
Propel the profits of your ecommerce store with cross sell offers your customers can't resist. For most online stores, 70-95% of revenue comes from cross sell funnels. Being able to upsell and cross-sell are sales tactics that help increase average order value.
There is a multitude of ways to cross sell products on your Shopify store successfully. Popular methods include adding an on-brand frequently bought section to your product page and making smart cross sell suggestions with add-ons at the cart.
In this article, you'll learn about Shopify cross-selling, and we'll share with you the two best Shopify cross sell apps we recommend.
What is a Shopify cross-sell app?
A cross-sell app is a plug-in that entices your customer to add more to their order. A great perk of having a Shopify store is that Shopify store owners have many cross sell apps to choose from that can be installed.
The key benefits of using a Shopify cross-sell app:
- Saves time: having a third-party app host your cross selling offers allows you to focus on other areas of your Shopify store without manually creating, updating and rotating cross sell offers
- Maximize sales: Cross selling apps allow consumers to add items to their backset with just a few clicks making the overall process seamless
- Customer satisfaction: cross sell apps can propel sales with offer campaigns that improve the customer journey, like offering them add-ons or product upgrades with cleverly placed frequently bought sections
So, now that you know our reasoning for our cross sell recommendations, let's explore the two types of cross sells: pre-purchase and post-purchase cross sell funnels.
What is the difference between pre-purchase and post-purchase cross-sells?
You can cross-sell to a customer on your Shopify store in two ways: pre-purchase and post-purchase. Both of these strategies can help cross sell products, and they both achieve similar results. The only difference is where in the buyer's journey these marketing features are used.
Pre-purchase cross selling
This strategy aims to increase the average order value before customers check out on your store. Some customers respond better to offers before they make a purchase. Offering discounted cross sells can help build loyal customer relationships and increase the number of products in their cart.
On an ecommerce store, there is plenty of opportunity to cross sell via:
- Product page: by showcasing your products in the best light with clear images and relevant messaging, you'll improve the product page conversion rate and entice customers to buy your products on their first visit to your Shopify store
- Frequently bought sections: you can show customers other items that shoppers usually buy that relate to the items in their baskets. Frequently bought and product recommendation sections are great for displaying complementary products
- One click cross sell offers on the cart page: using banners, pop-ups and notifications, you can encourage customers to increase the number of items in their basket. Cart upsell offers are an excellent opportunity to promote related frequently bought products
Post-purchase cross selling
This cross selling strategy runs immediately after the customer has placed and completed their order.
Post purchase upsell and cross-sells use the already obtained customer data to provide an additional offer. The key idea is to create personalized customer recommendations using data like purchase history to suggest well-matched products.
So, now that you're all clued up on Shopify cross-sellling let us introduce you to the two top cross sell apps that will propel your ecommerce business.
What are the two best cross-sell apps for Shopify?
Finding the best cross sell app can be challenging, especially as many Shopify cross sell apps are available. Offering discounted cross sells to existing customers is 68% more affordable than acquiring a new customer, so you must find the best cross sell app for your Shopify store.
Start pre-purchase cross-selling with Upcart
Upcart allows you to create a customized slide cart with cross sells and add-ons to boost average order value. The Upcart app enables you to create a great customer cart experience.
Key features:
- Show offers with cart cross-selling blocks
- Add free shipping and cross sell offers with promotion bars
- Create add-on options for other products or shipping insurance
- Share brand updates via cart announcements
- Add a sticky cart button to boost the view cart button's visibility
Subscription plans

Start post-purchase cross-selling with Aftersell
Aftersell's cross selling app creates customized post purchase upsells after a customer has made the initial purchase enabling repeat sales with cross-sell offers they won't resist. You can also boost customer satisfaction with a customizable thank you page by adding FAQs, on-page reviews and more.
Key features:
- Create post-purchase one-click cross sell offers for single and multi-products
- Trigger cross sell offers by customer tag, cart value and products
- Optimize your thank you page with upselling and cross-selling recommendations
- Split-test your offers with A/B testing
- Shopify Plus exclusive feature: customize your checkout page with order bump cross sells
Subscription plans

How do you get started with cross-selling using cross-sell apps?
Good question. It's time to put your newfound knowledge about cross sell apps to use. If you're new to adding apps or plug-ins to your online store, the following steps will help you.
You can use cross sell apps with these four easy steps:
- Visit the Shopify app store and search for one of our suggested cross sell apps
- Install the app and decide which products to cross sell
- Once all cross sell offers are ready, we recommend running an A/B test to see what performs best
- After a few weeks, measure your conversation rate, alter your offers accordingly and repeat
Final thoughts on using Shopify cross-sell apps for your ecommerce Shopify store
There you have it. We recommend the best Shopify cross sell apps in 2025. With Upcart and Aftersell, you can optimize your upselling and cross-selling sales tactics.
Now you're ready to upsell and cross-sell to increase profit margins and propel your business's success.
Want to learn more about our other top Shopify app top picks? We've got useful lists for the best subscription apps, best affiliate apps, and how to change your Shopify store name in 2025.
Happy cross selling!
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