Chandler Olson
July 28, 2023
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You already know that upselling is an important component of your marketing strategy on the Shopify platform. Convincing people to buy complementary products or Shopify upsell bundles can move them along the customer journey, turn them into loyal buyers, and help you hit record-breaking sales. What’s not to like?
Yet knowing you need to upsell and knowing how to get sales on Shopify are, of course, two different prospects.
Success with upselling and cross-selling means understanding both the native Shopify tools and the third-party Shopify marketing apps that can bring your upsell strategy to life.
Unfortunately, Shopify is pretty limited when it comes to either of those functions. In the absence of those native tools, several apps have popped up to enable effective upselling and cross-selling. So today we’re setting out to review how upsell apps work, which are the best at what they do, and how to get started.
A Shopify upsell app is a third-party tool whose functionality is designed to help you increase the average order value of your shop. It does so via premium upgrades, product recommendations, and product bundles meant to showcase the full range of your products.
Some product upsells work by simply listing standard and premium offerings next to each other, with premium options highlighted. Other upsell alerts occur by way of popups, thumbnails below the main product on a product page, or notifications of additional products and add-ons once the shopper reaches the cart page. Such upsell offers are meant to show buyers a better version of the product they’re considering.
For example, a standard t-shirt listing may show that it comes in a cotton/polyester blend and costs $10. However, with an upsell app, you have the option of adding a new option to that product listing, offering the same shirt in a Dri-fit material for an additional $3. This is an example of an upsell.
Cross-selling, on the other hand, would showcase the same design from that t-shirt, also available on ball caps, canvas totes, or custom-printed socks. These are supplemental yet related offers that go beyond the product that the customer had originally been interested in.
Of course, since Shopify doesn’t natively offer this kind of functionality, you’ll need upsell and cross-sell apps to get you there.
A Shopify upsell app can help you optimize your shop, improve its sales algorithm, and increase your average order value (AOV). However, it also costs money. Plus, you’ll face a new learning curve as you figure out how to put eCommerce widgets to work increasing your conversion rate and showcasing related products.
If you want to see more moolah, though, learning how to upsell on Shopify is worth its weight in (figurative electronic) gold. Let’s consider why.
That said, exactly what app should you use? Here are seven of our favorites to consider today.
The seven apps noted below are the best Shopify upsell apps on the market today. They offer customizable functionality across your website, from your homepage and product pages to campaign-specific landing pages, and even cart pages. They also offer widgets for add-ons, product bundles, and other incentives. If you’re looking to take your upsell strategy to the next level, start here.
In Cart Upsell & Cross-Sell is No. 1 on our list of upselling apps, capable of managing as many as 500 simultaneous offers to help boost sales. The app relies on automatic A/B testing to see which offers perform best, then utilizes AI to intelligently target individual customers with the offers that they’re most likely to purchase. On-page upsell offers appear natively within the product page, cart page, or cart drawer — no annoying pop-ups — while shoppers actively make their purchases.
On the back end, Shopify store owners can dive into robust analytics via real-time conversion tracking dashboard that details the performance breakdown for each offer.
What Users Love:
In Cart Upsell & Cross Sell offers a free plan for up to 50 monthly store orders and $7.99 after that, but its low ceilings mean most customers will likely reach their limits too quickly and have to spend out.
Bold Upsell is all about upselling and cross-selling across your store. With it, you can quickly create upsell offers that encourage more purchases, help customers reach free shipping minimums, and employ funnels to increase their spending even more.
What Users Love:
Pricing starts at $9.99 per month after a 14-day free trial.
ReConvert Upsell & Cross Sell seeks to make upselling effortless on your part. Once you set up the upsell offers, you can leave them to do their work for you on the checkout page, thank you page, and wherever else you want them to be.
What Users Love:
30-day free trial with a free plan available for limited features, or paid plans starting at $4.99/month.
If you’re looking to increase your AOV on every page of your site, you might want to try Honeycomb Upsell & Cross Sell. It helps you set up a huge variety of upsell and cross-sell offers, then matches your best offers to the shopper’s intentions, so you can feel sure you’re getting the best match for each shopper. With limited customization, though, some find it isn’t versatile enough for them.
What Users Love:
Get a 7-day free trial, then choose to stick with their free plan or upgrade to a paid plan starting at $49.99/month.
One-Click Upsell focuses on both pre- and post-purchase upsells, helping you target customers at every stage of the journey. Customers can make true one-click purchases after their sale, meaning they don’t need to reenter their payment info to get the perfect cross-sell addition to what they’ve already paid for.
What Users Love:
The app offers a 30-day free trial followed by paid plans starting at $35 a month.
Frequently Bought Together bills itself as a Shopify upsell app that creates “Amazon-like upsell bundles that work.” Its raison d’être is giving customers the means to buy items that go together easily with one click. In that sense, it’s a better cross-sell app than an upsell app.
What Users Love:
Frequently Bought Together offers a 30-day free trial that rolls over into a $9.99 per month subscription.
Zoorix is a good app for creating offers quickly and easily. It’s also a smart option for store owners who want to target specific audiences via segmentation with mix-and-match pages dedicated to niche interests or product categories. It allows you to avoid showing shoppers items they won’t upgrade to – or buy in tandem with your products – and start showing them what they’re looking for.
What Users Love:
Zoorix offers a 30-day free trial with a free plan available, though the latter is quite limited and additional charges may apply.
As you can see, there are a ton of apps out there to help you create effective upsell funnels … you just need to decide which is best for your store and your needs.
In an apples-to-apples comparison, In Cart Upsell tends to come out ahead of the others. Its auto A/B testing feature makes sure only the best offers are shown, and its ability to “autosuggest” and show the right upsell offers to the right customer leads to significant AOV increases.
If you’re ready to boost your sales in your online store, encourage larger orders from customers, and see better profits today, it’s time to head to the Shopify app store. Start your 14-day free trial today!
