WooCommerce Upsells: How to Set Them Up (Native + Plugin Methods)

WooCommerce upsells are product recommendations shown to customers to encourage them to purchase a higher-value item or add related products to their order.

When placed at the right moment in the shopping journey, upsells increase your average order value and generate more revenue from your existing traffic.

Upselling can lift revenue by 10-30% on average, and because you're selling to someone who already has buying intent.

The best part? You can automate the entire upselling process using the right funnel builder and checkout tools without any coding.

In this guide, you'll learn exactly what WooCommerce upsells are, how to set them up natively, how to customize them with plugins, and the placement strategies that actually move the needle on revenue.

Whether you're running a physical product store or a digital goods business, upsells can dramatically grow your revenue per customer and turn your checkout into a true profit center.

What Are WooCommerce Upsells?

An upsell in WooCommerce is a product recommendation that encourages shoppers to purchase a more expensive or premium version of the item they're already viewing.

The purpose is to increase your average order value (AOV) while enhancing the customer’s shopping experience.

For example:

• Purchasing a smartphone? Offer a better model or a fast-charging adapter.
• Buying a pair of shoes? Suggest premium socks or a cleaning kit.

An effective upsell feels helpful and not pushy. It's about improving the buyer's overall experience with relevant checkout add-ons or better versions of what they already want.

Here's what a persuasive WooCommerce upsell page looks like:

This is the Persuader template available in FunnelKit. It features clean visuals, persuasive copy, and trust-building elements, such as testimonials, that make the offer feel irresistible.

The core idea is that upsells imply a better version of the same product. If someone is looking at a 128GB laptop, the upsell would be the 256GB model.

If they're viewing a basic yoga mat, the upsell is the premium non-slip version. The customer trades up in value.

How to Set Up Upsells in WooCommerce (Native Method)

Here, we'll talk about the default upselling method.

1. Offer upsells on the product page

WooCommerce lets you easily display upsell products directly on the product page, helping shoppers discover premium or complementary options before adding an item to their cart.

Here’s how you can set it up:

Open the product you want to add upsells to. Scroll down to the Product Data section.

Under the Upsells field, search for and select the products you want to link as upsells.

Once done, click Update to save your changes.

Now, the selected upsell products will appear on the product page, usually below the main product description, like this:

These product page upsells encourage visitors to explore better or related options before completing their purchase, boosting engagement and average order value.

2. Offer upsells on the cart page

The default WooCommerce cart page offers a simple yet effective way to display upsell products and encourage customers to explore premium or complementary items before heading to checkout.

Follow these steps to set up upsells on the WooCommerce cart page:

Open the product you want to add upsells to. Scroll down to the Product Data section.

Under the Cross-sells field, search for and select the products you want to link.

Now, when a customer adds this product to their cart and visits the cart page, they’ll see your upsell products displayed below the cart items under a section titled “You may be interested in…”

You can customize this title using a translation plugin, code snippet, or theme override if you want it to sound more personalized.

Limitations of the Native WooCommerce Upsells Feature

The native Linked Products > Upsells field covers the basics, but it's built for a single use case: suggesting a better or pricier version of a product on that product's own page.

For stores that want upsells to meaningfully grow average order value, the native feature has several hard limits. Here are the gaps that push most store owners toward plugin-based solutions.

• Upsells only appear on the single product page. You cannot natively show upsells in the cart, on the checkout page, after the purchase, or in follow-up emails.
• Displaying upsells is entirely theme-dependent, and you cannot change how your recommendations appear, what they look like, or even whether they appear at all, depending on how your theme handles the woocommerce_upsell_display hook.
• WooCommerce displays native upsells in a random order on every page load. The product you most want customers to see has the same chance of appearing as any other.
• Native upsells are a static list tied to one product. You cannot show different upsells based on the customer's cart total, past purchase history, user role, location, or more.
• You cannot offer a discount on the upsell. There is no way to say "Add this upgrade to your order for 20% off" within the native flow.
• To use native upsells, you have to open each product manually. If you have 500 products, you'll need 500 edits because there is no bulk editor or conditional rules.
• You cannot see how many customers clicked your upsells, what the click-through rate is, which upsells converted, or how much revenue your upsells generated. Also, you cannot A/B test different upsell strategies against each other.

How to Extend WooCommerce Upsells (Plugin Methods)

The limits of the native feature exist because it was built for a single moment in the customer journey.

Plugin-based upsells extend that feature into every moment that matters.

Instead of one placement below a product description, you can now offer upsells in the side cart as customers shop, at checkout as they pay, immediately after purchase with a single click, and in email follow-ups days or weeks later.

How to Add Side Cart Upsells in WooCommerce

A side cart appears inside a sliding cart drawer that opens when the customer adds a product. Shoppers can add upsell products to their cart and update or remove any item from it from anywhere on the website, without going to the default cart page.

Let's use FunnelKit Cart to set them up.

Note: You get the basic version of this WooCommerce upsells plugin for free. However, you need the FunnelKit Plus and above to use the side cart and set up upsells and other premium features, such as a milestone-based reward system.

Follow these steps to offer WooCommerce upsells and cross-sell products on a slide-in mini shopping cart:

Step 1: Enable the side cart in WooCommerce

The first step is to enable the slide-in cart. Go to FunnelKit ⇒ Cart and turn on the 'Enable Cart' option to turn on the mini cart. 

After that, you can configure different settings, such as cart visibility, icon position, cart heading, coupon field, etc.

Along with the general settings, you also get options for the coupon field, cart summary, and empty cart. Configure them as per your requirements.

Step 2: Turn on cart upsells

To enable the Upsells option, go to the Upsells tab and turn on the 'Enable Cart Upsells' option.

Step 3: Choose a display skin

Now you can choose the display style for your cart upsells. You get five different styles to choose from.  

Please note that in all styles, each related product appears with a product image, price, an add-to-cart button, and a small form for selecting or updating the quantity.

After choosing how you want to display your recommended products, customize the following:

• Product Recommendation Type: Recommend different products as upsells, cross-sells, or both. Here, we will choose to upsell related products.
• Heading: The default heading option is "Frequently Bought Together". Here you can change it and provide the heading you want to display above the product recommendation section.
• Show Maximum Upsells: Specify the maximum number of items you want to display as WooCommerce upsell products.

Step 4: Add default upsells

In the 'Default Upsells' option, you can add products that will show up as upsells if the individual products don’t have any upsells assigned to them. 

You can search for products by name and add them to the default upsell. You can add as many products as the default upsell as you want.

Step 5: Add upsells and cross-sells to individual products

FunnelKit provides a sleek interface for adding upsell and cross-sell products in the Cart settings. You no longer have to go to the individual product page to add upsell products. 

Under the “Upsells and Cross-sells” section, you will find your WooCommerce products. Now expand the section, and you will find the option to add both upsell and cross-sell. 

To find any product, click on the “View All Products” option.

Now search for the product you want to add an upsell to. Then expand the product, click on “Add Upsell”, search for and add the product.

And that’s it! This is how you can add your upsells without visiting the product pages in WooCommerce. 

Here is how the upsell will appear on the front end in the mini cart.

That's how easy it is to offer to upsell in WooCommerce mini shopping carts.

How to Add Checkout Order Bumps in WooCommerce

You can offer upsells on the checkout page as order bumps. Order bumps are low-dollar offers that users can add to their order with just one click, just before they make a purchase.

To offer an order bump, we will use a sales funnel that lets you set the original product and the order-bump product.

Step 1: Create a sales funnel using a pre-built template  

To create a sales funnel, go to FunnelKit Funnel Builder ⇒ Funnels and click on ‘Create New Funnel’.

After that, choose the page builder of your preference. Now, to choose the template you like, just hover over it and click on Preview.

We are going to use the Livewire template here. This template has three steps:

• Checkout page
• One click upsell 
• And thank you page

To import this template, select the steps you want to appear on your checkout page.

After that, click on the 'Import This Funnel' button, provide a name, and click on Done. 

This will import your sales funnel with the three steps mentioned above. 

Step 2: Add products to the checkout page 

Now we are going to add products to the checkout page.

As we're setting up a product-specific checkout, we will demonstrate how to configure a 1-click upsell for WooCommerce, referencing our checkout product in the following steps.

To add the product to the checkout page, first, click on the checkout template.

Now, click on the “Edit Elementor Template” option to customize your checkout page.

Now, to add products, move to the Product tab. From there, click Add Product, search for the product, select it, and click the 'Add' button.

This will add the product to the checkout page. If you want, you can add discounts to the product. 

Make sure to click on 'Save’ to update any changes you make.

Step 3: Add order bump as the checkout upsell

You can also offer complementary items as an order bump on the checkout page. First, you need to add an order bump step.

To do that, click 'Add Order Bump', enter its name, and hit the Add button.

Now choose an order bump skin, then click Import. 

Search for and add the product you want to offer as an order bump. Finally, click on 'Add'.

Customize the content, such as Call To Action Text, Description, etc. You can also add an exclusive offer text.

Move to the Products tab. Here, you can add multiple products as order bumps.

Moreover, you can offer a discount on your order bump if you want. Make sure to click on “Save”.

Here is how your order bump will look on the front end:

👉 For more details, read our post on offering order bumps in WooCommerce.

How to Set Up Exit-Intent Upsells in WooCommerce

An exit-intent upsell is a last-chance offer that triggers when a visitor is about to leave your site.

Unlike the other upsell methods we have covered, which are tied to specific points in the shopping journey (product page, cart, checkout, post-purchase), exit-intent upsells are triggered by behavior.

We'll use OptinMonster here.

Step 1: Create a new pop-up campaign

Navigate to OptinMonster ⇒ Campaigns and click on 'Create Campaign'.

Next, choose the Popup campaign template.

Enter the name of your campaign and start building.

Step 2: Design the offer

Next, customize the design of your offer to highlight products.

For example, offer a 40% sale on women's clothing and a limited-time discount.

Step 3: Set the exit-intent trigger

Next, under the Display Rules tab, select the 'Exit Intent' trigger.

Once done, click on 'Publish' to activate your campaign.

Here is what your popup offer will look like when a user tries to exit your store:

How to Offer Post-Purchase One-Click WooCommerce Upsells

When it comes to post-purchase one-click upsells, it’s important that you provide personalized offers so users find them irresistible. 

We are going to offer one-click upsells using the same funnel we used for order bumps with FunnelKit. 

Step 1: Customize the WooCommerce upsell template

First, we need to customize the upsell template. To do so, return to your sales funnel and click the “Offer” step.

Now it’s time to customize the content of your upsell page. For that, click on “Edit Elementor Template”.

You can even customize the upsell page with any other page builders or using shortcodes.

To customize any content, for example, click the section, then, on the left under the content tab, you will find the option to customize it. 

For example, we have updated the logo here.

You can also add content if you want. 

After making all the changes, click on Update to save. 

Step 2: Add the upsell offer 

Now make sure you are on the Products tab, then click on 'Add Product', and, as you did on the checkout page, add the product to the upsell. 

If you want, you can offer a discount on your upsell products.

Here, we’re configuring a 20% discount to make our upsell offer attractive. You can also control product selection settings.

We will skip this upsell offer if users already have the item in their cart. And we will also allow users to choose the quantity of the item they want to purchase. 

Make sure to click on “Save” to update.

Here is a preview of the Upsell offer. 

After making changes to the upsell page, you can also custom-design your order confirmation or thank-you page. For that, read our blog: Create a Woocommerce Custom Thank You Page Here

And that’s it; your sales funnel is ready with a proper upsell page and discount on the upsell.

How to Send Post-Purchase Upsell Emails in WooCommerce

We will use FunnelKit Automations to send users a post-purchase email with upsell offers. This ultimate automated email marketing tool lets you set up trigger-based email campaigns.

Let’s check how you can send emails to users after they make a purchase with relevant upsell offers:

First, you need to install and activate FunnelKit Automations, available in both free and premium versions. Make sure to activate both versions.

Step 1: Add a new automation

The first step is to create a new automation. For that, navigate to the Automations section and then click on ‘Create Automation’.

After that, click on the “Post-Purchase Sequence” pre-built recipe.

To import this template, click on " Import, " provide a name, and click Create.

This recipe will be triggered every time someone places an order and will send them a thank you email after a 1-minute delay. 

You can even upsell recommendations in your transactional emails, too.

Step 2: Customize email and add upsell offers 

To customize the email, click on the step.

Now customize your email subject line and preview text. You can add customer information, such as the customer's first name, to personalize the experience using a merge tag. 

Now you can design your email with the built-in Visual Builder. It comes with many prebuilt templates.

Just import the Cross-sell products template and customize it. Use the Feed type related products to recommend upsells in your post-purchase email.

After creating your email, click on “Save & Close”.

Step 3: Activate the automation to send post-purchase to upsell recommendations

The final step is to activate the automation. For that, just turn on the toggle button in the top-right corner. 

And that’s it, your automation is ready! Now, whenever someone orders from your store, they will receive an email with all the upsell product recommendations, as shown below:

The Best WooCommerce Upsell Plugins, Organized by Method

There is no single "best" upsell plugin for WooCommerce because the right tool depends on which method you are actually implementing.

A plugin that wins at checkout order bumps is not the right choice for post-purchase email upsells, and a side cart tool will not help you with one-click post-purchase offers.

Below, we have paired each of the four plugin-based upsell methods with the tools we recommend for that specific job.

Each recommendation includes a primary pick and one alternative for comparison. For the full side-by-side comparison of 15 upsell plugins with pricing, pros and cons, and feature breakdowns, see our dedicated guide on the best WooCommerce upsell plugins.

For side cart upsells

• Primary pick: FunnelKit Cart

It's a slide-in cart drawer that shows upsells and cross-sells in real time as customers add products.

It includes product recommendations, milestone-based rewards (free shipping, discounts and gifts), and a free version on WordPress.org to get started.

• Alternative: Ajax Add to Cart for WooCommerce

A lighter-weight slide-in cart option that covers the basics of cart drawer + product recommendations without the broader funnel-builder ecosystem.

A good fit if you only need the side cart feature and do not plan to add order bumps or post-purchase upsells later.

For checkout order bumps

• Primary pick: FunnelKit Order Bumps

Supports multiple bumps per checkout, 6+ pre-designed skins, rule-based targeting, and a product-replacement mode that swaps the original cart item for an upgrade (for example, a 6-month plan becomes a 12-month plan when the bump is accepted).

It also includes built-in A/B testing for bump variants, which no other order bump plugin offers natively.

• Alternative: Order Bump for WooCommerce (by StoreApps)

A standalone order bump plugin with 20 templates and rule-based display.

Lacks the product-replacement feature and A/B testing, but works if you want a minimal single-purpose tool and do not need a full funnel builder.

For exit-intent upsells

• Primary pick: OptinMonster

It lets you get more leads and increase sales with floating bars, scroll boxes, gamified wheels, and more.

Show your personalized offers to the right people at the right moment with its targeting and segmentation engine.

It starts at $84/year, with a free plan available.

For one-click post-purchase upsells

• Primary pick: FunnelKit One-Click Upsells

This plugin lets you create unlimited upsell offers that trigger between the thank-you page and the receipt, with dynamic offer paths that show a downsell if the upsell is declined.

Supports rule-based targeting by cart contents, order value, geographic location, and customer segment.

Works with Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, Authorize.net, Mollie, and many more without reauthorization.

• Alternative: UpsellWP

The most direct competitor for one-click upsell flows on WooCommerce. Covers the core post-purchase offer functionality and integrates with major page builders.

Smaller ecosystem than FunnelKit, but a reasonable option if you are already building inside the system.

For post-purchase email upsells

• Primary pick: FunnelKit Automations

Visual automation builder with pre-built post-purchase sequences, dynamic product blocks that auto-populate with upsell recommendations based on the customer's order, and dynamic coupons for time-bound offers.

Handles email plus SMS, and integrates with WooCommerce subscriptions, memberships, and LMS plugins for segmented follow-ups.

• Alternative: AutomateWoo

The long-standing WooCommerce automation plugin is now owned by Woo itself. Covers the same core post-purchase email upsell use case with a slightly different automation model.

Solid choice if you want something first-party to Woo, though the visual builder and dynamic coupon functionality are less advanced.

For product page upsells (frequently bought together)

• Primary pick: WPC Frequently Bought Together for WooCommerce

It has a free plugin that adds Amazon-style "frequently bought together" bundles directly to the product page, with a single checkbox-based add-to-cart option.

Lightweight, actively maintained, and covers the most common use case of the native upsell feature without its limitations.

• Alternative: Product Recommendations for WooCommerce

It includes a rules-based recommendation engine that places suggested products across the product page, cart, and checkout.

More configurable than WPC but premium-only and built around a different mental model that takes longer to set up.

Please note that these methods above are not mutually exclusive, and most growing stores end up running two or three of them together.

If you plan to use multiple methods, picking tools from the same ecosystem reduces compatibility headaches, conflicts with your checkout flow, and duplicated analytics.

FunnelKit Funnel Builder, FunnelKit Cart, and FunnelKit Automations are built to work as a single stack, which is why they appear as our primary pick in four of the five categories above.

If you prefer a mixed stack of best-of-breed tools, the alternatives listed for each method are all proven options that integrate cleanly with standard WooCommerce installations.

10 Best Practices and Optimization Strategies for WooCommerce Upsells

You can set up upsell offers that seamlessly integrate with your store’s customer journey by combining best practices, advanced techniques, and ongoing optimization strategies.

1. Time your upsell offers wisely

The timing of your upsell offers is crucial. Presenting upsells at strategic locations, such as product pages, shopping carts, or the checkout, can greatly increase conversion rates.

The product page can be ideal for offering related add-ons, while the cart and checkout are best for offering complementary items or product upgrades.

2. Create compelling value propositions

Ensure your upsells have clear, attractive value propositions. 

You should highlight the benefits of upgrading or adding additional products, especially for post-purchase one-click upsell offers.

3. Balance the price points

The price of your upsell offers should be closely aligned with the original product to avoid overwhelming the shopper.

Aim for low-priced products for checkout upsells, like order bumps, while setting the item to 10-30% more expensive than the original for product upgrades.

4. Develop tiered product bundles

Offer tiered product bundles as your upsell offers. This involves presenting different packages, such as basic, premium, and deluxe, where each successive tier offers more value at a slightly higher cost than the previous one.

It capitalizes on the psychological tendency to choose a higher-tier option when the added value is apparent.

5. Use conditional logic for personalized upsells

Incorporate conditional logic to present upsells tailored to your shopper’s preferences, purchase behavior, cart contents, and more.

Personalized recommendations significantly increase the chances of acceptance by aligning with the customer’s specific needs.

6. Integrate upsells with subscriptions or loyalty programs

Encourage repeat business by integrating your upsells with subscription offers or loyalty programs.

For instance, offer shoppers an exclusive discount or bonus points for their next purchase if they accept the upsell. This way, you can provide long-term value beyond the current sale.

7. Set up A/B testing for upsells

Continuously test multiple upsell versions to find what works best. 

Conduct A/B tests by experimenting with your upsells for different product pairings, pricing, offer copy, and visuals to see which combination drives higher conversions.

Track which variation outperforms the other and incorporate the winning strategy.

8. View key metrics

Monitor key performance indicators to assess how your upsells are performing, such as conversion rates, orders placed, average order value, and revenue generated.

FunnelKit taps into all these metrics and goes one step further to help you access order bumps and one-click upsell revenue. This way, you can measure the effectiveness of your upselling efforts and identify areas for improvement.

Additionally, it integrates with Google Analytics to provide you with detailed, real-time insights and page-by-page conversion data.

9. Track conversions from social media ads

Take advantage of WooCommerce upselling plugins like FunnelKit’s pixel tracking feature to get detailed reports on customer activities on your website after they click on social media ads, conversion paths, and the step-by-step funnel metrics.

You can track conversions from various social media ads such as Facebook, Google Ads, Pinterest, TikTok, Snapchat, and more.

10. Leverage social proof

Boost the credibility of your upsells by including product ratings, customer reviews, or testimonials for the upsell products to build trust and demonstrate their value.

This helps reassure shoppers that other customers have benefited from the upsell and that they should go for it without second-guessing.

By following these practices, you'll adhere to a crucial checklist for launching a successful WooCommerce upsell campaign.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Excited to Add WooCommerce Upsells to Your Arsenal?!

WooCommerce upsells are the highest-leverage tactic most store owners aren’t fully using.

The native feature takes five minutes to configure. Adding a free checkout upsell plugin takes another ten. And the revenue impact is a 10-30% lift in AOV that starts compounding from day one.

Start with your top 20 products. Add 2–3 logical upsells to each. Install FunnelKit for checkout order bumps. Then expand into post-purchase upsells and side-cart recommendations.

So, what are you waiting for?

Unleash the power of an unforgettable shopping journey while skyrocketing your average order value to new heights!

Create your WooCommerce upsells without much effort in FunnelKit Funnel Builder today, and experience a boom in your business revenue!

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