You’ve tested price. Maybe placement. But what about sequence, urgency, or relevance tiers?
If your upsell tests are only playing with pricing or swapping out headlines, you’re leaving big revenue opportunities on the table.
Smart merchants know that true funnel optimization goes deeper—and that’s where the biggest gains are hiding. We’re talking overlooked, high-leverage tweaks that can quietly add 20% to your bottom line without touching your ad spend.
In this post, we’ll show you the 3 most slept-on variables for your upsell funnels—and how to test them for maximum AOV.
Why this matters right now in 2025
Acquisition costs are brutal. According to Shopify, in 2025 it now costs over $120 to acquire a new customer in the Health, Homegoods, and Beauty markets.
So your best shot at profit probably isn’t new traffic—it’s squeezing more revenue from the traffic you already paid for.
That’s why upsells are still the lowest-hanging fruit in ecommerce. But not all tests are created equal. Testing what everyone else tests (price, layout, button color) only gets you so far.
Want next-level results? You need to split test like a strategist—not just a tinkerer.
The 3 Most Overlooked Upsell Variables (And How to Test Them)
1. Sequence: The Order of Offers Matters More Than You Think
The upsell journey should feel like a guided conversation—not a product dump.
Are you showing the high-ticket offer too early or too late? Are you missing the chance to ladder from “yes” to “yes”?
Try this:
- Swap the order of your post-purchase offers.
- Offer a premium bundle before moving to a low-friction add-on (or vice versa).
- Watch how your funnel flows—when are customers saying yes early then dropping off? That’s a sign to test a different sequence.
2. Urgency Logic: Time Limits & Scarcity
Urgency only drives more conversions when it’s grounded in real constraints like limited inventory, seasonal releases, or shipping cutoffs.
Can you tie your countdown timer or scarcity to something concrete?
Try this:
- “Our inventory’s getting low—want to grab another?”
- “We’re packing your order—want to sneak this in?”
- “Holiday’s almost here—get one before the season wraps.”
3. Relevance Tiers: Avoid the One-Size-Fits-All Offer
Not every customer should see the same upsell.
The best-performing offer isn’t always your top seller—it’s the one that feels tailored to the purchase moment.
Instead of running the same offer for everyone, smart brands split-test using relevance tiers like these:
- Broad Appeal Offers: offers that are relevant for all SKUs like bestsellers, universal add-ons, or starter kits.
- Behavior-Based Offers: offers triggered by what’s in the cart like cross-sells from the same product collection.
- Niche Relevance Offers: product-specific offers that match the exact SKU like BOGO offers, refills, or complementary SKUs.
Start with one upsell from each tier and split test them. Then let OCU optimize delivery and scale what’s working.
Split Test Faster with OCU Plus
If you’re on Shopify Plus, you can unlock these exclusive split testing features with OCU Plus designed to help you drive better results faster and with less guesswork:
- ABCD Split Testing – Run up to 4 offer variants at once
- Traffic Distribution Control – Fine-tune traffic weight by variant
- Split Test Exports – Analyze data to see what’s working and why
- Quarterly Funnel Audits – get expert insights on what to test next (based on data)
Explore the exclusive benefits of OCU Plus and book a free demo here: https://zipify.com/apps/ocu-plus/
Your Move: Start Testing Like a Pro
You don’t need to rebuild your funnel—you just need to test smarter.
Sequence, urgency, and relevance are easy levers you can pull to drive more revenue. Most brands just overlook them.
Ready to see what your upsells are really capable of?
Start a free 30-day trial of OneClickUpsell and launch your first post-purchase offer in seconds.
Looking for advanced tools?
If you’re on Shopify Plus, then explore the exclusive benefits of OCU Plus and book a free demo call here.
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