Hiding cart upsells that covered items: +11.8% profit per session
Test run byVisuallyTesting and CRO tool
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsHiding the upsells in Pvolve's cart raised profit per session by 11.8%.
Visually ran this test with Pvolve, a fitness brand that sells resistance equipment and streaming classes, and published it as a Visually case study.
The old upsells partly blocked the items already in the cart.
- Profit per session: +11.8% with upsells hidden.
- Conversion rate and average order value for this test were not shared.
- Sample size, duration and confidence level were not shared.
The change
Upsells removed so cart items are no longer covered
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The cart showed upsell products, and these partly covered the items the shopper had already added.
Variant
The upsells were hidden, so the cart showed only the shopper's items and the path to checkout.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- The upsells got in the way of the cart contents. Removing them made the cart easier to review.
- Fewer distractions in the cart can mean fewer shoppers drop off before checkout.
- Any revenue lost from fewer add-ons seems to have been outweighed by more completed orders.
Caveats: Visually reported the result in its own marketing case study. Sample size, test length and statistical confidence were not shared. The upsells in the control had a layout problem, so this does not show that well-placed upsells hurt.
Who ran it
Visually ran this test for Pvolve and published the results (Visually case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Visually →
How to run this test on your store
- Hypothesis
- If we remove cart upsells that compete with or cover the cart items, then profit per session will rise because more shoppers will reach checkout.
- Primary metric
- Profit per session
- Guardrails
- Average order value
- Upsell attach rate
- Checkout start rate
- Who should test it
- Stores with cart upsells that have never been tested, especially if they crowd the cart on mobile. Stores where upsells drive a large share of margin should test placement before removing them.
Questions
Do cart upsells hurt conversion?
They can if they crowd or cover the cart.
In Pvolve's case, hiding them raised profit per session by 11.8%.
Should I measure cart upsell tests by conversion rate or revenue?
Use profit or revenue per session. Upsells trade conversion against order size, so conversion rate alone can mislead.
What is a safer alternative to removing upsells?
Move them below the cart items or limit them to one compact product. Then test that against no upsells.
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