The Recently viewed section automatically displays products a customer has viewed, helping them return to products they may be interested in. The list is based on each customer's browsing history, so you do not need to select products manually.
Demo usage
In the Concept 6.1.0 demo source, Recently viewed is enabled on the collection, cart, and search templates, including the Headphones collection. It is present but disabled on the standard product templates. The section may be hidden until the visitor has viewed products.
Steps:
Add the Recently Viewed section
- From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes and click Customize on your Concept theme.
- Open the page template where you want to display browsing history.
- Click Add section and choose Recently viewed.
- Drag the section to your preferred position, then click Save.
Important: The section has no content blocks and does not let you select individual products. Products are added automatically when customers visit product pages.
Set the number of products and desktop layout
- Set Number of recent products to 2–12 (default: 6).
- Choose Number of columns on desktop from 1–5 (default: 4).
- Enable Carousel on desktop to let customers navigate the product list horizontally.
Customize the mobile layout
- Set Number of columns on mobile to 1 or 2.
- Enable Swipe on mobile to allow horizontal browsing on smaller screens.
- Preview the storefront on mobile and adjust the layout as needed.
Customize headings and appearance
- Add or edit the Heading (default: Recently viewed), Subheading, and Description.
- Choose the Heading size, Heading alignment, and Heading tag.
- Optionally configure Highlighted text, its style, and Highlight reveal.
- Adjust text, background, highlight, and button colors.
- Set Top padding and Bottom padding; optionally enable Divider, Full width, or Rounded corners.
- Click Save.
Test how Recently Viewed works
- Open your storefront outside the Theme Editor.
- Visit two or more different product pages, then open a page where Recently viewed is enabled.
- Confirm that the products you visited appear in the section.
- On a product page, the currently open product is excluded from its own Recently viewed list.
Important: The section is visible only when browsing outside the Theme Editor. It uses the customer's browser storage; browsing history is specific to that browser and may be unavailable after clearing site data or when browser storage is restricted. If there are no eligible previously viewed products, the section is hidden.
Recently Viewed vs. Product Recommendations
- Recently viewed: Shows products the individual customer previously opened. Products cannot be selected manually.
- Product recommendations: Displays products recommended in relation to a product, rather than a customer's browsing history.
Troubleshooting
- Section does not appear in the Theme Editor: This is expected. Test it on the live storefront or theme preview outside the editor.
- No products appear: Open several product pages first, then return to a page where the section is enabled. Check whether your browser allows local storage.
- Section does not appear on a product page: Check whether Recently viewed is disabled in that product template. The current product is also excluded from the list.
- Unexpected number of items: Review Number of recent products and how many eligible products the visitor has actually viewed.
- Product cards look different than expected: Review the product card options under Theme settings, since the section uses the theme's standard product card styling.
If you encounter any issues or need additional help with your Concept theme, please contact our support team via our Ticket System for assistance within 8 hours.
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