What Is Upselling? Upselling Techniques and Examples to Increase Customer Average Order Value

Is upselling part of your Shopify Plus sales strategy? If not, it might be time to rethink your approach. Upselling helps improve average order value (AOV) and gives Shopify stores a competitive advantage. 

Let’s explore upselling techniques and examples to apply this strategy to Shopify stores.

What Is Upselling?

Upselling strategies encourage customers to choose a higher-priced version of the product they are already considering purchasing. For example, a customer booking a hotel room could be upsold to a suite or a customer purchasing a laptop could be upsold to another model with better processing speed.

Upselling techniques effectively boost average order value (AOV), similar to cross-selling. However, while upselling encourages customers to purchase a more expensive version of a product, cross-selling encourages customers to purchase additional products that complement their primary purchase.

Why Is Upselling Important?

Upselling strategies benefit Shopify businesses by:

• Increasing average order value (AOV). Upselling persuades customers to spend more than intended, improving AOV.

• Increasing revenue. Maximizing the amount each shopper spends per purchase increases revenue without increasing customer acquisition, marketing, purchase processing, or logistics costs.

• Strengthening customer relationships. Upselling techniques help customers find the best possible product, improving overall satisfaction and loyalty.

• Gaining a competitive edge. Personalized upgrades elevate the shopping experience and differentiate you over competitors.

8 Upselling Techniques For Shopify Sites

These upselling strategies are effective for Shopify Plus stores:

1. Discount products

Offer promo codes for high-ticket items to encourage customers upgrades. This boosts AOV even with the discount applied.

2. Offer an upgrade

Highlight optional upgrades on product pages and ask customers to select basic or upgraded product features as they add a product to cart.

3. Offer free shipping

Free shipping for orders over a specific value encourages customers to spend more to avoid shipping fees, making them more likely to opt for a product upgrade.

4. Create subscription options

Turn one-time purchases into recurring revenue with subscription options. This works well for frequently used products like skincare or supplements

5. Offer "buy more save more" offers

Encourage customers to purchase in bulk and get more of a product they’re already interested in. Offer a sliding scale of discounts, with the most money off for the biggest volume purchases. This upselling technique works well for products that a customer is likely to use — and use up — regularly.

6. Offer product bundles

Combine cross-selling and upselling with product bundles. If a customer is shopping for one t-shirt, for example, offer a bundle of five of the same t-shirt in various colors. Generally, retailers offer a discount for product bundles, enticing customers to spend more by decreasing the cost per item.

7. Upsell post-purchase

Upsell post-purchase with email marketing, SMS, or paid ads campaigns that retarget customers, encouraging them to purchase insurance, gift wrapping, or faster shipping for an additional cost.

8. Use a product recommendation quiz

An e-commerce quiz engages customers and delivers personalized recommendations, creating the perfect upsell opportunity for features, subscriptions, and bundles.

Identifying Upsell Opportunities with Product Quizzes

A product quiz collects customer preferences, creating data-driven upsell opportunities though personalized recommendations. 

The collected zero-party data also allows for personalized email marketing and retargeting campaigns, allowing Shopify stores to later upsell customers.

Upselling Examples

Many Shopify brands use product quizzes — and the data collected — to successfully upsell products and increase customer AOV. Let’s examine three upselling examples.

Mario Badescu

Skincare brand Mario Badescu uses an e-commerce quiz to offer free samples based on customer responses, then retargets customers to upsell those products in the future.

SKOON

Skincare brand SKOON also uses upselling to its advantage. The brand recommends a personalized skincare plan and offers a full product bundle alongside individual add-ons. 

Semaine Health

Supplement brand Semaine Health uses its product quiz results page to recommend a personalized supplement solution. They incorporate upselling by offering subscription options at a discounted price.

Start Implementing Upselling Techniques Today

Visual Quiz Builder is an upsell Shopify app that helps improve AOV — and customer loyalty.

With Visual Quiz Builder, create and launch a product recommendation quiz to boost customer engagement and loyalty, improve conversions, and gather valuable customer data.

Ready to see how Visual Quiz Builder can grow your Shopify store? Start your free Visual Quiz Builder trial today.

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