In one sentence
An upsell is offering a shopper a better, bigger or upgraded version of the product they're already looking at, like the larger size or the model with more features, to raise order value.
Upsell examples in ecommerce
- The 64 oz water bottle instead of the 32 oz
- The stand mixer with the larger bowl and extra attachments
- A bundle of three at a lower price each
- The premium version of a skincare product
Upsell vs. cross-sell
Upsell
Cross-sell
What you offer
A better or bigger version
A related product
Example
The larger stand mixer
A pasta attachment for the mixer
Order changes by
Swapping up
Adding items
See cross-sell for offering add-ons.
How to upsell without pushing
- Show the upgrade on the product page, next to the option the shopper picked.
- Explain the difference in plain words: what they get for the extra cost.
- Keep the price gap reasonable for the category.
- Make the upgrade obvious for the shoppers it fits, and easy to skip for the rest.
A good upsell helps the shopper buy the right thing the first time. That also cuts returns and raises average order value.
Related terms