Understanding the Product Recs block and the Widget block
The two blocks that display product recommendations, and how they both use the Personalisation Engine
Overview
Liva 7 provides two ways to show personalised product recommendations on your storefront:
- the Product Recs block
- the Widget block
Both blocks are powered by the same Personalisation Engine, but they work differently.
The Product Recs block uses the global strategy you set in the Signals tab.
The Widget block uses Personalisation Widgets you create inside the engine.
This article explains how each block works, how they differ and when to use them.
Both blocks use the Personalisation Engine
The Personalisation Engine is responsible for choosing the products shown in both blocks. It uses:
- behaviour signals
- similarity signals
- rules and exclusions
- fallback behaviour
- session scoring and time decay
The engine decides which products to show.
The blocks decide where and how they appear.
The engine chooses the products. The blocks display them.
The Product Recs block
The Product Recs block is a pre built Liva 7 theme block you add directly in the Shopify Theme Editor. It works immediately with no configuration.
How it chooses products
The Product Recs block uses the global strategy set for that page type at the bottom of the Signals tab in the Personalisation Engine.
You can set a global strategy for:
- homepage
- product page
- collection page
- cart page
- search results page
Global strategies include:
- Smart Mix (recommended)
- Customers Also Bought
- Similar Products
- Based on Browsing History
- Based on Purchase History
- Trending Now
- New Arrivals
- Use Global Algorithm
When you add the Product Recs block to your theme, it automatically uses the global strategy for that page type.
This means:
- the block does not use widgets
- it does not require setup
- it always follows the global strategy
- it starts working instantly
This is the fastest way to launch personalisation.
The Product Recs block uses the global strategy you set in the Signals tab.
The Widget block
The Widget block displays recommendations defined by Personalisation Widgets you create inside the Personalisation Engine.
Widgets give you full control over how recommendations behave.
What a widget controls
Each widget can define:
- Page type
- Recommendation strategy
- Number of products
- Display type and layout
- Fallback behaviour
- Rule and signal behaviour
Widgets override the global strategy and allow you to customise behaviour for each page type.
Why merchants use it
The Widget block is ideal when you want:
- different strategies for different pages
- more control over behaviour
- custom layouts
- rule driven recommendations
- advanced optimisation
The Widget block only works when a widget exists for that page type.
How they appear in the Shopify Theme Editor
Product Recs block
- Appears as a standard Liva 7 Product Recs block
- Add it into any page
- It immediately uses the global strategy for that page type
Widget block
- Appears as the Liva 7 Widget block
- It only shows recommendations if a widget exists for that page type
- If no widget is configured, the theme editor will show a message explaining this
The Theme Editor controls placement. The engine controls the content.
How widgets connect to the Shopify Theme Editor
Widgets do not appear on your storefront until you add the corresponding Widget block in the Shopify Theme Editor.
Example
- To show recommendations on the homepage, you must create a homepage widget.
- Then you must add the Liva 7 Widget block to the homepage in your theme.
If no widget exists for that page type, the theme editor will show a message explaining that no widget is configured.
A widget must exist before the theme block can display recommendations.
How Liva 7 chooses which widget to use
If more than one widget is configured for the same page type, Liva 7 automatically chooses the most relevant widget based on:
- page context
- strategy
- rules
- signals
- fallback behaviour
This ensures the shopper always sees the most appropriate recommendations.
Liva 7 selects the most relevant widget when multiple options exist.
How widgets interact with rules and signals
Widgets are influenced by the entire Personalisation Engine:
- Rules can pin or exclude products for a widget.
- Signals determine which products are most relevant.
- Fallback behaviour controls what happens when no strong signals exist.
- Session settings influence how recent behaviour affects recommendations.
Widgets are not isolated. They are part of the engine's decision system.
Widgets use the same rules and signals as the rest of the engine.
