What is upselling?

Upselling means encouraging a customer who is already buying something to choose an upgrade instead. That could be the premium version, the annual plan or the large size. A shopper buying a small notebook is shown the large one, for example, and a customer choosing a monthly software plan is offered the annual plan.

Upselling vs cross-selling

Upselling and cross-selling both raise the value of a sale, but in different ways. An upsell moves the customer to a more expensive version of what they chose, while a cross-sell adds a complementary product to it.

Upselling examples

Pick the kind of upsell that fits what you sell:

• A higher subscription tier: if customers subscribe to your software, offer them the next tier up, with more user accounts, as their team grows.
• A premium version: customers who have used your software for a while may be ready for one with more features. Each feature you add gives you a new upgrade to offer them.
• The large size: a customer who found your small calendar notebook well made can be shown the large one before they need a new one.
• A larger pack: when a customer adds a single bag of coffee to their basket, suggest the bigger pack instead.

Why upselling is worth doing

The benefits of upselling go to both sides. You raise the value of each order from customers you already have, without having to find new ones. Done with the customer's needs in mind, it also delivers value to them and builds the kind of trust that leads to a long-term relationship.

Upselling works best with customers who already know your brand and are happy with what they bought. They trust you already, so they're more likely to read your offer and see it as a good deal. That makes upselling part of your work to keep customers coming back: each customer who returns is another chance to offer the right upgrade.

When to upsell along the buyer’s journey

You can upsell at almost every stage, from the first visit to after the sale. The buyer’s journey runs from the moment someone starts looking into your business to the point where they've used what they bought for a while. Put yourself in the customer's shoes and pick the moment that suits where they are:

• On the product page: put the better version next to the one the customer is looking at, and name the difference in plain words.
• At checkout: offer a small, relevant upgrade, such as the larger pack.
• After the purchase: send a follow-up email once the customer has used the product for a while. Give them that time before you suggest more.
• When the customer hits a limit: make your offer when they run out of storage, need more user accounts or want a feature their plan doesn't have. For software, that can be the right moment to offer the premium version.

Upsell marketing strategy: how to upsell well

The upselling techniques that work best start from a problem the customer has, not from your sales figures. Offer the upgrade that fits what they're trying to do:

• Use your customer personas, the types of customers who buy from you, to see where each type is likely to hit a roadblock.
• Keep the step up small. In most cases, an upgrade that costs a little more than the first choice is easier to say yes to than one that doubles the price.
• Mark a milestone with an email from an email marketing tool like Ubivox and add a line on what the upgrade would give them, since a customer who has just reached one can be ready for it. When you write a marketing email like this, keep it short and about their milestone.
• Add a short testimonial from a customer who upgraded, in the email or next to the offer.
• Check whether it works by comparing your average order value, and how many customers take the upgrade, before and after you add the offer.

Upselling goes wrong when the offer feels pushy or the upgrade adds little the customer needs. A customer who feels talked into paying more may not come back, so make one offer at a time and make it easy to say no. If a customer says no, leave it there and try again later, when their needs have changed.

How to upsell in your online shop

In an online shop, your product pages and basket are where upgrade offers do their work. Set your free delivery threshold a little above a typical order, so the larger pack or the premium version is what takes the customer over it. You can also try a discount on the premium version or on larger packs.

The Commerce plan of our Aida AI Website Builder includes our online shop. In the shop, you can create percentage or fixed-amount discount codes and offer free delivery when an order reaches a set value. You can also put discounts on specific products or whole categories.

Start selling online and add your first upgrade offer to your own shop.

Questions about upselling

Is it upsell or up-sell?

It's upsell, written as one word. The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary lists upsell both as a verb and as a noun. You'll still see up-sell and up sell, and they mean the same thing.

What does upsold mean?

Upsold is the past tense and the past participle of upsell. If you were upsold, a seller talked you into a bigger or more expensive version than the one you had planned to buy.

What is another word for upselling?

You'll also hear it described as getting customers to trade up. Cross-selling is sometimes used as if it meant the same, but it's a different tactic, as the comparison above shows.

Start upselling in your own shop

Pick the one offer that fits your customers best, such as the larger pack at checkout or the annual plan on your product page, and try it first. Build your online shop with us and add that offer where your customers choose what to buy.