Upsell and cross-sell: how to increase your average order value

An upsell offers a better or bigger version of the product the shopper picked. A cross-sell offers a product that goes with it. Together with bundles, quantity discounts and a free shipping threshold set 10-30% above your current order size, they raise your average order value (AOV = revenue ÷ number of orders). With the same traffic, +15% on AOV means +15% revenue.

In CloudCart, the ecommerce platform used by stores across Europe, the tools for this are Cross-sell and UpSell offers, Bump Cart and quantity discounts. The CloudCart facts come from the platform documentation and the Cross-sell and BumpCart and Promotions and discounts pages.

What is average order value (AOV) and how do you calculate it

AOV = order revenue for the period ÷ number of orders in the same period. In October the store has 300 orders worth €12,000, so AOV = €40. Compare like with like (month on month, or against the same month last year), because orders grow in November and December with gift shopping.

There is no single good AOV: €40 is weak for electronics and strong for coffee capsules. Compare it with your own history, with your shipping cost (the average order should cover it several times over) and with your margin. If ads cost €12 per order and a €40 order at a 30% margin earns €12, every new order breaks even, and AOV is the first number to work on.

If you sell in several EU countries, track AOV per country or per store. Consumer prices include VAT and the rates differ between member states, so the same basket has a different gross value in each country (see EU VAT and the OSS scheme).

AOV is one of the three multipliers of revenue: revenue = visits × conversion rate × AOV. With 20,000 visits a month and 1.5% conversion you get 300 orders. Raise AOV from €40 to €46 and revenue goes from €12,000 to €13,800 a month, with no extra visits and no bigger ad budget. The second multiplier is covered in the guide to your online store conversion rate.

Metric	Before	After +€6 per order
Visits per month	20,000	20,000
Conversion rate	1.5%	1.5%
Orders	300	300
AOV	€40	€46
Revenue per month	€12,000	€13,800
Revenue per year	€144,000	€165,600

Where to see AOV in CloudCart

In the admin, open Analytics. The Average Order Value card ("Order value over time") shows the AOV for the selected period and a chart by day, week or month. Turn on the comparison with the previous period or year (if your plan includes it) to tell your changes from the season. Only the order statuses selected in the analytics settings are counted, so check that cancelled orders are left out. The figure is in your store currency, so a store selling in złoty sees złoty.

What are upselling and cross-selling, and what is the difference

Upselling offers a better, bigger or fuller version of the chosen product: a 55-inch TV instead of 43, a 100 ml cream instead of 50 ml, a yearly plan instead of a monthly one. The shopper buys it instead. Cross-selling offers a product that goes with it: a wall mount for the TV, a serum for the cream, a case for the phone. The shopper buys it as well. You will also see it called "frequently bought together", "complete the look" or an add-on.

Three more tactics raise the order value alongside them: bundles (camera + lens + bag for one price), quantity discounts (3 T-shirts at €15 each instead of €20) and a free shipping threshold ("€7 away from free shipping"). In CloudCart they are the UpSell and Cross Sell offers, Bundles, the quantity discount, and a shipping discount with Bump Cart.

Remember: an upsell helps while the shopper is still choosing, a cross-sell once they have chosen. The upsell usually wins on the product page and at add to cart, the cross-sell in the cart and after the order.

Any offer hurts when it is pushy or irrelevant. The test: online, only offer what you would recommend to a customer standing in your shop. For shoppers who hesitate, a cheaper version (a downsell) saves the sale, which suits abandoned cart recovery.

Types of upsell and cross-sell, with examples

Type	Example	Good for
Upsell: better version	A laptop with 16 GB instead of 8 GB for about 20% more	Electronics, furniture
Upsell: larger quantity	A second shampoo at −30%, or a 90-day pack	Cosmetics, supplements, consumables
Upsell: add-on service	Extended warranty, assembly, gift wrapping	Electronics, furnishing, gifts
Cross-sell: complementary	A case and a screen protector for the phone	On add to cart
Cross-sell: seasonal	A scarf with the jacket in November	Offer with active dates
Cross-sell: post-purchase	A second set as a gift on the thank-you page	After the order

Keep an upsell within about 25% of the chosen price. A cross-sell is the other way round: it costs less than the main product and solves a problem the main product creates.

How to increase your average order value: 7 ways

1. Set a free shipping threshold just above your AOV and show "€7 away from free shipping" with 2-3 suitable products.
2. Offer a matching product at add to cart, when the shopper has just decided.
3. Offer the better version while they are still choosing: bigger size, longer warranty, fuller set.
4. Build bundles from products already bought together. Details in product bundles, cross-sell and BumpCart.
5. Give a quantity discount on consumables and everyday goods.
6. Make an offer after the order, on the thank-you page or in the post-purchase email, one of the 7 automated emails every store needs.
7. Let AI recommend 4-5 matching products in the chat (see AURA below).

One clear offer per moment is enough: on average 70.22% of online carts end without an order (Baymard Institute, average of 50 studies), and every extra pop-up adds friction.

Where in the shopper's journey to show the offer

In CloudCart each Cross-sell offer is triggered by one of six events, and under the product the theme can also show a row of 2 to 10 related products picked by category, brand or tag.

Moment	What to offer	Example	Discount
1. Add to cart	A matching product or the better version	With the cream: the serum, in a pop-up with a timer	−10%
2. Cart	Small items up to €10-15 that reach the threshold	A mini travel set	−€2
3. Checkout	A gift above an amount, added on its own	Above €80, a sample for €0	Product for €0
4. Shipping method	An offer by delivery option	With parcel locker delivery: gift wrapping	−10%
5. Payment method	An offer only for card payments	Pay by card: −€5 on an accessory	−€5
6. Thank-you page	An offer only after the order	A second set as a gift	−15%

The payment method offer matters beyond AOV. Where many shoppers still pay cash on delivery (COD), as in much of Central and Eastern Europe, it moves them to prepaid orders and fewer parcels are refused (see cash on delivery or card).

What amount should the free shipping threshold be

The threshold is the strongest AOV lever because shoppers want to avoid a visible cost. According to Baymard Institute, 40% of shoppers who abandoned a cart (excluding those just browsing) name extra costs that were too high (shipping, taxes, fees), the most common reason. Choose the amount from your data:

1. Check your AOV for the last 90 days in the Average Order Value card.
2. Check how orders are spread. The Sales distribution card shows the share of orders in each value range. If many sit between €35 and €45, the threshold is around €50.
3. Work out your shipping cost from your courier contract, per country if you ship abroad, since cross-border rates are higher. Built-in couriers are on the Shipping page.
4. Check the margin. Divide shipping by margin: €5 shipping at a 50% margin means the shopper must add at least €10.
5. Set the threshold 10-30% above AOV. With an AOV of €40, try €45-50.
6. Measure for 4 weeks and adjust (see the free shipping threshold).

Example: AOV €42, shipping €5, margin 50%, threshold €50. A shopper with €43 sees "€7 away from free shipping" and adds a €12 product. The order becomes €55 and the €6 extra profit covers shipping. So set the Bump Cart price limit wider than the gap: with a €7 gap and a +80% limit, it suggests products up to €12.60.

If you run a separate store per country with its own language and currency, give each its own threshold, such as €50 in a euro country and a rounded amount in forint in Hungary (see multilanguage, multicurrency and multistore).

A minimum order value blocks smaller orders instead of charging shipping on them, so keep it for wholesale or parcels that are costly to ship. In CloudCart it is set in Settings, in the cart and order section.

How to set it up in CloudCart

1. Create the shipping discount: Marketing → Discounts → + Add discount → Global discount, type free shipping, target "order over" the threshold.
2. Install Bump Cart (Apps → Bump Cart → Settings), choose the free shipping goal and select that discount.
3. Write the heading and pick the suggested products with a price limit above the gap. The shopper adds them with an "Add" button in the cart and at checkout. Check the preview, then test with a real cart.

Remember: a store runs one Bump Cart with one goal. For tiers ("5% over €50, 10% over €100") use Cart Rules: with Aura Cart Rules you describe the promotion in a sentence, review the rule and save it, and each line can show its own cart message.

How to set up upsell and cross-sell in CloudCart step by step

Remember: Cross-sell and UpSell offers are in the CC Pro and CC Master plans (see prices and plans). The threshold, Bump Cart and quantity discounts work on the smaller plans too, within their limits.

1. Install the app: Apps → Up/Cross-Sell → Install.
2. Create an offer: Marketing → Cross-Sell & UpSell → new Cross Sell offer, with a title the shopper sees. Keep Sandbox on while testing.
3. Choose the event (add to cart, cart, checkout, payment method, shipping method, thank-you page) and the products, categories, brands or collections it applies to.
4. Choose the display: a pop-up with 2-4 products, or add to cart for €0 gifts. Hide products already in the cart or out of stock and cap how often one customer sees it.
5. Add a discount, dates and a timer if useful, then track views, adds to cart and sales per offer. Offers are limited on CC Pro and unlimited on CC Master.

Upsell offer: the better version instead of the chosen one

Upsell offers are a separate list: Marketing → UpSell → new offer. Each links one chosen product to one better replacement; the shopper can see only the extra price, and one "Yes" swaps it in the cart. It can run only when the chosen product is sold out. Carts nobody completes, you win back with Abandoned carts emails.

Bundle offers and quantity discounts

With the Bundles app (Products → Bundles → + Add bundle) you sell several products as one, with its own page, image and price. Stock comes from the products inside, so nothing is counted twice, and Analytics shows which bundles sell best. Start with products your order history shows are bought together.

Remember: under EU law an online shopper can withdraw within 14 days (Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights, applied since 13 June 2014). State in your terms how you refund a bundle when only part of it comes back.

A quantity discount lowers the unit price for more units, for example 1-9 at €10, 10-49 at €8, 50+ at €6. Create it in Marketing → Discounts → + Add discount → Quantity discount (the type depends on your plan). A product without variants can have up to 12 tiers and can be in only one quantity discount. "Buy 3, the cheapest is €0" promotions are built with Cart Rules. All types are on Promotions and discounts, and before Black Friday run the 30-point Black Friday store check.

10 upsell and cross-sell examples by industry

Industry	Upsell	Cross-sell	Bundle or threshold
Cosmetics	100 ml cream instead of 50 ml	A serum from the same line	"Morning and evening" set
Fashion	A jacket with a warm lining	A scarf in the same colour	Free shipping above the threshold
Shoes	A model with a leather insole	Care spray, socks	Socks for €0 above an amount
Electronics	More storage	Case, screen protector, charger	Phone + case + protector
Home and garden	A set of 6 instead of 4	Cleaner, spare parts	Quantity discount
Food and drink	1 kg instead of 500 g	Wine with the cheese	Gift box
Supplements	A 90-day pack instead of 30	A product taken with it	"Buy 3, pay less"
Baby and kids	A pram with an extra sunshade	Changing bag, rain cover	Newborn set
Sport	A higher-tier racket	Balls, grip, cover	Starter kit
Books and gifts	A deluxe edition	Bookmark, card	Gift wrapping on the thank-you page

How AI recommends products and raises the order: AURA

Offer rules show what you set; AI adapts to each shopper. Aura Chat answers in the storefront chat only from your catalogue, asks what the purchase is for and shows usually 4-5 products in stock with a reason, and the shopper adds to cart without leaving the chat. Aura Search understands searches by meaning, even with typos, and shows which searches find nothing. More on Aura Search and AURA.

How to measure whether it works

Change one thing at a time and compare 2-4 weeks with the period before: AOV, conversion and total revenue (a bigger order with fewer orders can be a loss), sales per offer in the Cross-Sell & UpSell list (switch off offers nobody takes), the share of orders above the threshold in Sales distribution, the shipping you absorb, and margin per order: 20% off an accessory with a 30% margin eats almost all the profit.

Mistakes that shrink the order

• Too many, unrelated or out-of-stock offers. One relevant offer per moment is enough.
• An upsell twice the price or a threshold far above real orders. Neither motivates anyone.
• Adding paid products automatically. EU law bans pre-ticked boxes for extra payments; without the shopper's express consent they can claim the money back (European Commission, Consumer Rights Directive). Auto-add only €0 gifts.

Checklist: a bigger average order in one week

• Note your 90-day AOV and order spread, then set a threshold 10-30% above AOV, checked against margin.
• Turn on Bump Cart with the free shipping goal, one cross-sell at add to cart for your 5 best sellers and one upsell.
• Build 1-2 bundles, add a thank-you page offer and compare after 4 weeks.

On another platform? Migration to CloudCart moves your products, customers and orders without stopping sales, and with a 24-month contract it is €0 through Dec 31, 2026 (offer terms). Plan prices are on CloudCart pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about setting up offers and discounts: support@cloudcart.com.