Recently Viewed Products

Installation - Admin

• Purchase and download the plugin from the Shopware Store or obtain it from your

developer

• Upload the plugin via your Shopware Administration panel:

• Navigate to Extensions > My Extensions

• Click on the Upload extension

• Select the downloaded ZIP file

• Install and activate the plugin
• Refresh your administration view
• Configure plugin settings in Extensions > My Extensions > Recently Viewed Products

Installation - Manual via Composer and Command Line

1. This module is intended to be installed using Composer:

                                [ composer require digipercep/recently-viewed-products ]

1. After composer installation, run the following commands from your root Shopware installation directory:

                                      ./bin/console plugin:refresh

                                      ./bin/console plugin:install --activate DigiPercepRecentlyViewedProducts

1. For storefront changes:

./bin/build-storefront.sh

1. For administration changes:

                                      ./bin/build-administration.sh

1. For theme compilation:

                                      ./bin/console theme:compile

1. Clear cache:

                                      ./bin/console cache:clear

1. Verify Installation:

Go to your Shopware Admin > Settings > System > Plugins, and you should see "Recently Viewed Products" listed and active

Frontend Display Features

Product Detail Page Integration

The recently viewed products section is strategically positioned on product detail pages for maximum visibility and utility:

• Strategic Placement: The slider appears below the product description and review sections, ensuring customers see it after viewing primary product information

• Responsive Layout: Automatically adjusts the number of products shown per row based on device type

• Smart Filtering: The currently viewed product is automatically excluded from the slider to avoid showing redundant information

• Visual Product Cards: Each product displays:

• High-quality thumbnail image

• Product title

• Product description (if enabled)

• Price information (if enabled)

• Add to cart button (if enabled)

• View details button (if enabled)

Slider Functionality

The product slider provides intuitive navigation and a smooth user experience:

• Navigation Controls: Left and right arrow buttons (if enabled) allow customers to browse through the product list manually

• Pagination Indicators: Visual dots (if enabled) show the current position within the slider and the total number of slides

• Auto-play Feature: When enabled, the slider automatically advances through products with smooth transitions

• Touch/Swipe Support: Mobile users can swipe left or right to navigate through products naturally

• Smooth Transitions: Product slides transition smoothly with professional animations

• Lazy Loading: Products load efficiently to maintain optimal page performance

Automatic Product View Tracking

The plugin uses an intelligent, dual-approach system to track product views without requiring any manual input from store owners or customers:

• For Logged-in Customers:

  • When a registered customer views a product detail page, the plugin automatically records this view in the database

  • Product views are associated with the customer account in a customer table

  • This ensures persistent tracking across all devices where the customer logs in

  • The database maintains the configured maximum number of products (default: 50)

  • Older product views are automatically removed when the limit is reached

• For Guest Users:

  • Product views are tracked using secure, HttpOnly cookies

  • Cookies are set with SameSite protection to enhance security and privacy

  • The cookie lifetime is configurable in the admin panel (default: 30 days)

  • Guest history is maintained locally in the browser

  • When a guest creates an account, their viewing history can be preserved

Display and Rendering

When a customer views a product detail page, the plugin:

1. Retrieves the customer's recently viewed products from the appropriate storage (database or cookie)

1. Filters out the currently viewed product to avoid redundancy

2. Loads product information, including images, prices, and descriptions

3. Renders the slider with configured settings and display options

4. Applies responsive layout adjustments based on device type. Initializes slider functionality with navigation and auto-play if enabled

Plugin Configuration

The plugin provides comprehensive configuration options in the Shopware Administration to customize the behavior and appearance of the recently viewed products feature:

• Navigate to Extensions → My Extensions

• Find "Recently Viewed Products" and click on "Configure"

General Settings

Control the core functionality and localization of the recently viewed products section:

• Enable Recently Viewed Products: Master toggle to enable or disable the entire functionality

• Title (English): Customize the section heading displayed to English-speaking customers (default: "Recently Viewed Products")

• Title (German): Customize the section heading for German language customers (default: "Zuletzt angesehene Produkte")

Display Settings

Configure how many products are shown and stored in the tracking system:

• Max Products to Display: Set the number of products shown in the slider (default: 7). This controls how many products appear in the visible slider on product detail pages

• Max Products to Store: Define the storage limit for tracked products (default: 50). This determines the maximum number of products kept in the user's viewing history

• Exclude Current Product: When enabled, the currently viewed product will not appear in the recently viewed products slider. This prevents redundant display and improves user experience

Slider Settings

Customize the slider's navigation and interaction features:

• Show Navigation Arrows: Display left/right arrow buttons for manual slider navigation. Arrows appear on both sides of the slider for easy browsing

• Show Pagination Dots: Show dot indicators at the bottom of the slider representing each page of products. The active page is highlighted for better visual feedback

• Enable Auto-play: Automatically cycle through products at regular intervals without user interaction. Creates an engaging, dynamic product showcase

Storage Settings

Manage how product viewing data is stored and retained:

• Cookie Lifetime (days): Set the duration (in days) that recently viewed product data is stored in the customer's browser (default: 30 days). After this period, the viewing history will be automatically cleared

Product Display Options

Control which product information and actions are displayed in the slider:

• Show Product Prices: Display product prices, including tax information and shipping cost links

• Show Product Descriptions: Show product descriptions to provide customers with additional context about each item

• Show Add to Cart Button: Enable the "Add to Cart" button directly in the slider for quick purchases without navigating to the product page

• Show Details Button: Display the "Details" button that links customers to the full product detail page for more information

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Recently Viewed Products Section Not Appearing:

1. Verify the plugin is active in Extensions → My Extensions

2. Check that "Enable Recently Viewed Products" is turned on in plugin configuration

3. Ensure the customer has actually viewed other products (the section won't appear if there's no viewing history)

4. Verify you're viewing a product detail page (the slider only appears on product pages)

5. Clear cache using ./bin/console cache:clear

6. Check the browser console for JavaScript errors that might prevent slider initialization

Slider Not Showing All Expected Products:

1. Check the "Max Products to Display" setting - it may be set lower than expected

2. Remember, the currently viewed product is automatically excluded from the slider

3. For guest users, check if cookies are enabled in the browser

4. For logged-in users, verify that the database connection is working properly

5. Check if products have been deleted or made inactive since being viewed

Guest User History Not Persisting:

1. Verify cookies are enabled in the browser

2. Check browser privacy settings (some strict privacy modes block cookies)

3. Ensure the "Cookie Lifetime" is set appropriately in Storage Settings

4. Check if the user is clearing cookies or using incognito/private browsing mode

5. Verify the website is not on a browser's cookie blocklist

Support

For technical support, feature requests, or general inquiries about the Bundle Products plugin, please get in touch with us at:

Email: shopware@perceptiond.com 

Website: https://perceptiond.com 

Our support team is available to help you maximize the potential of your bundle offerings and ensure optimal performance of the plugin within your Shopware 6 environment.