Shopify Post-Purchase Upsell Guide: Tips for Creating Worthwhile Offers
Boosting your revenue doesn’t have to mean constantly chasing new customers. In fact, it’s far more cost-friendly to make the most of your existing customers instead–and upselling helps you do just that.
Post-purchase upsells are a low-risk way to increase your average order value (AOV) by making additional offers right after a customer has made a purchase. It’s a moment when they’re already in a buying mindset, so why not show them something else they might love?
However, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to convince buyers to spend more. You have a lot of advantages to work with, but you still need to close the deal with the right offers.
Here’s how you can create post-purchase upsells that really work.
What is a post-purchase upsell?
Post-purchase upsells are offers made after a customer has completed their initial purchase. They’re used between the checkout and thank-you pages as a way to provide another upsell or cross-sell opportunity before buyers see their order confirmation and consider the deal done.
You can customize the post-purchase page using checkout extensions like upselling apps, including adding custom elements, changing text, and specifying which products to show. However, there are some limitations to help protect users.
Why post-purchase offers are worth considering
Post-purchase offers are a low-risk way to increase your AOV because you’ve already made the initial sale. There’s no risk of lost sales or abandoned carts that some pre-purchase upsells can cause, giving you the freedom to get creative.
Also, your customers’ wallets are still open and they’re likely still in the spending-money mindset, so it’s easier to encourage them to spend a bit more money– especially if your offers are relevant to their needs or a really good deal.
Plus, with a post-purchase upsell app, you can implement one-click upsells that require just a single button press to update their orders. They don’t even need to re-enter their payment information, making it easier to generate impulse buys.
Tips for building out post-purchase offers
If you want to take advantage of the low-risk, high-reward potential of post-purchase upsells, you need to use the right strategy. This means both crafting offers customers actually want and presenting them effectively to take advantage of how easy it is for them to spend more.
Use these tips to grow your AOV and revenue without spending another dollar on marketing.
Exclude products already in the cart
When creating post-purchase upsells, focus on upgrades or complementary products and services that enhance the customer’s original purchase. Your offers should add value to their buying experience, not just your bottom line.
If you recommend items that don’t make sense, especially the same item they’ve already purchased without a reason they’d want another, you risk causing confusion and coming across as spammy or unprofessional. These impressions make shoppers less likely to accept your offer or purchase from your shop again in the future.
Create last-chance offers you can’t resist
Post-purchase upsells are perfect for “last chance” offers -- deals that the customer can only take advantage of right after their purchase. The urgency of a last-chance offer plays on their fear of missing out (FOMO) and encourages them to act quickly.
For instance, you could offer a bundle deal that's too good to pass up or an exclusive discount on a related product to catch their attention, enticing customers to add more to their order before they miss the opportunity.
Use copy that entices users to convert
When building your offers, don’t be afraid to take advantage of customers’ FOMO, or fear of missing out. Using time-sensitive elements and language encourages customers to act quickly, giving them less time to second-guess their decisions and improving your conversion rate.
Examples include:
- “Selling fast - don’t miss out”
- “Limited supply - get yours before it’s gone’’
- “This is your last chance for added savings”
- “Our lowest offer ever”
- “Just for you”
With a post-purchase upsell app, you can also modify elements of the page or the text itself to draw attention to your copy and entice customers to accept your offer.
Leverage social proof on your post-purchase offers
Showcasing customer reviews and testimonials on your post-purchase page can help you build trust with potential customers and boost conversions. When customers can see that others have had positive experiences with your shop or products, they are more likely to trust that the offer is a good deal or worthwhile purchase.
Display customer reviews or testimonials that highlight the product’s benefits and feature them prominently to help close the deal. You can also highlight a product as a best-seller or customer favorite or add star ratings or trust seals to enhance credibility, making it easier for customers to say yes to your upsell.
A/B test your post-purchase offers
A/B testing allows you to test out different versions of your upsell offers to determine what resonates most with your customers. Experiment with the products you offer, the urgency of the deal, the price point, and the copy you use to promote your upsell.
Once you’ve analyzed how each variation performs, you can refine your approach accordingly to make your offers as effective as possible. Then, continue A/B testing to stay on top of changing customers’ preferences and offer performance.
Include relevant product recommendations
One of the key elements of successful upselling is tailoring your offers to your customer’s wants and needs. By personalizing the experience you provide to customers, you increase the likelihood that they’ll add your offer to their cart.
While you can access your store’s data and build offers manually, it’s far easier to automate the process with the help of upselling apps that use AI or algorithms that leverage real customer purchase data to help them recommend products that make sense.
With these tools, you can ensure your upsells and cross-sells offer value to your customers, increasing the chances of a successful conversion.
Keep your offers simple
Your offers are supposed to be valuable to customers, offering convenient product recommendations or great deals that improve the customer experience.
While it’s possible to build offers that use dynamic discounts, bundle building, or multi-product flows to engage the customer, you risk overwhelming them with too many options or leaving them confused.
Stick to offers that clearly show their value through marked discounts, or explain exactly why they need the product you’re offering. Don’t rely on confusion or spamming offers to win a conversion.
Build effective post-purchase offers for low-risk AOV growth with UpsellPlus
All forms of upselling and cross-selling are valuable, but post-purchase upsells are a no-brainer. They appear after the initial purchase, so there’s no risk of losing a sale by extending the checkout process or distracting them from entering their information. They’re also the easiest for buyers to complete, often requiring a single click that’s far easier to generate than re-entering payment information.
If you build relevant, straightforward, and enticing post-purchase upsells, you can increase your revenue and average order value with little to no investment. But, you need the right tool to make it easier.
UpsellPlus provides comprehensive pre-checkout and post-purchase upselling and cross-selling support for your Shopify store. You can easily build your own offers or leverage automation to create relevant recommendations you can offer at any stage of the sales process. It also provides tools for customizing your post-purchase page with custom elements and styling to engage buyers and increase your conversion rates with one-click upsell support.
Start your UpsellPlus 7-day free trial today to begin building post-purchase upsells that actually work.