Checkout Cross-Sells & Upsells
Checkout cross-sells and upsells show extra offers after a customer decides to buy but before they pay. A cross-sell adds a related item (“Add a case for your phone?”). An upsell swaps in a better version (“Get the Pro model for $20 more”).
How it works
At checkout the customer has already decided to buy. Adding one more relevant item takes little extra effort. The risk is distraction: every offer competes with finishing the purchase. Offers must be relevant, few, and easy to accept or skip.
How to do it
- Pull order history and list which products are most often bought together.
- List which products customers buy next in later orders.
- Show two or three related items on the cart page with one-click “Add” buttons that keep the customer in checkout.
- Present upsells as a price difference, not a new total. “$20 more for double the storage” is clearer than “Upgrade to the $299 model.”
- Offer one small add-on at the final step, such as gift wrap, a warranty, or faster shipping. Use a checkbox.
- Start with one upsell and one cross-sell. Add more only if checkout completion holds steady.
What to measure
- AOV lift: Average order value for orders with an accepted offer versus orders without, or a test group versus a control group.
- Offer acceptance rate: Share of checkouts where the customer adds at least one suggested item.
- Checkout completion rate: Compare with and without offers. A drop means the offers add friction.
Best practices
- Recommend items that complete the main purchase: a case with a phone, batteries with a toy.
- Keep offers in one contained section that does not push the pay button down.
- Use real data for social proof on offers, such as “Often bought together.”
Common pitfalls
- Filling checkout with banners and carousels. Checkout exists to finish the sale.
- Suggesting items that cost more than what is in the cart. Keep add-ons well below the main item’s price.
- Showing the same “bestsellers” to everyone instead of items related to the cart.