What Are Featured Products? Definition & Best Practices for Your Shopify Store

What are featured products?

Featured products are items you highlight in your online store to attract attention. 

Think of them as your store’s VIPs. They’re front and center on your homepage,category pages, or special sections, making them easy for shoppers to find.

By spotlighting these products, you can guide customers toward items you want to promote, like new arrivals, bestsellers, or seasonal specials.

For instance,Gymshark features new products on its homepage, ensuring they grab visitors' attention immediately.

Why should you display featured products in your online store?

Now, let's break down how you can benefit from a featured collection on your Shopify store.

1. Boost visibility: Featured products are displayed in prime spots on your site, like the homepage or a featured collection section. This increased visibility can lead to more clicks and, ultimately, more sales. By strategically placing featured products on Shopify, you can draw attention to items that you want to promote.
2. Highlight new or seasonal items: Featuring new releases or seasonal products can help get the word out quickly. Whether you’re showcasing the latest arrivals or seasonal specials, putting these items in the spotlight can drive sales when they’re most relevant.
3. Promote bestsellers: Your best-selling products are popular for a reason. Featuring these items can keep the momentum going, helping you capitalize on their success. By showcasing your bestsellers in the featured collection on Shopify, you can continue to attract customers to these proven products.
4. Enhance the shopping experience: Featured products can make shopping easier for your customers. It helps them discover great items they might have missed otherwise. By curating a featured collection section, store owners guide potential customers to specific items, enhancing their shopping experience and making it more enjoyable.

How to select products to add to your featured collection?

We’ve discussed the whats and whys; now it’s time to dive into the details of how to highlight products and improve your sales strategy.

Selecting the right products to feature prominently in your featured collections can significantly influence customer interest and drive more sales.

Here's how to choose the perfect items for your Shopify featured products:

1. Popularity and sales data

Start with your best-selling products.

Look at your sales data in Shopify admin to see which products are flying off the shelves. Popular items are popular for a reason. Featuring them in your Shopify store can help even more customers discover products others love, boosting sales.

Check out howBÉIS Travel highlights trending products on its homepage.

2. Seasonal relevance

Think about the time of year. Featuring seasonal items in your featured collection on Shopify is a smart move. 

For example, you’ll want to promote products like swimsuits in the summer and coats in the winter. Seasonal relevance makes products more appealing and timely for your customers.

Here's an example fromWaterdrop, where they feature their pride collection during Pride Month:

Or check out how Lululemon gives more attention to their summer collection with the title “A new spin on summer.”

3. Inventory levels

Check your inventory. Make sure you have enough stock of the items you want to feature. There’s nothing worse than featuring a product only to run out of it quickly.

Ensure you can meet the demand to maintain customer satisfaction and boost sales.

4. Profit margins

Consider your profit margins. Featuring high-margin products can boost your bottom line. If a product has a good profit margin and is popular, it’s a great candidate for your Shopify featured collection.

This strategy helps Shopify store owners maximize profits while promoting popular items.

5. Personalization

Consider displaying a personalized featured product collection for returning customers. 

Use customer data to tailor this collection to individual shoppers. This can include items based on their browsing history, past purchases, and preferences.

Personalized collections can make customers feel valued and increase the likelihood that they’ll find something they love.

Check out this example for personalized featured products from Sephora:

6. Customer feedback

Don’t forgetcustomer feedback!

Reviews and comments can tell you a lot about what customers love. Featuring products with positive feedback can build trust and encourage new customers to try them out.

Check out this example from ColourPop highlighting products with lots of 5-star reviews.

Bonus tip: Rotate featured products regularly

Keep your featured collection fresh by rotating products regularly.

This doesn’t mean you have to change everything every week, but a monthly update can keep things interesting. Regular rotation can also help you test what works best.

You might find that some products perform better than others, which will allow you to adjust accordingly.

5 best practices to get the most out of your Shopify featured products

Wanna get the most out of your featured collections? Here are 5 best practices on how to boost sales.

1. Find the right placement

Your homepage is the first thing customers see, so it’s a prime spot for featured products. Use eye-catching banners and highlight a few key items. This can draw customers in and encourage them to explore more.

Featuring products on category pages can help customers find popular items within a specific category. For example, if you have a “Summer Collection” category, feature the top-selling picks or new arrivals there.

Onproduct pages, you can feature related items. This not only showcases more of your products but also helps withcross-selling. Customers viewing one product might find something else they like.

Strategicallyuse popups and embedded banners to highlight special offers or new featured products.

Be careful not to overdo it, as too many popups can be annoying. Use them sparingly to maintain a good user experience.

2. Use high-quality images

Visuals are crucial in ecommerce.

Customers rely heavily on visuals to make purchasing decisions, so it’s important your products look their best.

High-quality images can make your products irresistible. Ensure your featured items shine with clear, professional photos from multiple angles, highlighting all the important details.

Multiple images provide a comprehensive view and can help convince potential buyers of the product’s quality.

Investing in professional photography can significantly enhance the appeal of your featured products and ultimately boost your sales.

3. Display prices and discounts

Transparency with pricing is essential when it comes to your featured products on Shopify. 

Clearly display prices and highlight any discounts prominently. If an item is on sale, make it obvious!

Savings are a powerful motivator and can push customers towards making a purchase. Ensure the discount is noticeable, perhaps with a different color or a special icon.

Clear pricing information helps build trust with your customers, making them more likely to buy.

4. Offer bundles

Bundles are a great way to increase theperceived value of your products. Pair complementary items together at a discounted rate. 

For example, offer a shirt with matching pants at a lower price than if bought separately.

This not only boosts sales but also enhances customer satisfaction by giving them a better deal.

5. Leverage Shopify features and apps

Make the most of Shopify's built-in features and apps. Choose a theme that showcases featured products effectively, with sections designed to highlight these items.

Use Shopify’s drag-and-drop editor to customize your store layout, creating attractive sections for your featured collections.

Explore apps and plugins in the Shopify admin that can enhance your product display and management. Apps like OptiMonk can highlight featured items through popups and embedded banners, making them impossible to miss.

How to add featured products on Shopify?

Ready to find out how to add a featured products section on Shopify? You’re in the right place. Let's break it down.

1. Using Shopify's built-in feature

Step 1: Start by logging into your Shopify admin panel. This is where you manage all aspects of your store.

Step 2: Go to the "Online Store" section in your admin panel. From here, you can customize your theme and add featured products.

Step 3: Customize your Shopify theme by clicking on "Themes" and then "Customize." This will take you to the theme editor, where you’ll be able to modify your store’s appearance.

Step 4: Add a featured collection section to your Shopify store from the left sidebar in the theme editor.

Select “Featured Product” or “Featured Collection” from the drop down menu and choose the products you want to feature.

Step 5: Once you’ve selected products to feature for your special promotions, click save and publish them.

Your featured products will now be visible on your store, prominently displayed to attract customer attention!

2. Using OptiMonk

Step 1: Install OptiMonk

Go to theShopify App Store and find OptiMonk. Click "Add app" and follow the installation instructions.

Step 2: Create a new campaign

In the OptiMonk dashboard, create a new campaign. Choose the type of campaign you want: popup or embedded. Then, select a template you’d like to use.

Here are some product recommendation popup templates you can use to promote your new items:

And here are some embedded product recommendation templates:

Step 4: Design your campaign

Design your campaign using OptiMonk’s easy-to-use editor. You can customize the template with your branding and add your own headline and copy.

Add your featured products to the campaign dynamically or by selecting them from your product catalog:

Step 5: Target your audience

Set up targeting rules for your campaign. You can choose when and where your popup will appear, and who will see it. For example, you can show a featuredproduct popup to first-time visitors or during checkout.

Step 6: Launch your campaign

Once everything is set up, launch your campaign. OptiMonk will display your selected items according to the rules you’ve set, helping to grab customer attention and drive sales.

Wrapping up

Featuring products in your Shopify store is a great way to boost visibility, get more customers, and increase sales. 

By showcasing discounted items, new releases, and seasonal products, you create an engaging shopping experience that keeps customers coming back.

Ready to start reaping the benefits of featured products? Take your product promotion to the next level by signing up for afree OptiMonk account today!