Increase WooCommerce Sales With Upselling and Cross-Selling

Key Takeaways

• Upselling and cross-selling increase order value by promoting a better product or a related item.
• Upsells work best on product pages, while cross-sells tend to perform better in the cart.
• The best recommendations feel relevant and useful, not forced.

Most store owners pour a lot of time and money into getting customers to their site. But here’s a question worth asking: are you actually making the most of the customers who are already buying from you?

That’s where upselling and cross-selling come in. You’re not chasing new visitors or trying to win someone over from the beginning. You’re helping shoppers choose a better version of the product or add a related item that makes their purchase more complete.

The numbers support this too. It’s far cheaper to grow revenue from existing customers than to keep acquiring new ones. And because upsells and cross-sells show up when a customer is already in buying mode, they convert much better than paid ads alone.

For WooCommerce stores, that means you’re increasing the average value of each order without spending more, which leads to better margins on every order.

This guide explains how WooCommerce upsell and WooCommerce cross-sell strategies work, how to set them up, and how to track their results.

What Is Upselling in WooCommerce?

A WooCommerce upsell is when you show a customer a better version of what they’re already looking to buy. It works because the person already wants to buy something.

You’re just making it easy for them to see why a slightly higher investment might be worth it, with better specs, more features, and improved quality. If the upgrade feels worth it, some will go for it.

Suppose you sell laptops. A customer lands on a $699 laptop. On the same page, you show them a better one for $849 that runs faster and stores more. They came in ready to spend. Now they’re figuring out whether the extra $150 makes sense.

Some will upgrade. Most won’t. But the ones who do upgrade increase your revenue per order without you spending more on ads. The key is keeping the price jump reasonable and making the benefit obvious. If the benefit isn’t clear right away, they’ll just move on.

What Is Cross-Selling in WooCommerce?

A WooCommerce cross-sell is about suggesting related products that fit naturally with what the customer already has in their cart. You’re not upgrading the main product. You’re helping them complete the purchase.

Let’s say you sell cameras. Someone adds a camera to their cart. You show them a camera bag, a memory card, and a lens cleaning kit right there on the cart page. They probably didn’t come in planning to buy all that. But seeing those items just makes sense. They’ll probably need a few basics to go with it.

That’s why cross-selling works when it’s done right. It doesn’t feel like selling. It feels useful. Cart value goes up, and the customer leaves with everything they actually need.

Where Upsells and Cross-Sells Appear in WooCommerce

WooCommerce can show upsells and cross-sells at several points across the shopping journey. Each placement works differently, and timing shapes how customers respond.

A suggestion that works well on a product page might get ignored at checkout. So before getting into how to set these up, it helps to know where each one appears and what tends to work in each spot.

Product Page

Upsells live here by default. When a customer is browsing a product, upsells appear in a “You may also like…” or “Related products” section below the main product content.

This is the right moment to show upgrades because the customer hasn’t decided yet. They’re still weighing their options, so a better alternative feels helpful, not forced.

Cart Page

Cross-sells in WooCommerce appear under a “You may also be interested in…” section beneath the cart items. By this point, the customer has already committed to buying something, which makes them far more open to picking up something extra.

You won’t get a better chance to grow the order before they head to checkout. Use it wisely by suggesting items that actually make sense with what’s already in the cart.

Checkout Page

WooCommerce doesn’t support recommendations here out of the box, but plugins can add them. These are typically small add-ons, accessories, or warranties that can be purchased quickly without disrupting the checkout flow.

That said, keep it minimal. Anything that creates hesitation or pulls attention away from finishing the order will cost you more than it gains.

Order Confirmation Page

The customer has already completed a purchase, so this is one of the easiest moments to show a relevant follow-up offer. This page is one of the most overlooked spots in WooCommerce, and most stores do absolutely nothing with it. That is a missed opportunity.

A relevant offer at a slight discount, shown right after a successful purchase, can work well because the customer is still engaged and in buying mode. Some will buy again on the spot.

Post-Purchase Emails

Order confirmations and shipping updates get opened at a much higher rate than most marketing emails. That attention is worth something.

To actually set this up, most store owners will need a dedicated email or CRM tool like Klaviyo or AutomateWoo.

Drop a recommendation in there, keep it casual, and frame it around what others bought alongside the same product. It reads as helpful. It doesn’t feel like a sales email, which is exactly why it works.

How to Add Upsells and Cross-Sells in WooCommerce

Adding upsells and cross-sells in WooCommerce is straightforward. You can do it directly from the WooCommerce product editor.

Follow these steps to add upsells or cross-sells in WooCommerce:

1. Go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Products → All Products.
2. Click Edit on the product you want to configure.
3. Scroll to the Product Data section and open the Linked Products tab.
   
4. In the Upsells field, add products you want to recommend as better alternatives.
5. In the Cross-sells field, add products you want to recommend as related add-ons.
6. WooCommerce will search as you type. Select products from the dropdown. You can add more than one in either field.
7. Click Update to save.

Tip: For upsells, you can assign the same upsell to multiple lower-tier products. If they all point to your premium version, you increase the chances of catching that upgrade moment regardless of where a customer starts. For cross-sells, ask yourself what else someone would naturally need alongside the product. The more logical the pairing, the more likely they are to add it.

Upsell Strategy

Setting up upsells is the easy part. Getting customers to actually click them takes a bit more thought. Here’s how to make your upsell recommendations work harder.

Price the Gap Carefully

The price difference is what makes or breaks an upsell. If the upgrade costs 10-20% more than the original, customers will often go for it. Push it to 50% more and most won’t bother.

As a rule, keep upsells within 25% of the base product price. That gap feels like a reasonable trade for extra value.

Make the Value Obvious

Customers won’t upgrade just because you show them something pricier. They need a reason. What do they actually get for the extra money?

If your product titles and descriptions don’t answer that clearly, they’ll skip it. Be specific about the benefit. “More storage and longer battery life” gives someone a reason to upgrade. “Enhanced performance” doesn’t really tell them anything.

The clearer the benefit, the easier the decision.

Limit the Number of Upsells

More options isn’t always better. Show too many upsells and customers get overwhelmed, and most will just leave.

One or two strong recommendations per product is enough. If you have three or four viable upgrades, narrow it down. Pick the two with the best margins or the ones with a stronger conversion history.

Use Upsells on Your Best-Selling Products First

Don’t try to set up upsells across your whole catalog at once. Start with your top five to ten best-selling products and get those right first. That’s where you’ll see results fastest.

Once you’ve seen results, work through the rest of your catalog from there.

Test What You Put in the Upsell Slot

Your first upsell pick might not be the best one. Run different recommendations in the slot and see what converts. Even a small improvement in upsell conversion rate on a high-traffic product can mean significant revenue over time.

Cross-Sell Strategy

Cross-sells only work when they are useful. Here’s how to set them up so they actually add value to the purchase.

Recommend What Actually Helps

A lot of people just default to filling those slots with whatever makes the most margin. That’s usually the wrong call. But customers can feel when something’s being pushed at them, and they’ll just scroll past it.

Think about someone buying a laptop. You could surface a $400 monitor. But they came to buy a laptop, not build a whole setup. A laptop sleeve or a wireless mouse makes more sense. They feel like useful add-ons, not a whole second purchase decision.

Keep Cross-Sells Reasonably Priced

Cross-sells usually work best when they feel like a small extra, not another major purchase. If the recommended product is almost as expensive as the main item, the customer has to stop and think much harder about it.

In most cases, lower-priced add-ons tend to perform better because they feel like an easy addition to something the customer has already decided to buy.

Suggest Products That Complete the Purchase

The real question to ask is, “What do people need to actually get value out of what they’re already buying?”

A phone case with a new phone. Ink cartridges with a printer. Batteries for that wireless mouse. They’re products that complete the purchase.

When a cross-sell solves a problem the customer was going to run into anyway, it stops feeling like a sales tactic and starts feeling like good service.

Review and Update Them Regularly

Cross-sells are not something you should set once and forget. Products go out of stock, trends change, and some recommendations simply stop performing over time.

Check in every few months, look at what customers are actually adding to their carts, and think about seasonality. Holiday gift sets make sense in December, but probably not in March. Small updates like that can make a real difference.

When to Use a Plugin for Upsells and Cross-Sells in WooCommerce

The native WooCommerce upsell and cross-sell system works well enough when you’re starting out, but it has some real limitations once your store starts growing or your strategy gets more advanced.

Here are the situations where you’ll likely want to look at a plugin.

You Want to Show Offers After Checkout

There’s no post-purchase funnel support out of the box. If you want to show a one-click offer right after someone places an order, without asking them to enter their card details again, you’ll need a plugin like CartFlows or FunnelKit.

It’s worth considering, because that moment right after a purchase is one of the best times to upsell. The customer just said yes, the purchase is already complete, and the usual payment friction is completely gone.

You Want Conditional or Rule-Based Recommendations

The native system lets you manually link products together, but that’s the limit of it. You can’t say, “Only show this upsell when the cart is over $100” or “Suggest this product to customers who’ve bought from this category before.”

Plugins like YITH Frequently Bought Together, Beeketing, or the WooCommerce Product Recommendations extension let you create rule-based recommendations that automate and personalize offers at scale.

You’re Running a Large Catalog

Manually linking upsells and cross-sells for hundreds or thousands of products is rarely practical. It takes forever and quickly becomes outdated.

Tools like Frequently Bought Together for WooCommerce or LimeSpot can pull recommendations automatically based on purchase history and category relationships.

You Want Analytics Built Into the Recommendations

WooCommerce won’t tell you whether anyone is actually clicking your upsell sections, let alone converting on them. If you want that visibility without workarounds in Google Analytics, a plugin with built-in reporting is well worth it.

Metorik and Glew.io can give you clearer insight into what’s working and what’s being ignored.

You Want Checkout Page Upsells or Order Bumps

Order bumps are simple checkbox add-ons that appear right on the checkout page.

A relevant, well-placed bump can lift your average order value with very little extra effort. Plugins like FunnelKit, CartFlows, and CheckoutWC let you add this feature.

How to Evaluate Your Upsell and Cross-Sell Strategy

Running upsells and cross-sells without checking the numbers means you’re just hoping for the best. They might be quietly boosting your revenue, or customers might be scrolling right past them.

The only way to know what’s actually happening is to track the results. Here’s what to look at.

Average Order Value (AOV)

AOV tells you the average amount a customer spends per order. Divide your total revenue by the number of orders, and that’s your number. And it’s probably the clearest indicator of whether your upsells and cross-sells are actually doing anything.

It’s worth watching this number regularly. If it goes up after you set up your upsells and cross-sells, they’re working. If nothing changes, customers are probably ignoring them, and that’s worth figuring out why.

You can check these numbers in WooCommerce under Reports → Orders or in Google Analytics 4 under Reports → Monetization → Ecommerce Purchases.

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate tells you what percentage of visitors are actually completing a purchase. Upsells and cross-sells usually do not influence whether someone buys in the first place, but a badly placed or overwhelming recommendation can absolutely put buyers off.

If you roll out a new recommendation feature and suddenly fewer people are completing purchases, that is a sign to review what you changed.

You can track this in GA4 under Monetization → Ecommerce Purchases or through WooCommerce’s built-in analytics.

Attach Rate

Most store owners never look at attach rate, and they’re missing one of the more useful numbers available to them. It measures how often a recommended product ends up in the cart alongside the main item.

GA4 has a couple of useful reports for this, Items viewed with item and Items added with item. These reports stay empty unless ecommerce events are properly implemented on your site. That means events like view_item and add_to_cart need to fire through Google Tag Manager or your site’s code. There is no GA4 setting you can simply switch on. If the Monetization reports are blank, the tracking likely is not set up correctly.

If people are seeing your recommendations but not adding them, the suggestions probably aren’t relevant enough. If they’re consistently adding them, you’ve got it right.

Click-Through Rate on Recommendations

Click-through rate tells you how often customers are actually clicking on your upsell and cross-sell suggestions. To track this, you’ll need GA4 with enhanced e-commerce tracking enabled or a plugin that handles it for you.

Plugins like Metorik or MonsterInsights can give you this data without needing to dig into GA4 setup.

If the number is low, it means the recommendations don’t feel relevant to what the customer is buying, or they’re placed somewhere on the page that people aren’t really looking.

Revenue Per Session

Revenue per session tells you how much money your store is generating for every visit. It gives you a high-level measure of overall store health. When your upsells and cross-sells are working the way they should, this number tends to reflect it.

It won’t tell you what’s working or where things are going wrong, but a number that keeps climbing is always reassuring. If it’s stuck or sliding down, that’s your signal to dig a little deeper into the other metrics and find out what’s going on.

You can track this in GA4 under Monetization → Overview.

How to Start Tracking These Metrics

If you haven’t connected WooCommerce to GA4 yet, that’s the first move. The free Google Site Kit plugin makes the setup fairly straightforward. Once it’s set up, you’ll have access to the purchase and product data you need to actually measure this.

In the meantime, a quick habit worth building: check your WooCommerce → Analytics → Products report once a week and look at what people are buying together. That data alone will give you solid ideas for your next round of recommendations.

At the end of the day, the goal isn’t to extract every last dollar from every order. It’s to make shopping feel genuinely useful, so people leave feeling like they got exactly what they needed. That’s when all of this actually works.

Upsell and Cross-Sell Best Practices

A few simple best practices can help your upsells and cross-sells perform better.

• Keep recommendations relevant to what the customer is already buying. The suggestion should feel like a natural next step, not something you’re just trying to push.
• Show only a small number of strong recommendations at a time. One or two well-chosen upsells or a small handful of relevant cross-sells almost always outperform a page crowded with options.
• Keep upsells reasonably priced compared to the original product. The benefit of upgrading should be obvious, not something the customer has to figure out.
• Clearly indicate why the recommendation is useful. Clear value helps people make faster decisions.
• Keep checkout recommendations easy to understand and quick to accept. They work best when they are simple, low-effort, and do not make the customer stop and rethink the purchase.
• Review recommendations regularly to make sure they are still relevant. Products change, stock runs out, trends shift, and what worked six months ago might not make sense anymore.
• Focus on genuinely useful recommendations, not just on increasing order value. Customers can tell when a suggestion is helpful and when it is only there to increase the order total.

Final Thoughts

At its core, upselling and cross-selling come down to one simple idea: upsells and cross-sells have to actually make sense for the customer. You’re either helping them choose a better option or showing them something that makes their purchase more useful.

You can start with your best-sellers. Pick your five best-selling products and figure out what naturally belongs alongside them. Get those working first.

Check your average order value before you change anything. If you don’t have a starting point to compare against, you’ll never really know if any of it made a difference.

Once the basics are working, you can move on to more advanced strategies like checkout bumps, post-purchase offers, and automated recommendations.

After that, check in on your recommendations from time to time. Something that felt like perfect suggestions a few months ago can start to feel completely out of place later on.

And if you ever start running into the limits of what WooCommerce can do natively, a plugin will sort that out. Keep your recommendations simple and relevant and just let the numbers guide you from there.