Recommend-based groups

How to inject items from an Algolia Recommend model as a Smart Group inside organic results.

Recommend-based groups let you populate a Smart Group with items from an Algolia Recommend model, such as trending items for a category page or collection. You define which model to query and Algolia injects its top recommendations at the position you specify in your .

Before you begin

• Review the Composition API prerequisites.
• The in the Recommend source needs a trained Recommend model. For data and event requirements, see Recommend models.

Supported Recommend models

Recommend-based groups support only the Trending items model. Frequently bought together, Related items, Related content, and Looking similar aren’t supported.

Configure a Recommend-based group

Configure Recommend-based groups with the Update and insert Composition API endpoint.

In the injectedItems array, each entry uses a source.recommend object to reference a Recommend model:

JSON

{
  "name": "Product results - United States",
  "objectID": "products-us",
  "behavior": {
    "injection": {
      "main": {
        "source": {
          "search": {
            "index": "products"
          }
        }
      },
      "injectedItems": [
        {
          "key": "trending-products",
          "source": {
            "recommend": {
              "indexName": "products",
              "model": "trending-items",
              "threshold": 60,
              "queryParameters": {
                "facetFilters": ["category:Footwear"]
              },
              "fallbackParameters": {
                "facetFilters": ["category:Footwear"]
              }
            }
          },
          "position": 0,
          "length": 4
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Use Recommend as the source for main feed results

You can also use a Recommend model as the source for the main organic results, not only for an injected group. Set injection.main.source.recommend instead of injection.main.source.search:

JSON

{
  "behavior": {
    "injection": {
      "main": {
        "source": {
          "recommend": {
            "indexName": "products",
            "model": "trending-items",
            "threshold": 60
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

The Recommend source accepts the same fields as an injected group. Use this pattern when you want the full results page to come from Recommend, for example, on a “Trending now” page.

Behavior details

Recommend-based groups behave like search-based groups for filtering, ranking, and deduplication:

• Filters. Use queryParameters and fallbackParameters to constrain the items returned by the model, for example by category or stock status.
• Deduplication. Algolia deduplicates items between organic results and injected groups using the configured strategy. See Choose how to deduplicate results.
• Composition rules and index rules. Composition rules apply on top of index rules.

See also

• Composition REST API reference
• Set up the Trending Items model
• Learn about external source groups