How to Set Up Cross-Selling and Upselling

Overview

Increase average order value and improve the shopping experience by configuring relevant cross-sells, upsells, and related products that guide customers to complementary and higher-value items.

Applicability: These steps apply to Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce 2.4.x. Adobe Commerce also offers automation via Marketing > Promotions > Related Product Rules and Marketing > Product Recommendations for scalable, AI-driven suggestions.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • Access to Magento Admin Panel
  • Product catalog setup
  • Admin role with Catalog > Products edit permission
  • Staging environment available to test changes before production

What You'll Accomplish

By following this guide, you will:

  • Successfully set up cross-selling and upselling
  • Improve your store's performance and customer experience

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 0: Set goals and choose target products

This quick planning step helps you focus on the highest ROI opportunities.

Identify a pilot category or top 10 products where recommendations will have the biggest impact. Define success metrics (e.g., +10% AOV, +5% attach rate in 30 days). Prioritize SKUs with high traffic and low attach rate, strong margins, and categories with natural complements (e.g., shoes → insoles, socks). Map for each base product: 3–5 related products, 2–4 upsells, and 2–4 cross-sells.

Step 1: Open the product editor in Magento Admin

Go to Catalog > Products. Search for and click the base product (e.g., RUN-SHOE-100). Ensure the product is Enabled, In Stock, and Visible Individually. Confirm it is assigned to the correct Website.

Ensure the Store View selector (top-left) is set to the desired scope (All Store Views or the target Website). Product links are global, but product status, visibility, and price can be website-specific.

Step 2: Add Related Products (on-page complements)

Scroll to the Related Products, Up-Sells, and Cross-Sells section. Click Add Related Products. Use filters to find complementary items (e.g., SHOE-INSOLE-DELUXE, SHOE-CLEAN-KIT). Select 3–5 items and click Add Selected Products. Use the Position column (or drag-and-drop) to set display order; storefront sorting typically respects this order ( theme-dependent).

Selection playbook: Choose accessories frequently bought together within ~20–40% of the base product’s price for strong relevance without cannibalizing the main purchase.

Step 3: Add Upsell Products (premium alternatives)

In the same section, click Add Up-Sell Products. Search for premium or higher-margin alternatives (e.g., RUN-SHOE-200-PRO, RUN-SHOE-NEW-TECH). Select 2–4 items and click Add Selected Products. Use the Position column (or drag-and-drop) to set the priority order; confirm on your storefront.

Selection playbook: Favor newer models or bundles with a +15–30% price delta and higher margin/value to the customer.

Step 4: Add Cross-Sell Products (cart complements)

Click Add Cross-Sell Products. Select items suited for impulse purchase at checkout (e.g., ATH-SOCKS-PACK, SPORT-BOTTLE-700ML). Choose 2–4 and click Add Selected Products. Use the Position column (or drag-and-drop) to set order; most themes respect this.

Selection playbook: Low-cost add-ons under ~15% of cart value to minimize friction and increase attach rate.

Step 5: Save and repeat for key catalog items

Click Save at the top right. Repeat the process for additional high-traffic products. Focus first on top 10–20 SKUs to maximize impact quickly.

Step 6: Optional: Bulk update via CSV import

Prepare a product CSV with these columns for each base SKU: sku, related_skus, upsell_skus, crosssell_skus. Example file:

sku,related_skus,upsell_skus,crosssell_skus
RUN-SHOE-100,"SHOE-INSOLE-DELUXE,SHOE-CLEAN-KIT","RUN-SHOE-200-PRO,RUN-SHOE-NEW-TECH","ATH-SOCKS-PACK,SPORT-BOTTLE-700ML"

Go to System > Data Transfer > Import. Set Entity Type = Products, Import Behavior = Add/Update. Upload the file, Validate, then Import. Reindex if needed.

Step 7: Refresh cache and confirm indexing

Go to System > Cache Management and click Flush Magento Cache. Then open System > Index Management and confirm key indexers are Ready, especially:

  • Product EAV
  • Category Products
  • Catalog Search (if applicable)

If indexers are set to Update by Schedule, ensure cron is running. CLI alternative: run bin/magento indexer:reindex from your Magento root.

Step 8: Validate storefront display on product page

On the storefront, open a configured product page. Verify Related Products and Upsell Products blocks display the exact items you added, in the order you set. Check mobile and desktop views.

If blocks don’t appear:

  1. Ensure linked products are Enabled, Visible (Catalog, Search), and In Stock.
  2. Confirm all products are assigned to the same Website as the base product.
  3. Stores > Configuration > Catalog > Inventory > Stock Options: If Display Out of Stock Products = No, out-of-stock linked items won’t show.
  4. Some themes remove or relocate these blocks—test with a reference theme (e.g., Luma) or consult your theme docs.

Step 9: Validate cross-sells on the cart page

Add the base product to the cart. Open the cart page (not just the mini-cart). Confirm Cross-Sell items appear. If you added multiple cross-sells, confirm limits and ordering are respected by the theme.

Step 10: Set up measurement and monitor impact

Record a baseline AOV from Reports > Sales > Orders for the prior period. After deployment, monitor AOV weekly. Use Reports > Products > Products in Cart to identify popular combinations. In your analytics, create events or segments to track clicks and add-to-cart from recommendation blocks.

Implementation tips:

  • Add a unique CSS class or data attribute to recommendation links (e.g., data-rec-block="related|upsell|crosssell") and configure GA4/Adobe Analytics click events.
  • Track per-block KPIs: CTR, add-to-cart rate, conversion rate, revenue per session, and AOV.
  • Review weekly for 4 weeks; prune low performers and replace with better candidates.
  • Consider an A/B test (show vs hide blocks) for ~2 weeks to quantify impact.

Verification

Use this checklist to confirm everything is working correctly:

  • Admin: Product saved with related/upsell/cross-sell links and Position set
  • Indexers: Product EAV, Category Products, and Catalog Search are Ready
  • Cache: Magento cache flushed; cron running if using Update by Schedule
  • Storefront: Blocks visible on product and cart pages; order respected; works on mobile and desktop
  • Analytics: Events fire for clicks/add-to-cart from recommendation blocks

Common Issues and Solutions

  • Links not saving: Verify you clicked Save and resolved any validation errors. Check role permissions at System > Permissions > User Roles for Catalog > Products.
  • Items not visible: Confirm Website assignment and stock status; reindex and refresh invalidated caches. Check Display Out of Stock Products setting.
  • Order not respected: Ensure Position values are set. Some themes override order—review theme settings/layout or test with a reference theme.
  • Import fails: Validate the CSV, ensure headers match exactly, and check import error details. Review logs at var/log/system.log and var/log/exception.log. Confirm delimiter/enclosure settings align with your file.
  • Performance: Limit to 3–5 related and 2–4 upsells/cross-sells to keep pages fast and focused.
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