• Stick to 2-3 items max
• Show your most popular combinations
• Don’t overwhelm people with choices

Tiny Discounts

Maybe you might think giving customers 2% or 5% off feels cheap and won’t motivate them to buy more. The savings aren’t worth the effort. People like seeing real money saved, not pennies.

Easy fix:

• Use discounts people actually care about
• Try “Save $15” instead of “5% off”
• Make the savings obvious: “You save $12!”

Hiding Your Bundles

You put the bundle section at the bottom of the page, where nobody sees it. It’s like having a sale sign in your basement.

Easy fix:

• Put bundles where people can actually see them
• Near the “Add to Cart” button works great
• Make the section stand out with colors or borders

Set It and Forget It

Remember, you install the app and never look at it again. Old products stay in suggestions, and you miss chances to bundle new stuff.

Easy fix:

• Check your bundles every few weeks
• Remove stuff that’s not working
• Add new products to successful bundles
• Update for holidays and seasons

Stores that keep testing and tweaking their bundles usually do way better than those who just install and ignore.

The main thing? Don’t install bundles and walk away. Spend a few minutes each week making them better.

Moving Forward

Learning how to add frequently bought together on Shopify is one of the smartest moves for boosting sales. The apps make setup easy – no coding needed. Focus on bundles that actually help customers, not tricks to sell more. Start with your bestsellers, test different discounts, and keep improving. When done right, customers get better value, and you get bigger orders. It’s a win-win that grows your store naturally.