1. Create Targeted Funnels for Hero Products
Start by building dedicated funnels for your Hero Products, the 3 to 6 items that generate 60 to 80% of your store’s revenue. Targeting these first ensures your highest-traffic orders always see a relevant, optimized upsell offer. Traits of a Hero Product:- High sales volume
- Market leadership in their category
- Strong brand recognition and broad customer appeal
- Positive reviews and ratings
- Significant contribution to profitability
- Receives dedicated marketing efforts and promotion
2. Set Up a Catch-All Funnel
A Catch-All Funnel ensures that every order, even those that don’t match your Hero Product funnels, still sees an upsell offer. This is one of the most commonly missed steps, and skipping it means leaving revenue on the table. How to set it up:- Set the trigger to “Show for All Customers”
- Assign it the lowest priority so it only fires when no other funnel matches
- Include Thank You Page upsells in this funnel for full post-purchase coverage
3. Use Smart Funnels
Smart Funnels take the guesswork out of funnel targeting by automatically selecting the most relevant upsell offer for each customer based on their order. Rather than manually configuring triggers for every scenario, Smart Funnels use dynamic logic to match customers with the right offer at the right time. Smart Funnels are evaluated at Priority 0, before all manually configured funnels, making them a powerful first layer in your post-purchase strategy. We recommend enabling Smart Funnels alongside your existing funnels to maximize coverage and conversion. Note: Smart Funnels currently only support English. If your store serves customers in other languages, we recommend using manual funnels for those audiences until multilingual support is available.4. Set Up Thank You Page Upsells
Not every order qualifies for 1-Click Post-Purchase Upsells due to Shopify’s Post-Purchase Restrictions. Thank You Page upsells act as a fallback, ensuring those customers still see an offer. We recommend setting up Thank You Page upsells in every funnel, including your Catch-All, so no order goes without an opportunity to convert.4. Create Follow-Up Upsells Don’t stop at the first offer. Set up Upsell #2, a Downsell, and Thank You Page offers to maximize your chances of conversion at every step of the post-purchase flow. The more offers a customer encounters, the more opportunities you have to increase revenue Tips:- Use AI-powered upsells or product recommendation widgets on the Thank You Page to keep engagement high
- Target complementary products (e.g. accessories) to match the customer’s purchase
- Use Aftersell’s manual configuration options to align follow-up upsells with customer preferences and purchase patterns, or for seasonal and promotional offers
5. Create Follow-Up Upsells
Don’t stop at the first offer. Set up Upsell #2, a Downsell, and Thank You Page offers to maximize your chances of conversion at every step of the post-purchase flow. The more offers a customer encounters, even after their purchase, the more opportunities you have to increase revenue. Tips:- Use AI-powered product recommendation widgets on the Thank You Page to keep engagement high. These widgets automatically surface relevant products based on what the customer purchased, without any manual configuration required.
- Target complementary products (e.g. accessories) to match the customer’s purchase
- Use Aftersell’s manual configuration options to align follow-up upsells with customer preferences and purchase patterns, or for seasonal and promotional offers
6. Use Compare-at Pricing
Use compare-at pricing to visually emphasize the value of your upsell offer. Displaying a higher “compare at” price alongside a lower discounted price makes the deal feel more compelling, even with a smaller actual discount. This ensures the discount is visible to customers before they add the product to the cart, making it enticing and straightforward. Example:- Regular Price: $20
- Compare at Price: $25
7. Emphasize Key Points
Draw attention to the most persuasive elements of your upsell page using bold text and color. First impressions are crucial, customers make snap judgments, so make your value proposition impossible to miss. Phrases worth highlighting:- % OFF
- LIMITED TIME
- Countdown timers
8. A/B Test Your Funnels
A/B testing is one of the most effective ways to improve funnel performance over time. See our full A/B Testing guide for a deep dive. Here are the key test types to prioritize:- AI (Dynamic) Upsells vs. Specific Product (Static) Upsells
- Default Quantity: 1 vs. Default Quantity: 2
- Long-Form Upsell Pages vs. Short-Form Upsell Pages
- Same Product vs. Alternate Product
- Single Product vs. Multi-Product
- Varying Discount Percentages
Default Quantity: 1 vs. 2
This test is ideal for brands selling consumables or lower-cost products. It helps determine whether customers are more likely to accept an upsell for two units or just one. If the x2 offer is accepted more often, it means increased profits with no extra effort.
Long-Form vs. Short-Form Upsell Pages
Long-form pages provide detailed product descriptions, highlighting features, benefits, and specifications, helping customers make well-informed decisions. They can include more images and interactive elements, enhancing visual appeal and engagement. However, some customers may be put off by needing to scroll through extensive content, and too much information can cause decision fatigue. Short-form pages offer concise information, allowing customers to quickly grasp key details and make swift decisions. They also load faster and create a more streamlined experience. The tradeoff is that the brief format may lack the depth needed to fully persuade customers, potentially leaving important features and benefits unexplained.💡 We generally recommend starting with short-form and testing long-form for higher-ticket products where customers may need more information before committing.Same Product vs. Alternate Product This test compares whether customers are more likely to repurchase a product they have already bought versus trying something new or complementary. Upselling a previously purchased item taps into known customer interest, but this may not work as well for higher-priced products. For example, Feastables switched to upselling different items after noticing their Almond Chocolate bars weren’t selling quickly enough through repurchase offers. Check out our Feastables case study for more insights! Single Product vs. Multi-Product Single product upsells keep the offer simple and easy to understand, minimizing decision-making and leading to a faster, smoother checkout process. With just one item, you can create a highly targeted, persuasive message that emphasizes the product’s unique value. Multi-product upsells cater to a wider range of customer preferences, increasing the likelihood that each customer will find something that resonates. They also enable cross-selling of complementary products. However, too many choices can overwhelm customers and cause decision paralysis. Varying Discount Percentages Always offer a discount on your upsell products, but optimize the percentage to maximize profits. A/B testing different discount levels helps you find the sweet spot, determining how low you can set the discount without hurting your conversion rate.
9. Customize for Your Product Category
Tailor your funnel strategy to your store type for maximum relevance. For example, in the apparel segment, upsell complementary products such as sandals or handbags instead of the same item, a diversified approach that increases resonance with buyers.Testing and Data Guidelines
Before making changes to a funnel, ensure it has run for a minimum of 2 to 4 weeks or collected at least 5 customer impressions. Changes made too early are based on insufficient data and can lead to misleading conclusions. Regularly analyze performance data to refine offers, placements, and suggestions. An iterative approach helps identify high-conversion strategies while ensuring all changes are based on reliable data.Common Mistakes Checklist
Avoid these common pitfalls when setting up your funnels:- ❌ No Catch-All Funnel some orders will never see an upsell. Fix it →
- ❌ No Thank You Page upsells orders ineligible for 1-Click upsells go unconverted. Fix it →
- ❌ Irrelevant upsell offers generic offers that don’t relate to the cart reduce conversions. Fix it →
- ❌ Underutilizing AI tools missing out on personalization that drives higher conversion rates. Fix it →
- ❌ Making changes too early optimizing before collecting enough data leads to bad decisions. Fix it →