How to create and place a Personalisation Widget
How to create a Personalisation Widget inside the Personalisation Engine and display it using the Widget block
Overview
Liva 7 gives you two ways to show personalised product recommendations on your storefront:
- the Product Recs block
- the Widget block
The Product Recs block is a pre built theme block that uses global strategies configured in the Signals tab. It does not use widgets.
The Widget block displays recommendations from Personalisation Widgets that you create yourself. Widgets let you control widget type, page type, display style, strategy and product count, and are created from the Engine Status tab using Manage Widgets.
This article walks you step by step through:
- creating a widget from the Engine Status tab
- configuring its behaviour
- placing it on your storefront using the Widget block
Use the Product Recs block for global strategies, and the Widget block for widgets you create.
Open the Personalisation Engine
Where to start
- In Shopify Admin, open Liva 7.
- Click Home in the Liva 7 sidebar.
- Click Personalisation.
You will see the Personalisation Engine with tabs including Engine Status, Rules, Signals and Session.
All widget creation begins from the Engine Status tab in the Personalisation Engine.
Review the Engine Status tab and find ‘Manage Widgets’
Engine Status layout
On the Engine Status tab you will see:
- Engine status section
- Algorithm section
- Recommended settings
- Data health
- Widgets
What matters for widgets
For this article, the key element is the Widgets section at the bottom, and specifically the Manage widgets button.
You do not need a separate Widgets menu; everything starts from Manage widgets on the Engine Status tab.
Open the Widget Placements screen
Open the widget table
- On the Engine Status tab, scroll to the bottom.
- Click Manage widgets.
You will see the Widget Placements screen with an All Widgets table.
What you see in the table
Columns include:
- Status (for example, Active)
- Title
- Widget type (for example, Product Recommendations)
- Page (for example, Homepage)
- Mode (for example, Theme Block)
- Display (for example, Grid)
- Priority
At the top right you will see a Create widget button.
The Widget Placements table screen is where you create, view and edit all widgets.
Create a new widget
On the Widget table screen, click Create widget.
You will see the Create New Widget form.
Required fields
- Widget Type*
- Page Type*
Widget Type
Click Widget Type and choose from options such as:
- Product Recommendations
- Cart Recommendations
- Bundle Recommendations
- Collection Recommendations
- Home Recommendations
Choose the type that matches the recommendations you want to show.
Page Type
Click Page Type and choose where the widget will appear:
- Homepage
- Product Page
- Collection Page
- Cart Page
The page type must match the template where you plan to place the Widget block.
A homepage widget is required for the homepage, a product page widget for product pages, and so on.
Configure placement, display and strategy
After selecting Widget Type and Page Type, configure how the widget behaves.
Placement Method
Placement Method options include:
- Theme Block
- Auto inject
For Theme Block, the note explains that you add the widget via the Theme Customiser.
Use Theme Block when you want to place the widget manually in the Shopify Theme Editor.
Display Style
Click Display Style and choose how the widget will look:
- Grid Layout
- Carousel
- Table View
- Animated Slider
Choose the layout that best fits your theme design.
Recommendation Strategy
Click Recommendation Strategy and choose from:
- Use Page/Global Setting
- Hybrid (Recommended)
- Collaborative Filtering
- Content Based
- Similar Products
- Trending
- Behaviour Based
If you select Use Page/Global Setting, the widget inherits the strategy from the page or global settings. Other options apply a specific strategy to this widget only.
Widget Title and Products to Show
- Widget Title: the heading that appears above the widget (for example, ‘You may also like’).
- Products to Show: the number of products to display (for example, 5).
Save the widget
- When you are happy with the configuration, click Save.
- The widget will now appear in the All Widgets table with its status, type, page, mode, display and priority.
Use Theme Block placement and set Products to Show to match your design and layout.
Understand how widgets are selected per page
Once widgets exist, Liva 7 decides which widget to use on each page type.
Per page type requirement
- For the homepage, at least one Homepage widget must be configured.
- For a product page, at least one Product Page widget must be configured.
- For a collection page, at least one Collection Page widget must be configured.
- For the cart page, at least one Cart Page widget must be configured.
Multiple widgets for the same page
If more than one widget exists for the same page type, Liva 7 will choose the most appropriate widget based on its internal logic and priority.
Always ensure at least one widget exists for each page type where you plan to use the Widget block.
Configure rules for pinned and excluded products
From the Personalisation Engine, you can refine how recommendations behave using rules.
Open the Rules tab
- In the Personalisation Engine, click Rules.
Here you will see options such as:
- Pin products: Add products that should always appear.
- Excluded products: Add products that should never appear.
- Add collection: Exclude entire collections from recommendations.
- Fallback behaviour:Toggle fallback behaviour off or on.Choose what happens when there are not enough strong signals.
These rules influence which products can appear in your widgets and global strategies.
Use rules to guarantee key products appear and to block products or collections you never want recommended.
Adjust session behaviour
Session settings control how time and anonymity affect personalisation.
Open the Session tab
- In the Personalisation Engine, click Session.
You will see:
- a time based decay slider that you can move left or right to change how quickly older behaviour loses influence
- an anonymous personalisation toggle that you can turn on or off
After adjusting these settings, click Save.
These settings apply across the Personalisation Engine and influence both widgets and global strategies.
Place the Widget block in the Shopify Theme Editor
Once your widget is created, you can place it on your storefront using the Widget block.
Open the Theme Editor
- In Shopify Admin, go to Online Store → Themes → Edit theme.
Add the Widget block
- Open the page template where you want the widget to appear (for example, the homepage, product page, cart page)
- Click Add section or Add block on the Apps tab.
- Select the Liva 7 Widget block.
- Position the block where you want the recommendations to appear.
- Click Save.
What you will see
- If a widget exists for that page type, the widget will appear in the Theme Editor and on your storefront.
- If no widget is configured for that page type, you will see a message in the Theme Editor indicating that no widget is configured.
Important behaviour
- A matching widget must exist for the page type, or the Widget block will not show recommendations.
- If multiple widgets exist for the same page type, Liva 7 will choose the most appropriate widget.
Always create the widget first, then add the Widget block to the matching page template in the Theme Editor.
