Order bump or upsell? What each one does and when to use it

Order bump vs upsell: both raise the value of an order. They are not the same thing, and using the wrong one at the wrong moment costs you sales.

What an order bump is

An order bump is a small add-on shown on the checkout page, before the buyer pays. It is a checkbox: yes, add this for a little more. It works best when it is cheap, related to the main product and easy to understand in one line.

What an upsell is

An upsell is a separate offer shown after the buyer has paid or just before the order is completed. In a one-click upsell the buyer does not enter their card again. It works best when it is a natural next step after the main purchase.

What a downsell is

If someone declines the upsell, a downsell offers a smaller or cheaper alternative. It gives people who hesitated on price another way to say yes.

How to choose

• Use a bump when there is a small extra that makes the main product work better.
• Use an upsell when there is a bigger offer that follows naturally from the first purchase.
• Add a downsell only if the upsell is clearly priced above what many buyers will accept.

Do not overdo it

One bump and one upsell is a good start. Too many offers confuse buyers and can hurt the main sale. Test one change at a time and watch what happens to the whole order, not just the add-on.

If you want this set up on your checkout, I build it with FunnelKit on WordPress and WooCommerce. See how it works.

Order bump vs upsell: which one to set up first

Start with the order bump, because it lives on the checkout page every buyer already sees. Add the upsell once the main checkout converts well.

Related: see how WordPress sales funnels and WooCommerce checkout design use both. The official FunnelKit documentation and WooCommerce documentation cover the setup steps. Also read why a landing page is not converting.