Shopify doesn't have a native wishlist feature - it's one of the gaps in the platform's default functionality. Adding one requires an app, but the revenue impact from the email triggers it enables makes it worth considering for stores where customers research purchases over multiple sessions.
Who benefits most from a wishlist
Wishlists add most value when:
- Your products are considered purchases where customers browse, compare, and return to buy (home decor, fashion, jewellery, electronics)
- You have new stock arrivals or seasonal collections where customers want to track specific items
- Gifting is a significant purchase occasion - customers sharing wishlists with family before birthdays or Christmas
- You run sales and want to notify customers when wishlisted items are discounted
For stores selling consumable replenishment products where customers add to cart and buy immediately, a wishlist adds less value.
Wishlist apps for Shopify
Wishlist Hero (free to £9.99/month) is the most widely used wishlist app. Adds a heart icon to product pages and collection pages. Customers can save products without creating an account (using browser local storage) or with an account (synced to their profile). Includes basic email reminders when wishlisted items go on sale.
Swym Wishlist Plus (from $14.99/month) is the more feature-rich option. Better email automation (back-in-stock notifications, price drop alerts, wishlist reminder emails), shareable wishlists, and stronger Klaviyo integration for wish-based email flows. Worth the upgrade if email triggers from wishlist data are central to your marketing strategy.
AddToCart Wishlist (free plan available) is a lighter option for stores that want the basic save functionality without email marketing integration.
The email triggers that make wishlists valuable
The wishlist as a feature is nice. The wishlist as an email trigger is where the revenue comes from.
Price drop alert. When a wishlisted product goes on sale or has its price reduced, send an email: "[Product] you saved is now £X - was £Y." This email targets customers who expressed specific intent for that product and converts at a high rate because the motivating factor (price) just changed.
Low stock alert. "Only 3 left of [product] you saved." Scarcity on a product the customer has already said they want is one of the most effective purchase motivators.
Back in stock notification. When a wishlisted product that went out of stock comes back, notify the customer immediately. This recovers sales from customers who were blocked by availability.
Wishlist reminder. A periodic (monthly or quarterly) email reminding customers what's in their wishlist. Simple, but effective for customers who saved items, got distracted, and forgot about them.
All of these triggers require either the wishlist app's built-in email features or integration with your email marketing platform (Klaviyo supports wishlist events from Swym and some other apps).
Shareable wishlists for gifting
For stores where gifting is significant (home decor, jewellery, fashion, lifestyle products), the ability for a customer to share their wishlist with a partner, family member, or friend is a meaningful feature. They save the products they want; the gift-giver buys from the list.
Apps: Swym Wishlist Plus and Wishlist King both support shareable wishlists. The shared wishlist generates a URL the customer can send via message or email.
Surface this feature during gift-giving seasons: "Create your wishlist and share it before [Christmas / your birthday / Mother's Day]" is a campaign angle that drives wishlist creation from customers who wouldn't think to use it otherwise.
