The easiest way to show related products on Shopify without touching theme code is to use a theme app extension — a block that installs directly into your Shopify theme editor through a drag-and-drop interface, no Liquid edits required. Apps like Dropr use this approach, and setup takes about 3 minutes.
That said, there are two main approaches, and understanding the difference will help you make the right choice for your store.
Approach 1: Theme app extensions (no code)
Shopify introduced theme app extensions in 2022 as the official way for apps to add content to themes without modifying code. Instead of injecting scripts into your Liquid files, app developers create blocks that merchants add through the theme editor.
From your perspective as a merchant, here's what this looks like:
- Install the app from the Shopify App Store
- Go to Online Store → Themes → Customize
- Navigate to your product page template
- Click "Add block" in the relevant section
- Select the app's block and position it where you want it
- Click Save
That's it. No code. If you uninstall the app later, the block disappears cleanly — no leftover script fragments in your theme. If your theme gets an update, the block adapts automatically.
Dropr uses this approach. The widget appears as a block in your theme editor that you can position anywhere in your product page layout — typically below the add-to-cart button for best conversion.
Approach 2: Manual Liquid code edits
The traditional approach requires a developer (or someone comfortable with Shopify's Liquid templating language) to edit your theme files directly. A typical implementation involves:
- Adding a new snippet file (
related-products.liquid) with the recommendation logic - Including that snippet in your
product.liquidormain-product.liquidfile - Writing Liquid logic to determine which products to show
- Adding CSS for styling
- Testing across different product types and screen sizes
This gives you maximum control — you can customize the widget to look exactly how you want, use your own product recommendation logic, and avoid any app dependency. But it requires developer time (typically 2–6 hours for a solid implementation), and every time you switch themes or run a major theme update, you need to re-implement the changes.
Which approach should you use?
For 95% of Shopify stores, theme app extensions are the right call. The reasons:
Speed: You can go from zero to live related product recommendations in under 5 minutes. Manual code edits take hours even for an experienced developer.
Safety: Code edits in your live theme carry risk — a syntax error can break your product pages. Theme app extensions can't break your theme; the worst that can happen is the block doesn't appear.
Theme updates: Shopify themes update regularly. Code-based modifications often need to be re-applied after major theme updates. Theme app extension blocks survive updates automatically.
Revenue tracking: Apps like Dropr include built-in revenue attribution. If you build your own Liquid implementation, you'd need to wire up your own analytics tracking to know whether the related products widget is actually increasing your sales.
What Shopify's built-in related products looks like
Shopify includes a basic "Related products" section in most themes (like Dawn) out of the box. This section shows products from the same collection or with matching tags, based on a simple algorithm.
The limitation: Shopify's native related products is a separate section at the bottom of the product page, not an inline widget below the add-to-cart button. It also doesn't let you manually specify which products to pair with which — it uses automated logic only.
If you want control over the pairings (Product A → always recommend Product B), you need an app. The native feature is fine for general "browse more products" discovery, but it's not optimized for conversion the way a curated cross-sell recommendation is.
Setting up Dropr as your related products solution
Dropr lets you define specific pairings for each product — you choose exactly which product to recommend alongside each item. The widget shows below the add-to-cart button (where you place it in the theme editor), matches your store's design automatically, and tracks revenue from every recommendation click.
The $19/month flat pricing includes unlimited pairings and both product page and cart drawer widgets. No percentage-of-revenue fees.
What about SEO — does showing related products help?
Related products add internal links between your product pages, which is good for SEO. Search engines crawl those links and understand the relationship between your products better. This is a small but real SEO benefit of adding related product recommendations — it improves your site's internal linking structure without any extra effort.
Related reading
- How to Add Product Recommendations to Shopify Without Writing a Single Line of Code
- How to Add Product Recommendations to the Shopify Cart Drawer
- How to Get Shopify Shoppers to Add One More Product to Their Cart
- How to Increase Average Order Value on Shopify (5 Methods That Actually Work)
- How Shopify Clothing Stores Can Increase AOV (Practical Guide)
FAQ
Will adding a related products app slow down my Shopify store?
Theme app extensions load asynchronously and don't block page rendering. A well-built app like Dropr adds less than 50ms to your page load time. This is far less than the performance impact of most theme customizations or unoptimized image uploads.
Can I show related products on collection pages, not just product pages?
Most recommendation apps target product pages because that's where shoppers are closest to buying. Collection pages are for browsing — adding cross-sell recommendations there usually creates distraction rather than conversion. Focus on product pages and the cart drawer.
What if I want to show different related products for the same item depending on who's viewing it?
Personalized recommendations (different products for different shoppers based on browsing history) require more sophisticated systems than a simple cross-sell app. For most Shopify stores, static curated pairings (always show Product B with Product A) outperform algorithmic personalization because the manually curated pairings are more relevant. Personalization adds complexity without always improving results.