Boost Revenue Automatically with Post Purchase Upsells on Shopify

Here's one of the easiest ways to increase revenue from every order in your Shopify store:

💡 Show customers a special offer immediately after they check out, before the Thank You page.

The timing is perfect. The customer just bought something and they're in a buying mindset. A well-placed upsell offer here can increase your average order value with zero extra ad spend.

I'll show you how to set this up using Order Automator, share real-world benchmarks so you know what to expect, and give you ideas to get started.

In this guide

1. What is a post purchase upsell?
2. How to set it up
3. What kind of results should you expect?
4. What actually drives conversions
5. Upsell offer ideas
6. Tips to increase conversions

What is a post purchase upsell?

A post purchase upsell is an offer shown to customers right after they complete checkout. The customer sees a product with an optional discount, and can add it to their order with a single click. Easy for everyone. 👍

If they accept, the item gets added to their existing order and payment is processed automatically.

If they decline, they're redirected to the Thank You page as normal.

How to set it up

Prerequisites

• Install Order Automator and select the Growth plan
• Have at least 2 products in your Shopify store to use for upsell offers

Steps

1. In Order Automator, navigate to the Post Purchase Upsells feature
2. Click Create new offer
3. Select your Upsell product, this is what you're offering the customer
4. Optionally, add a Discount to sweeten the deal
5. Set your Banner heading (e.g. "Special Offer") and Subheading (e.g. "Bundle and Save 20%")
6. Customize the Accept and Decline button text if you like
7. Choose whether to show the offer on all orders or certain orders based on conditions
8. In Shopify admin, go to Settings → Checkout, then enable Order Automator in the Post-purchase page section
9. Save your offer and place a test order to see it in action

Targeting specific orders

One of the most powerful things about this feature is the ability to show different offers based on what was ordered. You can set conditions like:

• Show only when a specific product SKU or title is in the order
• Show for orders with 1 item, or greater than X items
• Combine multiple conditions with AND / OR logic

For example, if someone buys a kettlebell, show them a protein shaker at a discount. If someone buys a yoga mat, show them resistance bands.

Downsell (optional)

You can also set up a downsell, a secondary offer shown if the customer declines the first upsell. This gives you two shots at adding revenue to the order before the customer lands on the Thank You page.

What kind of results should you expect?

I compared our own data with ecommerce case studies, public benchmarks, and post purchase upsell articles across the internet to get a sense of common performance ranges. Exact results vary heavily depending on niche, pricing, and relevance, but the ranges below are good general benchmarks.

Common conversion ranges

Many stores running their first post purchase upsell land somewhere in the 3 - 8% range initially. As offers become more targeted and optimized, higher conversion rates become more common.

AOV and revenue impact

Many merchants report post purchase upsells increasing average order value by roughly 5 - 6%, while more optimized funnels sometimes report significantly larger lifts.

Some brands also report post purchase upsells contributing a meaningful percentage of total store revenue over time, especially when paired with strong targeting and complementary offers.

What discount amount tends to work best?

Across many ecommerce case studies, discounts in the 15 - 20% range are commonly reported as a strong balance between conversion lift and margin preservation.

Here's a general picture of how discount size often affects conversions:

ℹ️ Under 10% often feels too weak, while big discounts can sometimes reduce perceived product value or hurt profitability.

For most stores, starting around 15 - 20% is a practical testing range.

What actually drives conversions

Discount matters, but it's not the biggest lever. Here's what actually moves the needle, roughly in order of impact:

1. Relevance to the original purchase

This is the biggest one. Highly relevant offers often outperform generic upsells. The closer the offer matches the customer's original purchase intent, the more likely they are to accept it.

If you offer the natural companion to what someone just bought, you'll usually see stronger engagement and conversion rates.

With Order Automator you can use rules to create specific offers for specific products.

2. Price relative to the original order

Upsells work best when the offer is roughly 20% or less of the original order value. A $10 add-on in a $50 order is an easy yes. A $50 add-on on a $50 order requires a lot more convincing.

3. Zero friction

This is where Order Automator's post purchase upsells have an advantage over other upsell placements. The customer doesn't re-enter payment info. One click adds it to the order. That alone removes the biggest barrier to impulse purchases.

This is also consistent with broader ecommerce UX research. Minimizing friction maximizes conversions.

4. Urgency

High-performing funnels often use framing that implies the offer is time-limited or exclusive to this moment, "one time offer," "today only," etc. Even a subtle version of this in your subheading can help.

A simple mental model:

Post purchase upsells win on timing by default. Your job is to nail relevance and set a reasonable incentive.

Upsell offer ideas

Not sure what to offer? Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Offer a complementary product

Think about what naturally goes with your best sellers. Sell coffee? Offer a mug. Sell a fitness product? Offer a supplement or accessory. The best upsells feel like a natural extension of what the customer just bought.

2. Offer your most popular product at a discount

If you have a product with strong reviews, offer it with a small discount as the upsell. Customers who are already happy, they just bought something, are more likely to grab a deal on something popular.

3. Offer a bundle add-on

"Bundle and save" is a simple and effective framing. Offer a related item at 15 - 20% off and frame it as a bundle deal. It works because it feels like exclusive value just for completing a purchase.

4. Offer a consumable refill or supply

If you sell products that run out (supplements, cleaning supplies, toiletries), offer a second unit at a discount. Customers buying their first unit are already signaling interest, a refill offer while they're engaged is an easy win.

5. Offer something with a low price point

Lower-priced items convert better as upsells because the decision is easier. If your main product is $80, consider a $12 - $20 add-on. Low risk, easy yes.

Tips to increase conversions

• Start at 15 - 20% off. It’s a commonly reported sweet spot, meaningful enough to feel like a real deal, not so deep it raises eyebrows or kills your margin.
• Match the offer to the order. Use conditions to show a specific offer when a specific product is purchased. This alone can move you from the 3 - 8% tier to 10 - 15%+.
• Write a clear, punchy heading. "Special Offer" works, but something more specific like "Complete your order, 20% off today only" can do better. Frame it around the customer completing something, not just buying more.
• Use your best product. Don't bury a weak SKU here. Put your most compelling product forward, something customers are likely to recognize and want.
• Try a downsell. If someone says no to the main offer, a lower-priced fallback gives you a second shot before they leave.
• Check your stats. Order Automator tracks views, purchases, conversion rate, and extra revenue generated per offer. Give each offer a few weeks of data before drawing conclusions, then iterate.

⚙️ The best part about this feature is that once it's set up, it runs automatically on every order. You're not doing anything differently, you're just capturing revenue that was previously walking out the door.

If you want to try it out, install Order Automator and look for the Post Purchase Upsell feature. Contact us if you have any questions or need help setting up.

And as always, if you have ideas, feedback, or questions, send us a message. We build new features based on what our community asks for. ✊

Additional Resources and Insights for Ecommerce Marketing

Neil Patel: E-commerce Conversion Optimization

Baymard Institute: Checkout UX & Conversion Research

McKinsey: What is Personalization?