Placement: where strategies are displayed

Strategies in Recommendations & Merchandising can be placed at different touchpoints of the customer journey. Each placement has a specific business objective, tied to user behavior at that stage.

Typical placements include:

• Homepage: to highlight best sellers, trending products, or curated selections.

• Category / Listing pages (PLP): to optimize product ordering, boost new arrivals, or feature best sellers for a given category.

• Product detail pages (PDP): to show similar products, complementary products, or upsell alternatives.

• Cart and Add-to-Cart pages: to display frequently bought together items or last-minute add-ons.

• Confirmation page (post-purchase): to promote related categories or accessories.

• Emails: to include dynamic recommendation blocks powered by the same rules.

Each placement can capture observed variables (such as categoryId or productId from the page context) and pass them to the rule to generate the most relevant product list.

Homepage (HP)

Objective: Inspire, personalize, and facilitate product discovery.

• Why here? The homepage is often the very first touchpoint. New visitors need inspiration (best sellers, new arrivals), while returning visitors expect personalization (recently viewed, similar to last purchased). The goal is to engage quickly, reduce bounce rates, and drive users deeper into the catalog.

• Typical strategies:

  • Global Best Sellers, New Arrivals (new visitors)

  • Recently Viewed, Similar to Last Purchased (returning visitors)

• KPIs impacted: Bounce rate, engagement rate, product views per session.

Product Listing Page (PLP)

Objective: Accelerate exploration and help users find the right product faster.

• Why here? Users landing on category or search pages already show intent, but product overload can cause drop-offs. Merchandising helps prioritize products: highlight top sellers at the top, and surface “viewed by others” further down. The goal is to shorten product discovery time and increase add-to-cart rates.

• Typical strategies:

  • Category Best Sellers (top of page)

  • Viewed by Category Buyers (bottom of page)

• KPIs impacted: Product list CTR, ATC rate, time to first ATC.

Product Detail Page (PDP)

Objective: Prevent exits and increase order value via cross-sell and up-sell.

• Why here? PDPs are decision points: if the product doesn’t fit, suggesting alternatives avoids exits; if it fits, complementary items encourage basket expansion. The goal is to reduce abandonment and maximize order value.

• Typical strategies:

  • Similar Products (alternative choices)

  • Complementary Products (cross-sell bundles)

  • Recently Viewed (continuity)

• KPIs impacted: PDP exit rate, ATC rate, AOV.

Cart & Add-to-Cart (ATC) Pop-in

Objective: Maximize AOV with impulse buys.

• Why here? At this stage, buying intent is very high. It’s the right time to suggest low-priced add-ons or products that help reach free shipping. The recommendations must be frictionless and not disrupt checkout. The goal is to increase basket size and confirm the purchase decision.

• Typical strategies:

  • Frequently Bought Together

  • Add-ons filtered by price / attributes (simple, low risk)

• KPIs impacted: AOV, attach rate, checkout completion rate.

Confirmation Page (Post-Purchase)

Objective: Extend engagement after purchase and seed the next session.

• Why here? Once the purchase is confirmed, the buying cycle for this order is complete — but the user is highly receptive. This is the perfect opportunity to promote related categories, seasonal products, or loyalty-driven offers. The goal is to increase customer lifetime value (CLV) and reduce time to next purchase.

• Typical strategies:

  • Complementary Products (e.g., accessories)

  • Category Best Sellers (to inspire next session)

  • New Arrivals in related categories

• KPIs impacted: Repeat purchase rate, CLV, next-session engagement.

Email (CRM / ESP)

Objective: Re-engage customers outside the site and bring them back.

• Why here? Email is one of the most powerful channels for retention. Embedding personalized recommendations ensures users see relevant content even when away from the site. The goal is to reactivate users, increase traffic back to PDPs/PLPs, and strengthen loyalty.

• Typical strategies:

  • Recently Viewed (remind users of their interests)

  • Similar to Last Purchased (drive repeat category purchase)

  • Trending Products (create FOMO and urgency)

• KPIs impacted: Email CTR, site re-visits, conversion rate from email campaigns.