Best Upsell Tactics for DTC Brands

Acquiring customers is tough for any DTC brand. That’s why it’s crucial to maximize the value of every one you win. The best way to do that is to upsell: persuade them to buy more expensive items, upgrades, or other add-ons.

In this post, we’ll reveal the best upsell tactics for DTC brands. These simple, yet effective tips will help you improve your average order value (AOV), customer satisfaction, and overall revenue. Let’s dive in!

4 Best Upsell Tactics for DTC Brands in 2025

Product Bundling

Offering bundles is one of the most effective cross-sell and upsell strategies for DTC brands. A bundle is a combination of several products sold as a single package, usually at a discounted price. The discount is an incentive for customers to purchase more quantities.

Bundle offers are typically placed on a product page. For example, a fashion brand can let shoppers “complete the look” with complementary items.

There are different types of upsell product bundles:

• Volume discounts: the price-per-unit gets lower with increase in quantity
• Mixed bundle: a collection of related, complementary products
• BXGY: buy X units and receive Y (product or discount) for free

TrailSurvivor, a DTC provider of outdoor and survival gear, used BXGY bundle deals to upsell customers, leading to over a 100% increase in AOV.

To offer bundles in your store, you need to install the right tool. The best upsell apps provide advanced bundling features suitable for any industry. Be sure to check them out.

Data-Backed Product Recommendations

Displaying product recommendations is a fantastic way to bring eyes to your bestselling items and upsell customers. But the strategy is only effective if you promote the right products. Supercharge your recommendations by showing products based on tried and tested data. Examples are:

• Trending items
• Seasonal goods
• “Frequently bought together” items

Many DTC owners use TrendTrack to see what products are trending across their industries.

Stay ahead by following the latest DTC ecommerce trends in your industry.

Personalized Checkout Add-Ons

Your checkout page can be a solid place to upsell customers through optional add-ons. However, to maximize buyer experience, hyperpersonalize your offer. Add-ons may be custom fields, preferred delivery dates, gift wrapping, extended warranties, or special perks.

You can use reliable AI tools to display add-ons based on the user’s purchase history, browsing history, audience segment, and time-on-page data.

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Subscription Boxes

Another upsell tactic for DTC brands is to offer subscription boxes. This strategy lets you transform one-time buyers into recurring customers.

Dollar Shave Club, one of the top DTC subscription brands in the world, turned a single razor sale into a replenishment subscription empire.

Subscription boxes are especially effective in the following industries:

• Beauty & skincare
• Food & beverage
• Lifestyle
• Fashion
• Pet care
• Health & wellness

You can fill each box with a collection of some of your best-selling items. Be sure to add incentives, such as discounts, themed designs, and VIP membership perks.

Conclusion

Upselling with bundles, product recommendations, checkout add-ons, and subscriptions can boost your store revenue and AOV. Use the tips in this post to get faster results. But don’t forget to optimize your tactics with A/B testing.