Quick answer: WooCommerce upsells and cross-sells are built in. Open a product, go to Product Data, then Linked Products, and add products to the Up-sells and Cross-sells boxes. Upsells appear on the product page as better or premium alternatives. Cross-sells appear in the cart as add ons that go with what the customer is buying. Keep offers relevant, limit them to a few products, and use extensions such as Product Bundles or cart add on plugins when you need more control.
Raising the average order value is often easier than finding new customers. Someone already in your shop, with something in the basket, is the best person to tell about a better version or a useful extra. WooCommerce gives you the basic tools for this out of the box, and the extension library fills most of the gaps.
Upsells and cross-sells: what is the difference?
An upsell encourages the customer to buy a better or more complete version of what they are looking at. A larger size, a higher specification, a pack of three instead of one, or a premium version with extra features.
A cross-sell encourages them to add something that goes with their purchase. A case for a phone, batteries for a toy, a cleaning kit for a pair of leather boots.
In WooCommerce:
- Up-sells show on the single product page, usually under the description in a “You may also like” section.
- Cross-sells show on the cart page, usually in a “You may be interested in” section beneath the cart.
Exact wording and placement depend on your theme.
How to set up WooCommerce upsells
- In the dashboard, go to Products and edit the product you want to upsell from.
- In the Product Data box, click the Linked Products tab.
- In the Up-sells field, start typing the name of the better or premium product and select it.
- Add more if needed, then click Update.
The linked products now show on that product’s page. Repeat for each product you want to add upsells to.
How to set up cross-sells
- Edit the product the customer is likely to add to their cart.
- Open Product Data, then Linked Products.
- In the Cross-sells field, add the accessories or complementary products.
- Click Update.
When that product is in the cart, the cross-sells appear on the cart page.
Related products are separate
WooCommerce also shows “Related products” on product pages. These are picked automatically from products with the same categories or tags. You do not choose them directly, so they are less targeted than upsells. Some themes let you turn related products off or limit the number shown. If your upsells are carefully chosen, it can help to reduce related products so the two sections do not compete.
Choosing offers that work
The tools are simple. The hard part is choosing the right products to link.
Good upsells
- The next level up. A larger capacity, better material or longer warranty.
- Bundles and multi packs that cost less per item.
- A modest price step. An upsell much more expensive than the original rarely works. Keep it in a range the customer was already prepared to consider.
- Clear reasons. Make sure the upsell product page explains plainly what the customer gets for the extra money.
Good cross-sells
- Things needed to use the product, such as cables, refills, fittings or batteries.
- Things that protect it, such as cases, covers and care kits.
- Low priced extras that are easy to add without thinking twice.
- Items often bought together. Look at your past orders to see what customers already pair. Your order history is the best guide you have.
What to avoid
- Too many choices. Two to four linked products is plenty. A long row of suggestions gets ignored.
- Irrelevant products. Linking best sellers to everything just because they sell well feels pushy and wastes space.
- Out of stock items. Review linked products when stock runs out, and remove items you cannot sell.
- Interrupting checkout. Keep offers on product and cart pages. Pop ups during payment tend to cost more sales than they add.
Extensions that add more control
The built in features cover most small shops. When you need more, these types of extensions help. Most are available from the official WooCommerce extension store at WooThemes.
Product Bundles
Sell a group of products as one item, often with a discount. Useful for starter kits, gift sets and “complete the look” offers.
Chained Products and Grouped Products
Grouped products are built in and let you show several related products on one page. Extensions such as Chained Products add free items automatically when a main product is bought.
Product Add-Ons
Add paid options directly to the product page, such as gift wrapping, engraving or extended warranties. This is often the simplest form of upsell, because the customer does not need to visit another page.
Cart add on extensions
Some extensions show offers in the cart based on what is already there, with more control than the built in cross-sells, such as showing different offers depending on the cart total.
Follow up emails
Not every cross-sell needs to happen during the first order. A follow up email a few weeks later suggesting refills or accessories can work well. Extensions for follow up emails, or a connection to your email marketing tool, make this possible. Our guide to marketing automation covers how to plan these sequences.
Presentation matters
Your theme decides how upsells and cross-sells look. A few checks:
- Product images are clear at the size shown.
- Prices are visible.
- There is an obvious way to add the item, ideally without leaving the cart.
- The section heading makes sense for your shop. You can change the default wording with a small code snippet or a translation plugin.
- The layout works on phones, where linked products often drop far below the fold.
Measure the effect
Before you start, note your current average order value and conversion rate in Google Analytics. With ecommerce tracking on, both are in the Conversions, Ecommerce reports. After changes, compare the same period length, and watch the conversion rate as well as the order value. An offer that raises order value but puts people off buying is not a win.
If you have enough traffic, test changes one at a time. Our guide to A/B testing explains how to run a fair test.
Do upsells work on Shopify too?
Yes, though Shopify relies more on apps for this. If you are weighing up platforms, our comparison of WooCommerce vs Shopify looks at how each handles features like this.
FAQ
Do upsells and cross-sells slow down my store?
The built in features add very little. Some extensions that work out offers on the fly add more load, so test speed after installing them.
Can I set upsells for variable products?
Yes. Linked products are set on the parent product and apply to the product as a whole.
Should I discount upsells?
Not always. A clear explanation of value often works as well. Bundle discounts make sense when you want to move several items together.
How many products should I link?
Two to four is a good starting point. Fewer, well chosen products are more likely to be noticed.
Want more from every order?
We help WooCommerce stores choose the right offers, set them up well and measure the results. See how we help shops turn visitors into customers.
