You enter McDonald’s and order a burger, fries, and a drink. But before you check out, the cashier asks you a helpful question: “Would you like me to Supersize your meal for you?”
Well, isn’t that nice of the cashier to ask that?
Of course, you would like her to do that, and you might even thank her for being so thoughtful.
Congrats, you’ve just discovered how to increase the size of your orders on your website.
The most challenging part of marketing is getting the sale.
But once someone has committed to making the purchase, getting them to upgrade is relatively easy.
They’ve already decided to buy. That decision is made. Purchasing more reconfirms their commitment to that decision.
Plus, you’re giving them a great deal, so what’s not to love?
Your customer has added your $99 course to the cart. You ask if they would like to add four weeks of email coaching for just $49 more, making the total sale $148 instead of just $99.
To be clear, an order bump happens before someone clicks “buy now.” It adds items or upgrades to the shopping cart before the checkout is complete.
In contrast, an upsell happens after someone has completed the purchase.
The upsell is usually on the thank you page, and it can be done with a single click, so the customer doesn’t need to enter their credit card details again.
When Should You Use Order Bumps vs. Upsells?
Order bumps work best when the offer is a continuation or upgrade of the current product that is about to be purchased.
For example, if you’re selling software, the order bump might be an extended license allowing the user to own it for a lifetime rather than renewing it each year.
Or it could be a set of videos that help the user to install and use the software, in case this sort of thing is new to them.
Or it is reselling or PLR rights to the software.
On the other hand, 1-click upsells are best when the offer is complementary to the original product.
Suppose you sell a course on how to drive traffic using Facebook. An upsell could be another course on how to drive traffic using TikTok or Instagram.
Learn more about offers and sales funnels here
Examples of Order Bumps
You will almost always see an order bump for a warranty plan when you purchase electronics.
For example, when you buy an iPad, you’ll be offered ‘AppleCare’ for two years of tech support and accidental damage coverage.
When you purchase from Omaha Steaks, there is an order bump for Filet Mignon at a discount.
The brand Thirty-One uses a slightly different approach in their order bump, placing it on every product page.
The visitor has two choices – “add to cart” or “personalize’. So they’re selling more by offering the personalization service to increase the value of each sale.
They also subconsciously make their buyers think of who they can send a personalized gift to.
The #1 Reason Why Order Bumps are so Effective
Just as your customer is about to click the buy button, they get a chance to upgrade their order to something even better.
And because the order bump is personalized to exactly what the customer wants, it can make the original offer even more compelling.
On top of that, most people are impulsive buyers.
Presenting an offer upgrade just as they’re about to buy vastly increases the chance they will accept it.
Think about what happens at a new car dealership.
First, the customer might agonize over whether or not to purchase.
But once they become committed to their chosen vehicle, it’s effortless for the dealership to sell all kinds of add-ons that contribute significantly to the sales price and the customer’s satisfaction.
Once people decide, they will reaffirm to themselves that they have made the right decision. And taking the order bump is one more way they show themselves that they’re on the right path.
10 Order Bumps to Add to Your Offers
While this list is not comprehensive, it gives you an excellent starting point in figuring out what offers you can make to your customers in order bumps.
1: An Additional, Different Format
This one is so simple – for example, if your customer is purchasing a pdf, offer them an audio version or even a physical copy in addition to the pdf.
2: Related Accessories
This should be something that enhances the function of the original product.
So, for example, if you’re selling a course on approaching the right people at companies in a specific niche to do deals, the order bump might be the contact info for 100 of these executives.
Or if you’re selling a course on something, the order bump might be a 20-page pdf on how to learn anything quickly.
3: Personal Assistance
This works especially well if you are selling courses and programs. Your order bump could be email support for any questions they have.
Group conference calls to answer questions or a private Facebook Group.
4: Community or Partners
Again, if you are selling courses and programs, getting your customers to take action on the product they’re purchasing is the biggest obstacle.
Offering them a private community they can join where they are in touch with others learning the same material can be extremely helpful. It also provides them with a way to make contacts.
And something I see very little but can be even more compelling is assigning accountability partners.
When you pair two or more people together to stay in touch with each other and keep each other accountable, the work tends to get done at a much higher rate.
Why is this important? If your customers are not just buying but also USING your programs and courses, they are much happier with their purchase and MUCH more likely to purchase more programs and courses from you in the future.
5: Expedited Shipping
The company I purchase supplements from offers expedited shipping for just an additional $2.99. It’s a great deal, and I get it every time.
Faster shipping can mean two things: Either it gets shipped faster or by a quicker delivery method, such as USPS Priority Mail instead of Ground.
6: Auto-Delivery
You can offer monthly delivery through an order bump if you sell anything that requires repeat purchases, such as foods, supplies, or supplements.
This won’t increase the size of the initial order, but it will increase the number of times something is ordered.
7: Maintenance or Support
Does your product require maintenance? Upgrades? Support?
Electronics and cars almost always have order bumps for extended warranties.
Which of your products needs these things, too?
Warranties and protection plans are similar and also a great thing to offer as order bumps.
8: Preferred Members Group
You could create an insider’s circle or preferred members program that offers discounts, free shipping, exclusive deals, etc.
Amazon Prime is an excellent example of this.
And many companies offer a 10% discount on all purchases made within a year of purchasing a preferred membership.
9: Upgrades
This can mean so many different things. For example, if someone purchases a resell license, you can offer a PLR license as an upgrade.
Or you offer 2 or 3 different versions of your product, software, or service.
If they choose one of the lesser versions, on the order page, you can present them with a bump up to the next level.
Odds are they were on the fence anyway, so asking them if they wouldn’t like to move up one level will often get a yes, especially if you throw in some small incentive.
10: Bulk Discounts
If you’re selling tangible products, then this can work well. For example, offer them 3 of the item they’re purchasing for a reduced per item-unit.
Or offer them the second unit for half price.
In some cases, this can work with digital, too. For example, let’s say you have a series of videos or books.
It could be a series of 5 books, each building on the other and acting as a stand-alone product.
Your customer adds one book to the cart, and on the order page, you offer a special deal to get all five books right now. Because odds are they will be back for more anyway, so why not grab them now?
Final Notes on Order Bumps
The tricky part is keeping the order bump simply while still doing your best to sell it.
1: Go for a clear and concise message that covers the big benefit of getting the order bump.
Use a short headline that grabs attention.
Be ultra-specific in what they’re getting.
Show how it is helpful to the purchase they are already making.
Create a sense of urgency that this is THE time to grab the offer – not later.
And if applicable, show how it is unique.
That’s a lot to fit into 2 to 4 sentences. So you’ll have to play with this until you get it right, then test it and adjust accordingly.
2: Try placing your order bump in a box outlined in a bright contrasting color, such as red or orange.
3: If the number is over 50%, note what percentage of people take the order bump.
4: If there is space, insert one extremely short testimonial at the end of the order bump copy to show how awesome your customers think this order bump is.
5: Your headline can often be as simple as “OFFER UPGRADE” in bold red letters.
6: To say yes to the offer, have your customers check a box that says something like, “Yes! Upgrade My Order”. You might highlight these words and the checkbox in pale yellow to make them stand out.
7: Using a picture in the order bump box can work well, if appropriate. For example, if the order bump is for a book, use a pic of the book cover.
8: If appropriate to your order page, try placing the order bump box directly in line with the order form, with a button underneath that says to ship your order now.
This makes it seem a very natural part of the ordering process.
9: You might start the sales copy of your order bump with something like, “One time offer, only $12.95” in red and underlined. Test everything.
10: Keep the order bump’s cost lower than the original product’s cost, usually 50-60% lower.
There are exceptions, such as if you’re offering a special deal on 3 of the item instead of just the one they added to the cart.
11: As mentioned earlier, test. Changing the order bump’s look, position, and ad copy can sometimes make a tremendous difference in conversions.
One note: Some marketers are afraid that they will be chasing away sales by offering an order bump.
While I’ve found this is very seldom true, you must frame your order bump in such a way that it is an excellent deal for your customer and also something they can quickly turn down by simply ignoring it.
If you add an order bump and sales decline (possible but HIGHLY unlikely), you might need to make the right offer.
Start over with a different offer and see what happens.
Bottom Line: If you’re not already testing order bumps on your sales, it may be time to start.
Depending on the offer and the price, it’s possible you could add as much as 10-50% to your bottom line simply by mastering the order bump process.
Ready to create offers to the target audience that will bring you more clicks, leads, and sales
Take advantage of this course. You will learn how to market your offers and get sales with one free hour of mentoring to check if everything is set correctly.
