Showing alternative products on the webshop

Introduction: What are alternative products?

Alternative products are other comparable products that are automatically shown when a customer looks at a specific product on the webshop. For example: when someone views red roses, you can also show pink roses and white roses as alternatives. This works like the "you may also like" feature in online stores.

Why show alternative products?

You want to show alternative products because:

• Customers see more products and can buy more
• It helps customers discover comparable options
• Your revenue can increase because customers order extra products
• Customers get a better overview of your assortment
• It looks more professional (like big webshops)
• Customers have an alternative if their first choice is no longer available

Example: Customer views "Red roses 50cm" and automatically sees "Pink roses 50cm" and "White roses 50cm" as alternatives below.

How do you set up alternative products?

This goes in two steps: first you need to enable the feature, and then you configure which alternatives are shown for which products.

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Step 1: Enabling alternative products

Before you can configure, the feature must first be activated.

Activating the feature

Go to shop configuration

1. Go to the "Shop" tile
2. Click on "Configuration"
3. You now see all settings for your webshop

Select Shop rule

1. Find and select the "Shop rule"
2. This opens the settings for your webshop

Enable alternatives

1. Go to the "Assortment" tab
2. Find the checkbox called "Alternatives"
3. Tick this checkbox
4. Click "Apply" to save

Done! The feature is now enabled. Now you can configure which alternatives are shown.

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Step 2: Configuring alternative products

Now you'll set which products are shown as alternative for which products.

Basic settings

Go to alternative articles menu

1. Go to the "Shop" tile
2. Click on "Alternative articles"
3. You now see the configuration screen

Fill in general settings

Here you set the general rules for all alternatives:

1. Order days (optional):

• Fill in order days if alternatives may only be shown for products that can be ordered on that day
• Example: If you set this to "Monday", only products that can be delivered on Monday are shown
• Leave empty if not relevant

2. List group (optional):

• Choose a specific list group if alternatives should only come from that group
• Example: Only alternatives from the "Cut flowers" group
• Leaving empty means: choose from all list groups

3. Maximum number:

• Choose how many alternative products may be shown maximum
• Example: If you choose "3", the customer sees a maximum of 3 alternatives
• This prevents the page from becoming too crowded

Click "Save" to save these basic settings.

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Creating rules

Now you'll make rules: for which products should alternatives be shown?

Start new rule

1. Click "+New"
2. A screen opens to make a rule

Choose main product

You now have to choose for which products these alternatives should be shown:

Option 1: Article group

• Choose an entire product group
• Example: Choose "Roses"
• Meaning: Alternatives are shown for all roses

Option 2: Article

• Choose one specific article
• Example: Choose "Rose red 50cm"
• Meaning: Alternatives are only shown for this specific article

Option 3: Article type

• Choose an article type
• Example: Choose all roses of 50cm
• Meaning: Alternatives are shown for all articles of this type

Save Click "Save" to save the rule.

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Adding filters (choosing alternatives)

Now you'll set which products are shown as alternative.

Go to filters menu

1. Select the rule you just created (or an existing rule)
2. Click "Filters"
3. You now see a list (which may be empty) of alternative articles

Note: If the list is empty, no alternatives have been set up yet.

Add new alternative

1. Click "+New"
2. You can now choose an alternative product

Choose alternative product

Choose what kind of product should be shown as alternative:

Option 1: Article group

• The system randomly chooses a product from this group
• Example: Choose "Tulips"
• Meaning: A random tulip batch is shown

Option 2: Article

• A specific article is shown
• Example: Choose "Tulip yellow 40cm"
• Meaning: This exact article is shown

Option 3: Article type

• The system randomly chooses from this type
• Example: Choose all tulips of 40cm
• Meaning: A random tulip batch of 40cm is shown

Save Click "Save" to save this alternative.

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Adding multiple alternatives

Important: 1 rule = 1 alternative product that is shown.

Want to show multiple alternatives? Then repeat the steps above:

Example: Show 3 alternatives

1. Click "+New" → Choose "Pink roses" → Save (alternative 1)
2. Click "+New" → Choose "White roses" → Save (alternative 2)
3. Click "+New" → Choose "Orange roses" → Save (alternative 3)

Result: For red roses, 3 alternatives are now shown: pink, white and orange.

Done! Your alternatives are now set up and work on the webshop.

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Practical examples

Example 1: Roses alternatives

• Goal: Show pink and white roses for red roses
• Action:
  1. Enable: Shop → Configuration → Alternatives on
  2. New rule: Main product = "Roses red"
  3. Filter 1: Alternative = "Roses pink"
  4. Filter 2: Alternative = "Roses white"
• Result: For red roses you now also see pink and white roses

Example 2: All roses get tulips as alternative

• Goal: Show tulips as alternative for every rose
• Action:
  1. New rule: Main product = Article group "Roses"
  2. Filter 1: Alternative = Article group "Tulips"
• Result: A random tulip batch is shown for all roses

Example 3: Maximum 4 alternatives

• Goal: Show no more than 4 alternatives to keep the page clear
• Action:
  1. Basic settings: Maximum number = 4
  2. Make rules with multiple filters
• Result: Even if you have 10 filters, a maximum of 4 are shown

Example 4: Only cut flowers as alternatives

• Goal: For cut flowers only show other cut flowers, no plants
• Action:
  1. Basic settings: List group = "Cut flowers"
  2. Make your rules
• Result: Alternatives always come from the cut flowers group

Example 5: Specific product with specific alternatives

• Goal: For "Rose red Naomi 60cm" show exactly 2 alternatives
• Action:
  1. Rule: Main product = Article "Rose red Naomi 60cm"
  2. Filter 1: Alternative = Article "Rose pink Avalanche 60cm"
  3. Filter 2: Alternative = Article "Rose white Akito 60cm"
• Result: Customer sees exactly these 2 specific roses as alternative

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Important tips

Tip 1: Start simple

• Start with one product group (e.g., only roses)
• Test if it works
• Then expand to other product groups
• This way you learn the system step by step

Tip 2: Choose logical alternatives

• Show comparable products (red roses → pink roses)
• Don't deviate too much (red roses → cacti is weird)
• Think from the customer's perspective: what would they like?

Tip 3: Not too many alternatives

• 3-5 alternatives is usually enough
• Too many is overwhelming for customers
• Set a maximum in the basic settings

Tip 4: Test on the webshop

• Check after setup if alternatives really appear
• Look as a customer at different products
• Adjust if it doesn't work well

Tip 5: Use article groups for efficiency

• Instead of setting each article separately
• Use article groups for faster configuration
• For example: entire group "Roses" gets entire group "Tulips" as alternative

Tip 6: Keep it current

• Products you no longer carry don't appear as alternative
• But it's good to regularly check your rules
• Remove rules for products you no longer sell

Frequently asked questions

Question: How many alternatives should I show?

• 3-5 is a good average
• Too few (1-2) gives too little choice
• Too many (10+) is overwhelming
• Test what works best for your customers

Question: Are alternatives chosen randomly?

• Yes, if you choose an article group
• No, if you choose a specific article
• The system randomly chooses from available stock

Question: Can I set different alternatives per product?

• Yes, make a separate rule for each product (or group)
• This way you have full control
• But this is a lot of work with large assortments

Question: What if an alternative is sold out?

• The system doesn't show it if it's not in stock
• Another alternative is automatically shown
• Or fewer alternatives are shown

Question: Does this also work on mobile?

• Yes, alternatives are also shown on mobile
• The layout adapts to the screen
• Test it on different devices

Question: Can I disable alternatives for specific products?

• Yes, just don't make a rule for those products
• Or remove the existing rule
• Then no alternatives are shown for those products

What to do with problems?

Problem: Alternatives don't appear

• Check if "Alternatives" is ticked in Configuration
• Check if you have created rules
• Check if you have added filters to the rules
• Refresh the webshop (cache may be old)

Problem: Wrong alternatives are shown

• Check your rules and filters
• You may have chosen a wrong article group
• Adjust the filters to the desired products

Problem: Too many alternatives are shown

• Set a maximum in the basic settings
• Remove unnecessary filters
• Limit the number of rules per product

Problem: Too few alternatives are shown

• There may not be enough products in stock
• Add more filters to your rule
• Check if the chosen article groups contain products

Problem: Alternatives don't work on mobile

• Check if the mobile webshop is correctly set up
• Test on different mobile browsers
• The webshop template may need to be adjusted

Advanced tips

Tip 1: Seasonal alternatives

• Make rules for seasonal products
• For example: tulips in spring, chrysanthemums in autumn
• Adjust rules per season

Tip 2: Price classes

• Show alternatives in the same price class
• Expensive products get expensive alternatives
• Cheap products get cheap alternatives

Tip 3: Color coordination

• Red products get other red products as alternative
• This helps customers with color schemes
• Or contrast: red gets white/pink

Tip 4: Cross-selling

• Roses get vases as alternative
• Flowers get decoration as alternative
• This increases your average order value

Tip 5: Analyze clicks

• Look at which alternatives are often clicked
• Optimize your rules based on this data
• Remove alternatives that are never chosen

Summary

Setting up alternative products on the webshop is done in two main steps:

Step 1 - Enable:

• Go to Shop → Configuration → Shop rule → Assortment
• Tick "Alternatives" and click Apply

Step 2 - Configure:

• Go to Shop → Alternative articles
• Set basics: order days (optional), list group (optional), maximum number
• Make rule: click +New → choose for which products alternatives should appear (article group, article or article type)
• Add filters: click Filters → +New → choose what is shown as alternative
• 1 filter = 1 alternative product, want 3 alternatives? Then add 3 filters

Why useful:

• Customers see more products and buy more
• Professional webshop with "comparable products" feature
• Customers have alternatives if first choice not available

Tip: Start simple with one product group, test it, and then expand to your entire assortment