Increase average order value by showing relevant upsell offers after checkout, when customers are already engaged and ready to make changes to their order.

⭐ Why This Matters

Post-purchase upsells are one of the highest-converting revenue opportunities in ecommerce because:

• The customer has already completed payment
• Trust is already established
• No checkout friction exists

✅ 1. What Is a Post-Purchase Upsell in Account Editor?

A post-purchase upsell is an offer shown after checkout, when a customer:

• Edits their order
• Reviews order details
• Attempts to cancel
• Interacts with the Order Status or Thank You page

Upsells are added directly to the existing Shopify order, not as a new checkout or draft order.

🧭 2. Where Upsells Appear (Upsell Surfaces)

Account Editor supports multiple upsell surfaces:

In Account Editor, upsells are controlled by surfaces — defined moments in the customer journey where offers are allowed to appear.

Each surface has its own:

• Eligibility rules
• Priority order
• Analytics tracking
• A/B testing capability

Supported Upsell Surfaces

Thank You Page

• Appears immediately after checkout
• High visibility and engagement
• Best for accessories or add-ons

Order Status Page

• Shown when customers revisit their order
• Ideal for delayed decisions or repeat buyers

During Order Editing

• Appears when customers edit items, address, or shipping
• Contextual and intent-based

Cancellation Retention Flow

• Shown when a customer tries to cancel
• Used to save the order with incentives

⏱️ 3. When Upsells Are Shown (Timing Rules)

Upsells are shown only when all required conditions are met, including:

• The order is eligible for editing
• Upsells are enabled for the surface
• Smart Targeting & Rules conditions pass
• The edit or cancellation window is still open

Common timing options include:

• Immediately after checkout
• During the edit window
• Before cancellation confirmation
• On checkout too (Shopify Plus)

You can control when and how often upsells appear.

Timing is fully controlled using:

• Display Surface selection
• Smart Targeting & Rules
• Edit window duration
• Cancellation retention settings

🧱 4. Upsell Eligibility Rules

Upsells may be restricted based on:

• Order status (e.g., unfulfilled)
• Product eligibility (subscriptions, bundles, restricted items)
• Customer segments or tags
• Market or country
• Order value thresholds
• Inventory availability

If any check fails, the upsell is hidden automatically — no broken experiences, no partial edits.

🧠 5. How Upsells Are Added to Orders

When a customer accepts an upsell:

Account Editor adds the item to the existing order

1. The product is added to the existing Shopify order
2. Shopify recalculates:

• • Subtotal
  • Discounts
  • Taxes
  • Shipping (if enabled)

3. The updated order is saved
4. The action is logged in the Shopify order timeline

🧱 6. Product Types & Upsell Limitations

Bundles

• Upselling bundle components is usually supported
• Upselling complementary products is recommended

Subscription products

• Upsell behavior depends on the subscription app
• Many subscription items can be added post-checkout

Digital products

• Generally safe to upsell

Out-of-stock items

• Upsells are hidden automatically

🧪 7. Real Merchant Scenarios

Scenario A — “Customer adds accessory while fixing address”

Result:

Upsell accepted → shipping recalculated →order updated

Scenario B — “Upsell not shown to some customers”

Possible causes:

• Eligibility rules not met
• Product restricted
• Inventory unavailable

Scenario C — “Upsell caused shipping price change”

Cause:

Added item increased weight or crossed free-shipping threshold.

Result:

Expected Shopify behavior.

⚙️ 8. Recommended Setup (Best Practices)

• Start with simple complementary products
• Enable upsells during order editing
• Avoid upselling restricted product types
• Combine upsells with shipping recalculation
• Monitor upsell acceptance analytics

❓ 9. FAQs

Q: Do customers need to re-enter payment details?

A: No — upsells are added to the existing order.

Q: Can upsells change shipping or taxes?

A: Yes — Shopify recalculates automatically.

Q: Can I disable upsells for certain orders?

A: Yes — use eligibility and targeting rules.

Q: Can upsells be shown multiple times?

A: Yes — based on timing and rule configuration.

⚠️ 10. Common Issues & Fixes

🔗 After Checkout — Shopify Integration & Control

The After Checkout surface is controlled directly by Shopify and can only be managed by one app at a time.

This section ensures Account Editor is the active app so your upsells appear correctly and track accurately.

⚙️ Overview

Shopify allows only one app to manage the After Checkout (post-purchase) page.

If another app (loyalty, reviews, surveys, etc.) controls this surface:

• Account Editor upsells will not render
• Analytics and A/B testing data will not track

Account Editor must be explicitly selected as the active app.

🔗 After Checkout Setup

This is where you connect Account Editor to Shopify’s post-purchase extension.

If another app is active, Shopify shows this message:

⚠️

Only one app can manage the after checkout page.

To enable this feature, select Account Editor in your Shopify checkout settings.

This means Shopify has assigned the surface to a different app.

To show Account Editor upsells, you must reassign control.

🪜 How to Enable Account Editor for After Checkout

Follow these steps in Shopify Admin:

1. Go to Settings → Checkout → Post-purchase page
2. Locate After Checkout Extension
3. If another app is listed, click Change app
4. Select Account Editor
5. Click Save

Once saved, Account Editor immediately takes control of the After Checkout surface.

✅ When Successfully Enabled

You’ll know setup is correct when:

• The warning banner disappears
• After Checkout upsells appear immediately after payment
• Surface performance data starts showing in Analytics

These offers now:

• Run through Shopify’s native checkout extension
• Track correctly under Analytics → Surface Performance
• Can be used in A/B Testing

🧭 Why This Setting Matters

🧰 Common Setup Issues

After changing this setting, always place a test order to confirm the upsell appears before fulfillment begins.

💬 When to Use After Checkout

Use this surface when you want to:

• Offer impulse add-ons immediately after payment

(e.g. gift wrap, express shipping)

• Keep checkout clean while still increasing AOV
• Show fast, low-friction offers with high intent

📋 Summary

Once enabled, Account Editor can manage upsells across:

• Checkout Page (Shopify Plus)
• After Checkout Page
• Thank You Page
• Order Status Page

All data flows automatically into Analytics and A/B Testing.

📊 How This Connects to Analytics & A/B Testing

Each upsell surface is tracked independently in Analytics. This allows you to:

• Compare conversion rates by surface
• Identify where customers are most receptive
• Run A/B tests on one surface without affecting others

This data-driven structure ensures upsells scale without guesswork.

🔗 Outbound links

Primary next steps

→ Creating Upsell Offers (End-to-End Setup) (“Now build your first upsell”)

 → Upsell FAQs & Troubleshooting (“If upsells aren’t appearing”)

Updated on: 16/12/2025