Is that you? Who spends all your energy on attracting new customers and hoping they’d make a one-time purchase? There are a lot of stores out there that are being run like yours.
But remember this spell. Existing customers are gold! Studies show a 6- 7 times higher chance of selling to them than attracting new ones (source: Groove).
Upselling is the key to boosting your average order value (AOV) and keeping your loyal customers. In today’s article, we take you through 15+ practical examples of upselling for your Shopify store, turning those clicks into customer revenue. Are you ready to start?
Upselling: The Gateway to Increased AOV (Average Order Value)
Upselling is more than just a sales technique; it’s a strategic gateway to increasing your Average Order Value (AOV). But what exactly is upselling?
In its simplest form, upselling encourages customers to buy a higher-end product or add-on to enhance the product they’re already interested in. It’s about upgrading their purchase to increase the total sales value.
But why is upselling so crucial for your Shopify store? The answer lies in its direct impact on your AOV. By successfully upselling to your customers, you’re not just selling more; you’re increasing the value of each transaction, leading to a higher AOV. This means more revenue for your store without the need for additional traffic.
However, effective upselling isn’t about pushing the most expensive items. It’s about providing genuine value to your customers, showing them how an upgrade or an additional product can enhance their experience or solve their problems.
When done right, upselling doesn’t just increase your AOV; it also leads to higher customer satisfaction as customers feel they’re getting more value for their money.
In the following sections, we’ll explore practical examples of upselling and strategies to them, transforming it into a powerful tool for boosting your Shopify store’s AOV and overall revenue.
What Is Cross Sell and Upsell? Shopify Guide to Boosting Sales 2024
5 Key Principles of Effective Upselling
When it comes to upselling, it’s not just what you offer, but how and when you offer it. To ensure your upselling efforts resonate with shoppers and drive higher revenues for your Shopify store, follow these fundamental principles:
1. Know Your Customers
Know Your Customers
Peek into their shopping carts! Understanding what they buy helps you suggest upsells that make sense and improve their experience.
👍Pro Tips: Leverage the built-in Analytics and Reports in the Shopify dashboard to understand your customer’s behaviour and tendencies. Use upselling apps to have advanced targeted analytics and AI-powered features.
2. Timing is Key
Don’t scare them off at checkout. Offer upsells after they’ve added something to their cart or during the checkout process itself.
3. Make it Valuable
Upsell items complement the initial purchase, enhancing the overall value and experience for the customer.
4. Keep it Smooth
Upselling should feel like a service rather than a sales pitch. Be suggestive, not aggressive, to foster a positive customer experience.
5. Learn and Adapt
Track what works! See which upsells convert well and use data to keep improving your strategy. This helps you get the most out of upselling.
Adhering to these key principles will lead to a more strategic upselling approach, helping to grow your AOV while maintaining customer satisfaction. Keep it simple, targeted, and customer-centric, and you’ll see the difference in your sales figures.
Now, move to the 15+ best examples of upselling. Let’s see what they have done and why they work!
Master 10+ Upselling Techniques for Shopify Stores
15+ Real-World Examples of Upselling
1. Steve Madden: Membership Program Upselling
The first example we’ll explore is Steve Madden‘s trailblazing upsell with the SM pass program. As an iconic footwear brand, Steve Madden knows how to improve the shopping experience.
Their upsell isn’t just an offer; it’s an invitation to join an exclusive club with the lure of a 20% discount and waived shipping fees on orders over $50.
This savvy move not only boosts AOV but also engages customers in a long-term relationship with the brand. Did you know a whopping 77% of consumers hold onto brands for 10+ years (InMoment, 2018 US Retail CX Trends Report).
With such a compelling membership experience, Steve Madden demonstrates the elegant art of merging immediate value with enduring connection.
This is a strategic step that other retailers can learn from and implement to keep their customers returning for more benefits and make them feel they are being treated differently.
2. Mark and Graham: Personalization Upsell Example
Moving on, let’s take a peek at Mark and Graham. They’re smart at selling more by letting you add your own initials or a few special words to their products for an extra $12.50.
Picture this: you buy a wallet or a bag, and for just a little more money, you can personalize it, making it just for you or a perfect gift for someone else.
This smart move makes customers happy to pay more because it makes their items unique.
For other stores looking to upsell, learn from Mark and Graham’s experience: offer a small custom touch that people love, and they’ll likely open up their wallets a little wider.
3. Good American: Post Purchase Upselling Example
Our next stop is Good American, a company that sells all kinds of clothes, including jeans that fit really well.
They have a cool way of getting people to come back and buy more. After you buy something, they say, “You’re earning store credit some store credit️🎉 — $18.51 to use the next time you shop with us, it’s only good for 3 months.”
This is a smart play. It’s like giving a little gift that makes sure customers remember to return and shop again. It’s great for the shopper because who doesn’t like a little extra money to spend?
And it’s great for Good American because it keeps people coming back. Post-purchase upsells boast a 4% conversion rate, but with the right strategies, you can dramatically improve on that number.
Other shops can learn from this: give your customers a little bonus after they buy, and they’ll likely want to use it, which means they’ll return, and you’ll sell more.
4. Obvi: Upsell at Check Out - Examples of Upselling
The next example is obvi a wellness brand that’s all about health products like vitamins, collagen.
When you’re at the checkout ready to buy, obvi adds a little extra for your peace of mind: shipping insurance for just 98 cents. It’s not expensive, but it gives you the confidence that if anything happens to your order during delivery, it’s covered.
This tiny addition at checkout is barely noticeable in cost but smart in making you feel good about your purchase. Knowing your items are protected makes you more likely to hit the buy button.
It’s a win-win: you get the safety net of insurance, and obvi sees more completed sales because their customers feel taken care of.
Other stores can learn from this: sometimes a small offer that protects the customer can go a long way in making more sales happen.
5. Warby Parker: Product Page Upselling
Looking at Warby Parker, the glasses company, they have a smart way to sell more on the page where you pick out your glasses.
They let you choose different kinds of lenses, like ones that help if you stare at screens all day or lenses that get dark in bright light like sunglasses.
What’s great about this is that you can make your glasses just right for you. And usually, people don’t mind paying a bit extra for something that’s made to fit what they need. Warby Parker sells more because they offer these special add-ons.
What we can learn from them is to give people good choices when they’re buying something. It works well because it’s not pushy, and it makes sure the customer gets exactly what they’re looking for.
It’s all about making shopping easy and giving people what they want.
6. GymShark: Free Shipping Threshold - Examples of Upselling
Next up, GymShark, an iconic fitness clothing brand with its free shipping upselling strategy. You may be very familiar with this tactic when shopping online.
Here’s how it works: say you’re shopping online, and you’ve already picked out some gear. Before you check out, GymShark lets you know you’re just a few bucks away from getting free express shipping.
Do you know 78% of consumers are willing to spend more just to qualify for free shipping! This highlights a golden opportunity to leverage upselling strategies and boost your sales.
This clever trick makes you think, “Why not grab one more thing?” After all, it feels like you’re getting an extra deal with the free shipping. GymShark sells more this way, and you leave feeling like you take the benefits.
Shops can do something similar—by showing customers how close they are to a special offer, they might just add to their order. It’s a subtle way for both stores and shoppers, to make everyone feel like they’ve won something extra.
7. Dollar Shave Club: Subscription Upselling
Dollar Shave Club offers savvy customers more than just razors. With their subscription model, you can upscale your purchase – buying a more substantial quantity of Shave Butter at a price that’s a steal.
Offering larger sizes at a discount when you subscribe. You might see an option like “Get our Shave Butter in 3 fl oz for $6, or the 6 fl oz for only $8 with a subscription.”
Dollar Shave Club benefits from selling more at once and setting up ongoing sales through subscriptions.
This upsell on the sensible shopper’s psyche, striking a chord with those who prefer having a stash of their must-haves while pocketing the savings.
Top 5 Examples of Bundled Products
8. Glossier: Cart Drawer Upsell
Segueing to Glossier, a cosmetic brand celebrated for its chic and straightforward beauty products.
Their strategy engages customers right at the cart—a pivotal decision-making point—with an appealing upsell: if you buy two of the same beauty favorite, you get to save $7.
It’s a compelling prompt that benefits the buyer, who’s incentivized to double up on products they already appreciate while enjoying a sweet saving.
For Glossier, it’s a subtle yet effective way to increase the average order value without disrupting the customer’s shopping journey.
This approach is a savvy takeaway for any retailer: pairing products in the cart view with a visible discount can encourage customers to add more to their purchase, enhancing sales in an unobtrusive and customer-friendly manner
9. COWBOY: Tiered Pricing Bike Models
Next, we encounter COWBOY, an innovative e-bike company distinguishing itself with a tiered pricing model. On their website, you’re presented with a selection of bikes, each with its own set of advanced features and price points.
From the robust Cross model with its added suspension comfort to the Cruiser variant designed for a more relaxed ride, there’s something for every urban adventure.
This smart pricing setup is an upsell that feels like something other than one. Customers can choose based on their needs and budget, and it nudges them towards higher-end models that offer more features.
COWBOY succeeds in guiding customers to spend more within the realm of their preferences.
The strategy takeaway here is that transparency in options and pricing can encourage customers to move towards premium choices voluntarily. This upsell respects customers’ power to choose while cleverly expanding their options.
10. Harry's: Soft Upsell in Post-Purchase Emails
Harry’s, known for their men’s grooming products, opts for a gentle upsell via post-purchase emails.
These emails suggest complementary goods and bank on the customer’s recent buy-in. The tone is approachable, often including a personal touch as if from the founder, and time-sensitive offers encourage quick action.
Their strategy illustrates the effectiveness of timely and relevant recommendations after a client has already shown trust.
By presenting additional matching items, Harry’s enhances customer relationships and increases the value of an order.
This refined approach shows that post-purchase upsells can lead to further sales without being pushy when executed with consideration and subtlety.
More Examples of Upselling
The top 15+ most common examples of upselling that various Shopify stores implement are the above. All these actionable strategies can apply to your business. But first, read our notes in the section below!
Upselling Done Right: Essential Tips for Shopify Merchants
Common Upselling Mistakes to Avoid
- Choice Overload: Don’t bombard customers with endless options. This creates confusion and decision fatigue.
- Off-Target Offers: Upsell products that complement the customer’s initial purchase, not random items. Relevance is key.
- Ignoring Customer Data: Personalization is key! Utilize purchase history and customer segmentation to tailor upsells.
Upselling Best Practices for Shopify Merchants
- Personalization Power: Segment your audience and offer upsells that resonate with their needs and preferences.
- Value Proposition Clarity: Clearly communicate the benefits and value proposition of your upsell. Why should they add this item?
- Help, Don’t Force: Strike a balance between offering helpful suggestions and being overly pushy. Let the value proposition speak for itself.
Leveraging Shopify Features for Upselling
Utilize the Shopify App Store to find apps specifically designed to streamline upselling, such as personalized recommendation widgets or one-click upsell functionalities.
To enhance your upselling strategy on Shopify, we recommend integrating our Wizz’s powerful apps. The BOGO+ Free Gift Upsell app offers features like free gift upsells and volume discounts with quantity breaks. This helps incentivize larger purchases seamlessly.
Additionally, our SnapBundle app provides volume discounts and mix & match bundle options, making it easy to create attractive bundles that boost your average order value. These tools make implementing advanced upselling techniques straightforward and effective.
We offer free plan for you to comfortably create upselling bundle as you want without additional charges.
Wrapping Up
Upselling isn’t about tricking customers – it’s about offering them additional value and enhancing their shopping experience.
Remember, personalization, clear communication, and leveraging Shopify’s built-in features are key to upselling success.
Take inspiration from the top 15+ real-world examples of upselling – from Steve Madden’s exclusive membership program to Warby Parker’s educational product page upsells – to craft upsell strategies that resonate with your audience.
So, go forth and upsell with confidence! By strategically adding value to your customers’ journeys, you can watch your AOV and overall sales climb steadily.
