How to boost Shopify Upselling Conversion with social proof?

Written by: Lauren

Topics: eCommerce Tips

Published: Mar 28, 2024

9 minutes read

boost shopify upselling conversion with social proof

Boosting your Shopify upselling success can feel like a challenge. But with the power of social proof, you can transform hesitant customers into eager buyers. Social proof taps into our desire to follow the crowd, making your upsell offers irresistible.


How? By showing the value of your upgrades through the positive experiences of others. This builds trust and makes your Shopify upsells impossible to ignore.


This guide will teach you everything about using social proof to supercharge your Shopify upselling strategy. We'll delve into the top types, where to place them for maximum impact, and the best apps to help. Get ready to turn those upsell offers into sales!

Shopify Upselling Basics (and How Social Proof Helps)

Key Points of Shopify Upselling

Let's start by understanding the basics of Shopify upselling. Then, we'll dive into how social proof can supercharge your Shopify store's upselling success. Upselling can be a highly powerful tool that helps increase revenue if the store owners know how to upsell on Shopify with the right strategy.

1. Relevance

Relevance is crucial. The items you suggest as upsells need to be directly related or offer obvious benefit alongside the original purchase. This might mean a better version of the product a customer is viewing, or add-ons that perfectly complement it. 

2. The value for customers

Highlight the benefits the customer gains with the upgrade or extra item. You should create upsell offers that customers can easily and quickly understand the benefit of if they accept the offer.

3. The convenience

Don't force customers to hunt for them. Make it as simple as possible to take the offer with tactics such as: one click upsell, cart upsell, popup upsell, etc. Place your suggestions strategically with: the product page upsell, checkout upsell, or even post-purchase upsell after they have made an order. 

4. The trust and FOMO

Testimonials and reviews specifically about the benefits of the upsell make your offer more compelling and build immediate trust. You can use other extensions to create the urgency and trigger the FOMO to customers. 

How Social Proofs Helps

By now you can see that at which points we can enhance the upselling conversion rate using social proof. 
Social proof plays a crucial role in the last key points, trust and FOMO:

  • Reviews where other customers rave about the benefits of the upsell builds trust in the product and your brand. 
  • Testimonials reduce hesitation and make the 'yes' feel safer. 
  • Highlighting popularity ("Trending Now!") or limited stock levels with social proof taps into FOMO, encouraging customers to act quickly before they miss out.

This combination of trust and urgency significantly enhances your upselling conversion rates.

  • The key point of using social proof to enhance upselling:

    Usually, Shopify store owners can already be familiar with using social proof to enhance their sales conversion rate. They can do it to enhance the upselling conversion rate by simply creating the relevance between the content of social proof and the upselling products. 

Key Types of Social Proof for Effective Shopify Upselling

Now we clearly understand why we can boost upselling conversion with social proof, let’s continue with the specific types of social proof for effective Shopify upselling.

1. Customer Testimonials/Reviews

Customer testimonials offer compelling proof that your upsell delivers on its promises. Prioritize reviews that highlight how the upsell solved a problem the customer was facing or significantly improved their experience with the original product.


Where to place: 

The customer testimonials/ reviews can be placed on the checkout page or post-purchase page alongside with the recommended products. Shopify store owners can display the reviews in the product page but we do not recommend it. The product page should focus on one main product and its reviews instead of the upselling offers. Otherwise, if you display too much information in one place, it can distract the customers and affect their buying decision. 

customer reviews in shopify store

VapeSuperstore display the customer reviews in product page with upselling products 

2. Social Media Shares and Mentions

Harness the genuine excitement of customer endorsements on social media. Feature positive mentions of your upsell to build FOMO and tap into the desire to be part of the positive trend surrounding your product.


Where and how to place it? 

  • Product Pages: Embed a curated feed of social posts mentioning your upsell or integrate a widget that displays live social proof.
  • Post-Purchase: Encourage customers to share their experience with the upsell on social media by offering incentives, like a discount on their next purchase.
  • Email Campaigns: Feature curated social media content highlighting positive customer experiences with the upsell within an email newsletter.

3. Expert or Influencer Recommendations

Borrow the trust that experts and influencers have cultivated to boost your Shopify upselling's appeal. Their endorsement signals to customers that your upsell offers quality and aligns with industry leaders.


Where and How to Place It:

  • Product Pages: Feature quotes or short video testimonials from experts directly on the upsell product page.
  • Landing Pages: Create a dedicated landing page showcasing expert recommendations alongside the benefits of your upsells.
  • Social Media: Share expert testimonials on your social channels, tag them in posts, and promote influencer-generated content featuring your upsell product.
  • Email Campaigns: Include expert quotes and success stories in emails promoting your upsells.

4. Ratings and Certifications

Instantly demonstrate the popularity and quality of your upsells with high star ratings and certifications. Show these prominently next to the upsell listing to combat any doubts and encourage customers to confidently add it to their cart.


 Where and How to Place It:

  • Product Pages: Display star ratings prominently next to the upsell product's price and title. Include relevant certifications or badges for added trust.
  • Checkout Flow: Briefly reiterate high ratings or certifications near the final purchase button to reinforce confidence.
  • Shopify Pop-ups: Utilize a pop-up displaying average star ratings and a link to read reviews for the upsell product.
  • Dedicated Page: To further boost upsell credibility, create a dedicated page highlighting any certifications, awards, or industry recognition specifically related to your upsell products. Link to this page from relevant product descriptions.

unitedbyblue displays ratings in product page

unitedbyblue displays the rating in product page.

5. The Wisdom of the Crowd

Create a sense of urgency and inspire buying confidence with phrases like 'Bestseller!' and 'Trending Now!' Showcasing the popularity of your upsell removes hesitation and makes customers feel like they're missing out if they don't buy.


Where and How to Place It:

  • Product Pages: Use popups to highlight recent purchases of the upsell bundle, or display a dynamic "sold count" next to the product.
  • Checkout Flow: Include short customer testimonials specific to the upsell, or feature social media posts showcasing customer satisfaction with that item.
  • Tool Suggestions: Consider Shopify apps that specialize in social proof and FOMO tactics.

Top Use Cases of Social Proof to Boost Sales

1. Tap into FOMO with Real-Time Activity

Make your upsells irresistible by showcasing:

  • Recent purchases: "X people just bought this in the last hour!"
  • Live views: "Y people are currently viewing this offer."
  • Sold count: "Over Z units sold today!"

social proof sales popup notification

mingfrabrics shows the sales popup notification to show real-time activity.

2. Leverage Scarcity for Quicker Decisions

Push hesitant customers to act by displaying: 

  • Low stock warnings: "Only a few left in stock!"
  • Limited offer count: "X bundles remaining at this price."

3. Add Urgency with Countdown Timers

Drive immediate action with time-sensitive offers.

  • Display a timer clearly showing how long a special upsell promotion or discount will last.

  • Key Point: 

    These social proof tactics create a sense of competition and urgency, motivating customers to accept upsell offers before they miss out.

Tool Suggestions: Look for Shopify apps specializing in social proof pop-ups, dynamic sales counters, and countdown features for easy implementation.

Recommended Shopify Social Proof Apps

Save time and effort by using dedicated Shopify social proof apps. These tools offer easy-to-use features for showcasing compelling testimonials, ratings, and more to drive your Shopify upselling success. 

Let's continued with our list of recommendations for the Shopify social proof apps!

Qikify Shopify Social Proof App

  • Rating: 4.9/5 (1,238 reviews) 
  • Built For Shopify 
  • Key Upselling Features: Displays recent purchases, sold counts, countdown timers, and includes a promo bar.
  • Pricing: Free Plan is available. Paid plans from $6.99 - $19.99/month

Pros: Good all-around social proof features, free plan available.

Cons: Might need a paid plan for the full range of features.

Proof Bear Shopify Social Proof App

  • Rating: 4.9/5 (313 reviews) 
  • Key Upselling Features: Focuses on sales popups and add-to-cart notifications. Offers customization.
  • Pricing: Free To Use. 

Pros: Free to use, good balance of simplicity and personalization.

Cons: Might feel limiting if you need very diverse social proof types.

Salespop Shopify Social Proof Apps

  • Rating: 4.7/5 (7,335 reviews) 
  • Key Upselling Features: Wide variety of social proof options, geo-targeting for personalized messages.
  • Pricing: Free Plan is available. Paid plans from $29 - $129/month with 7-day free trial

Pros: Excellent for showcasing diverse proof, location-based targeting.

Cons: Pricier starting point than some alternatives.

sales popup conversion shopify social proof app

  • Rating: 4.8/5 (4,433 reviews) 
  • Key Upselling Features: Emphasizes urgency with countdown timers and stock indicators. Includes trust badges.
  • Pricing: Free plan is available. Paid plans from $4.99/month with 14-day free trial 

Pros: Great for FOMO tactics, affordable paid plan.

Cons: Might feel less customizable than some competitors.

sales popup toastibar

  • Rating: 4.8/5 (1,757 reviews) 
  • Key Upselling Features: Offers various social proof options, excels at geo-targeting, and has multilingual support.
  • Pricing: Free plan is available. Paid plans from $6.99 - $8.99/month with 14-day free trial.

Pros: Perfect for targeting and language flexibility.

Cons: Free plan might feel limited in features.

Conclusion: The Power of Social Proof for Shopify Upselling Success

By now, you understand the undeniable impact that social proof can have on transforming your upsell conversions. Whether it's customer testimonials, expert endorsements, the wisdom of the crowd, or a sense of urgency and scarcity – these tactics leverage psychology to instill trust, overcome hesitation, and make accepting your upsell the obvious choice.


Implementing social proof is remarkably straightforward with the help of dedicated Shopify apps. Start experimenting, exploring what types of social proof resonate best with your audience, and track the positive impact on your upsell conversions.


Don't leave increased revenue on the table! Choose a Shopify social proof app, select the tactics that align with your upselling strategy, and unleash the persuasive power of social proof in your Shopify store today.

qikify sales popup social proof shopify app

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