14 Effective Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas to Boost Your Sales in 2026
Discover creative Thanksgiving marketing ideas to engage customers, build buzz, and drive sales before Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
In this article
- What are product recommendations?
- How personalized product recommendations work
- Types of product recommendations
- Where stores show recommended products
- When to show product recommendations in a popup
- 12 product recommendation examples
- How to set up a product recommendation popup with OptiMonk
- Product recommendations on Shopify
- When you need a dedicated recommendation engine
- Product recommendation FAQ
- Put the right product in front of the right shopper
In short
Product recommendations match each visitor with items picked for them, like best sellers or things they browsed. They lift order value and bring back shoppers who are leaving. Place them on your store's pages, then add a popup that shows them when someone leaves, fills a cart or returns.
Product recommendations are the products a store suggests to a shopper based on what they viewed, what is in their cart or what sells best. Most stores show them on product and cart pages. A popup adds a second place: recommended products at exit intent, near the cart, or for returning visitors.
This guide covers how recommendations are picked, the types worth using, and the spots on a store where they sell. Then 12 examples: eight popups from the OptiMonk Popup Library and four results from OptiMonk customers, plus how to build your own.
What are product recommendations?
Product recommendations, also called product suggestions or recommended products, are items a store picks for one shopper at one moment. The pick can come from the shopper's own behavior, from what other shoppers do, or from a list you choose by hand. They are one of the most common forms of ecommerce personalization.
A good recommendation answers the shopper's next question: "what goes with this?" on a product page, "did I forget anything?" in the cart.
How personalized product recommendations work
Personalized product recommendations draw on four signals:
- What the shopper viewed: the products and categories in this visit or the last one.
- What the shopper bought: past orders, so you can suggest a refill or the next step up.
- What is in the cart now: the best moment for add-ons and accessories.
- What the shopper does right now: time on page, scroll depth, or a move to leave.
Engines turn these signals into picks with three main methods:
- Collaborative filtering: what shoppers with similar behavior viewed or bought.
- Content-based filtering: products with similar attributes (category, style, price range).
- Hybrid models: the two combined. Collaborative filtering struggles with new visitors and new products (the "cold start" problem); hybrid models fill the gap with product attributes until behavior data comes in.
Types of product recommendations
Most recommendations fall into one of these types:
- Best sellers / most viewed: what everyone else likes. Good for first-time visitors.
- Recently viewed: the products this shopper looked at, so they can pick up where they left off.
- In the cart: a reminder of what the shopper is about to leave behind.
- Frequently bought together: items other shoppers bought in the same order.
- Similar or complementary (cross-sell): a case for the laptop, a lens for the camera.
- Higher-end (upsell): the better model of the product the shopper is viewing.
- New arrivals: a reason for returning customers to look again.
- Personalized picks: a mix built from the shopper's own history.
More on cross-sell and upsell: upselling and cross-selling examples.
Where stores show recommended products
Here is what fits where, with examples from well-known stores.
| Place | Product suggestions to show | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Homepage | Featured collections, new arrivals, daily deals | Bailly's "Featured Collections", Allbirds' new sneakers, Best Buy's "Deal of the Day" (daily deals suit the run-up to Black Friday) |
| Category page | Best sellers, best reviewed, discounted items | Urban Outfitters' popular products, AVON's best-reviewed products, Lululemon's deals |
| Product page | Similar items, frequently bought together, bundles, "buy the look" | Sephora's similar products, Best Buy's frequently bought together, Sur La Table's knife sets, ASOS's "Buy the look" |
| Cart and mini cart | Low-priced accessories and add-ons | Kylie Cosmetics' "before you go" pick in the mini cart |
| Personalized sections | Picks based on browsing and purchase history | Sephora's recommendations tailored to each customer, ColourPop's "what others bought" |
| Post-purchase follow-ups, refills | Order confirmation and win-back emails | |
| Popup | Recently viewed, cart items, best sellers at a chosen moment | See the next section |
In the cart, skip similar expensive products: the shopper has already decided, but a cheap accessory is an easy yes. Homepage ideas: featured products.
These on-page blocks come from your store platform or a recommendation app, and they only work if the shopper scrolls to them. A popup reaches the shopper at the moment that matters.
When to show product recommendations in a popup
Show recommendations in a popup when the visitor is about to leave, has a full cart, is short of free shipping, can't decide, or comes back. Each moment has its own trigger and its own kind of product pick.
| Moment | Trigger / targeting | What to show |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving a product page | Exit intent (desktop and mobile), page targeting | Recently viewed products |
| Leaving with a full cart | Exit intent + cart contents | The items in the cart |
| Below the free shipping threshold | Cart value | Low-priced add-ons you pick, or best sellers |
| New visitor browsing a category | Time on page, visited pages | Best sellers |
| Returning visitor | Returning visitors | Recently viewed products |
| Seasonal campaign | Scheduling | Products you pick |
Cross-sell shows something that goes with the product (a case with a laptop); upsell shows a better version (the next model up). Keep upsells close in price. More: upsell popups.
Leaving a product page
Show the products the visitor viewed, or the ones your platform's engine pairs with them. A discount is optional: three of the customer results below came without one. Step by step: how to create an exit-intent popup. Trigger it on exit intent on desktop and mobile.
Leaving with a full cart
Show what is in the cart, with photos and prices, and one button back to it. No new products: the job is to finish this order. More: reducing cart abandonment.
Below the free shipping threshold
Show three low-priced add-ons that close the gap, chosen by hand so you control margin and fit. This raises average order value without a discount. Show it by cart value, so only carts under the threshold see it.
New visitor browsing a category
A first-time visitor who lingers on a category page is often stuck choosing. Show your most viewed products after a few seconds or a scroll.
Returning visitor
A visitor who comes back days later rarely remembers what they looked at. Show their recently viewed products and save them the search. Show this popup only to returning visitors.
Seasonal campaign
Pick the products yourself, schedule the popup for the campaign dates, and give it a themed headline ("Easter favorites").
12 product recommendation examples
The first eight come from the OptiMonk Popup Library: the OptiMonk agent designed each one for a real store's brand, and you can build your own version from it. The last four are OptiMonk customer results from published case studies.
Cart reminders and free shipping
1. The Perfect Set Recommendation (designed for Halfdays)
"Still thinking about these?" over three products with sale and original prices, and one "Checkout now" button. The 4.9/5 rating line adds social proof right where the shopper hesitates. Shows the items in the cart, on exit intent. See this popup
2. The Gear Upgrade (designed for Columbia)
"Complete your kit." with three low-priced add-ons: a cap, hiking socks and a dry bag. The subhead ties them to the free shipping threshold, so each one feels like a saving. Products picked by hand, shown by cart value. See this popup
Cross-sell and upsell
3. The Perfect Duo (designed for M·A·C Cosmetics)
Three products that work together, "curated by M·A·C artists" for Mother's Day, with a "Get the look" button under each. Pairs sell better than single items because the shopper sees the finished result. Products picked by hand, scheduled for the campaign. See this popup
4. The Serenity Suite (designed for Lemme)
A fullscreen exit-intent popup for a single product: "Don't leave your calm behind." One product and one button keep the decision simple, and the free shipping line removes the last objection. One product picked by hand. See this popup
Best sellers for new visitors
5. The Silk Edit (designed for Lunya)
"The Washable Silk Best Sellers": three sets with prices and one "Shop the Collection" button. An evergreen best-seller grid gives first-time visitors a safe place to start. Best sellers, for new visitors on a category page. See this popup
6. Autumnal Warmth Grid (designed for Pura)
"Bring Autumn Home" with the store's most-loved fragrance sets and a "Shop Now" button under each. The seasonal frame makes best sellers feel new again. Best sellers, or seasonal sets picked by hand. See this popup
Seasonal and exit-intent recommendations
7. The Spring Edit (designed for Pottery Barn Kids)
"Free Shipping on Easter Favourites" over three gift ideas, each with its own "Shop Now" button. A holiday offer plus a short list of picks helps parents decide fast. Products picked by hand, scheduled for the Easter weeks. See this popup
8. Level Up Your Library (designed for PlayStation)
A Black Friday exit popup with a row of game covers and one "Browse all games" button. With the visitor's recently viewed products in the row, the "don't leave it behind" message becomes personal. Recently viewed products, on exit intent. More ideas for the season: Black Friday marketing. See this popup
More examples: upsell popups and cart saver popups in the Popup Library.
Customer results
9. Lammle's: best sellers instead of a discount
Lammle's Western Wear didn't want to discount. An exit-intent popup on product pages showed the most popular products: revenue from product page visitors grew by 23.5%. The same idea on category pages, after 40 seconds, brought 26.3% more revenue from those shoppers, and a reminder for returning visitors 11.9%.
Case study, 2023: how Lammle's boosted sales without discounting. Today you'd ask the agent for best sellers or recently viewed products, and keep a popup to one category with a page rule.
10. Craft Spirit Shop: picks that match the page
Craft Spirit Shop showed products matching the page: bourbons on a bourbon page, tequilas on a tequila page. The popup appeared on exit intent on desktop and after 20 seconds on mobile. Compared with the control group, visitors who saw it purchased 38.5% more often and spent 77.9% more.
Case study, 2024: Craft Spirit Shop.
11. Millie n Me: recommendations for engaged browsers
Millie n Me and its agency, Estlanders Marketing, showed recommendations to visitors who had opened at least two product pages and spent 20 seconds on one: a shopper browsing maxi dresses saw other maxi dresses. The popup converted at 10.25% (visitors who clicked a product), with 5.65% more revenue and a 15.72% higher ecommerce conversion rate.
Case study, 2024: Millie n Me.
12. Olive Oil Lovers: a cart-based upsell
When a visitor added certain products to the cart, Olive Oil Lovers showed a popup with 20% off one of its best sellers. It converted at about 37% and raised average order value by at least 15% over three months. Today you'd target by cart contents and pick the offered product by hand.
Case study, 2022: Olive Oil Lovers.
How to set up a product recommendation popup with OptiMonk
You describe the popup in one sentence, and the OptiMonk agent builds it with your store's real products.
- Connect your store. The agent reads your catalog from it. On Shopify, install the OptiMonk app and turn on the app embed. On WooCommerce, connect with one click or with your keys. Shoprenter, Unas, Gomag and MerchantPro are also supported; on other platforms, pick the products by hand.
- Describe the popup. For example: "An exit-intent popup for product pages that shows the visitor's three last viewed products, once per visitor."
- Pick a concept. The agent reads your store and fetches your real products; it won't invent a product it can't verify. It designs the popup on brand, writes the copy, builds a separate mobile version, sets the targeting and puts it live.
- Choose the products. Tell the agent what to show: best sellers, the visitor's recently viewed items, what's in the cart, or products you pick.
- Test it. Run an A/B test (best sellers vs. recently viewed, with or without a discount) or a holdout test, and follow the revenue in the campaign analytics.
Good to know:
- Only in-stock products appear. If there aren't enough products to fill every card, OptiMonk hides the campaign instead of showing empty cards.
- The number of cards comes from the design. To change it, ask in the chat ("make it two products instead of three").
- Recommendations draw on the whole store. To limit a popup to one collection, add a Current page / URL rule.
- A card opens the product page, in a new tab if you want.
- After you switch on a best-seller popup, expect up to a 24-hour delay before its first impressions.
- To fine-tune the design, use the visual editor or describe the change in words.
You can also build the popup from Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor through the OptiMonk MCP connection. More on the feature: dynamic product recommendations.
Product recommendations on Shopify
Shopify has built-in product recommendations for on-page blocks. According to Shopify's developer documentation, they come in two kinds: related products, which Shopify generates automatically ("You might also like"), and complementary products, which you set up by hand ("Pair it with"). You manage both in the Shopify Search & Discovery app.
For popups, the OptiMonk Shopify app reads the same catalog, so a popup can show your best sellers, recently viewed items or what's in the cart. More Shopify tactics: cross-selling on Shopify.
When you need a dedicated recommendation engine
For recommendation blocks on product pages, in search, in the cart and in emails, driven by a machine-learning model, you need your platform's engine or a dedicated recommendation app. Compare apps on three things: platform integration, where they can show products, and revenue reporting.
OptiMonk adds the popup next to these blocks: the moment a visitor is about to leave or is looking at the cart. More ideas: ecommerce recommendations and the product recommendation quiz.
Product recommendation FAQ
What are product recommendations?
Product recommendations are products a store suggests to a shopper based on their behavior, their cart, or what sells best. They appear on the homepage, product pages, the cart, in emails, and in popups.
What's the difference between product recommendations and product suggestions?
There is none. Product suggestions, product recommendations and recommended products mean the same thing: products picked for a shopper. "Product suggestion" is more common in everyday language, and "product recommendation" in ecommerce tools.
How do you write a product recommendation?
Keep it short and say why the product is relevant: "You may also like", "Frequently bought together", "Complete your kit", "Still thinking about these?". On a product page, name the fit ("Pairs with your jacket").
Do product recommendations increase sales?
They can, when they show up at the right moment. OptiMonk customers saw 23.5% more revenue from product page visitors (Lammle's, 2023) and at least 15% higher average order value (Olive Oil Lovers, 2022). In a 50/50 test on category pages, Indestructible Shoes saw a 6.84% higher conversion rate among visitors who got recommendations (case study, 2022).
Can I show product recommendations in a popup on Shopify?
Yes. Install the OptiMonk app and turn on the app embed in your theme. Then the popup can show best sellers, recently viewed products, the items in the cart or products you choose. The popup shows only products that are in stock.
Put the right product in front of the right shopper
Product recommendations work when they answer the shopper's next question at the moment they ask it. Start with one spot where you lose sales, such as visitors leaving a product page or carts just under your free shipping threshold, and give it one popup with three relevant products.
Measure it against a holdout group, then add the next moment. Your first product recommendation popup is one sentence away: describe it, and the OptiMonk agent builds it with your store's real products and a separate mobile version.
Free to start. No credit card.
