Shopify Personalisation: Show the Right Products to the Right Customer

Why Personalisation Matters for Shopify Stores

Amazon attributes 35% of its revenue to its recommendation engine. Netflix says 80% of content watched comes from personalised suggestions. The principle holds for Shopify stores: showing customers products and content relevant to their behaviour, preferences, and purchase history dramatically outperforms showing everyone the same thing.

You don’t need Amazon-scale infrastructure to personalise effectively. This guide covers what’s practical for Shopify stores at different sizes and budgets.

Level 1: Native Shopify Personalisation (All Plans)

Product Recommendations

Shopify generates product recommendations automatically using a recommendation API. On OS 2.0 themes, you can add a “Product recommendations” section to your product page template without coding. The algorithm surfaces products frequently bought together or in the same category as the viewed product.

Recently Viewed Products

A “Recently viewed” section on product pages and the cart reminds shoppers of products they’ve already shown interest in. Available as a native section on most OS 2.0 themes. Particularly effective for stores with large catalogues where customers browse multiple products before deciding.

Predictive Search

Shopify’s search API supports predictive search — showing product suggestions as customers type in the search bar. Enable predictive search in your theme settings. Customers who use search convert at 2–3x the rate of non-searchers, so improving search experience directly impacts revenue.

Level 2: Personalised Email Flows

The most accessible form of personalisation for most Shopify stores is email. In Klaviyo, Omnisend, or similar platforms, you can send emails based on:

• Category browsed: Customer viewed skincare products → receive skincare-specific welcome email sequence
• Products purchased: Customer bought a coffee grinder → receive brewing guide + coffee beans recommendation
• Customer tags: First-time buyer vs repeat buyer → receive different retention messaging
• Purchase frequency: VIP customers (3+ purchases) → receive early access to new products

Segmented emails outperform blast emails significantly. Klaviyo reports that segmented campaigns generate 3x higher revenue per recipient than unsegmented sends. The personalisation happens at the list/segment level — you send a relevant email to a relevant segment, which feels personal to the recipient.

Level 3: Dynamic Product Recommendations (Apps)

LimeSpot Personalizer

AI-driven product recommendations across your Shopify store. Shows personalised product grids based on browsing history, purchase history, and similar shopper behaviour. Available on product pages, collections, cart, and homepage. Pricing from £15/month.

Frequently Bought Together

Automatically analyses purchase data to identify products frequently bought together. Shows these bundles on product pages with a “Add all to cart” option. Simple but highly effective for stores with complementary products.

Rebuy Smart Cart

Personalises the cart experience — dynamic upsells and cross-sells in the cart drawer based on what’s already in the cart, purchase history, and real-time ML recommendations. Strong ROI data for stores with AOV above £50.

Level 4: Audience Segmentation for Paid Ads

Shopify’s customer data integrates with Meta and Google Ads for personalised retargeting. Custom audiences based on purchase behaviour (buyers of specific collections, high-LTV customers) let you show personalised ads — “You bought our skincare set, here’s our new serum” — rather than generic brand ads to everyone.

Shopify Audiences (available on Shopify Plus) creates prospecting audiences using purchase behaviour data from the Shopify network — finding new customers who behave like your existing buyers across Meta and Google.

Where to Start

If you have under 1,000 customers: focus on email personalisation — segmented flows based on purchase history and browsing behaviour. The investment is minimal and the returns are immediate.

1,000–10,000 customers: add product recommendation sections to product pages and cart, and implement a basic cross-sell app.

10,000+ customers: invest in a full personalisation platform and connect it to your email, ads, and on-site experience. At this scale, personalisation ROI justifies dedicated tooling.