How to leverage Boost’s Product recommendations to maximize your BFCM sales?

June 17, 2024

October 1, 2023

•

5 min read

BFCM brings high-intent traffic, but competition and distractions are high. Great deals alone won't convert this expensive traffic. Without a smart strategy, shoppers become overwhelmed or switch to competitors, wasting ad spend and lowering the AOV (Average Order Value).

The solution is to transform your store into a personalized shopping assistant with strategic, AI-powered product recommendations. 54% of virtual shop owners credited product recommendations as a key driver of AOV in their businesses.

Boost's advanced recommendation engine helps you guide customers, increase cart sizes, and maximize your return on investment during the most critical sales period of the year.

This guide offers actionable strategies for leveraging AI-powered product recommendations to boost conversions and AOV during the crucial Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) sales period.

BFCM Recommendation Strategies at a Glance

#1 Embrace AI Personalization: Utilize AI-driven algorithms to display each shopper with products they are uniquely likely to love, creating a personalized "just for you" experience.
#2 Place Widgets Strategically: Display recommendations across the entire customer journey, including the homepage, product pages, and now, the checkout page, to maximize visibility and engagement.
#3 Use High-Converting Widget Types: Implement widgets like "Frequently Bought Together" and "Related Items" to cross-sell and upsell relevant products effectively.
#4 Capture Last-Minute AOV at Checkout: Add recommendation widgets to your checkout page to offer one last chance to discover the perfect item without interrupting the payment process.
#5 Measure and Optimize Your Performance: Use a unified analytics dashboard to track the revenue, conversions, and engagement your widgets are driving, removing guesswork from your strategy.

Why are AI-powered recommendations a BFCM game-changer?

During BFCM, shoppers are on a mission, but they are also inundated with offers. AI-powered recommendations cut through the noise by delivering relevant, personalized suggestions in real-time. The impact is significant: customers who click on a recommended product are 4.5 times more likely to purchase it.

Boost’s recommendation engine uses powerful AI to analyze each shopper's behavior, including their browsing history and cart contents, to display products they are uniquely likely to love. This creates a "just for you" moment that feels personal and helpful, dramatically increasing engagement and conversions.

“We use Boost daily to optimize merchandising with AI-driven product recommendations,” says Tom Marshall, Okanui’s Marketing Manager. “It automatically personalizes what customers see, saving us time and improving conversions and AOV.”

Okanui saw a 29% conversion rate from AI recommendations and a 30% increase in AOV, thanks to the advanced recommendation features of Boost Commerce and other key tech partners.

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Where should you place recommendation widgets for maximum impact?

To be effective, recommendations should appear at key moments throughout the customer journey. Each placement serves a different strategic purpose.

Homepage: This is your digital storefront and the perfect place to showcase best-sellers or trending products to make a strong first impression.
Product Pages: Use this space for cross-selling and upselling. When a customer is viewing an item, you can show them complementary products ("Frequently Bought Together") or similar, higher-margin alternatives ("Related Items").
Cart Page: Reinforce the purchase decision and encourage last-minute additions by showing items related to what's already in the cart.
Checkout Page: This is your final, untapped opportunity to boost AOV. A well-placed recommendation here is a gentle nudge that can significantly increase the final sale amount without disrupting the payment process.

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Checkout recommendation: The newest way to capture last-minute AOV

The checkout page has long been an untapped opportunity for personalization. Boost now allows you to seamlessly integrate powerful, AI-powered recommendation widgets directly into your Shopify Checkout page, turning it into your most effective tool for boosting AOV.

This new feature, available exclusively for Shopify Plus users on Boost's Professional plan, is backed by Shopify's secure Checkout Extensions, ensuring a safe and non-disruptive user experience. You can now add these high-converting, AI-powered widgets right before a customer completes their purchase:

Personalized Recommendations: The ultimate 1:1 marketing tool that analyzes shopper behavior to suggest products they are uniquely likely to buy.
Frequently Bought Together: The classic cross-sell that automatically suggests essential accessories or perfect pairings.
Related Items: An intelligent widget that can show complementary products to complete a look or alternative items to upsell.

Boost's new checkout recommendation widgets offer a final, gentle nudge to increase cart value at the most critical moment of the customer journey. Read the full setup guide for checkout recommendation here.

Note: This feature is exclusively available for merchants on a Shopify Plus plan with a Boost Professional subscription and using the Boost TURBO version.

How do you know if your strategy is working?

Making data-driven decisions is critical for success, especially during BFCM. Boost’s unified Recommendation Analytics dashboard removes the guesswork by showing you exactly how your strategy is performing.

You can now track the full performance of all your recommendation widgets, including those on the Checkout page. Monitor key metrics like:

Total revenue generated
Conversion rates
Click-through rates (CTR)
Average Order Value (AOV)

These valuable insights show you precisely how your offers are performing, allowing you to test new recommendations, optimize your strategy, and maximize your AOV from every single sale.

Boost's insightful analytics dashboard offers valuable data across the entire customer discovery journey. This enables merchants to predict demand and manage stock more effectively.

“I can see what product or brand my customers are looking for that does not get a result,” Alexandre, CEO of Valerie Simon, shares. “It gives me insight if I should get a new brand.”

“With the analytics, it can give you an idea of how much sales you did because of Boost, and you can compare to how much you pay and calculate your ROAS… You can track the change and see the results, and react quickly if needed. I love it.” said Alexandre.

Valerie Simon achieved an AOV of $213.53 CAD, a success attributed to Boost Commerce's AI Search, AI Bundles, and Visual Merchandising, which powered smart product discovery.

Check out: Unexpected benefits you can get from site search analytics.

Recommendation Widget Type	Best BFCM Use Case
Personalized Recommendations	Place on the homepage to create a unique “just for you” experience for returning visitors, encouraging deeper browsing.
Frequently Bought Together	Use on product pages and at checkout to suggest essential accessories and create perfect gift bundles, boosting AOV.
Bestsellers / Trending Products	Display prominently on your homepage and in promotional emails to leverage social proof and guide new visitors toward popular deals.
Recently Viewed	Place in the footer or on collection pages to make it easy for shoppers to return to items they have already considered.

Start your BFCM strategy with a smart recommendation model

This BFCM, go beyond simple discounts. Use Boost's intelligent product recommendations to craft a personalized, high-converting shopping experience that guides customers to products they'll love.

By placing the right recommendations at the right moments, you can maximize your AOV and turn the busiest sales season into your most profitable one yet.

Ready to turn your checkout into an AOV booster?

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is the best recommendation type to use on the checkout page for BFCM?

For BFCM, Frequently Bought Together and Personalized Recommendations are highly effective at checkout. "Frequently Bought Together" is perfect for suggesting last-minute essentials or stocking stuffers, while "Personalized Recommendations" can create a moment of surprise with a tailored suggestion that feels incredibly relevant to the shopper.

2. How can I measure the success of my recommendation widgets during the BFCM weekend?

You can track their performance in real-time using Boost's unified Recommendation Analytics dashboard. This dashboard shows you exactly how much revenue, which conversions, and what engagement your widgets are driving, including those on the checkout page. This allows you to make quick, data-driven decisions to optimize your strategy throughout the sales period.

3. Are recommendation widgets on the checkout page difficult to set up?

No, the setup process is designed to be quick and easy. After creating your widget in the Boost app admin, you will be prompted to add the "Checkout Upsell" block to your store. You can then easily drag and drop it into your desired position in the Shopify Checkout Editor without needing to write any code. Read the full setup guide for checkout recommendation here.

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Ellie Ho

•

Content Marketing Specialist

June 17, 2024

•

5 min read

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How to leverage Boost’s Product recommendations to maximize your BFCM sales?

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