WooCommerce upsells encourage customers to buy premium alternatives or add more products to their orders, increasing your average order value without needing more traffic or marketing spend.
Every customer costs money to acquire with advertising, so getting more revenue from each purchase reduces your reliance on expensive new customer campaigns.
Product recommendations also help customers discover better solutions for their needs, improving their experience with your brand and giving you an advantage over competitors selling similar items.
All you need to get started is a WooCommerce upsell plugin and time to configure your offers properly. Join us below to discover the best plugins that automate product recommendations, plus tips on making the most of upsells.
Join Omnisend and target your customers with upsell emails that convert
What do you need to know about upselling on WooCommerce?
Upsells are product recommendations that capture additional revenue and increase average order value. Your upsells could be premium alternatives that replace basic items or multi-quantity listings and bundles that shift more stock.
Here’s why you should use upsells in your WooCommerce store:
Higher average order values — Upsells persuade customers already committed to purchasing to spend more on premium alternatives that better meet their needs
Customer relationships — Quality upgrades build trust when customers experience improvements in product performance
Product discovery — Premium offerings gain exposure to interested buyers who wouldn’t find them otherwise
Revenue growth — Higher transaction values from premium products and add-ons increase your total sales without needing more customers
Profit margins — Premium products typically offer better margins and require similar fulfillment costs
Lifetime value — Customers who upgrade once often become repeat buyers with consistently higher spending patterns
WooCommerce upsell vs. cross-sell
Upsells target customers considering a purchase, and cross-sells target customers who have already added items to their cart. Here’s a breakdown of their key differences:
Upselling
Offers premium versions or alternatives within the same product category
Focuses on quality, features, or performance levels that justify higher prices
Examples: Basic web hosting upgraded to premium plans, standard software licenses upgraded to professional versions
Target customers already interested in a product type but willing to invest more for better results
Cross-selling
Suggests complementary products that improve, protect, or complete the original purchase customers are making
Expands shopping baskets with related items that work together to solve broader problems
Examples: Laptop purchases paired with protective cases and wireless mice, camera sales combined with memory cards
Captures revenue from customers already in buying mode but considering limited product ranges
Key benefits of both strategies
Revenue multiplication — Single-item purchases become multi-product orders without marketing spend
Customer satisfaction — Complete solutions provide better outcomes than partial purchases that leave needs unmet
Inventory optimization — Slower-moving products gain sales momentum when paired with popular bestsellers
Expertise demonstration — Thoughtful recommendations prove you understand customer needs better than competitors
WooCommerce upsell best practices
Follow these best practices to increase sales with upsells:
Make every suggestion relevant
Upsell premium versions of the same product category or complementary items that customers need. For instance, if someone is looking at a camera, offer essential accessories like memory cards and cases, not unrelated products like phone chargers.
Colorful jewelry retailer April Soderstrom lists relevant upsells on its bracelet kit, offering additional letters/beads to help its customers buy the perfect product:
Relevant upsells have higher conversion rates because customers already understand the value and see how the upgrade directly benefits their intended use.
Create compelling value propositions
Customers need obvious reasons to spend extra money on upgrades that might seem unnecessary at first glance. Your upsells need clear benefits that justify price differences with improved performance, features, or quality.
Consider these tactics to make your upsells appear valuable:
Checkout process — Offer last-minute add-ons that complement confirmed purchases
Post-purchase — Suggest complementary products for future orders when satisfaction levels peak
Success story
The Cake Store used automated post-purchase reminder emails to upsell customers approaching special occasions, generating $37,000 in sales with conversion rates 32x higher than bulk promotional email campaigns.
Navigate to WooCommerce > Products in the sidebar, and select the product where you want upsells to appear
Scrolldown to the Product Data panel
Select the LinkedProducts tab in the left menu
Add the products you want to recommend as upsells by searching for them in the Upsells field
Click on the Update button to save your changes
Congratulations! You just enabled upsells on one of your products.
If you want more customization options for your upsells, such as layouts and offer types, you can install a plugin. Watch this video for a quick primer:
10 best WooCommerce upselling plugins (free & paid)
Giving your customers relevant product options when upselling will reward you with more sales, and using the right WooCommerce upselling tools will make that possible.
Here’s a list of different types of WooCommerce upsell plugins. Click on any of the below to learn more about how it works:
You can display products as an upsell while the client is shopping. This could be done on the Product, Category, or Cart pages.
Upselling products or services on the cart page is a great way to reduce abandoned carts. Suggesting the right products at this stage may motivate potential customers to proceed to checkout.
Here are some WooCommerce upsell plugins you can use on the cart page:
Upsell Funnel Builder lets you add related products to customer orders during checkout and after purchase, turning single-item buyers into multiple-product customers with targeted recommendations.
Key features
Order bump offers displayed at multiple checkout page locations
Post-purchase upsell funnels with one-click acceptance buttons
Category-based triggering for automated product recommendations
Countdown timers creating urgency on limited-time offers
Comprehensive sales reporting tracking funnel performance and revenue attribution
Sandbox mode for testing offers before going live with customers
Pricing
Free: Unlimited funnels with order bump and upsell functionality
Pro: $59/year for advanced templates, analytics, and premium support features
Enterprise: Custom pricing for multi-site licenses and priority assistance
The Checkout Add-Ons plugin offers several features to grow your sales, including upsells, gift wrapping, shipping insurance, rush delivery, tips, and custom services, with automatic pricing calculations that update order totals as customers select options.
Key features
Multiple field types, including text areas, dropdowns, checkboxes, and file uploads
Fixed or percentage-based pricing for additional services and products
Conditional add-ons that appear based on cart contents or subtotal amounts
Real-time order total updates as customers select different options
Integration with WooCommerce Subscriptions for recurring add-on charges
Admin filtering and sorting tools for orders containing add-ons
Pricing
$79/year for unlimited checkout add-ons and customer support
UpsellWP creates upsell offers across your customer journey, from product pages to thank you pages, using product recommendations that suggest relevant items based on cart contents and purchase history.
Key features
The product recommendation engine generates automated upsell suggestions
Multiple offer locations, including checkout, cart, product pages, and thank you pages
One-click post-purchase upsells appearing after order completion
Frequently bought together bundles displayed on product detail pages
A/B testing capabilities for optimizing offer performance and conversion rates
Pricing
Free: Basic checkout upsells and cart offers
Starter: $69/year for a single site with all standard upsell features included
Professional: $99/year for five sites with advanced targeting and priority support
Display products after checkout is done
Another way to make an upsell during the order process is after the sale is completed. With these WooCommerce upsell plugins, you can do just that:
One Click Upsell Funnel catches customers right after they buy and presents them with related products they can purchase instantly without going through checkout again.
Key features
Post-purchase upsell offers after order completion
Offer upgrades can replace purchased products with better alternatives
Global funnels that trigger regardless of products or categories purchased
Sandbox mode for testing offers before making them live to customers
Exit intent popups appear when customers try to leave offer pages
Comprehensive funnel reporting, including conversion rates and revenue performance
Pricing
Free: Unlimited funnels with basic post-purchase upsell functionality
Pro: $69/year for advanced templates, multiple payment gateways, and A/B testing
Product Recommendations analyzes your order history to generate product suggestions and cross-sells without manual setup, using machine learning to adapt to seasonal trends and customer behavior.
Key features
Automated frequently bought together recommendations based on order analysis
Bulk upsell and cross-sell creation across entire product catalogs
Context-aware suggestions using category, price, and attribute filters
Over 20 placement locations from product pages to checkout and thank you pages
Advanced analytics tracking gross revenue, conversions, and performance by location
Custom recommendations with visibility conditions and amplifier rules
Pricing
$99/year for unlimited recommendations and analytics
YITH Frequently Bought Together displays product bundles on product pages, suggesting complementary items that customers can purchase together with optional discounts to increase order values.
Key features
Product bundle suggestions displayed on individual product pages
Customizable discount options for purchasing multiple recommended items together
Flexible display locations, including below add-to-cart buttons or product tabs
Random or fixed product rotation to maintain customer interest and engagement
Integration with YITH Wishlist for cross-plugin recommendation functionality
Linked products management table for easy monitoring and bulk editing
Pricing
Free: Basic frequently bought together functionality with limited customization
Premium: $79.99/year for advanced targeting, discounts, and customization features
Group products together
Another way of going about WooCommerce upsell is by grouping similar products together to sell as a single unit. You can do that with these WooCommerce upsell plugins:
Best Upsell creates a slide-out cart drawer with upsell widgets, progress bars for discount thresholds, and checkout buttons that encourage customers to add more items before completing their purchase.
Key features
Slide-out cart drawer with customizable upsell and cross-sell widgets
Progress bar widgets showing customers how close they are to discount thresholds
Multiple checkout button options with terms and conditions integration
Analytics tracking widget performance, revenue, and conversion rates
Floating cart bubble providing quick access to shopping cart contents
Ready-made cart templates based on successful ecommerce store designs
Pricing
Free: Full cart drawer functionality with basic widgets and analytics
Premium: Coming soon with additional review integrations and advanced features
Force Sells automatically adds required products to customer carts when they add main items (e.g., to meet spending and free delivery thresholds), ensuring necessary accessories or services combine properly without customer intervention.
Key features
Normal force sells that customers can remove or modify in their cart
Synced force sells that match main product quantities
Automatic quantity synchronization between main and linked products
Visual cart indicators showing which products are linked together
Bulk linking capabilities for managing multiple product relationships
Integration with WooCommerce checkout and order management systems
Pricing
$59/year for unlimited force sell relationships and customer support
Chained Products creates fixed product bundles by linking items together so customers receive all chained products automatically when they purchase the main item, with pricing control and inventory management at the individual product level.
Key features
Fixed product bundles with no customer customization options available
Individual or bundle pricing control with transparent cost breakdown display
Inventory management at the individual chained product level prevents overselling
Bundle nesting capabilities allow chained products within existing bundles
BOGO and promotional offer creation with automatic quantity synchronization
Shortcode support for custom bundle display placement on product pages
Pricing
$79/year for unlimited chained product bundles and customer support
Display products as an upsell in emails
Email marketing is a great way to drive sales for your ecommerce store, and it’s one of the best strategies for upselling, too.
Omnisend provides pre-built email automation workflows for cart abandonment, post-purchase upsells, and product recommendations that you can configure using WooCommerce order data to trigger personalized campaigns and increase customer lifetime value.
Key features
Pre-built upsell email automation templates configurable with purchase triggers and timing
Product recommendations in emails suggest items automatically
Post-purchase email sequences for cross-selling related products to recent buyers
Visual workflow builder combining email, SMS, and push notifications in single campaigns
Advanced segmentation based on purchase patterns, order values, and customer demographics
Pricing
Free: 500 emails/month, 250 contacts, access to all standard features
Standard: $16/month for 6,000 emails and a 12x contact email send limit
Pro: $59/month for unlimited emails, bonus SMS credits equal to the price of your monthly plan, and advanced reporting features
“I’ve used a lot of email platforms, but Omnisend has been the easiest and most aesthetically pleasing thus far. Integration with my Shopify account and uploading contacts were fast, and I love the recommended automations. Creating campaigns has also been a breeze, and I love the ease of the drag and drop and the implementation. I’ve been using it every day to schedule campaigns and check the analytics of previous campaigns and active automations.”
Best tips for choosing a WooCommerce upsell plugin
With so many WooCommerce upsell plugin options to choose from, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and confused. To make the right decision, here are a few things you can consider:
Ease of use
Choose WooCommerce upsell plugins that are simple to install and configure. A complex tool may take up too much of your time or require you to ask for extra help. Look for features like drag-and-drop interfaces or pre-built templates with an intuitive design.
Pricing
Plan your budget before choosing a plugin. Some WooCommerce upsell plugins have a one-time fee, while others require ongoing subscriptions. Check for any hidden charges, and look for free trials or demo options. Compare features across plugins to see which offers the most value.
Compatibility with themes
Make sure the plugin works with your store’s theme and integrates with your design. Some plugins break layouts or can cause errors. So, you’ll need WooCommerce upsell plugins that offer customization options to match your store’s theme.
Customer support
Check if your shortlisted WooCommerce upsell plugins offer 24/7 assistance. Look for multiple support channels like chat and email. Also, remember to check response times based on user reviews. An extensive and reliable knowledge base, such as product guides and tutorial videos, is helpful, too.
Customization options
The ability to customize upsell offers is important. Look for WooCommerce upsell plugins that allow changes in design, text, and placement. Flexible options let you create offers that match your brand. This makes the upsell feel natural and enticing to customers.
Wrap up
Upselling increases revenue by convincing customers to buy premium alternatives or add-ons to their original purchases. The right plugins make this process automatic instead of requiring manual product linking for every item in your store.
Take Omnisend, for example. With it, you can send automated emails without annoying customers because the timing feels natural rather than pushy.
It also handles transactional updates, welcome series, and abandoned cart flows, covering your whole customer journey with well-timed communications.
Get 30% OFF for 3 months + BONUS $1000 value migration deal
Bernard is the Sr. Director of Communications & Creative at Omnisend, with a passion for good research, helping ecommerce businesses with their marketing automation needs, and beating absolutely everyone in Mario Kart 64.
Omnisend AI
OFFER
