Downsell size choice vs fixed 4oz jar: $0.26 less per visit
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsLetting buyers choose their jar size on a post-purchase downsell earned $0.26 less per visit than offering one fixed 4oz size.
Ezra Firestone ran the test on the BOOM! by Cindy Joseph store and shared it on the Zipify blog.
Conversion rates were close, but many buyers picked the cheapest jar.
- Revenue per downsell visit: the size-choice version made $1.01, $0.26 less than the fixed 4oz offer. The variant lost.
- Conversion rate: about equal on both pages, per the post.
- Order value: many buyers chose the 2oz jar, which pulled average revenue down.
- Visitor counts and confidence levels were not shared.
The change
The variant adds a size picker; the control offers one fixed 4oz jar.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
Buyers who declined the first upsell saw a downsell for a 4oz jar of Boomsilk moisturizer at 15% off, priced at $37.40.
Variant
The same downsell let buyers pick a 2oz, 4oz or 8oz jar at 15% off, with prices from $27.65 to $54.40.
Why it likely lost
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- When given a choice after already paying, many buyers take the smallest, cheapest option.
- A choice did not bring in extra buyers, so the lower order value went straight to the bottom line.
- A single fixed size keeps the offer simple and sets the price point for the buyer.
Caveats: Vendor-founder test published by the upsell app's maker. Sample size and confidence were not shared.
Who ran it
Ezra Firestone ran this test for BOOM! by Cindy Joseph and published the results (Zipify blog). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Ezra Firestone →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we offer one fixed mid-size option instead of a size picker on the downsell, then revenue per visit will rise because buyers won't drift to the cheapest size.
- Primary metric
- Revenue per downsell page visit
- Guardrails
- Downsell take rate
- Share of orders on each size
- Refund rate on downsell orders
- Who should test it
- Stores with post-purchase upsells or downsells on products sold in several sizes. A picker may help if the fixed size is a poor fit for many buyers, such as clothing.
Questions
Should upsell offers include a size or variant picker?
In this test a picker kept the take rate level but lowered revenue, because many buyers chose the smallest size.
A fixed size is worth testing first for products where one size suits most people.
What is a downsell?
A downsell is a cheaper offer shown after a buyer turns down the first post-purchase upsell.
It gives a second chance at extra revenue.
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