Featured Products Guide for Online Stores (+ Examples)

You’ve got great products, but how do you make sure they don’t get lost in the crowd? That’s where featured products come in.

Think of them as the stars of your store, front and center, ready to catch your customers’ attention the moment they land on your site.

By highlighting key products—like your bestsellers, popular items, or a new products list—you can guide shoppers straight to the items they’re most likely to buy.

This means more visibility, better customer engagement, and (let’s be real) a nice boost in sales.

But how do you know which featured items to promote? And what’s the best way to display them?

I’ll break it all down for you, with actionable tips you can use to get those products in front of the right eyes.

Let’s get started.

What Are Featured Products? 

Featured products are the key items you want to highlight in your online store.

They could be popular products from your best products list, new arrivals, or even limited-time offers—basically, any featured item you want your customers to notice first.

These products are placed in high-visibility spots, like your homepage or special sections, so shoppers don’t have to hunt for them.

The featured products meaning boils down to this: guiding your customers’ attention to the items most likely to drive sales or meet your business goals.

Why You Should Feature Products and Popular Items in Your Store

Featuring products isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about offering your customers a smooth shopping experience that leads them directly to your most popular products.

Here’s why it works:

• Boosts Visibility: Featured products get prime real estate on your site, like the homepage or a dedicated product features list. That means more clicks and, ultimately, more sales.
• Highlights New or Seasonal Items: Featuring popular new products or seasonal featured items ensures they grab attention at the right time. For example, a new product list for summer essentials keeps your store fresh and relevant.
• Promotes Bestsellers and Popular Products: Your most popular products are crowd-pleasers for a reason. Featuring them keeps that momentum going, helping you capitalize on their success by guiding more customers to these proven hits.
• Enhances the Shopping Experience: Featuring items helps customers discover what’s trending or important, saving them from having to search through your entire best products list.

When done right, featuring popular products can boost visibility, increase conversions, and improve overall store performance.

How to Choose Products for Your Featured Collection

Not every product makes the cut for your featured products list, so how do you decide which ones deserve the spotlight?

Here’s how to select featured items that align with your store’s goals and your customers’ needs:

1. Best Sellers: Start with your most popular products. These are already proven winners, so featuring them can only increase their appeal. Customers trust popular products, and seeing them as featured items will draw even more interest.
2. New Arrivals: Have something fresh? Add it to your new products list. Featuring new arrivals helps introduce them to customers right away, generating excitement.
3. Seasonal or Trending Items: Keep your store relevant by featuring seasonal products or popular new products based on current trends. A new product list for holiday specials, for example, can boost impulse buys.
4. High-Margin Products: Want to increase profitability? Feature products with higher margins. Adding these to your featured products list means more value from each sale.
5. Customer Favorites: Products with glowing reviews should make it to your featured item list. Customers often trust the opinions of others, so featuring highly-rated items can build trust and boost sales.
6. Personalized Picks: Offer a personalized featured collection for returning shoppers by featuring products based on their browsing or purchase history.

Best Practices for Showcasing Featured Products and Items

Featuring the right products is just the start. Here are some best practices to get the most out of your featured products:

1. Strategic Placement: Your homepage is prime real estate, so place your featured products there, but also make sure they appear on category pages and even product detail pages. This is especially useful for cross-selling opportunities with your product features list.
2. Use High-Quality Images: The way your featured items look can make or break their appeal. Invest in high-quality photos that showcase your products in the best light.
3. Display Prices and Discounts Clearly: Make sure the pricing for your featured products is front and center. Highlight discounts and special offers, especially for your popular items or best products list, to drive purchases.
4. Offer Bundles: Combine featured items that complement each other. For example, a product bundle deal from your most popular products could increase perceived value and drive up average order value.
5. Leverage Popups and Banners: Use popups and banners sparingly to showcase popular new products or deals without overwhelming your visitors.
6. Rotate Your Featured Products Regularly: Keep your store fresh by rotating your featured products list. Monthly updates prevent your store from feeling stale and keep your customers excited about what’s new.

Real-World Examples of Featured Product Success

Sometimes it helps to see how others are doing it right. Here are some real-world examples of brands using featured products to boost visibility and drive sales:

Target: Price-Reduced Bestsellers

Target highlights popular items with new, lower prices on its homepage, making it easy for shoppers to spot deals.

By featuring grocery bestsellers like snacks and essentials, they drive sales by tapping into the power of featured products combined with discounts.

The clear “Add to cart” buttons create a seamless shopping experience, encouraging impulse buys.

Nordstrom: Personalized Recommendations

Nordstrom takes personalization to the next level by offering a “Top Picks for You” section.

They feature popular items based on individual customer behavior, such as previous browsing history or purchases.

This personalized approach ensures that shoppers are presented with featured items they’re more likely to purchase, making the experience tailored and engaging.

Petsmart: Holiday Must-Haves

Petsmart does a fantastic job of highlighting seasonal featured products for pet lovers.

Their “Wicked fun must-haves” Halloween collection features themed toys, treats, and apparel at various price points.

By creating an entire section for holiday must-haves, Petsmart taps into the excitement of the season, encouraging customers to make timely purchases for their pets.

Highlight Your Featured Products in Your Store

Featuring the right products in your store is key to boosting sales, improving visibility, and keeping customers engaged.

Whether it’s your best products list, new arrivals, or customer favorites, showcasing these items front and center helps guide shoppers to what they’ll love.

Knowing how to highlight your featured products can make all the difference in driving conversions.

So, how do you make it work for your own store? It’s all about choosing the right products and placing them where they’ll have the biggest impact.

Start with your most popular products or items from your new products list—things that already get a lot of attention.

Make sure they’re featured in high-traffic spots like your homepage or top category pages, and don’t forget to show them off with clear pricing and high-quality images that make them irresistible.

And, of course, keep things fresh! Regularly updating your featured products list will keep your store exciting for returning customers.

If you’re ready to take it a step further, Doofinder’s Smart Recommendation Carousels can help.

They’re a super easy way to feature your products in the right places, ensuring they get noticed.

Plus, these carousels personalize the experience for your customers, making it more likely they’ll find exactly what they’re looking for—and hit “add to cart.”

So, start featuring those must-have products, and let Doofinder’s Smart Recommendations drive your sales!