Easy and clean using custom basket fields. Create a widget with 2 pseudo functions- PROD and GLOBAL FOOTER

PROD Section

This part runs at the bottom of the product PROD page.

<mvt:comment>
#
# RECENTLY VIEWED PRODUCTS: no duplicates, shifts array for each new one.
#
# Set l.number_of_products to however many you want to show.
#
</mvt:comment>

<mvt:assign name="l.number_of_products" value="4" />

<mvt:item name="customfields" param="Read_Basket( 'last_viewed', l.settings:last_viewed_products )" />
<mvt:assign name="l.settings:last_viewed_products" value="miva_array_deserialize(l.settings:last_viewed_products)" />
<mvt:assign name="l.found" value="miva_array_find( g.product_code, l.settings:last_viewed_products, 0)" />

<mvt:if expr="NOT l.found">
	<mvt:if expr="miva_array_elements(l.settings:last_viewed_products) EQ 4">	
		<mvt:assign name="l.ok" value="miva_array_shift( l.settings:last_viewed_products )" />
	</mvt:if>
	<mvt:assign name="l.ok" value="miva_array_insert(l.settings:last_viewed_products,g.product_code,-1)" />
	<mvt:assign name="l.settings:last_viewed_products" value="miva_array_serialize(l.settings:last_viewed_products)" />
	<mvt:item name="customfields" param="Write_Basket( 'last_viewed', l.settings:last_viewed_products )" />
</mvt:if>

Global Footer - recent product display with images

This part runs in the global footer. Use l.settings:page:code conditions to set which pages it is on or not on.

<mvt:comment>
#
# RECENTLY VIEWED PRODUCTS 2023 SCOT using custom basket fields
#
# u-grids-4 below sets it to auto show 4 before a new line of 4.
#
</mvt:comment>

<mvt:if expr="NOT l.settings:in_checkout">

<mvt:item name="customfields" param="Read_Basket( 'last_viewed', l.settings:last_viewed_products )" />
<mvt:assign name="l.settings:last_viewed_products" value="miva_array_deserialize(l.settings:last_viewed_products)" />

<mvt:if expr="miva_array_elements(l.settings:last_viewed_products) GT 0"> 
	 <section>
	 <h4>Recently Viewed Products</h4>

	 <div class="o-layout u-grids-4">

	<mvt:foreach iterator="last_viewed" array="last_viewed_products">
		<mvt:item name="scotstools" param="product_load_code(l.settings:last_viewed)" />
		   <div class="o-layout__item">
				   <a href="&mvt:scotstools_product:url;">
					   <mvt:if expr="NOT ISNULL l.settings:scotstools_product:thumbnail">
					  <img src="&mvt:scotstools_product:thumbnail;">
					   <mvt:else>
					 <img src="../2011_SSL/graphics/en-US/admin/blank.gif">
					   </mvt:if>
					   <h4 class="product-name">&mvt:scotstools_product:name;</h4>
					   <h6 class="product-price">&mvt:scotstools_product:formatted_price;</h6>
					</a>
		   </div>  
	</mvt:foreach>

	 </div>
	 </section>
</mvt:if>

</mvt:if>