Frequently Bought Together by Code Black Belt has been a top cross-sell app on Shopify for years. It pioneered the Amazon-style "customers who bought this also bought" widget on product pages and built a massive review base doing it. So when should you use Dropr instead?
The direct answer: if your priority is the cart drawer — catching customers at the moment they're about to check out — Dropr is the better fit. If you primarily want Amazon-style bundle discounts on product pages, FBT CBB is strong. Many stores eventually run both for different jobs.
What Frequently Bought Together Does Well
FBT CBB's core feature is a bundle widget on your product page that lets customers add multiple related items at once, often at a discount. Think: buy this shirt + these jeans + this belt, save 10%. It works similarly to what Amazon shows below product listings, and customers recognize the pattern.
The app has solid AI that learns from your store's order history over time, surfacing accurate product pairings. If you sell naturally complementary items — camera + memory card + case, cleanser + toner + moisturizer — FBT creates a natural bundling flow. Setup takes more time than Dropr, but the result is a purpose-built bundling experience.
Where Frequently Bought Together Falls Short
FBT CBB is primarily a product page tool. Cart drawer integration isn't automatic — you typically configure it separately or rely on the product page widget to do the work. That's a significant gap: the cart drawer is where purchase intent peaks, and leaving it unaddressed means missing a high-converting moment.
Styling also requires manual work to match your theme exactly. If you want the FBT widget to blend with your store's design, you're looking at CSS customization or a support ticket. And Shopify's newer theme structures (particularly OS 2.0 themes) can make that customization finicky.
What Dropr Does Differently
Dropr is built for two placements equally: the product page and the cart drawer. The cart drawer is where customers are showing the highest purchase intent — they've already added something and are heading toward checkout. A well-placed recommendation right there converts at a meaningfully higher rate than on the product page alone.
Stores using Dropr consistently report that cart drawer cross-sells account for a significant portion of their attributed revenue. Product page recommendations catch consideration-phase shoppers; cart drawer recommendations catch buyers.
Dropr also auto-matches your theme — no CSS needed — and recommendations improve over time based on your store's actual conversion data.
Dropr vs Frequently Bought Together: Comparison
| Feature | Dropr | Frequently Bought Together CBB |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $19/month | ~$19/month |
| Product page cross-sells | Yes | Yes (core feature) |
| Cart drawer cross-sells | Yes (first-class) | Limited, requires setup |
| Amazon-style bundle discounts | No | Yes |
| Automatic theme matching | Yes | Manual CSS |
| Setup time | ~3 minutes | 15–60 minutes |
| AI recommendations | Yes | Yes, strong |
| Revenue attribution dashboard | Yes | Basic analytics |
| Free trial | 14 days, no CC | 30 days |
The Real Decision: Bundles vs Cross-Sells
These apps answer different questions. FBT CBB answers: how do I get customers to buy multiple products together at a discount on the product page? Dropr answers: how do I show relevant product recommendations that convert, across both the product page and cart drawer, without spending time on setup?
If you sell products that naturally bundle — outdoor gear, complementary fashion items, skincare sets — FBT CBB's bundle discount mechanic is worth the extra setup time. Customers buying complementary items at a deal is a powerful conversion driver.
If you want cross-sell recommendations working across both touchpoints without configuration overhead, and you want to see exactly what revenue they're generating, Dropr is the more efficient path.
Can You Use Both?
Yes. Some stores use FBT CBB for bundling on product pages and Dropr for cart drawer recommendations. There's minimal overlap if configured correctly. That said, $38/month for two apps adds up — most stores start with one, prove the ROI, then decide if the second adds enough incremental lift to justify it.
For a store just getting into cross-sells, start with Dropr (14-day trial, 3-minute setup), check your attribution numbers, then evaluate whether FBT's bundle mechanic would add meaningfully on top.
Related reading
- Frequently Bought Together on Shopify: What It Is and How It Works
- Dropr vs Monster Upsells: Which Cart Drawer Upsell App Is Worth It?
- Dropr vs UFE: Theme-Matched Recommendations vs Promotional Bundles
- Dropr vs Candy Rack: Which Shopify Upsell App Is Right for Your Store?
- Dropr vs LimeSpot: Do Small Shopify Stores Actually Need ML Personalization?
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Frequently Bought Together work in the cart drawer?
FBT CBB's primary placement is the product page. Cart drawer integration is not automatic and typically requires manual configuration. Dropr has first-class cart drawer support built in from day one, covering both product pages and the cart drawer under one plan.
Which app is easier to set up?
Dropr takes about 3 minutes with no code. Frequently Bought Together typically takes 15–60 minutes — configuring bundle rules and adjusting the widget's look to match your theme. Neither requires a developer, but Dropr requires significantly less time investment.
Does Frequently Bought Together offer discount bundles?
Yes. FBT CBB lets you offer discounts when customers add multiple recommended items at once — a "buy all three, save 10%" mechanic. Dropr focuses on product recommendations and attribution rather than discount bundling. If discounts are your primary cross-sell lever, FBT CBB handles that better.
What does a 5–15% attach rate mean?
Attach rate is the percentage of customers who see a cross-sell recommendation and add the recommended item to their cart. A 5–15% attach rate means out of 100 shoppers who see your widget, 5 to 15 add the recommended product. Dropr's attribution dashboard shows your exact attach rate in real time.
Can Dropr handle bundle discounts like FBT?
Not directly. Dropr focuses on product recommendations rather than discount bundling mechanics. If bundle discounts are central to your merchandising strategy, FBT CBB is the better choice for that specific use case. Dropr is better suited for native-looking cross-sell recommendations across product pages and cart drawer.