Upselling is one of the most effective strategies for boosting revenue from your WooCommerce store. By encouraging customers to purchase higher-priced versions of products or add-ons, you can significantly increase your average order value.
In fact, upselling can lead to a 20-30% increase in order value according to statistics from Barilliance. With the average ecommerce conversion rate sitting around 2-3%, persuading existing customers to spend more is crucial.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore 5 proven ways to upsell products in WooCommerce based on over 15 years of hands-on experience managing WordPress stores:
Contents
1. Add Upsell Products on Product Pages
Linking related higher-priced products on individual product pages is the easiest way to incorporate upselling.
To do this, go to Products > Add/Edit Product. Under the Product Data tab, click on Linked Products and add your upsell items under the Upsells section.
This will automatically display the upsells in a "You may also like…" section on the product page.
Tips for Maximizing Upsells:
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Choose logical upgrades like a deluxe or pro version of the same core product. This provides more value versus an unrelated add-on. Upgrades typically convert 5-15% higher.
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Prioritize your most profitable upsells first. List them in the #1 upsell spot for the biggest revenue impact.
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Limit to 3-4 upsell products max. Too many will overwhelm customers and reduce clicking.
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Use compelling "You may also like" text to introduce the upsells, not just boring "Upsells".
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Include scarcity and urgency if applicable, like "Only 2 left in stock!".
As Derek Halpern, Founder of Social Triggers, said on upsell product page tips:
"On your product pages, you can increase average order value by simply showing visitors other items they may like. Personally, I tend to buy more when I‘m offered logical upsells."
2. Display Targeted Upsell Popups
Popup overlays are an excellent way to upsell products by grabbing your customer‘s attention in real-time.
Popups can be precisely targeted to show when visitors land on specific product or category pages, when they‘ve been browsing for a set time, or when they are about to exit your store.
The best plugin for WooCommerce popups is OptinMonster which offers tons of templates and hyper-targeted triggering options.
Tips for Popup Upsells:
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Offer time-limited discounts or bundle deals to create urgency and increase conversion rates. Popups with incentives convert 7-15% higher on average.
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Test showing popups on product, cart, and checkout pages to see which pages produce the most upsell revenue.
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Target visitors who have been on site 60-180 seconds. Enough time to browse, but still engage them.
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Implement exit-intent popups to upsell customers right before they abandon their cart. Exit popups can recover 15-30% of lost revenue.
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Make the CTA button prominent like using a contrasting color to drive clicks.
As conversion rate optimization expert Paras Chopra wrote about the power of exit popups:
"When programmed correctly, exit intent popups can capture leaving visitors and increase conversion rates by as much as 400%."
3. Add One Click Upsell on Checkout Page
On your WooCommerce checkout page, you can incorporate a one click upsell offer that lets customers instantly add a product by clicking a button.
This seamlessly allows you to present upsell offers without disrupting the checkout user flow.
The WooFunnels plugin makes adding one click upsells easy. Just create an Order Bump offer on the Checkout step.
Tips for Checkout Upsells:
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Lead with your best upsell offer first. The first upsell spot gets the most visibility.
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Offer cheaper add-ons like gift wrapping that boost order values with minimal friction.
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List your highest margin upsell products to maximize revenue from each checkout.
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Keep it to 1-2 upsell offers max to avoid choice overload on checkout.
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Make the upsell stand out visually on the checkout page to capture attention.
As Andrew Youderian recommended when writing about checkout upsells:
"The add-to-cart button is so close, some customers will take the bait to snag an extra high-profit item, adding money to your bottom line."
4. Upsell on the Thank You Page
Even after customers have purchased, you can upsell products on the WooCommerce thank you page.
This is done by creating a custom thank you page template using the SeedProd plugin. Add sections to recommend products.
Tips for Thank You Page Upsells:
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Show related products or frequently bought together suggestions based on the customer‘s purchase data.
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Offer an exclusive discount coupon like 15% off for their next order on the thank you page. This encourages repeat purchases.
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Email the thank you page to customers a few days later. Timed email reminder upsells convert up to 4% higher.
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Use pressuring language like "Complete your look with…" or "Take your purchase to the next level with…".
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Limit to 2-3 upsell products so you don‘t overwhelm customers who already purchased.
As strategic ecommerce consultant Tommy Walker said about thank you page upsell opportunities:
"This is one of the most overlooked pages for upselling products. Be sure to take advantage by merchandising complementary products."
5. Auto Add Products Using Coupon Incentive
Advanced Coupons for WooCommerce lets you create coupon codes that automatically add free or discounted products when the code is applied.
For example, you can set up a coupon that adds a gift product to any orders over $75. This incentivizes customers to spend more to qualify.
Tips for Automated Coupon Upsells:
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Create a sense of exclusivity and reward. Eg. VIP10X gives 10% off + a bonus gift.
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Make codes unique and personalized like using their first name. This converts 10-15% higher: eg. Tommy10.
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Communicate the upsell incentive clearly so customers understand the extra value.
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Add your highest perceived value products for more cart value impact.
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Send coupons to customer segments who previously spent close to your threshold amount.
As Secomapp suggested in their coupon upsell guide:
"Time limited, minimum-spend discounts with free gifts work brilliantly to incentivize customers to spend more."
Additional Upsell Opportunities
Beyond the above 5 primary upsell channels, some other areas to consider include:
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Customer emails: Promote upsells in abandoned cart and browse abandonment emails.
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Cart page: Add a recommendations section with upsells like Amazon.
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Payment gateway: Offer upsells just before the customer enters payment details.
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Order bump after payment: Give a final upsell opportunity after payment is captured.
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Packing slips: Include a coupon code or promo for your next purchase.
The key is testing different upselling combinations, placements, and messaging to see which resonate best with your customers and products.
The Bottom Line
Implementing personalized and strategic upselling in WooCommerce can drive up to 20-30% higher order values and significantly lift revenue. With the right approach, you can surface compelling upsell offers that provide value to customers while maximizing growth.
The tips in this guide are based on my own extensive experience managing WooCommerce stores over the past 15+ years. I hope you‘re able to take away some new upselling ideas to implement in your own store. Let me know if you have any other questions!
