Upselling is one of the most powerful ways to give your customers more value while growing your revenue. It doesn’t have to feel sleazy or pushy! Using the right upselling strategies, you can guide customers toward better options that help them make the most of their purchase and enhance their shopping experience.
This is exactly what we’ll discover today! In this guide, we’ll break down what upselling is, how it differs from cross-selling, and walk you through effective upselling strategies to maximize your revenue this year. Plus, we’ll give you tips on how to bring these strategies to life using Advanced Coupons!
What Is Upselling?
When you upsell, you encourage customers to purchase an upgraded or more premium version of the product they’re already interested in buying. This is a very common strategy we see in retail and ecommerce.
Let’s take Apple, for instance. When you’re buying an iPhone, Apple makes it easy to upgrade right in the checkout process. With just a few clicks, you can easily choose a higher tier unit and a larger storage capacity while checking out. This is seamless upselling in action!
In essence, upselling is about helping your customer make smarter decisions that enhance the value of their purchase. With the right upselling strategies, you can improve customer satisfaction and boost your average order values in one!
Upselling Vs Cross-selling (What’s The Difference?)
Both strategies can help you add more value to a purchase and increase revenue, but they work differently.
Upselling offers shoppers a better or more premium version of the product they’re considering. If they’re buying a phone, you might suggest upgrading to a higher-end model with more storage or enhanced camera features.
Cross-selling, on the other hand, suggests complementary items that go well with the item they’re purchasing. Using the phone example, you might suggest getting a phone case, wireless earbuds, or a screen protector along with the purchase.
Here’s a quick visual breakdown of their differences:
We have more upselling and cross selling examples to inspire you in this guide. Check it out! 👉
6 Actionable Upselling Strategies To Increase Average Order Values
We’ve covered the basics, now it’s time for the good stuff. Below, we reveal actionable upselling strategies you can start implementing in your store today. Most of these strategies are simple to implement using tools like Advanced Coupons–no complicated setups needed!
1. Use spend-based rewards to nudge premium purchases
Simply put: reward customers who spend more! This strategy works by setting a specific cart value threshold to unlock a special discount. You can position the offer as an exclusive bonus they can earn by upgrading their order.
💡 Why it works: This motivates shoppers to spend more without being pushy. Instead of feeling pressured, they feel rewarded as they unlock an exclusive discount!
Tools like Advanced Coupons make this easy to implement in WooCommerce. With this plugin, you can create cart-based coupons that automatically apply a discount when the cart subtotal reaches a certain amount. Using cart conditions, you can even require certain products or categories before the discount kicks in, giving you full control over when this upsell offer gets triggered:
2. Motivate upgrades with a free shipping incentive
Shipping costs are often a major purchase blocker. In fact, data from Baymard Institute shows that extra costs like shipping and taxes are the top reason shoppers abandon their carts. This makes free shipping a powerful upselling strategy.
Instead of providing a straightforward discount, you give shoppers a reason to upgrade their order to unlock free shipping. If you’re looking to increase average order values, you can pair this incentive with a minimum spend threshold. This nudges customers toward higher-value purchases without the pressure.
3. Use visuals to highlight upsell benefits
Sometimes, customers don’t always know that there’s a more premium version of the product they’re eyeing, especially if all options are presented the same way. By highlighting the benefits of upgrading and using visual cues to strengthen the appeal, they’re more likely to consider the higher-tier option. It’s one of the simplest yet most effective upselling strategies–you’ll often see it in action when buying gadgets or choosing between subscription-based products.
For example, when choosing between software plans, most brands display a side-by-side comparison of the features, with cues like “Most Popular” or “Best Value.” These visuals aid in the shopping experience by helping customers choose which option offers the best value.
Here are some ways you can make it easier for shoppers to upgrade:
- Use visual cues like “Best Value” or “Popular” badges to draw attention to higher-tier options
- Leverage social proof (e.g., “Chosen by 80% of our customers”)
- Showcase a comparison chart that outlines the benefits of each tier
- Highlight savings (e.g., “Save 20% when you upgrade to Pro”)
These visual cues guide your customers toward smarter buying and help them feel more confident about upgrading.
4. Create urgency with limited-time offers
Urgency is powerful–it helps customers overcome hesitation and make quick decisions. This makes limited-time offers one of the most effective upselling strategies. When shoppers know they only have a short window to upgrade their purchase and unlock a discount, they’re more likely to act.
You’ll see this tactic often used in tech and subscription-based services. For instance, when a customer’s plan is about to expire, the brand might offer a limited-time upsell renewal upgrade like: “Upgrade to Pro in the next 48 hours and get 2 months free!” Since the timing aligns with the need, the offer feels timely, not pushy.
🎯POWER TIP: Automate upsell discounts in WooCommerce using tools like Advanced Coupons. This powerful plugin allows you to set start and expiry dates for your offers, combine them with cart conditions, and auto-apply discounts to control exactly how and when your coupon triggers.
5. Sweeten the upgrade with a bonus gift
Offering a bonus gift when customers choose the premium version of an item is one of the easiest ways to add more value to the purchase. This bonus might be a small gift, bonus content (works best if you’re selling digital products), or even extended access to a service or membership. The key is making the bonus gift relevant and exclusive to the premium product.
Setting these offers up doesn’t have to be complicated. If you use WooCommerce, you can use Advanced Coupons to easily set up conditional bonus offers like Buy X, Get Y to automatically add an item when a customer adds a specific product to their cart.
Gift cards are also excellent bonus incentives. Aside from enhancing the perceived value of the order, they encourage customers to come back and explore more of your product line!
6. Follow up with smart post-purchase upsells
Sometimes, the best time to offer an upgrade is after a customer’s first purchase. Why? Because they’re already enjoying your product, trust your brand, and are (hopefully) satisfied with their purchase! This makes them more receptive to offers that can further enhance their experience.
Instead of offering upgrades to hesitant or first-time buyers, you’re showcasing them to shoppers who already understand the value of your products.
Spotify does this brilliantly. After subscribing to an individual Premium plan, subscribers receive an upgrade offer to Premium Duo after a while. The messaging isn’t aggressive–it’s positioned as a thoughtful step that speaks directly to a shared lifestyle. By adding value to an existing subscription, they make upgrading feel like a natural step and not a hard sell!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an upsell strategy?
Upselling is a marketing tactic that offers customers a more premium or upgraded version of the product they’re interested in. Store owners use upselling strategies to boost average order values while also guiding shoppers towards options that enhance the value of their purchase. These offers work best when it’s relevant, timely, and aligned with what the customer needs.
What is an example of upselling?
One of the most common examples of upselling happens when you’re buying a gadget, such as cellphone or laptop. Stores might suggest to upgrade to a higher model with better camera, storage, of faster performance. In e-commerce, it might look like offering a premium subscription plan, a deluxe version of a product or a suggesting an upgraded bundle on checkout with added features or bonus perks.
How to upsell without being pushy?
Focus on value, timing, and relevance to make sure your upsell offers don’t feel pushy. Essentially, upselling is about enhancing the customer experience and giving them more value. Use comparison charts and visuals to clearly show customers the benefits of upgrading. This will help them make informed choices.
Timing is very important too! Offer them either as a seamless part of the checkout process or after a purchase, when you’re sure the customer is satisfied.
Conclusion
Upselling doesn’t have to feel pushy. When done intentionally, this strategy can help you enhance the shopping experience for customers. In the process, you naturally increase average order values and build stronger relationships with your customers. In this article, we discovered upselling strategies to help you do just that:
- Use spend-based rewards to nudge premium purchases
- Motivate upgrades with a free shipping incentive
- Use visuals to highlight upsell benefits
- Create urgency with limited-time offers
- Sweeten the upgrade with a bonus gift
- Follow up with smart post-purchase upsells
Tools like Advanced Coupons make these strategies simple to implement in WooCommerce. This powerful plugin enhances the default coupon features or WooCommerce, allowing you to set cart conditions, create Buy X Get Y deals, and auto-apply discounts when specific criteria are met.
Which of these strategies will you try next? We’d love to hear about it!
