A shopper who is looking at one product is often one click away from buying a second, if you show the right one. AI product recommendations pick those products for you, chosen from your own catalog, and show them as a clean “You may also like” list. The good news is that the plugin works out of the box, and AI is an optional upgrade.
This tutorial follows the Siteryn AI Product Recommendations docs step by step: check the list, style the cards, help the rules, connect your own AI provider and approve the first AI picks.
Quick answer
To set up AI product recommendations in WooCommerce, activate the plugin (it works immediately with rules), check the list on a product page, style the cards under Appearance, set up-sells and cross-sells on key products, then optionally connect an AI provider, run Test Connection and set New AI Rankings to Require My Approval. AI works in the background, so pages never wait.
What are AI product recommendations?
AI product recommendations are product lists, such as “You may also like,” that a plugin chooses for each product using rules like up-sells, cross-sells, categories, tags, sales and ratings, then refines with an AI model that ranks the best matches from your own catalog.
Free vs Pro at a glance
The Free plugin is complete on its own and is not time-limited. AI is optional, because rule-based recommendations work everywhere.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Product page recommendations | Yes | Yes |
| AI and rule-based ranking with your own AI provider | Yes | Yes |
| Shortcode, block and template tag | Yes | Yes |
| Card design: content, image, text, colors and spacing | Yes | Yes |
| Product page positions | 1 position | 4 positions |
| Cart, checkout and category page lists | No | Yes |
| Slider, recommended for you, recently viewed, frequently bought together | No | Yes |
| Pin, exclude and boost rules, page builder widgets, recommendations API | No | Yes |
Watch the video tutorial
More walkthroughs are on the video tutorials page, and the full reference is in the documentation.
Step 1: Check the product page
Recommendations work as soon as the plugin is active. Open any product and look for “You may also like” with four product cards below it.
- Go to Placements → Product Page to change the heading and the number of products.
- Turn on Replace WooCommerce Related Products so shoppers see one list instead of two similar ones.
Step 2: Style the cards
Open Appearance. Choose the image shape, decide what each card shows (price, rating, sale badge and an add to cart icon) and set colors and spacing that match your theme. Keep cards simple, so the list feels like part of your store.
Step 3: Help the rules
The rules rank candidates before any AI is involved. They favor a product’s up-sells and cross-sells (set in Product data → Linked Products), then shared categories and tags. Setting these on your best products gives better lists immediately.
| Signal | Product page | Cart |
|---|---|---|
| Up-sell of the product | +6 | +3 |
| Cross-sell of the product | +5 | +6 |
| Each shared category | +2 | +2 |
| Each shared tag | +1 | +1 |
| Sales volume | up to +1 | up to +1 |
| Rating | up to +0.5 | up to +0.5 |
Step 4: How do you connect an AI provider?
To connect an AI provider, open the AI tab, choose a provider card, paste your API key and click Save Key, keep the default model, click Save Changes and then Test Connection. Your provider bills your own account, and the plugin adds no charge.
- Go to AI → Provider and pick a provider: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Groq, OpenRouter, Mistral, a custom endpoint or WordPress AI.
- Paste your API key and click Save Key.
- Keep the provider’s default model, click Save Changes, then Test Connection.
- On General, keep the engine on AI + Rules, which is the default.
Step 5: Watch and approve the first AI picks
AI rankings are created in the background the first time a product’s list is shown. Open a product’s edit screen and look at the AI Recommendations box. It lists the AI picks with a reason for each. Use Generate now to create them immediately.
For safety, set New AI Rankings to Require My Approval under AI → Ranking & Privacy. Rule-based lists keep showing until you approve each product’s picks. This is a smart habit, as explained in AI Hallucinations in WooCommerce.
How does the AI choose products?
The AI receives a product and up to 20 candidates from your catalog, then returns up to 12 picks, best first. It can only reorder products that exist in your store, and any other ID is ignored.
- Never during page load. Rankings run in the background, so shoppers never wait.
- Refreshed weekly, or sooner if too many picks become unavailable.
- At least two other products are needed before a product can be ranked.
- Limits: a fixed 60 AI requests per hour and a daily limit you can set (500 by default).
- Caching: lists are cached for about an hour, and identical AI requests reuse answers for 24 hours by default.
What does the plugin send to the AI?
The plugin sends only catalog data to the AI: product ID, name and categories, plus the fields you choose, such as short description, tags, attributes and price. It never sends customer, order, cart or browsing data, and the Free plugin sets no cookies and stores no shopper data.
What can be recommended?
- Published, visible, purchasable products with a price.
- Never the product itself, variations, password-protected or hidden products, or external and affiliate products.
- Out-of-stock products are hidden while Hide Out-of-Stock Products is on.
Show lists anywhere
You are not limited to the product page. Use a shortcode, a block or a template tag to place a list anywhere, for a product or for the shopper’s cart. If a page builder replaces the product template and no list appears, add the shortcode or block. Pro adds cart, checkout and category lists, a slider, recommended for you, recently viewed and frequently bought together.
Common problems and fixes
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| No recommendations on product pages | Enable Recommendations (General) and Show on Product Pages (Placements), make sure other published, purchasable products exist, then clear your page cache |
| Two similar lists | Turn on Replace WooCommerce Related Products |
| Recommendations feel irrelevant | Set up-sells and cross-sells, fix categories and tags, and connect AI with the AI + Rules engine |
| AI picks never appear | Confirm AI + Rules and a working connection, check that WP-Cron or Action Scheduler runs, check approval status and request limits, then try Generate now |
| The provider rejected the API key | Create a new key and save it again |
| No credit or quota with the provider | Add billing or credit with your provider |
| Add to cart opens the product page | Turn on AJAX add to cart buttons on archives in WooCommerce → Settings → Products. Variable products always open the product page. |
| Changes do not appear | Lists are cached for up to an hour. Saving settings refreshes them, and you should clear your page cache too. |
The plugin’s System Status panel shows your engine, provider and AI usage at a glance. If you contact support, send a screenshot of System Status, the page address and the steps to reproduce. Never share your API key.
Best practices
- Start with rules only, then add AI once the basics look right.
- Keep Require My Approval on until you trust the picks.
- Pair lists with a fast cart. See how to set up a side cart.
- Read WooCommerce Upsells & Cross-Sells for ideas on linked products.
- On multilingual sites, WPML and Polylang are supported, with separate lists and AI rankings per language.
AI product recommendations checklist
- Plugin active and product page list checked
- Replace WooCommerce Related Products turned on
- Cards styled in Appearance
- Up-sells and cross-sells set on key products
- AI provider connected and tested (optional)
- Engine set to AI + Rules
- Require My Approval turned on
- First AI picks reviewed in the product editor
- Page cache cleared
Show shoppers what to buy next
Siteryn AI Product Recommendations ranks related products by rules or your own AI, with cards that match your store. The Free plugin is complete on its own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an AI provider to use the plugin?
No. Rule-based recommendations work everywhere without AI. Connecting a provider is optional and adds AI ranking on top.
Will AI slow down my product pages?
No. AI is never called while a page loads. Rankings are created in the background and lists are cached, so shoppers never wait.
Does the plugin send my customers’ data to the AI?
No. Only catalog data is sent, such as product ID, name, categories and fields you choose. Customer, order, cart and browsing data are never sent.
Who pays for the AI requests?
Your AI provider bills your own account. The plugin adds no charge, and you can set a daily request limit.
Final Thoughts
Good recommendations are a quiet sales tool. Start with clean rules, add AI when you are ready and approve the first picks yourself.
Then watch how shoppers use the list, and adjust your up-sells and cross-sells to match.
