Some stores boost revenue with upsells and bundles. Others go heavy on discounts.
Which approach has worked best for your customers?
Both strategies can drive results, but the best one really depends on your goals and timing. Upsells and bundles are great for steady, long-term growth since they help customers discover more products and increase their order value.
However, when it comes to high-traffic events like BFCM, discount-focused campaigns almost always win. Shoppers are primed to buy when they see strong, time-sensitive offers and that’s where a smart discount setup can make all the difference.
If you want to manage both approaches easily, Discounty is a great all-in-one app to try. It’s a discount manager, price editor, and BXGY (Buy X Get Y) tool that helps you run everything from flash sales to tiered volume discounts. You can:
- Create quantity breaks like “Buy 2, Get 10% Off”
- Launch cart or free-shipping discounts to lift conversion
- Set a Countdown Timer for your discounts or create buy X get Y to increase CR
- Customize widgets and sale badges to match your theme
- Apply order discount and free shipping discount using one discount code at checkout
Basically, it gives you all the tools to handle bulk, volume, and cart discounts in one place perfect for boosting AOV during BFCM and beyond. 
Hey @merakicommerce
From what I’ve seen working with different Shopify brands, upsells and bundles almost always deliver stronger, more sustainable results than heavy discounting. Discounts can definitely move the needle for short bursts or clearance campaigns, but they often eat into profit and train shoppers to wait for the next sale. Upsells and bundles, on the other hand, lift your average order value without hurting your margins, and they do it while keeping your brand value intact.
One tool that works really well is iCart. It turns the cart drawer into a revenue-boosting space with in-cart upsells, cross-sells, progress bars (like “spend $10 more for free shipping”), and bundle suggestions. Because everything happens inside the cart, it feels natural and doesn’t interrupt the checkout flow.
In short, discounts are good for momentum, but upsells and smart cart strategies build consistency. And with tools like iCart, it’s easy to make that part of your everyday sales system.
Both upsells/bundles and heavy discount strategies can boost revenue effectively, but their success depends on the store’s products, target audience, and business goals.
Upsells and Bundles
- Many stores find upsells and bundles, like those facilitated by BiDeal Bundle Volume Discounts and BiSell Upsell & Cross Sell, increase average order value significantly by encouraging customers to buy more without heavily cutting prices.
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Bundles and upsells present customers with added value and convenience, often enhancing their shopping experience and satisfaction.
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This approach tends to preserve margins better than steep discounting because customers pay more overall rather than receiving large price cuts.
Heavy Discounting
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Discount-heavy strategies can drive quick spikes in sales and attract price-sensitive shoppers.
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However, overuse of discounts may erode brand value, reduce profit margins, and condition customers to wait for sales instead of buying at full price.
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Discounts are often more effective when used strategically during product launches, clearance events, or seasonal sales.
What Works Best
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For long-term growth and healthy margins, many successful stores prefer upselling and bundling combined with targeted promotions rather than frequent heavy discounts.
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Upsells and bundles provide a win-win by increasing revenue while adding perceived customer value.
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Discounts are best used sparingly and strategically.
If interested, I can share case studies or help optimize upsell and bundle strategies with apps like BiDeal and BiSell to maximize revenue while protecting margins.
I think it really depends on the store 
For stores with returning customers or customizable products, upsells and bundles usually work best. Meanwhile, newer stores often see better results with discounts to attract first-time buyers.
If you’d like to try upselling, you can use Easify Product Options — it lets you add simple add-ons or bundle offers right on the product page to boost AOV easily. The app is super easy to use, here’s how it works:
- This is the result:
- This is the app setting:
Hope this helps! Good luck with your BFCM campaigns, and don’t hesitate to reach out to Easify if you need any help
That’s the million-dollar question! From our perspective as app developers, the most successful stores don’t choose one strategy over the other—they use both. The real difference we see is in how effectively they communicate those offers to their customers.
A great bundle or a deep discount is completely useless if it doesn’t immediately catch a shopper’s eye on a busy collection page. Customers are scrolling fast, and you have less than a second to stop them and show them why your product is a great deal. This is where visual cues like product labels and badges become so powerful. They cut through the noise and make your promotions impossible to miss.
For stores running discounts, a bold “20% Off” or “BFCM Deal” badge on the product image converts far better than a simple strikethrough price. For those focusing on bundles, a “Bundle & Save” label can highlight the opportunity to increase cart value. Even a simple “Free Shipping” badge can be the final nudge a customer needs.
For merchants looking to make their promotions stand out, this is precisely what our app, DECO: Labels and Badges, was built for. It allows you to add eye-catching, fully customizable labels to any product or collection in seconds. It’s all about turning your best offers into your best visual marketing and ensuring your hard work on the promotion actually gets seen.
Hope this helps!
It’s hard to say what works better in general, since every client’s situation is unique and many factors influence the outcome. For example, to boost AOV for cosmetics brands, bundles are a must anytime. But during BFCM, when shoppers are waiting for discounts, it would be stupid not to implement them in your store, especially when combined with in-demand bundles.
Our customers more often need our developers’ help to implement custom bundles, since they can apply discounts using Shopify’s built-in features. However, if they need something special for their discount systems, we create custom solutions tailored to their needs.
That’s a great question. It really depends on your goals.
Both upsells/bundles and discounts can be effective, but in different ways. Bundles often help increase average order value and maintain margins, especially when products are complementary or encourage repeat buying.
On the other hand, discounts are great for quick conversions or attracting new shoppers, though they may reduce your margins if used too frequently.
Some merchants find a balance by using bundles for existing customers and discounts as a way to bring new traffic in.
Both upsells and discounts work, but they serve different goals - I’ve seen the biggest difference come from how you mix them.
For long-term health, upsells and bundles are unbeatable. They increase average order value and keep your margins intact. Simple moves like “frequently bought together” or “add this for 20% off” work year-round without training shoppers to wait for sales.
But for BFCM, discounts win the click. The traffic you get then is deal-driven, so you need strong time-limited offers to stand out. What works best for me is layering the two:
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Run a clear headline discount (e.g., “20% off sitewide”) to pull shoppers in.
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Use in-cart upsells to increase AOV while they’re already shopping.
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Keep bundles as post-purchase offers or “complete the look” add-ons.
So instead of choosing between them, pair discounts for acquisition with upsells for profit recovery. That combo gives you conversion spikes without killing margin or brand value.
Tracy from Zopi
Freely to inbox me for discussion or consult 
For me upsells have worked better long term than discounts. Discounts bring quick conversions but they also train customers to wait for the next one. With upsells I’ve seen higher AOV and better retention since customers discover products they actually like instead of just buying because of a deal.
I’m curious if anyone has tried combining both like offering a small incentive on an upsell instead of a general discount?
Hello @merakicommerce
We’ve worked with Shopify merchants from fashion to food to B2B, and one thing stands out: discounts create attention, but upsells build profit.
Most of them say discounts are great for short-term wins—like, for example, a skincare store might give 10% off the first order through a flexible pricing rule (similar to what DiscountRay app allows). These campaigns bring traffic and help move inventory fast.
But once customers are in the store, upselling or cross-selling usually performs better for profit. For example, when a store adds a small prompt like “Add matching accessories” or “Bundle this with…” (like PushBundle app allows), customers often increase their order value naturally.
Based on what we’ve seen, the formula is simple: use discounts to start relationships and upsells to strengthen them.
Thank you.
Upsells or discounts — what works better for you? Based on our 11y+ of experience in sales promotions, our answer is:
→ If you want to win special events like BFCM (when shoppers expect deep discounts that can easily cut into your profits) while maintaining healthy margins and high customer satisfaction, the best strategy is:
1. Discount to Attract Traffic and Then Upsell High-Margin Products.
Start with a catchy discount to get customers clicking, then upsell higher-margin items to maximize revenue without sacrificing profitability.
If you want to make it irresistible, add a free shipping threshold and show it through a dynamic progress bar that encourages shoppers to add more upsell products.
Use case: Decathlon
Decathlon discounted its best-selling shirts to capture traffic, then upsold complementary items in the cart. They also used a progress bar to show how close shoppers were to earning free shipping.
2. Use a Branded Gift Instead of Over-Discounting
Create branded gifts that cost you little but build emotional connection and deliver real value to customers.
Make them exclusive by hiding these gifts from your store so they are unsearchable or purchased separately. Then add an element of surprise by automatically including the gift in shoppers’ carts once they hit the qualifying threshold.
Use case: Pattakespictures (UK)
This Shopify brand uses a low-cost but exclusive gift, a Lightroom preset package called “HALO CINEMATIC PRESET”. The gift wasn’t available for purchase or search, and was automatically added to qualifying carts, giving it an air of real exclusivity.
Noted: Take a closer look at how it works & what results it delivered in this article.
If you want to explore more competitive pricing intelligence strategies for this BFCM, we’ve shared all our best-performing tactics in this post on the Shopify Community.
Truly hope our sharing helps 
Great question — both upsells and discounts work, but they often hit a ceiling because they rely on short-term motivation.
What’s been working really well lately is a third approach: gamified engagement.
Instead of just offering another discount or bundle, you make customers earn rewards through progress — like quests, badges, or milestones.
For example, with LevelUp Rewards, stores use:
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Quests (e.g. “Complete 3 purchases this month to unlock a bonus”) -
Collector trophies for exploring more products -
Streaks that reward repeat visits or consistent buying behavior
It gives you the AOV boost of upsells and the retention power of loyalty — but in a way that feels fun and motivating rather than transactional.
So if you’ve already tried discounts and bundles, gamification might be your next lever 
When you’re acquiring customers through paid ads, post-purchase or in-cart upsells are usually the easiest way to improve your profits without hurting your brand perception.
Discounts work great for:
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first-time visitors who need that initial nudge
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clearing old stock
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running seasonal campaigns
BUT… heavy discounting trains customers to wait for deals.
What I recommend after optimizing many stores
Use a hybrid model
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In-cart recommendations or bundles → higher AOV without hurting margins
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Small, controlled discounts → only when necessary (first order, limited promos)
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Post-purchase upsells → highest conversion rate because there’s zero friction
high-converting cart drawer with built-in upsells and gifts, you can check out Oxify Cart Drawer the brands using it have seen strong AOV lifts without having to rely on heavy discounting.
One thing that’s been working really well is adding a bit of gamification, like the spin-to-win wheel in Bevy Design . It makes discounts feel more fun and interactive instead of just another offer, and it’s great for boosting engagement and conversions.
You can still combine it with upsell triggers (like add-to-cart or exit-intent), but the wheel really grabs attention and drives more engagement.
Give it a try! You’ll love that there’s a free plan available.
Link to the app - Shopify App Store
For additional information, visit our website: Bevy Design