Beauty and cosmetics purchases are highly personal. Skin type, skin tone, ingredients, and routines shape what each shopper buys, and many shoppers look for guidance before they commit.
This article shows how to use Smart Recommender in Insider One to guide that discovery and build loyalty. It includes an A/B test walkthrough for skincare routine bundles and strategies for each page type.
Before you start: Make sure your product catalog includes the attributes this article filters on, such as Category, Routine Step, Skin Concern, and Kit ID. Create missing custom attributes on the Product Attributes page and mark them as filterable.
What you can achieve with Smart Recommender
Routine-based discovery
Recommend related skincare and makeup products so shoppers can build a full routine, for example, a serum and moisturizer next to a cleanser.
Trending products
Highlight items gaining popularity this week, such as "Customer Favorites This Week," on the homepage and category pages.
Recommendations by skin type or tone
Use behavioral data and declared preferences to suggest, for example, matte foundations for oily skin or warm-toned lipsticks for medium skin tones.
Re-engagement with new launches
Show lapsed shoppers new arrivals that match their past purchases, such as new anti-aging serums for a skincare buyer.
Complementary add-ons
Recommend brushes, applicators, or primers on the cart page to raise average order value (AOV).
A/B testing
Compare recommendation logic, messaging, and widget placement, such as "Top Picks for You" versus "New in Skincare."
Walkthrough: Increase AOV with skincare routine bundles
Many shoppers want help building a complete skincare routine. Recommending the next product in the routine raises order value and customer satisfaction.
This walkthrough tests two cross-sell strategies on cleanser product detail pages:
Variant A: Recommend toners.
Variant B: Recommend serums.
Step 1: Create the recommendation strategies
Navigate to Recommendation Strategies and click Create. Configure the first strategy as follows:
Select Product Detail Page as the page type.
Select Purchased Together as the algorithm.
Enter the number of products to recommend.
Exclude products purchased in the last four weeks.
Add a filter for the category attribute: Category + is + Toners.
Create the second strategy with the same settings and change only the category filter:
Category + is + Serums.
Note: Keep every other setting identical between the two strategies. If more than one setting changes, you cannot tell which change caused the difference in results.
Step 2: Launch the campaign
Navigate to Web Smart Recommender and click Create.
Select the integration method for the widget.
On the Segments step, select customers with a low AOV under Purchasing Behavior and set your threshold.
On the Rules step, use Page Rules to target the product detail pages of cleansers.
On the Design step, assign one strategy to each variant and set the traffic allocation for each variant.
Click Edit Design to open the Advanced Product Card Designer and customize your product cards.
Select the locales and stores where the campaign appears.
Review the campaign details, confirm that every setting matches your goal, and click Launch.
Note: Every attribute you show on a product card must exist in your product catalog. To show more information, create custom attributes on the Product Attributes page.
Step 3: Track campaign metrics
Navigate to Smart Recommender Analytics.
Find your campaign in the Campaign and Variant Metrics table. When the test period ends, click the campaign name.
Compare Direct Revenue, Average Order Value (AOV), and Conversion Rate for the two variants. This shows whether toners or serums raise AOV more for low-spending customers.
If one variant clearly wins, set its traffic allocation to 100% so every visitor sees the better strategy.
After you find a winner, test other pairings, such as moisturizers or SPF products, by changing the category filter.
Step 4: Optimize your campaigns
After the campaign has run long enough to collect data, use Smart Recommender Analytics to improve it:
Engagement funnel: Review product impressions, click-through rate, add-to-cart rate, and conversion rate to see where shoppers drop off.
Campaign and variant performance: Compare AOV, Conversion Rate, and Direct Revenue in the Campaign and Variant Metrics table, then refine or scale the winning variant.
Product-level impact: Open Top 100 Product Analytics to see which recommended products perform best. Give extra visibility to strategic products that perform below expectations.
Category trends: Use Category Analytics to find the categories that drive the most conversions, and decide whether to prioritize them or promote weaker ones.
Use cases by page type
Home page
New arrivals for you
Show returning shoppers new products that match their preferences, such as new serums for frequent skincare browsers.
Create a strategy with the New Arrivals algorithm.
Turn on the Enhance recommendations based on Attribute Affinity toggle. This personalizes by attributes such as skin type, tone, or concern.
Target returning users on the Segments step so shoppers with known affinities see the widget.
Tip: A/B test the widget at the top versus the bottom of the page.
Starter routines for beginners
Help new shoppers start a routine with beginner kits, such as cleanser, moisturizer, and SPF.
Create a strategy with the Top Sellers algorithm.
Add the filter Category + is + Starter Kits.
Target new users on the Segments step.
Note: To recommend the rest of a kit, create a custom attribute called Kit ID on the Product Attributes page. Give every item in a kit the same value (for example, Oily Skin Routine 02), then filter on Kit ID.
Tip: A/B test different starter kits to find the one that converts best.
Recently viewed items
Remind returning shoppers of the products they explored earlier, such as a serum they almost added to the cart.
Create a strategy with the Recently Viewed algorithm.
Exclude products the user already purchased.
Target returning users on the Segments step.
Note: Recently Viewed and User Based rely on each user's past behavior. Target returning users so these widgets always have data to show.
Tip: A/B test Recently Viewed against User Based to see which converts more returning visitors.
Product detail page
Picks based on recent browsing
Show each shopper products that match their most recent interactions, such as brushes after they view a foundation.
Create a strategy with the User Engagement algorithm.
Exclude recently purchased products.
Tip: Try widget titles such as "Picked for You" or "Based on Your Browsing."
More for this routine or concern
Show more products from the same routine step or for the same skin concern.
Create a strategy with the Trending Products algorithm.
Add two filters: Routine Step + matches the item they're currently viewing, and Skin Concern + matches the item they're currently viewing.
Connect the filters with an OR connector to widen the results.
If you need these attributes, create Routine Step and Skin Concern on the Product Attributes page.
Tip: Use dynamic titles such as "More for Your Acne Care Routine."
Category page
Beauty deals in this category
Show price-conscious shoppers the most discounted items in the category they are browsing.
Create a strategy with the Highest Discounted algorithm.
Add the filter Category + matches + the category they're currently viewing.
Leave Attribute Affinity off.
Tip: Add discount labels such as "25% Off" and A/B test the widget at the top versus the bottom of the page.
Trending in this category
Show what is trending in the category the shopper is browsing, such as serums or lipsticks.
Create a strategy with the Trending Products algorithm.
Add the filter Category + contains + the category they're currently viewing.
If your categories are hierarchical, select the Expand the category filter to include recommendations from the next category if there aren't enough products to display checkbox, so the widget still fills when the current category has few products.
Turn on the Enhance recommendations based on Attribute Affinity toggle.
Tip: A/B test headlines such as "Trending Right Now" and "Bestsellers in Skincare."
Cart page
Complete the routine
Suggest practical add-ons, such as a setting spray with foundation or an eye cream with a serum.
Create a strategy with the Most Popular algorithm.
Add the filter Category + is one of + Brushes, Tools, Accessories, Minis.
Leave Attribute Affinity off.
Tip: A/B test copy such as "Finish Your Routine" and "Do Not Forget These Essentials."
Reach free shipping
Show products that help shoppers reach your free shipping threshold.
Create a strategy with the Checkout Recommendation algorithm and set the spend threshold (for example, 75 USD).
No filters are required. Attribute Affinity is optional.
Tip: Use copy such as "You are 10 USD away from free shipping." If you do not offer free shipping, use Purchased Together instead.