Boost Sales and Engagement with Recently Viewed Magento 2

• What is the Recently Viewed Feature?

• 6 Key Features of Recently Viewed Magento 2

• 3 Different Magento 2 Recently Viewed Extensions

• 6 Advanced Customization Techniques for Recently Viewed Magento 2

• 3 Common Issues and Solutions of Recently Viewed Magento 2

• FAQs

• Summary

What is the Recently Viewed Feature?

The recently viewed feature allows stores to display products a customer has browsed.

The feature tracks the products your customers browse. It displays them in a designated widget. It enhances user experience by helping shoppers revisit items without searching.

The functionality boosts engagement and sales by reminding customers of their interests. It encourages purchases. You can place it in various sections, including:

• Sidebar

• Homepage

• Product pages

• Cart page

Magento 2 provides a built-in widget for setup. You can customize it further with extensions or code. It helps improve personalization and tracking. It also enhances navigation and customer retention.

6 Key Features of Recently Viewed Magento 2

1. Automatic Tracking

• Magento 2 tracks and logs the products a user views during a session. The system stores these products and displays them in the recently viewed section.

• It eliminates the need for manual tracking or configuration. Each time a customer views a product page. Magento records it and updates the recently viewed list in real-time.

2. Customizable Display Options

• Merchants can choose where to display the recently viewed section. It helps maximize visibility and engagement. The placement options include:

  1. The sidebar is ideal for quick access while browsing

  2. The homepage displays products users recently viewed upon return

  3. Category pages encourage users to revisit items in the same category

  4. Product pages help customers compare similar products

  5. The cart & checkout page encourages last-minute purchases before checkout

• Store owners can set the number of products displayed. They can adjust the layout. It uses Magento’s widget settings or custom code modifications.

3. Widget-Based Implementation

• Magento 2 provides a built-in widget for the recently viewed products feature. It allows Magento 2 store owners to add it without technical knowledge.

• The drag-and-drop functionality makes it accessible to non-developers. It also allows developers to customize it further.

4. Performance Optimization

• Magento 2 optimizes the feature to ensure the website doesn’t slow down. The different performance-boosting features include:

  1. Caching stores the list of recently viewed products to reduce database queries.

  2. Lazy loading loads product images only when they appear on the screen. It helps improve page speed.

  3. Database optimization clears old entries to prevent performance slowdowns.

• These enhancements ensure that the section runs even in large eCommerce stores.

5. Cross-Device Synchronization

• The persistent shopping cart helps customers see the recently viewed products. It is possible across different devices.

• If a customer browses a product on their mobile but later switches to a desktop. It will still display the recently viewed items. It ensures a smooth shopping experience.

• The feature helps stores personalize user journeys across devices.

6. Expandable with Third-Party Extensions

• Magento 2 offers a default recently viewed feature. Store owners can enhance it further with AI-driven personalization and advanced analytics integrations.

• AI-powered recommendations use machine learning. It helps recommend related or often bought-together items based on browsing behavior.

• Google Analytics 4 integration tracks how often customers view the products. It generates customer behavior insights.

• Optimize Hyvä-compatible extensions for Magento’s fastest theme framework. It improves speed and mobile experience.

• These extensions help turn the recently viewed section into a powerful marketing tool.

• Stores with widgets report a 24% increase in return visits converting to sales.

3 Different Magento 2 Recently Viewed Extensions

1. Recently Viewed Products Popup for Magento 2 - Amasty

Amasty’s recently viewed products showcase earlier viewed products in a popup. It helps customers find and buy items they have explored. It enhances their shopping experience with easy navigation and a personalized touch. It leads to higher sales. It is compatible with Magento 2.4.7-p4, 2.4.6-p9, 2.4.5-p11.

Key Features:

• Show recently viewed products to customers

• Set the number of products you can display in the popup

• Adjust product viewing tracking period

• Show recently viewed products widget on all pages

• Optimized for mobile devices

Price: Free

2. Who Viewed This Also Viewed for Magento 2 - Mageplaza

Mageplaza’s who viewed this also viewed extension suggests a group of products. It depends on the products viewed by other customers over time by the current viewer. It helps online stores introduce cross-sell or up-sell products and boost sales.

Key Features:

• Compatible with Hyva theme

• Compatible with Magento 2.4.7

• Various product types and categories

• Show in various positions

• A slider or grid display

• Filter View

• Add to Cart/Wishlist/Compare also-viewed products

• Set time by day to collect results

Price: $149 (12 months)

3. Magento Recently Viewed Products Extension - Plumrocket

Plumrocket’s recently viewed products allow customers to compare items. They also go back to the previous choice and complete the buy. Both guests and logged-in customers can take advantage of this feature. It is compatible with Magento CE: 1.6.x - 1.9.x and EE: 1.12.x - 1.14.x.

Key Features:

• Visitors can clear all recently viewed products and hide sliding widgets if necessary
• Admin can set recently viewed sticky block position to the: left, bottom, or right

Price: $49 (12 months)

6 Advanced Customization Techniques for Recently Viewed Magento 2

1. Customizing the Layout and Display

• The default layout follows Magento’s standard grid or list structure. Businesses may need a more tailored design. It should align with their store’s branding. It can include:

  1. Adjusting the layout to match the store’s theme. It is by using a different number of columns or adding unique visual elements.

  2. Displaying extra product information such as stock status or estimated delivery time.

  3. Implementing interactive elements like hover effects or comparison options to enhance usability.

• A well-structured section improves visibility. It ensures customers can revisit products of interest.

2. Controlling Total Recently Viewed Products

• Magento 2 has a limit on the total recently viewed products displayed at a time. While the setting shows five products, this number may not be ideal for all stores.

• If the store has an extensive product catalog, increase the number of displayed items. It can expose customers to more relevant products.

• Reducing the number of recently viewed products can help maintain a cleaner design.

• Some stores may enjoy dynamic adjustments where the number of displayed products changes. It depends on screen size or customer activity.

• Optimize the number of displayed items. It ensures customers can access products they earlier viewed. It doesn’t clutter the shopping experience.

3. Filtering and Custom Logic for Product Display

• Not all products should always appear in the recently viewed products section. Businesses should use advanced filtering to refine product selection.

  1. Hide out-of-stock products from this section to prevent frustration.

  2. Only showing products from certain categories can make recommendations more relevant.

  3. Personalized filtering ensures shoppers see the most relevant products. These are customer segmentation or browsing behavior.

• These enhancements make the section more intelligent and customer-focused.

4. Displaying Recently Viewed Products in Custom Locations

• The default setting displays recently viewed products in predefined locations. It includes the sidebar or footer. You can integrate it into different areas across the store for a more strategic approach. These include:

  1. Place recently viewed items on the homepage. It is a reminder to customers when they return to the store.

  2. Displaying them within category pages can help customers navigate similar products.

  3. Show recently viewed products below the current product. It can encourage comparisons and boost cross-selling.

  4. Including them at checkout lets customers add earlier viewed items to their cart. It increases order value.

• Custom placements ensure shoppers encounter their recently viewed products. It is at the most impactful moments during their journey.

5. Optimizing Performance with Asynchronous Loading (AJAX)

• Loading this section and the rest of the page can slow down site performance.

• Using AJAX-based loading can improve speed and usability.

  1. By loading recently viewed products, the rest of the page remains unaffected. It leads to better performance.

  2. Mobile users enjoy lighter page loads. It reduces delays and improves navigation.

  3. Users can retrieve the products only when they scroll to the section. It saves resources and bandwidth.

• AJAX ensures that the feature does not impact website speed. It leads to a smoother customer experience.

6. Enhancing Personalization with AI and Dynamic Recommendations

• AI-driven recommendations can enhance recently viewed products. It provides a personalized shopping experience.

  1. It doesn’t display the last-viewed products. AI-driven logic focuses on products based on customer interest levels.

  2. Products viewed many times or for longer durations rank higher.

  3. You can highlight similar recommendations. It is if a customer often views a particular brand or product category.

  4. AI-based recommendations can suggest complementary or alternative products. It depends on a customer’s browsing history.

• It transforms static features into an intelligent product suggestion system.

3 Common Issues and Solutions of Recently Viewed Magento 2

Common Issues	Possible Causes	Solutions
1. Recently Viewed Products Not Showing	Magento's cache may prevent the proper display of recently viewed products. Incorrect storage of session cookies may not track recently viewed products. Disable or incorrect configuration of the feature in the admin panel. Some custom themes or third-party extensions may override the default behavior.	Navigate to cache management and flush all caches. Go to recently viewed/compared products and enable the feature. Check if the number of products displayed is correct. Open the browser console to see if JavaScript conflicts are preventing proper rendering. If using a custom theme, change or override recently_viewed.phtml in your theme files.
2. Incorrect or Inconsistent Product Display	Magento records recently viewed products in session storage, with incorrect working. Full-page caching can cause a delay in updating recently viewed products. Recently viewed products may not sync across different store views.	Check if Magento is storing customer sessions under session lifetime. Instead of relying on page caching, implementing AJAX. It allows dynamic updation of the session. Disable full-page caching under full-page cache to check if caching is causing delays.
3. Recently Viewed Products Reset on Page Refresh	If Magento cannot persist session data, the list resets. Some browsers block cookies, preventing tracking of recently viewed products. Caching settings might interfere with the storage of the products.	Ensure the configuration of session storage under session validation settings. Go to default cookie settings and enable the cookies. If the issue is specific to a browser, test on another browser. Disable browser extensions that may block cookies.

FAQs

1. Why isn't my recently viewed widget showing in Magento 2?

The most common reasons include caching issues or cookie configuration problems. Try flushing your cache and checking cookie settings. Disable third-party extensions to identify the source of the problem.

2. How many products should I display in the recently viewed section?

For optimal user experience and performance, display 3-4 products in sidebar widgets. 4-6 on home pages, and 4-8 on product detail pages. Testing with your specific audience can help determine the ideal number.

3. Can I customize which product information appears in Recently Viewed blocks?

You can customize the product information displayed by editing the widget template. Common modifications include adding or removing price displays or custom attributes.

4. How can I track conversions from Recently Viewed products in Magento 2?

Use Google Analytics 4 with event tracking for Recently Viewed interactions. Create a custom dimension for "Traffic Source,". Configure enhanced ecommerce tracking to attribute conversions to the Recently Viewed widget.

Summary

The recently viewed Magento 2 feature helps customers revisit earlier browsed products. It enhances navigation and engagement. The article explores the benefits of the feature, including:

• Magento records viewed products in real-time without manual input.

• Merchants can adjust the layout, placement, and number of displayed products.

• Features like caching, lazy loading, and AJAX improve site speed.

• Advanced recommendations boost relevance and conversion rates.

Boost your store’s engagement with Magento 2’s recently viewed feature. Optimize it further with managed Magento hosting for faster load times.