Books and publishing is a content-rich vertical where preferences depend on genre, favorite authors, reading history, and mood. Reviews, recommendations, and past favorites strongly influence what readers buy next.
This article shows how to use Smart Recommender in Insider One to support discovery and series reading. It includes an A/B test walkthrough comparing genre and author recommendations, and strategies for each page type.
Before you start: Make sure your product catalog includes the attributes this article filters on, such as Genre, Author, Series Name, and Publication Year. Create missing custom attributes on the Product Attributes page and mark them as filterable.
What you can achieve with Smart Recommender
Genre-based discovery
Recommend books in the same genre, theme, or author style on product and category pages.
Trending titles
Highlight books gaining popularity this week to create urgency.
Recommendations from reading history
Use declared interests or behavior, for example, recommending cozy mysteries to a frequent detective fiction browser.
Re-engagement with new releases
Show lapsed readers new releases from authors or genres they explored before.
Series completion and bundles
Recommend the next book in a series or companion titles on the cart page to raise average order value (AOV).
A/B testing
Test algorithms, layout, and messaging, such as "Bestsellers in Fantasy" versus "New Releases You Might Like."
Walkthrough: Recommend bestsellers by genre or by author
Readers often discover new books through what is popular in a genre they enjoy or from an author they already trust. This walkthrough finds out which of the two leads to more conversions.
It tests two strategies on book product detail pages:
Variant A: Recommend top-selling books in the same genre.
Variant B: Recommend top-selling books by the same author.
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 Top Sellers as the algorithm.
Enter the number of products to recommend.
Exclude products purchased in the last four weeks.
Add the filter Genre + matches the item they're currently viewing.
If you do not have Genre and Author attributes, create them on the Product Attributes page and assign values to every product.
Create the second strategy with the same settings and change only the filter:
Author + matches the item they're currently viewing.
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, target all visitors, or returning users if you want to measure repeat readers.
On the Rules step, use Page Rules to target book product detail pages that have both Author and Genre values.
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 Conversion Rate, Direct Revenue, and Average Order Value (AOV) for the two variants. This shows whether genre or author recommendations convert more readers.
If one variant clearly wins, set its traffic allocation to 100% so every visitor sees the better strategy.
After you find a winner, test series-based recommendations or box sets against it.
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 releases for you
Show returning readers new titles in their favorite genres or by authors they like.
Create a strategy with the New Arrivals algorithm.
Turn on the Enhance recommendations based on Attribute Affinity toggle. This personalizes by author, genre, or series.
Target returning users on the Segments step.
Tip: A/B test the widget at the top versus the middle of the homepage.
Starter picks for new readers
Welcome new visitors with proven titles, such as the first book in a popular trilogy.
Create a strategy with the Top Sellers algorithm.
Target new users on the Segments step.
Tip: A/B test genre-specific picks against universal classics.
Recently viewed books
Remind returning readers of books they viewed earlier.
Create a strategy with the Recently Viewed algorithm.
Exclude books 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.
Product detail page
Picks based on recent browsing
Show each reader titles that match their most recent interactions.
Create a strategy with the User Engagement algorithm.
Exclude books the user already purchased.
Tip: Try widget titles such as "Picked for You" or "Based on Your Browsing."
More from this author or genre
Recommend other popular books by the same author or in the same genre.
Create a strategy with the Trending Products algorithm.
Add two filters: Author + matches the item they're currently viewing, and Genre + matches the item they're currently viewing. Connect them with an OR connector.
Tip: Use dynamic titles such as "More from [Author]" or "More in Historical Fiction." Narrower genre values (for example, "high fantasy") give sharper results.
Category page
Bestsellers in this genre
Show the best-selling books in the genre the reader is browsing.
Create a strategy with the Top Sellers 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: Test titles such as "Must-Reads in Sci-Fi" and "Bestsellers in This Genre."
Book deals in this genre
Help budget-conscious readers find the best deals in the genre 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 badges such as "30% Off" and A/B test the widget at the top versus the bottom of the page.
Cart page
Complete the series
Recommend the next book in a series or a companion title for books already in the cart.
Create a strategy with the Most Popular algorithm.
Add the filter Series Name + matches the items currently in their cart.
Leave Attribute Affinity off.
Tip: A/B test this widget against an accessories widget (bookmarks, reading lights) to see which raises AOV more.
Reach free shipping
Suggest popular, lower-priced books that help readers reach your free shipping threshold.
Create a strategy with the Checkout Recommendation algorithm and set the spend threshold (for example, 50 USD).
Filters are optional. You can limit results to books under a certain price.
Tip: Use copy such as "You are 6 USD away from free shipping." If you do not offer free shipping, use Purchased Together instead.