Cart abandonment is one of the biggest lost revenue sources in ecommerce — but it’s also one of the easiest to fix with the right strategy. Instead of only sending generic reminder emails, smart brands are using upsell strategies as part of their cart abandonment flows. That means not just trying to recover the sale, but actively increasing its value at the same time. In this post, we’ll walk through the most effective cart abandonment upsell strategies you can implement right away. We’ll included examples, tools, and best practices to maximize recovery and average order value (AOV).

What Is a Cart Abandonment Upsell?

A cart abandonment upsell is an offer sent to a customer who left items in their cart without checking out, instead of just reminding them, you sweeten the deal. That could mean; recommending a higher-value bundle, offering a free gift with purchase, giving a limited-time discount on a complementary product and so on. These upsells work because they reignite interest and give shoppers a reason to come back, often with a larger order than they originally intended.

Top Cart Abandonment Upsell Strategies

Offer a Better Version of What’s in the Cart: If a customer leaves behind a basic product, suggest an upgraded version — e.g., a premium hoodie instead of a standard one. It reframes their decision, often making the upgrade seem like a better value.

Include a Time-Limited Gift or Discount: “Complete your purchase in the next 15 minutes and get a free accessory worth $10.” Urgency plus added value helps overcome hesitation.

Recommend a Smart Bundle: If they left a single product, suggest a bundle with 2–3 complementary items at a discounted total price. It increases perceived value and total order size while making the shopper feel savvy.

Use Tiered Discounts for Bigger Orders: Offer discounts that increase with order value; Spend $50 → Get 10% off, Spend $75 → Get 15% off, Spend $100 → Get 20% off. Customers are nudged to spend more to unlock a better deal. This is great for boosting AOV.

Suggest Frequently Bought Together Items: Highlight related products that are often purchased with the abandoned item. Especially if they’re small add-ons. Customers feel they’re completing their order, not being upsold.

Best Channels to Deliver Cart Abandonment Upsells

Email: Your #1 channel. Use dynamic content to tailor upsells based on cart contents.

SMS: Short, punchy reminders with time-sensitive upsell offers. Great for urgency.

Web Push Notifications: Quick, clickable offers that bring users back in seconds — especially effective when paired with a time-based offer.

Real-World Examples

Fashion Brand: Customer abandons a $40 jacket → receives an email offering a premium version + matching scarf bundle for $65.

Pet Store: Cart left with dog food → SMS sent offering 15% off with added treats if checkout is completed in 1 hour.

Home Goods Brand: Web push notification offers $10 off $75+ if cart is completed before midnight.

Tools to Implement These Strategies

If you’re on Shopify, these apps make cart abandonment upsells easy to set up:

Sweet Upsell: Dynamic cart-based offers with quick recovery options with draft orders

Klaviyo: Personalized email & SMS flows

ReConvert: Post-purchase and cart abandonment upselling

Cartloop: Conversational SMS with upsell logic

Turn Abandonment Into Opportunity

Cart abandonment doesn’t have to be a dead end. With smart upsell strategies, you can not only recover the sale — you can make it even more valuable than before.

Start testing one or two of the strategies above in your abandoned cart flow today. The sooner you optimize, the more revenue you’ll unlock from shoppers who were this close to buying.