How to show different widgets to different shoppers with a Smart spot
Use one place on your page to show each shopper the widget that fits them, with a widget for everyone else.
A Smart spot is one place on your page that shows each shopper the right widget: a countdown for shoppers with a discount code, testimonials for everyone else.
TL;DR
Go to Store Widgets, click Create Widget, then Set up a Smart spot. Pick a ready-made setup or Start from scratch. Each row says which shoppers see which widget, and the last row is what everyone else sees. Click Publish, then add the Nudgesmart widget block in the theme editor and choose your Smart spot in its Widget setting.
How it works
Shoppers see the first row that fits them. Rows are checked from the top, so put your most specific shoppers first and keep Everyone else at the bottom.
For example:
- Shoppers with a discount code see a Countdown timer.
- Shoppers who have visited before see Testimonials.
- Everyone else sees Trust badges.
A shopper with a code sees only the countdown, never all three.
Step 1 · Pick a ready-made setup
In Nudgesmart, open Store Widgets and click Create Widget. Click Set up a Smart spot.
Ready-made setups page with goal filters and setup cards
Screenshot coming soon
Each card shows who sees what in plain words. Some examples:
- Discount code claimed. Shoppers with a code see how long it lasts. Everyone else sees your testimonials.
- Free-shipping goal. Shoppers under your free-shipping amount see a free shipping bar. Everyone else sees trust badges.
- New vs returning. Returning visitors see testimonials. First-time visitors see trust badges.
- From Instagram or TikTok. Social shoppers see shoppable videos.
Click Preview on a card to see what each group of shoppers would see. When it looks right, click Use this. If a setup needs one answer, such as your free-shipping amount, it asks for it on the card: fill it in and click Create. Or click Start from scratch to build your own.
The widgets in a setup are created when you first save your Smart spot, as drafts with sample text. If you leave without saving and choose Discard changes, nothing is created. You can edit or replace each widget.
Step 2 · Choose who sees what
In the Who sees what tab, set each row: who it's for, and which widget they see.
Smart spot editor with numbered rows and the Everyone else row
Screenshot coming soon
- Who. A new row says Choose who. Pick from the same ready-made audiences your popups use, a saved audience, or Show this row to everyone. For your own conditions, click Open the full rule builder.
- Widget. Pick one of your widgets, or choose + New and a widget type. The new widget is created when you save.
- Order. Use the up and down arrows. The first row that fits wins.
- Everyone else. Pick the widget shoppers see when no row above fits them. If you choose Nothing, those shoppers see nothing in this spot.
- Edit content saves your Smart spot, then opens that row's widget so you can change its text or items. Click Back to and your spot's name to return.
Use Preview as in the middle to see what each group of shoppers will see.
Step 3 · Publish and add it to your store
Click Publish. If a widget in your spot is still a draft or shows sample text, Nudgesmart lists it so you can Edit first or Make it live.
Then place the spot with the theme editor:
- In Shopify, go to Online Store → Themes → Customize.
- Open the page you want, such as a product page.
- Click Add block, then Apps, and pick Nudgesmart widget.
- Choose your Smart spot in the block's Widget setting.
- Click Save.
You can also click Add to store in Nudgesmart to open the theme editor on the right page. Nothing changes on your store until you place the block and press Save.
Why am I seeing a different widget?
- Each page view checks again. Who fits a row is decided on every page, the same way popups are. A shopper who claims a code on one page sees the countdown on the next one.
- No sudden jumps. If a shopper starts to fit a higher row while they're looking at the spot, the new widget waits. It appears when the spot is out of view, while a popup is open, or on the next page.
- When a row stops fitting, the next one shows. When a discount code expires, the shopper moves straight to the next row that fits, such as Everyone else.
- A widget with its own audience must match both. If a row's widget also has its own Who sees it setting, shoppers must fit the row and the widget. The row tells you when this happens.
- In the theme editor, you see every row. Each one is labelled "Shown to: …" so you can check them all. Your shoppers only ever see one.
Tips
- A Smart spot doesn't count toward your live widget limit. The widgets inside it do.
- Check the pages. Some widgets only work on certain pages, such as product pages. Nudgesmart warns you on the row when that's the case.
- Don't place the same widget twice. If a widget is in a Smart spot and also placed on the page as its own block, shoppers may see it twice. Remove the extra block in the theme editor.
- Smart spots need Online Store 2.0. Like every store widget, they work in any current Shopify theme.
Common pitfalls
- Some shoppers see nothing. No row fits them and Everyone else is set to Nothing. Pick a widget for Everyone else.
- A row never shows. A row above it already fits everyone. Move it up, or narrow the row above.
- I can't publish. Pick a widget for at least one row, choose who sees every row that has a widget, and replace any widget that was deleted. Nudgesmart shows which row to fix.
What to read next
How to add a Nudgesmart widget to your store
Publish a widget, place it with the Shopify theme editor, pick it in the Widget setting, and show different widgets on different products.
How to create an FAQ widget
Build a list of questions and answers, style it to match your theme, publish it, and add it to your home, product, collection or other pages.