Recently viewed

A shelf of the pieces this particular visitor has already opened. It is the only section in the theme whose contents are different for every person who sees it.

What it does: Picks up a browse where it was left. Somebody who has looked at four coats and wandered off gets those four coats back, in the order they saw them, without having to remember any of it.

The empty-shelf problem, and how it is solved. A recently-viewed shelf is empty for every first-time visitor, which is exactly the visitor a home page is for. So the section works down a chain. It tries their own history first, then recommendations, then a collection you name. It has something to show from the very first page view.

Key settings (in the section’s settings):

Setting	What it does	Default
Color scheme	Section colors.	scheme-paper
Products	Recently viewed alone, Recently viewed, then recommendations, or Recommendations alone.	Recently viewed, then recommendations
Recommendation type	Related or Complementary, for the recommendation step.	Related
Fallback collection	What to show a visitor who has no history and for whom no recommendation is available.	Empty
Fallback products	A hand-picked list, used instead of the fallback collection.	Empty
Products to show	4 to 16.	8
Heading width	Narrow, Normal, Wide, or Full width.	Wide
Heading alignment	Left, center, or right.	Left
Subheading	The small label above the heading.	”Before you go”
Heading	The heading over a visitor’s own history.	”Where you left off.”
Heading for recommendations	Used when the shelf is filled by recommendations instead. Leave it empty to reuse the heading above.	”You may also like these.”
Heading for the fallback	Used when the shelf is filled from the fallback. Leave it empty to reuse the heading above.	”Somewhere to begin.”
Intro text	An optional line under the heading.	Empty
Show arrows	The back and forward controls on the track.	On

The section also carries a Section spacing group. Pick a Device of Desktop or Mobile, then set Top and Bottom.

Tip

Three headings, because the shelf means three different things. “Where you left off” is wrong over products a visitor has never seen. Set the fallback headings, and the section never says something untrue about what it is showing.

Caution

Set a fallback. Without a Fallback collection or Fallback products, a first-time visitor on a store with no recommendation history gets nothing, and the section collapses to its heading. It costs one setting to prevent.

Note

The history lives in the visitor’s own browser and is never sent anywhere. It is not shared between their devices, and clearing their browser data clears it.

When to use it: Use it once, low on a page a returning visitor is likely to land on, such as the home page, the cart, or the foot of a collection page. For recommendations tied to one specific product instead, use Related products.

Related: Related products · Product carousel · Cart · Lapels support replies within 12 hours.