7 Upsell Email Tips for Shopify Stores

Upsell emails are one of the easiest ways to increase the value of each customer on your Shopify store. With the right timing and a bit of personalisation, a simple follow-up can turn a single purchase into something much bigger.

Whether someone’s just ordered gym gear or a skincare set, the right suggestion can feel less like a sales pitch and more like good timing. 

Key tips covered in this guide:

• Segment Your Audience: Group customers by purchase behavior, product preferences, or lifecycle stage for more targeted campaigns.
• Personalize Offers: Use Shopify data to suggest complementary or upgraded products tailored to each customer.
• Time Emails Strategically: Send upsell emails at key moments, like post-purchase, delivery, or during special events.
• Write Strong Subject Lines: Keep subject lines short, personalized, and focused on urgency or value.
• Optimize for Mobile: Ensure emails are easy to read and navigate on mobile devices with responsive design.
• Use Social Proof: Include customer reviews, product ratings, and popularity stats to build trust.
• Track Performance: Monitor metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and revenue per email to refine your strategy.

1. Email List Segmentation

Creating Customer Segments

Dive into your Shopify customer data to split your email list based on behaviors and traits. This approach ensures you're speaking directly to what your customers care about.

Here are some practical ways to segment:

Purchase History
Group customers by:

• Total spend: $0–$50, $51–$200, $200+
• Order frequency: first-time, repeat, loyal buyers
• How recently they purchased: last 30 days, 31–90 days, or 90+ days ago

Product Categories
Look at:

• The main categories they've shopped
• Their average order value
• Seasonal buying trends

Customer Lifecycle
Define where they are in their journey:

• New (first 30 days as a customer)
• Regular (monthly shoppers)
• At-risk (haven’t bought in 60+ days)
• Lost (inactive for 180+ days)

With these segments in place, you can send more personalized upsell emails that actually resonate. When you segment your audience, you can craft campaigns that feel tailored to their needs. Instead of sending the same email to everyone, you match your offers to their behavior. For example:

• High spenders? Offer premium upsells.
• Price-conscious shoppers? Send discounts or bundle deals.

2. Making Offers Personal

Once you've segmented your audience effectively, take it a step further by tailoring offers using detailed customer data. Personalization is key to building stronger connections and boosting sales.

Using Customer Purchase Data

Shopify provides valuable customer data that can help you create targeted upsell recommendations. Pay attention to metrics like:

• Purchase Frequency: How often do customers buy specific products?
• Average Order Value: What do they typically spend per order?
• Category Preferences: Which types of products do they buy most often?
• Seasonal Buying Habits: Are there particular times of the year they tend to shop?

For example, if a customer regularly buys organic skincare products, you could send them an upsell email featuring premium options slightly above their usual spending range. This approach encourages higher-value purchases without feeling pushy.

Smart Product Suggestions: Offer complementary items to enhance their purchases. If someone buys a coffee maker, you might recommend:

• High-quality coffee beans
• Descaling solutions
• Reusable filters
• Coffee storage containers

These suggestions add value and align with their interests.

Email Personalization Tools

Shopify offers features that make email personalization easier and more effective. Here's how they can help:

What to Include in Personalized Emails:

• Use the customer's name to make it feel personal
• Reference products they've viewed or purchased
• Suggest items based on their spending habits
• Highlight loyalty rewards or tiers they’ve earned
• Customize offers based on their location

When done right, personalized emails not only increase engagement but also set the stage for timely upsell opportunities.

3. Email Timing Basics

Timing plays a big role in the success of upsell emails. When you send your emails can greatly influence open rates and conversions for your Shopify store.

After-Purchase Timing

Once you've nailed down personalized offers, the next step is to send your emails at the right time to boost conversions.

For example, if your product has a 30-day lifespan, plan to send an upsell email around day 25.

Tips for Post-Purchase Timing:

• Monitor your customers' usual reorder cycles.
• Account for shipping times to avoid premature emails.
• Consider how long customers typically use the product.
• Look for seasonal buying trends.
• Experiment with different send times to find what works best.

Special Event Timing

Special events are prime opportunities for upsell emails, beyond the usual post-purchase windows. Here are some key moments to target:

Customer Milestones:

• First purchase anniversaries
• Birthdays
• Loyalty program achievements
• Rewards for hitting purchase milestones

Seasonal Opportunities:

• Major shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday
• Seasonal transitions
• Industry-specific dates
• Local holidays or events

Combining customer data with event timing can be highly effective. For instance, if a customer frequently shops during the holiday season, send an upsell email 2-3 weeks before the holidays featuring premium versions of products they've purchased before.

Best Times of Day for Emails:

For B2C audiences, the following times typically work well:

• Early morning: 6:00 AM - 8:00 AM
• Lunch break: 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
• Evening downtime: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Be sure to adjust for your customers' time zones and review engagement trends in your Shopify analytics.

Testing Recommendations:

• Try out different time slots over a 2–3 week period and analyze open, click-through, and conversion rates.
• Pay attention to how different customer segments respond to your timing tests.

4. Writing Better Subject Lines

Your subject line plays a crucial role in boosting open rates for upsell emails. It's the first thing recipients see and can make or break their decision to engage with your content. A well-thought-out subject line not only grabs attention but also sets the stage for your message.

Subject Line Tips

Crafting effective subject lines for upsell emails requires careful planning. Here are some key elements to keep in mind:

To make your subject lines stand out, try these techniques:

• Use Action Words: Strong verbs can make your message more dynamic. For example, replace "Premium Version Available" with "Upgrade Today."
• Create Urgency: Emphasize time limits or scarcity, like "Only 5 Premium Slots Left."
• Leverage Social Proof: Numbers can build trust and interest. For instance, "Join 10,000+ Upgraded Customers."
• Experiment with Different Approaches: Test personalization, varying lengths, and tones to find what resonates most with your audience.

Sample Subject Lines

Here are some examples of subject lines tailored for different upsell scenarios:

5. Mobile Email Design

Make sure your upsell emails are easy to read and navigate on mobile devices to increase conversions and avoid losing potential sales.

Mobile Design Elements

Crafting emails that work well on mobile requires focusing on a few key design elements:

Here are some additional tips to ensure mobile compatibility:

• Use responsive images that adjust automatically for different screen sizes.
• Place clear, attention-grabbing call-to-action (CTA) buttons above the fold.
• Add 15-20px of white space around clickable elements to avoid accidental taps.
• Optimize preview text (the first 35-40 characters) to stand out in mobile inboxes.
• Compress images to improve load times without sacrificing quality.

Test your mobile emails to confirm they load quickly, display text clearly without zoom, have tappable buttons, properly scaled images, and easy-to-spot CTAs. This ensures a smooth user experience and maximizes engagement.

6. Adding Customer Proof

Use social proof - like customer reviews and popularity stats - to build trust and improve upsell conversions.

Make your reviews stand out with these tips:

Choose reviews that highlight upsell benefits, and position the most compelling ones near your call-to-action.

Popular Product Features

Beyond reviews, use product popularity metrics to validate your upsell offers:

• Show real-time stock levels (e.g., "Only 5 left in stock")
• Highlight purchase counts (e.g., "1,247 happy customers this month")
• Include 'Frequently Bought Together' sections based on order data
• Feature 'Top Rated' badges for products with high star ratings (4.5+)

Incorporate these elements directly into your email design. Dynamic content blocks can keep these stats up-to-date, making them more trustworthy.

7. Measuring Email Results

Tracking the performance of your upsell emails is essential to boosting revenue. Here's how to measure success effectively.

Evaluate your upsell campaigns using these core metrics:

Conclusion

Upsell emails don’t need to be complicated—they just need to be smart. By using your Shopify data to send the right message to the right people at the right time, you can boost order values without annoying your customers. Focus on clear segments, make your offers feel personal, and keep things mobile-friendly. Track what’s working, tweak what’s not, and you’ll build an upsell strategy that actually pays off.

And if you need support refining your approach or scaling results, our eCommerce consultancy service is built to help.