⏳ Duration: about 10 minutes, plus the first data sync, which runs in the background and can take up to 24h
🤖 Complexity: low
📌 Prerequisites
An Aqurate account at app.aqurate.ai
The aqurate-connect.zip file, which you can download here
Administrator access to your store's WordPress
WordPress 5.8 or later, PHP 7.4 or later and an active WooCommerce 6.0 or later
1. Setup and connection
You do this part once. Everything Aqurate runs on your store depends on the connection and the data synced here.
Install the plugin
In WordPress, go to Plugins > Add Plugin > Upload Plugin.
Select the aqurate-connect.zip file and click Install Now.
Click Activate Plugin.
A new Aqurate menu appears in the WordPress sidebar, with three pages: Integration, Personalize and Search.
Create the API key in Aqurate
Sign in/up at app.aqurate.ai and then select option 3 - Create an API key
Click on Generate API Key and select WooCommerce from the Presets dropdown menu.
Click on the green button Generate API Key and then on Copy Key
❗️The key is shown only once. If you lose it, revoke it and create a new one.
Connect the store
In WordPress, go to Aqurate > Integration.
On the Connection card, paste the key into the API key field.
Click Save settings and then on Test connection.
If everything is correct, the message Connected to Aqurate will be displayed in the box underneath the two buttons.
After saving, the field shows dots and the last four characters of the key. This is normal: the key is stored. If you save again without changing the field, the key stays as it is.
👉 After adding the API Key in WooCommerce, go back to your Aqurate account and click on the green button I've installed the Aqurate plugin in my shop.
The Aqurate Pixel
There is nothing to do here. The Pixel is installed by default and loads as soon as the key is connected. It records four events: product view, add to cart, completed purchase and click on a recommended product.
This data feeds the recommendations and the performance reports.
You can find it on the Pixel card of the Integration page, with the Enable the Aqurate Pixel toggle switched on.
Run the first data sync
On the Aqurate > Integration page, on the Data sync card:
Check that Enable scheduled data sync is on.
Leave Sync frequency on Daily, unless we agree otherwise. The options are Hourly, Every 6 hours, Every 12 hours and Daily.
Leave Order history lookback at 730 days. That covers two years of orders, which is what the model needs.
Click Save settings, then Sync now.
The sync runs in the background. It sends categories, products and variants, product-to-category mapping, availability, and orders with their line items.
Optional: Also sync customer emails. This sends your customers' email addresses too. You only need it for recommendations inside your emails, and you should turn it on only if your privacy policy covers it. Without it, orders reach Aqurate with an encoded customer reference instead of the email address.
How to check it worked: the Synced data card shows a counter for each data category and the time of the last sync. Below it, you'll find a table with row counts per table and a history of actions.
2. Activate the Search function
For activating our Search functionality, enable it from the integrations page.
✅ Find the CSS selector of each button that should open the search when clicked (e.g. the search icon in your header).
To find it: right-click the button, choose Inspect, and copy the element’s class or ID (e.g. .header-search-icon or #search-button).
You can add several selectors, separated by commas: .header-search-icon, #mobile-search-button, as can be seen in the screenshot below.
Note: Your shop may use different buttons on desktop and mobile, so check both and add a selector for each. If you get stuck, ask your developer, your AI assistant, or contact us and we’ll help.
💡 Use our guide to adjusting the Search page to customize your visitors’ search experience even further.
3. Personalize Recommendations
After finalising the connection and the first data sync, you can display the recommendations widgets live in your shop by following the steps below.
Choose recommendation types and placements
Recommendations go into your store as touchpoints. Each touchpoint combines a recommendation type and a location. We choose them together, based on how your store is structured. You can implement them yourself, or we can do it if we have admin access.
There are four locations:
Product page (after content): below the product content, added automatically.
Cart page: added automatically.
Shop archive: product listings and category pages, added automatically.
Shortcode only: anywhere else, using a shortcode. Use this for the homepage.
Which recommendation type works in which location
Recommendation type | What it shows | Allowed locations |
Alternative products | Related products from the same category as the product being viewed | Product page, shortcode |
You may also like | Related products from all categories | Product page, shortcode |
Frequently bought together | Products bought together, from other categories | Product page, cart, shortcode |
Upsell | Products in the same category, priced at least 10% higher | Product page, shortcode |
Popular in same category | Best sellers in the category of the product being viewed | Product page, shortcode |
Popular now | The store's best sellers | Product page, cart, shop archive, shortcode |
New in store | The store's newest products | Product page, cart, shop archive, shortcode |
Popular in category | Best sellers in the category being viewed | Shop archive, shortcode |
New in category | Newest products in the category being viewed | Shop archive, shortcode |
Recommended for you | Products based on the visitor's browsing and purchase history | Product page, cart, shop archive, shortcode |
Recently viewed | Products the visitor viewed recently | Product page, cart, shop archive, shortcode |
Buy again | Products the visitor bought recently | Product page, cart, shop archive, shortcode |
Product-based types need a product in context, so they run on the product page and on the cart page, where the cart contents provide the context. Category-based types need a category in context, so they run on shop archive and category pages. Shortcodes follow the same rule: place them on a page that supplies the right context. If you pick a combination that's not in the table, the touchpoint shows no recommendations.
Recommended starting point
✅ Product page: Frequently bought together and alternatives or upsell
✅ Cart: Frequently bought together
✅ Category pages: Popular in category
✅ Homepage (via shortcode): Recommended for you and Popular now
Create a touchpoint
Go to Aqurate > Personalize > Touchpoints > Set up touchpoints
Click on New touchpoint
Setting up a touchpoint
Add a title and, optionally, a subtitle (visitors see both), then select the alignment.
2. Select the Type (the recommendation type).
3. Select the Layout (carousel or grid), the number of products and the number of columns on desktop and mobile.
4. Select the Location
Good to know
Products use your own product card template, so they match your store's look automatically.
Each touchpoint has its own shortcode, for example [aqurate_touchpoint id="1"]. Copy it from the list and paste it where you want the recommendations, such as the homepage.
When there are no recommendations to show, the whole section is hidden, titles included. No empty space is left on the page.
Recommendations are cached for 6 hours (the Recommendation cache setting), so a change to a touchpoint can take up to 6 hours to appear in your store.
What happens next
The model trains on your data and refreshes daily. One to two days after the first sync finishes, your recommendations are ready and we can review them together.
You'll find the reports in Aqurate > Personalize: an overview, performance per touchpoint and impact on orders, for the date range you select.