Pre-purchase or post-purchase upsell: where should the offer go?
An upsell can be shown at two moments of a Shopify order: before the customer pays, or right after. The two look alike but meet the customer in a different state of mind, and they carry different risks. Knowing the difference saves you from putting the right product in the wrong place.
Before payment: the cart page
A pre-purchase offer appears while the order is still open, typically on the cart page when the customer clicks Checkout. The customer can still change anything: add the item, swap it for something else, or leave.
- Good for: items that change the order itself, such as a matching accessory, protection, gift wrap, or a product that helps the customer reach a free-shipping threshold.
- Watch out for: friction. Every extra step before payment is a chance for a hesitant customer to stop. An offer here has to be relevant and quick to dismiss.
- Plan note: offers inside Shopify’s checkout pages require Shopify Plus. An offer on the cart page comes before checkout, so it works on every plan.
After payment: the post-purchase page
A post-purchase offer appears once the payment is authorized, before the thank-you page. The customer adds the item in one click and it is charged to the same payment method, without entering their card again.
- Good for: small add-ons, consumables, refills and impulse items that make sense once the main purchase is settled.
- Watch out for: Shopify’s own limits. The page only appears for credit card payments, among other conditions, so it will not reach every order.
- No risk to the order: the sale is already made when the offer appears.
How to decide
A simple way to split your products between the two placements:
| Question | Before payment | After payment |
|---|---|---|
| Does the offer improve the main purchase (protection, gift wrap, a matching part)? | Yes, offer it here | Too late for most |
| Is it a small add-on the customer won’t think twice about? | Possible | Best fit |
| Could it make a hesitant customer hesitate more? | Avoid | No risk |
| Does it help reach free shipping? | Yes | No, shipping is already paid |
Many stores end up using both: one offer on the cart page that improves the order, and one after payment that adds something small. They don’t compete, because they happen at different moments and can feature different products.
Measure them separately
Comparing placements only works if you look at each one on its own: how often the offer is seen, how often it is accepted, and how much extra revenue it brings. A cart-page offer with a lower acceptance rate can still bring more money if nearly every order sees it, while a post-purchase offer only reaches the orders Shopify lets through.
Start with one, add the other
If you are new to upsells, start after payment: it cannot cost you a sale, and it teaches you what your customers add. Once you have a product that works there, try a different one on the cart page and compare the revenue of both placements after a few weeks.
With FlatUpsell
FlatUpsell covers both placements with the same kind of rule: pick a trigger product or collection, pick the product to offer, set a discount, and choose before or after payment. The cart-page offer uses your theme’s font, color and corner radius. The dashboard splits views, acceptances and revenue by placement, so you can see which one pays for your store.