Frequently bought together on Shopify: what you can build natively, and where it stops

Shopify can show “frequently bought together” natively, through complementary products in its free Search & Discovery app, but only on the product page and without a bundle discount. You choose up to 10 complementary products for each product, and a block in compatible themes shows them with a quick-add button. What Shopify doesn’t do natively is add them all at once, discount the pair, or show them in the cart.

This guide covers how to set it up, why it often doesn’t show, when to use the Shopify Bundles app instead, and where the native options stop.

Shopify frequently bought together at a glance

• Native tool: complementary products in the free Search & Discovery app, chosen manually per product.
• Limit: up to 10 complementary products per product; one complementary block per product page.
• Where: product pages, in compatible themes. Not the cart or cart drawer.
• Not native: a discount on the pair, or an “add all to cart” button.
• For fixed sets: the free Shopify Bundles app, which supports discounts but not mix-and-match.

What does “frequently bought together” mean on Shopify?

Shopify calls it complementary products: items bought in addition to the product being viewed. A phone case and screen protector are complementary to a phone. Shopify separates these from related products, which are similar alternatives, like another phone.

It’s also different from a bundle. Frequently bought together suggests items next to a product; a bundle sells a set as one item at one price.

What’s the difference between complementary and related products?

	Complementary products	Related products
Meaning	Bought in addition to the product	Similar to the product
How they’re chosen	Manually, by you	Automatically, from purchase history, descriptions and collections; you can add your own
Per product	Up to 10	Up to 10
Stock rule	Must have inventory above 0	Can show at 0 if “continue selling” is on
Best use	Add-ons that complete the purchase	Alternatives for shoppers still deciding

For frequently bought together, complementary products are the ones you want.

How do you add frequently bought together on Shopify without an app?

Choose complementary products in Search & Discovery, then add the complementary products block to your product page. Search & Discovery is Shopify’s own free app.

1. Open the Search & Discovery app and go to Recommendations.
2. Pick a product and add its complementary products, up to 10.
3. In the theme editor, open the product page template.
4. In the product information section, add the “Complementary products” block.
5. Set how many products to show and whether to show a quick-add button.
6. Save, and check a product page on your live store.

In Shopify’s Dawn theme, the block’s default heading is “Pairs well with”. For large catalogs, complementary products can also be set in bulk through product metafields.

Why aren’t my complementary products showing?

Usually one of the display rules filters them out. A complementary product only shows if it is:

• Active, and not unlisted.
• Published to the Online Store sales channel.
• In stock. Complementary products need inventory above 0.
• Priced above $0, and not a gift card.
• Not already in the visitor’s cart.

Two theme-level causes are also common:

• Your theme isn’t compatible. The block is only available in themes that support it.
• There’s already a complementary block on the page. A product page can have only one.

Can Shopify discount the pair or add them all at once?

Not from the complementary products block. Each suggested product has its own quick-add button (or “Choose options” if it has variants), and there’s no setting for a combined discount or an “add all to cart” button.

Two native workarounds, each with a catch:

• A separate discount. Create an automatic discount that applies when both products are in the cart. It works, but the product page doesn’t show the offer, so customers may not know it exists.
• A fixed bundle. Sell the pair as one product with the Shopify Bundles app (next section). The customer sees one price, but the items are no longer suggested alongside the main product.

When should you use the Shopify Bundles app instead?

When you want to sell a fixed set or a multipack at one price. Shopify Bundles is a free app made by Shopify, available on all plans. It creates fixed bundles and multipacks, and it supports discount codes and automatic discounts.

Its limits:

• Up to 30 components in a fixed bundle, and up to 3 options and 100 variants per bundle.
• No mix-and-match bundles, where the customer picks the items.
• No bundles inside bundles.
• No purchase options, such as subscriptions, pre-orders or try-before-you-buy.
• Upgraded checkout required. Stores still using checkout.liquid customizations can’t use it.

Use bundles for sets you always sell together, and complementary products for suggestions the customer can take or leave.

Can frequently bought together appear in the cart or cart drawer?

Not natively. Shopify documents the complementary products block for product pages, and the cart drawer in Shopify’s Dawn theme has no product recommendations. Showing pairs in the cart takes custom theme code that calls Shopify’s Product Recommendations API with the complementary intent, or an app.

That matters because the cart is where a customer has already decided to buy, which makes it one of the best places to suggest an add-on. After checkout, Shopify’s post-purchase page is another; see post-purchase upsells by platform.

How many products should you pair, and which ones?

Two or three relevant add-ons, priced well below the main product. Shopify’s developer guidance suggests showing a small number near the top of the product page.

• Pair by need, not by popularity. Your best seller isn’t a complement to everything.
• Keep add-ons cheaper than the main item, so adding one is an easy decision.
• Check stock. An out-of-stock complement disappears, which can leave a product with no suggestions.
• Review the pairs when you add products or change your catalog.

When does an app make sense?

When you want discounts on the pair, one-tap adding, or suggestions in the cart. Search & Discovery is a solid free start. An app becomes worth it when you want to discount the set, let customers add several items at once, or show pairs in the cart where Shopify’s native block can’t go.

Setting it up with AppSell

AppSell adds frequently-bought-together sets to your Shopify product pages and cart, with the products you choose, an optional discount, and an “Add selected to cart” button. AppSell is certified Built for Shopify.

For where AppSell offers appear on a Shopify store, see the [help center guide](https://help.appsell.io/article/601/where-appsell-offers-appear-on-a-shopify-store), or read more on the [AppSell for Shopify page](/shopify-upsell-app/).