Checkout Testing
Make Every Gift Shopper's Order Bigger with Post-Purchase Upsells (Webinar Recap)
Three post-purchase offers to launch before BFCM, how to build one with Atlas, and what to carry into January.
Shailee Shah
A post-purchase upsell is a one-click offer that appears right after a shopper pays, before the Thank You page. Since the order's already in, the offer can only add to it. That makes it a low-risk way to grow AOV during the holidays, when shoppers are already buying for everyone on their list.
In our live session, Make Every Gift Shopper's Order Bigger with Post-Purchase Upsells, our Product Marketing team walked through three beginner offers, built a stocking stuffer upsell with Atlas, and shared what to carry into January. Watch the recording or skim the highlights below.
Post-purchase doesn't touch your conversion rate
The offer only appears after checkout is complete, so it can’t stop anyone from buying. Shoppers can accept with one click, no need to re-enter payment info, or decline and go straight to their Thank You page.
A few things teams usually ask about:
Fulfillment: The order goes on hold for up to 60 minutes, then pushes to your warehouse like any other order.
Brand fit: The offer only feels pushy if it doesn't match the order. Someone who just bought a $400 espresso machine probably doesn't want a second one, but they might be interested in the cleaning tablets that keep it running.
Results: Across all brands, the average post-purchase offer converts at a little over 2%, and that rate can climb with targeted products or a discount.
You can choose up to three products to show, how they're laid out, who sees the offer, the discount type, the copy and design, and which products to exclude (like digital downloads or anything under $10).
Post-purchase is part of Smart Checkout & Post-Purchase. Checkout editing requires Shopify Plus, but post-purchase works on every Shopify plan.
Three offers to start with
The offer that works depends on who's buying. You can target post-purchase with the same audiences you use elsewhere in Intelligems, like new vs. returning visitors, device, UTM parameters, or Klaviyo segments.
First-time buyers: complete the set
A new customer is usually focused on one product. Post-purchase is a good moment to suggest the thing that goes with it.
For high-ticket items, some brands keep upsells off the product page, cart, and checkout entirely so nothing distracts from the main purchase. Once the shopper has spent $400 on the espresso machine, a $27 milk frother is an easy yes.
Idea to test: A complementary accessory at full price vs. the same accessory at 10% off.
Returning customers: more of the same
Repeat buyers already trust the product. For consumables like coffee, supplements, or dog treats, offering another unit or a multi-month supply can work better than an accessory.
This is also a good place to try a discount if your brand stays full price everywhere else. Shoppers only see it after they've paid, so it doesn't change how your prices look on site.
Idea to test: A subscription offer earlier in the funnel vs. a six-month supply at post-purchase.
Gift shoppers: stocking stuffers
During the holidays, shoppers are often buying for several people at once. A small add-on like a candle, a keychain, or a sticker pack gives them something to keep on hand for a coworker or a white elephant exchange.
Many gift shoppers also have a budget in mind. If someone shops your "gifts under $150" collection and checks out at $120, a $20 add-on fits inside what they already planned to spend. Copy like "Add one more for their stocking" speaks to that budget.
Idea to test: Gift-forward copy vs. a standard "You might also like" headline.
What to test on post-purchase
Testing post-purchase on vs. off usually doesn't tell you much, since a relevant offer will almost always beat no offer. The more useful tests compare offers against each other: different products, different copy, or different discount levels.
If you normally slow down testing in Q4, post-purchase is worth the exception. It happens after the order is placed, and holiday order volume means you can get a read quickly. Judge winners on profit per visitor, not just how many shoppers accepted, so a bigger discount doesn't eat the margin it brings in.
Build a stocking stuffer upsell with Atlas
Picking products by hand usually means a pile of if/then rules that break when inventory changes. With Product Recommendation Rules, you describe what you want in a sentence and Atlas builds it. Here's the flow we walked through live:
In Post-Purchase, describe the experience you want. Our prompt: "Create a post-purchase upsell that offers one in-stock stocking stuffer under $20 that goes with the order at 15% off, with gift-forward copy."
Choose a test or a personalization when Atlas asks. We picked a personalization, since this isn't an on/off test.
Let Atlas set up the experience. It names it, sets targeting, picks metrics, and writes the copy. Ours came back with "One more gift-worthy find" and "Add a perfectly paired stocking stuffer to your order for 15% off."
Edit the copy if you want, then preview it against a few example carts to check that the right products show up.
If you're not sure which products to use, ask Atlas which products are often bought together, or start from one of the six templates in Rules.
One rule set for the whole funnel
Rules can power upsells on your product page, cart, checkout, and post-purchase. You can reuse one rule everywhere or give each step its own:
Product page: more of the same style or print, in the shopper's size.
Cart: matching accessories that close the gap to free shipping, like a $20 scrunchie set on a $79 cart with a $99 threshold.
Checkout: one-size stocking stuffers.
Post-purchase: gift-forward stocking stuffers or sale items.
We covered the earlier steps in our Smart Merchandising for BFCM and Checkout BFCM-Ready webinar recaps.
Important to remember: set up Shopify and preview before you launch
Shopify only allows one app to power the post-purchase page. Before anything else, set Intelligems as your post-purchase provider in Shopify. The setup link in the app walks you through it. If you're already using another post-purchase app, you can't run it against Intelligems on the same page.
Shopify also doesn't let you preview post-purchase natively. Use the Intelligems preview to check your offer, or place a test order and cancel it if you want to see the full flow.
What to run in January
Look at your take rates. Which offers did shoppers accept most? A certain price point or collection can point to what to test in Q1.
Move winners up the funnel. If a complementary item gets taken often after checkout, test it as a product page or cart upsell.
Find your discount floor. Test smaller discounts to find the lowest offer shoppers still accept, without changing what they see anywhere else.
Swap holiday copy. Change "stocking stuffer" messaging back to your standard offer, and keep any copy that tested well.
Your next steps
Set Intelligems as your post-purchase provider in Shopify.
Pick up to three giftable products or set up a rule. A discount is optional.
Write the offer as a gift.
Preview and QA it with a few carts.
Launch it as a personalization for everyone, or as a test if you're comparing copy or products.
Keep it live through the holiday season, then use what you learn to plan January.
Want help setting up your first post-purchase offer? Reach out to your CSM or our support team, or connect via Slack from the Integrations tab.
This was the last session in our holiday upsells series. Catch up on the Smart Merchandising and Checkout recaps if you missed them.
Want to build a holiday offer strategy where every test teaches you something for next year? Join GEM Academy for free courses and a community of brands sharing what's working.
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