What is an upsell?

Upselling is a sales strategy used to encourage customers to purchase an upgraded version of an item they are already considering buying or additional items that complement their original purchase.

What are some examples of e-commerce upsells?

Examples of commonly-used upselling strategies for e-commerce brands include:

  • Suggesting upgrades or add-ons to items on their website, such as higher capacity storage for a laptop.
  • Offering complimentary gifts with purchase, such as free shipping and discounts when a minimum purchase amount is reached.
  • Bundling related products together to offer customers more value for their money.
  • e-tailers adding a post-checkout option to include an additional product in a customer’s order for a reduced price.

Upsell vs cross-sell — what’s the difference?

Upselling is when a business encourages customers to make a higher-priced purchase than the one they had originally considered.

Cross-selling, on the other hand, is when a business suggests alternative items or services to those that the customer has already selected.

For example, in an online store, upsells might be offering customers a more expensive, higher-specification version of the item they are about to purchase, while cross-sells might be suggesting related items such as accessories or alternatives.

Five upselling techniques to increase AOV

Drive revenue and customer average order value with these upselling techniques:

  1. Create product bundles:

    Bundling related products together and offering them at a discounted price can drive higher-value sales.
  2. Offer upsells at checkout:

    Showing customers more premium, higher-priced items or upgrades right before they check out can be effective in boosting order value.
  3. Introduce limited-time offers:

    Offering a discount on high-value upsells for a limited time can entice customers to take advantage and place an order.
  4. Personalize offers:

    Creating personalized offers based on customer preferences or past purchases can make customers more likely to upgrade their orders.
  5. Utilize upselling prompts:

    Providing clear upsell prompts during the purchase process, such as “add-on” or “you may also like”, is an effective way to increase order value without detracting from the customer experience.

Upselling with Emarsys

Emarsys helps leading brands like PUMA, Adore Beauty and Nike to connect their sales, product, and customer data, and launch personalized upsell campaigns to target audiences that increase Average Order Value.

Deliver the predictable, profitable outcomes that your business demands.

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