If you’ve ever shopped on Amazon, you’ve seen it: the “Frequently Bought Together” widget. It’s deceptively simple—just a few products grouped together with a checkbox and an “Add All to Cart” button. But this widget is responsible for billions in incremental revenue.
Why It Works
The widget leverages three powerful psychological principles:
1. Social Proof
“Other people bought these together” implies that this combination is validated and popular. Humans are social creatures; we trust the crowd.
2. Convenience
Instead of searching for compatible accessories or add-ons, the customer is presented with a pre-curated selection. This reduces friction and decision fatigue.
3. Anchoring
By showing the combined price next to the individual prices, the customer sees the “total value” and perceives a deal, even if there’s no discount applied.
How to Implement on Shopify
While Shopify doesn’t have this feature natively, apps like Product Bundles by Appfox can replicate (and improve upon) Amazon’s approach.
Best Practices:
- Data-Driven Selection: Don’t guess which products go together. Use your order history to identify actual purchase patterns.
- Limit Choices: Show 2-3 complementary items max. Too many options lead to analysis paralysis.
- Strategic Placement: Position the widget above the fold on your product pages, right next to the “Add to Cart” button.
- A/B Test Discounts: Test whether offering a small bundle discount (5-10%) increases conversion more than the margin it costs.
Real-World Example
A camera store using Appfox implemented a “Frequently Bought Together” widget on their DSLR product pages, suggesting a memory card and camera bag. The result? A 22% increase in AOV and a 15% lift in overall conversion rate.
The key was relevance—the suggested items were genuinely useful, not random upsells.
Conclusion
The “Frequently Bought Together” widget isn’t just about increasing revenue; it’s about improving the customer experience by anticipating their needs. When done right, it’s a win-win.