How to Set Up Related Products in WooCommerce (5 Smart Ways to Boost Sales)

If your customers consistently purchase a single product and head straight to checkout, you’re not alone. But you are leaving money on the table.

The truth? Shoppers want to discover more. They want to be guided. But if your store isn’t showing the right related products at the right time, they never even get the chance to say yes.

And that’s where things change.

When done right, strategic and related product recommendations don’t just increase order value, they create an intuitive buying experience. According to Forrester, smart upsells can boost revenue by up to 35% without any aggressive tactics or price cuts.

In this post, you’ll discover how to set up high-converting related product sections in WooCommerce that turn casual clicks into bigger checkouts, even if you’re not techy, salesy, or a CRO expert.

Why let your competitors collect what could’ve been yours?

What Are Related Products in WooCommerce?

WooCommerce related products are dynamic product suggestions displayed throughout the shopping journey to enhance user experience and increase revenue. By surfacing items that are contextually relevant, related product recommendations help shoppers discover more of what they’re likely to buy. This naturally increases average order value (AOV) and reduces decision fatigue.

In WooCommerce, related products fall into three main categories:

These are the “Oh, you’ll need this too” kind of suggestions.
- Show up on the cart page
- Help shoppers complete the experience

1. Cross-Sells

These are the “You’ll need this too” kind of suggestions.
 - Show up on the cart page
 - Help shoppers complete the experience
Example: A laptop in the cart? Suggest a mouse, sleeve, or external drive, instant add-ons that feel helpful, not pushy.

2. Upsells

These whisper, “Why settle?” to your customer.
- Appear on product pages
-  Offer a smarter, more premium choice

Example: A basic $500 laptop? Introduce the $750 version with faster processing because no one regrets going faster.

3. Related Products (Auto-Populated)

These are WooCommerce’s built-in recommendations based on tags and categories.
- Shown on product pages
- Surface more from the same collection

Example: Browsing a cotton summer dress? Let them see other dresses they didn’t even know they were craving.

How to Set Up Related Products in WooCommerce? 

You’ve done the hard part someone landed on your product page, liked what they saw, and added it to their cart.

But what happens next?

If you’re not strategically placing related products at key buying moments, you’re watching potential sales slip right through the cracks silently and consistently.

WooCommerce related product placements are not just about showing “more stuff.” They’re about nudging the right buyer with the right offer at the right time and watching your average order value quietly climb.

Here’s what that looks like in action:

Method 1: Product Page Recommendations

Show Upsells + Smart Related Items on Product Pages (No Plugin Needed)

By default, WooCommerce automatically displays related products on the product page based on shared categories and tags.  

Plus, you can manually set Upsell products for each product that will show up as related products of a single product page under the heading “You may also like.”

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to show related products on the WooCommerce product page: 

Step 1: Organize Products by Categories

From the WordPress Dashboard, navigate to Products ⇒ All Products. Click Edit under the product you want to modify. 

In the Product Categories panel (on the right, select a category that matches other related products.

Step 2: Add Product Tags for Better Relevance

On the same product editing page, find the Tags section. Add relevant tags that describe the product (e.g., "t-shirt," "men's clothing," etc.). 

Ensure the tags are consistent with other products you want to link as related.

Step 3: Manually Add Upsells

Scroll down to the “Linked Products” section, and under Upsells, search and add the products you want to show up as related products under the “You may also like” section on the product page for that specific product.

Step 4: Preview Related Products on the Live Page

After configuring the settings. Click Update to save your changes. Open the product page on your site (front end).

Scroll down to the "Related Products" section below the main product details.

Products here will share at least one category or tag with the current product.

Method 2: Cart Page Boosters

Use Cart Cross-Sells to Trigger Impulse Buys

On the Cart page, WooCommerce shows the cross-sell items of the products that users have added to their cart. 

Here are the steps you need to follow to show related products on the cart page in WooCommerce.

Step 1: Assign Cross-Sell Products

As mentioned earlier, in WooCommerce, related products on the cart page are referred to as cross-sells. So, first, you need to set the cross-sell products. 

To edit any product, scroll to the Product Data section and ensure you are on the Linked Products tab.

Now, search and add the cross-sell items. 

Step 2: Save and Refresh Product Settings

After adding Cross-Sells, ensure that the product changes are updated. Cross-sell products will now be linked to the main product and appear on the cart page.

Step 3: Preview Cross-Sells on Cart Page

Add the product to the cart and go to the Cart Page.

The cross-sell product should show up below the cart table as related products under the heading “You may be interested in…”. 

You can fix this issue by replacing the cart page with a slide-in cart that allows users to view and update order details from anywhere with a single click and provides them with the option to go directly to the checkout page, streamlining the checkout process. 

Method 3: Slide-In Cart Magic (Using FunnelKit)

Show Add-On Suggestions Without Interrupting the Flow

Here, we will show you how to show related products inside a mini cart. 

This will shorten the buying process by eliminating the cart page and allowing customers to preview and update their cart items from anywhere on the site before checkout. 

We will use FunnelKit Cart (both free and pro) for this process. You will get the pro version of FunnelKit Cart with FunnelKit Funnel Builder Plus and above.

Once you have both the plugins installed and activated, follow these steps:

Step 1: Enable Slide-In Cart

First, go to FunnelKit ⇒ Cart and hit the “Enable Cart” toggle button to turn on the FunnelKit Cart.

Step 2: Manage Upsell & Cross-Sell Settings

Go to the Upsells tab and select the “Enable Cart Upsells” option.

You get four different display styles to show related products on the cart page. Choose the one you like and configure  the following:

• Product Recommendation Type: Recommend product upsell,s cross-sells, or both. We recommend choosing both. 
• Heading: This heading will show up above the related product section. The default option is "Frequently Bought Together".
• Show Maximum Upsells: Specify the maximum number of products you want to display as upsells.

Step 3: Add Default Upsells

The “Default Upsells” option allows you to add items that will appear as recommendations if the existing cart products do not have any assigned upsell products.

Search products by name and add them to the default upsell in WooCommerce. Add as many related products as you want, but the “show maximum upsells” option will limit the number of items on the front end. 

Turn on the “Always Show Default Upsells” option to recommend the default upsell products.

Step 4: Customize Per-Product Recommendations

FunnelKit Cart has a sleek interface that allows you to add upsells and cross-sells from the cart setup page. 

To add an upsell or cross-sell to any product from the Funnel Cart page, click on the “View All Products” link under the “Upsells and Cross-sells” section.

Now search for the product for which you want to add related products, expand, and add the upsell and cross-sell. 

After adding the related product recommendations,  click the Save button to update the settings you just modified. 

Here is a preview of how the related products  in the Woocommerce sliding mini will look: 

Method 4: Checkout Page Order Bumps

Offer One-Click Add-Ons at the Perfect Moment

Order bumps capitalize on the user's current buying momentum, offering them a low-cost, relevant product that can be added to their order with a single click. 

We will use FunnelKit Funnel Builder to offer related products as the order bumps on the checkout page. 

You need to install and activate both FunnelKit Funnel Builder free and pro.

After activating the plugins, follow these steps: 

Step 1: Create a FunnelKit Store Checkout

Firstly, we must create a store checkout that will replace the default WooCommerce page. To do so, navigate to FunnelKit ⇒ Store Checkout and click “Create Store Checkout.”

Now, select your preferred page builder and the template you like from the list of pre-built ones.

Here, we are using Elementor and Minimalist.

Now, choose whether you want a single-page checkout or a multi-page checkout. After that, click “Import This Funnel,” provide a name, and click "Done" to import this funnel as your default checkout.

This will import a store checkout with three steps: checkout, one-click upsell, and a thank you page. 

Step 2: Add an Order Bump Offer

Now, it’s time to configure the order bump offer. To do that, click “Add Order Bump,” provide a title, and click " Add.”

After that, choose an order for bump skin.

Now, search for the product and click 'Add'.

This will add an order bump step to your store checkout funnel. 

Step 3: Customize Copy, Design & Style

Set the call-to-action text and description that will show up on the checkout page.

Move to the Style tab. Here, you can choose the position where the order bump will appear on the checkout page.

Make sure to click on Save to update the changes.

Next, move to the products tab to set the quantity and discount.

Step 4: Set Dynamic Conditions (Optional)

You can set different conditions using the Rules Engine to make the related product offer more relevant. 

For example, trigger order bumps for customers who purchase from a specific category or have previously purchased a particular item. 

To do so, move to the Rules tab and click “Add Rules.” Next, select the parameter, condition, and value. Add multiple rules based on your strategy. 

Make sure to click on Save. 

Step 5: Activate Checkout Funnel

Lastly, enable the “Enable Store Checkout” option.

Now, try placing a test order and ensure you meet all the rules you set to see the order bump offer on the checkout page. 

That’s how simply you can offer related products as order bumps on the checkout page.

Move to the next section to learn how to offer related products as a one-click upsell. 

Method 5: Post-Purchase Upsells

Capture Extra Revenue With One-Click Post-Purchase Offers

Post-purchase upsells are offers you can make to users immediately after they complete their checkout. The system tokenizes the payment details, allowing customers to add the offer to their existing order with a single click, without re-entering the details.

After replacing the WooCommerce default checkout with a custom one using FunnelKit Funnel Builder, follow these steps: 

Step 1: Add an Upsell Offer

To offer a one-click upsell, hit the Offer step.

On the design tab, you can customize the content and look of the upsell template.

Now, move to the Products tab. Click on "Add Product," search for the product, and select it from the dropdown. After that, click the "Add" button to add the product as an upsell offer.

Add a discount if you want. We recommend checking the option “Skip this offer if the product(s) exist in the parent order.”  You can also allow users to choose the quantity. 

🔔 Note: You can set flat shipping also if needed. 

Make sure to click on Save to update.

Step 2: Set Conditions for Offer Relevance

To make the offer more effective, you can apply rules similar to those used with the order bump. To do so, click on the Upsell step.

Next, navigate to the Rules tab and click Add Rules. Then, set the conditions. To make the offer more relevant, you can add a condition such as a customer having previously purchased from the same category. Additionally, you can only offer to your VIP customers or customers who have items worth over $100, as they are more likely to accept a high-value offer after completing their purchase. 

Make sure to click on the 'Save' button when done. 

Step 3: Test the Post-Purchase Experience

Right after checkout, if the customer qualifies for the upsell, they will be offered this related product. To test this, place a test order and verify that you can adjust the quantity of the upsell (depending on your settings) and successfully complete the order. 

After successfully accepting the upsell, you will be redirected to the custom thank you page. 

There should be another method of showing related products in the email..

Frequently Asked Questions About WooCommerce Related Products 

Here are some of the commonly asked questions about related products in WooCommerce: 

• Why use related products in WooCommerce?

Because they increase average order value, improve product discovery, and reduce cart abandonment. Shoppers who see relevant add-ons are 4.5 times more likely to buy more. Personalized suggestions also bring people back—56% of customers return for smart recommendations.

• What’s the difference between related products, upsells, and cross-sells?

Related products are automatically generated based on categories or tags. Upsells are manually selected higher-priced alternatives, shown on the product page. Cross-sells are complementary items shown in the cart and are also added manually.

• How do I disable related products in WooCommerce?

Add a simple code snippet to your theme’s functions.php file to remove default related products. You can also delete upsells and cross-sells from individual products. If you're using tools like FunnelKit, just turn off the options or set the offers to draft.

• What are best practices for showing related products?

Show only what’s relevant. Keep the number of suggestions limited. Use high-quality images, clear calls to action, and consider offering milestone-based rewards to nudge larger purchases. Personalization based on purchase history works best.

• How do I track how related products perform?

FunnelKit shows you how many users add order bumps and one-click upsells. For broader insights, track clicks, add-to-cart events, and conversions through Google Analytics. If you’re not tracking, you’re guessing.

Why Leave Money on the Table When WooCommerce Related Products Can Do the Selling for You?

Every customer who lands on your store is ready to buy more than just one item, they just don’t know it yet.

That’s where WooCommerce related products come in. By showing the right recommendations at the right time, you multiply order value without lifting a finger or increasing ad spend. This isn’t just a smart strategy. It’s a profit multiplier.

With FunnelKit’s in-cart suggestions, milestone-based rewards, and one-click upsells, turning browsers into high-value buyers becomes frictionless. No hard selling. No annoying popups. Just naturally placed offers your customers actually want.

Why fight to win new customers every day when your existing ones are happy to spend more if only you asked the right way?

Don’t wait. Set up smart product suggestions now, and let your store start stacking more revenue, one personalized offer at a time.

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