Use cases
Every GemUpsells use case revolves around one question: What should we offer at each stage of the buyer journey to encourage additional purchases without disrupting the shopping experience?
The following use cases are organized by business goal, touchpoint, upsell strategy, and industry.
1. By Business Goal: The Four Funnel Templates
When creating a funnel, merchants can choose one of four pre-built templates based on their business goals or start from scratch. Each template comes with widgets assigned to relevant touchpoints, so merchants only need to select products, customize the content, and publish.
| Template | Goal | Best For | Included Widgets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product Routine | Turn a single-product purchase into a complete product set or routine. | Brands selling products designed to be used together in a routine, such as skincare, supplements, and fitness products. This is the most comprehensive template, covering all five touchpoints. | Tiered Rewards, Complementary Products, Payment Guarantee, Subscription, Social Proof, Product Offer (post-purchase), Social Commerce (Thank You). |
| Cart Maximizer | Increase order value through spending thresholds and rewards. | Brands looking to increase AOV with incentives such as "Spend $X more to unlock free shipping or a free gift." | Tiered Rewards, Complementary Products, Add-ons, Payment Guarantee — across Popup on ATC, Cart Drawer, and Checkout. |
| Subscription Upgrade | Increase recurring revenue by converting one-time purchases into subscriptions. | Brands selling consumable products that customers purchase regularly, such as coffee, vitamins, and personal care products. | Subscription, Complementary Products, Trust Badges — across Cart Drawer and Checkout. |
| Post-purchase Offer | Generate additional revenue through one-click offers immediately after checkout. | Brands looking to increase revenue without adding friction to the checkout flow. | Product Offer (post-purchase), Social Commerce (Thank You). |
2. By Touchpoint
Each touchpoint represents a different stage of the buyer journey, with different buyer mindsets and opportunities for upselling.
| Touchpoint | Buyer's Mindset | Common Use Cases | Available Widgets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Popup on ATC | The buyer has just clicked Add to Cart and is highly engaged with the product. | Immediately recommend complementary products or show a message such as "You're $15 away from free shipping." | Complementary Products, Free Shipping Bar, Tiered Rewards. |
| Cart Drawer | The buyer is reviewing their cart and considering the total order value. | Display tiered reward progress, encourage subscription upgrades, offer shipping protection, or reinforce purchase confidence with payment guarantees. | Complementary Products, Tiered Rewards, Free Shipping Bar, Subscription, Add-ons, Payment Guarantee. |
| Checkout | The buyer is entering payment details and may abandon the purchase if interrupted. | Offer a small, relevant add-on, build trust with reviews and trust badges, or encourage a subscription upgrade. | Complementary Products, Add-ons, Subscription, Social Proof, Trust Badges. |
| Post-purchase | The buyer has completed payment but has not yet reached the Thank You page. | Present a one-click offer that allows the buyer to add another product to their existing order without re-entering payment details. | Product Offer. |
| Thank You | The buyer has completed their purchase and is engaging with the order confirmation experience. | Display shoppable product videos or recommend products for their next purchase. | Social Commerce, Complementary Products. |
3. Discount-Driven vs. Value-Driven Upselling
Not every upsell needs a discount. GemUpsells supports both approaches, allowing merchants to combine them based on their margins and business goals.
- Discount-driven upselling: Encourage additional purchases through financial incentives, including free shipping at a spending threshold, free gifts, tiered order discounts, discounts on recommended products, bundles, Buy X Get Y (BOGO) offers, and subscription discounts.
- Value-driven upselling: Encourage purchases by highlighting relevant products, complementary items, and additional benefits rather than relying on discounts. Examples include product recommendations, service add-ons such as shipping protection or priority handling, secure payment messaging, trust badges, customer reviews, and product videos.
4. Industry-Specific Examples
4.1. Beauty — Skincare Brand
Scenario: A skincare brand with a sample AOV of $45 wants to increase basket size by promoting complementary products and a complete skincare routine.
Buyer journey:
- Popup on ATC: A buyer adds a facial cleanser to their cart. GemUpsells recommends a toner and serum from the same product line.
- Cart Drawer: A tiered reward bar displays "$50 for free shipping · $80 for a free mini size."
- Checkout: Customer reviews and trust badges reinforce purchase confidence.
- Post-purchase: A one-click offer promotes sunscreen at 20% off.
- Thank You: A product video demonstrates the skincare routine and includes a shopping CTA.
Recommended template: Product Routine.
4.2. Health & Wellness — Vitamin Brand
Scenario: A vitamin brand wants to convert one-time purchases into recurring subscription revenue.
Buyer journey:
- A buyer adds a bottle of vitamins to their cart.
- Cart Drawer and Checkout: GemUpsells encourages the buyer to switch to a monthly subscription with a "Subscribe & Save 10%" offer.
- Complementary products, such as omega-3 and collagen, are recommended to increase order value.
Business goal: Convert one-time purchases into recurring revenue.
Recommended template: Subscription Upgrade.
4.3. Fitness — Fitness Equipment & Whey Protein Brand
Scenario: A fitness brand wants to increase AOV by promoting complementary products and spending-based rewards.
Buyer journey:
- Popup on ATC and Cart Drawer: A buyer adds whey protein to their cart. GemUpsells recommends a shaker bottle and creatine, alongside a tiered reward progress bar.
- Cart Drawer: An additional offer promotes shipping protection for $2.55.
Business goal: Increase basket size through complementary products, rewards, and service add-ons.
Recommended template: Cart Maximizer.
4.4. Food & Drink — Coffee Brand
Scenario: A coffee brand wants to generate additional revenue immediately after checkout and encourage future purchases.
Buyer journey:
- A buyer purchases a bag of coffee beans.
- Post-purchase: A one-click offer promotes discounted coffee filters.
- Thank You: A brewing tutorial video introduces the product and includes a shopping CTA.
Business goal: Generate incremental revenue through post-purchase offers and encourage future purchases.
Recommended template: Post-purchase Offer.
5. Conditional Display: Different Offers for Different Buyers
At the same touchpoint, merchants can create multiple upsell groups, each with its own display conditions. GemUpsells evaluates these conditions against the buyer's cart or order to determine which offers to display.
Examples include:
- Product-based recommendations: Buyers purchasing products from the "Skincare" collection see serum recommendations, while buyers purchasing from the "Body" collection see lotion recommendations.
- Cart-value incentives: Buyers with carts under $50 see a free-shipping progress bar, while buyers with carts worth $50 or more see a free-gift offer.
- Order-based offers: Buyers placing orders over $100 receive a premium post-purchase offer.
This allows merchants to create more relevant upsell experiences based on what buyers purchase and how much they spend, rather than showing the same offers to everyone.