Boost engagement with personalized product recommendations

Integrating product recommendations into your post-purchase communications is a powerful way to extend the customer journey and deliver personalized suggestions at key touchpoints.

With parcelLab’s easy-to-configure recommendation engine, you can simply display recommended products in your chosen communication channel to increase customer engagement.

Best Practices

When configuring product recommendations, it’s important to consider the following:

• Send complete article data to improve the accuracy and appeal of recommended items

• Filter out items with high return rates to reduce customer frustration and improve satisfaction

• Leverage customer segmentation to show tailored recommendations to specific customer groups (for example: first time buyers or repeat customers)

• Run A/B tests on placement of product recommendations to optimize engagement

• Configure UTM parameters to track which recommended products generate clicks or conversions

• Focus on providing high-quality recommendations rather than the maximum number to avoid overwhelming the customer

Use Cases

Learn from use cases that highlight how integrating product recommendations into key touchpoints can improve the customer experience and drive repeat traffic to your online store.

Cross-Sell After Purchase

Use case: Show product recommendations that relate directly to the customer’s recent purchase (for example: recommend accessories like lenses, tripods or bags for a camera).

Steps:

1. Ensure article data includes product categories for identifying related accessories and bundles.

2. Create a campaign in the Experience Design Automation module targeting relevant communications (for example: shipping confirmation email).

3. Add the Product Recommendations content block to the selected communication type.

4. Use the Return Threshold filter to exclude frequently returned items.

5. Configure the number of recommended products to display based on category or product associations.

6. Set UTM parameters to track performance of recommended items.

7. Preview and launch the campaign.

Goal: Increase order value and suggest useful related items for the customer.

Promote Reorders or Subscriptions

Use case: Encourage repeat purchases of essential items by recommending the same or similar products shortly after delivery or in a follow-up email.

Steps:

1. Identify products suitable for regular reordering and send appropriate article data (for example: article category).

2. Create a campaign in the Experience Design Automation module targeting customers 2–4 weeks post-delivery.

3. Add the Product Recommendations content block to the selected communication type.

4. Use the Return Threshold filter to exclude frequently returned items.

5. Configure the number of recommended products to display based on the same or similar replenishable items that highlight subscription or bulk purchase options.

6. Track reorder rates via UTM links and conversion metrics.

7. Preview and launch the campaign.

Goal: Promote repeat or recurring purchases and sustained brand loyalty.

Category-Based Recommendations

Use case: Surface additional items from the same category or activity (for example: workout gear after buying trainers).

Steps:

1. Group products by category in your article data.

2. Create a campaign in the Experience Design Automation module triggered by order confirmation or delivery events.

3. Add the Product Recommendations content block to the selected communication type.

4. Use the Return Threshold filter to exclude frequently returned items.

5. Configure the number of recommended products to display based on the same category.

6. Monitor engagement via UTM parameters and A/B test different category groupings.

7. Preview and launch the campaign.

Goal: Reinforce brand loyalty around specific preferences and drive further purchases.

Returns Portal Upsell

Use case: Display alternative items in similar styles or sizes when a customer initiates a return, offering them another option to exchange or repurchase.

Steps:

1. Ensure article data includes relevant attributes (that is: size and color) to enable meaningful alternatives.

2. Create a campaign in the Experience Design Automation module targeting return-initiated sessions in the Returns Portal.

3. Add the Product Recommendations content block to the Returns Portal content.

4. Use the Return Threshold filter to exclude frequently returned items.

5. Configure the number of recommended products to display based on the returned product.

6. Track conversion from recommendations using UTM tags and adjust based on return reasons.

7. Preview and launch the campaign.

Goal: Minimize lost revenue by providing alternatives before a refund is finalized and improve customer satisfaction.

Best Sellers in Similar Categories

Use case: Use best-selling or highly rated products as recommendations in post-purchase messages.

Steps:

1. When no directly related items are available, top-performing products from your catalog are shown.

2. Create a campaign in the Experience Design Automation module for follow-up emails after delivery.

3. Add the Product Recommendations content block to the Email content.

4. Use the Return Threshold filter to exclude frequently returned items.

5. Configure the number of recommended products to display based on best sellers when product-specific recommendations are not available.

6. Review performance regularly and update the best-seller list as trends shift.

7. Preview and launch the campaign.

Goal: Advertize new products to customers they may not have seen during their initial visit while reinforcing popular demand.

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Check out the parcelLab guides

For further information on using product recommendations, see our user guide documentation:

• Set up target audiences for your communications

• Add product recommendations to communications