Setting up upsells in checkout

Offer shipping protection, priority processing, warranties, or any digital add-on at checkout, with timers, display rules, and order tags

May 7, 2026

Where to find it

Go to Convert > Extensions in the left sidebar. Click the purple Add Extension button in the top-right corner and select Digital Upsell. The editor opens with two tabs: Settings and Timer, plus a live Preview panel on the right.

To edit, duplicate, copy a token, or delete an existing Digital Upsell, click the three-dot menu ( ⋯) on any extension card on the Extensions page. You'll see four options:

• Edit — opens the full settings editor.
• Copy Token — copies the Shopify integration token to your clipboard without opening the extension.
• Duplicate — creates a copy with all its settings.
• Delete — permanently removes the extension.

Heads up: saving creates an unlisted Shopify product

When you save a Digital Upsell for the first time, PDQ creates an unlisted digital product in your Shopify backend using the Title and Description text from the Settings tab. The product is hidden from your storefront and used only to process the upsell at checkout.

Because of this, three fields are locked once you save: Title, Description text, and Upload product image. Set them deliberately the first time — to change any of them later, you'll need to duplicate the extension and start over.

Step 1: Connect the extension to Shopify

After saving, the Token for Shopify appears at the top of the Settings tab. Click View Detailed Installation Instructions for the full walkthrough, or copy the token (it looks like custom_upsell_XXXXXXX) and paste it into the Custom Upsell Token component in your Shopify Theme Editor under your checkout settings.

For the full extension install walkthrough, see Adding a PDQ Extension to your Shopify checkout.

Step 2: Configure the offer

In the Settings tab, set:

• Internal Name — for your reference only, not visible to shoppers (e.g. "Shipping Protection Upsell"). Editable any time.
• Title — the headline shoppers see (e.g. "Protect your shipping"). Locked after first save.
• Description text — the supporting line under the title, up to 255 characters. Locked after first save.
• Upload product image — .png only, max 500KB. Locked after first save.

Step 3: Choose where it appears

Under Component Placement:

• Standalone — the upsell shows as its own block in checkout, separate from any shipping method.
• Inside Shipping Method — embeds the upsell inside a specific shipping option. If you pick this, head to your Online Store Editor to define which shipping method it attaches to.

Step 4: Set the price

Under Choose Type:

• Fixed Rate — a flat dollar amount in Upsell Rate (e.g. $5.75).
• Percent — calculated as a percentage of the order value.

To layer on a discount:

• Apply Discount To — pick Upsell item (discount only the add-on) or Entire order.
• Discount % — the percentage to apply.

For example, a $6 upsell with a 20% discount shows as $4.80 — the strikethrough price is the motivator.

Step 5: Free items, tooltips, and order tags

A few extras worth knowing about:

• Auto-Select Only Free Digital Item at Checkout — if your upsell is $0, this auto-adds it to the cart. Use it for free downloads or freebies you want every shopper to receive.
• Enable Tooltip for Extra Details — adds an info icon next to the upsell. Reveals Tooltip Title (short heading) and Tooltip body (up to 5,000 characters).
• Custom Order Tags — auto-tag any order that includes the upsell. Tick Pin Order to Top of PDQ Screen to pin tagged orders to the top of your fulfillment queue. You can also type your own tag names in the input field.

Step 6: Set display conditions

Decide exactly when the upsell shows up. Add one or more rules — cart value, item count, collection, coupons, customer tags, destinations, device type, gross margin, locale, product type, SKU, time of day, weekday, weight, zip codes, and more. Combine rules with Add Rule Group for AND/OR logic. If you don't add any rules, the upsell always shows.

Under When cart no longer meets conditions:

• Keep in Cart — the upsell stays even if the cart changes.
• Remove from Cart — the upsell is pulled if the cart no longer qualifies.

Step 7: Add a countdown timer (optional)

The Timer tab adds urgency. Toggle Enable Countdown Timer on — the timer starts the moment a shopper hits checkout. With the toggle off, no timer shows regardless of any settings below.

Configure:

• Timer Duration — a number, then minutes or seconds.
• Time Format — Digital (01:30:45) or Compact (1Hr 30m).
• Placement — In Item Description, Inline Bar, or Badge. Each behaves differently.

How each placement option works

• In Item Description — the timer is embedded in the upsell's description text. To use it, go back to the Settings tab and add {countdown} inside the Description text field. The timer text appears as part of the description.
• Inline Bar — a separate text banner appears below the upsell card. The text and styling come from the Messages section below.
• Badge — a small timer pill appears next to the upsell title. Only the countdown clock shows; no message text.

Messages

All fields support dynamic fields — type { to see options. The key one is {countdown}, which inserts the live time remaining.

• Default Message Displayed — shown while the timer runs (e.g. "Only {countdown} left to claim this offer!").
• Message When Timer Is Low — kicks in below a threshold you set under Show when remaining time is under.
• Message When Time Has Expired — shown at zero.

Save and preview

Click Save in the top-right to save changes across both tabs. The first save creates the unlisted Shopify product. Cancel discards unsaved changes and returns to the Extensions list.

Use the Preview panel on the right to see how the upsell looks at checkout — toggle Desktop/Mobile, or click Preview In Shopify for a live preview in your Shopify checkout editor.

Tips

• For paid digital add-ons (shipping protection, warranties): use a Fixed Rate, write a clear title, and turn on the tooltip to explain what's covered.
• For free items (downloadable guides, loyalty gifts): turn on Auto-Select Only Free Digital Item at Checkout so it lands in every cart automatically.
• For premium services (priority processing): tick the Pin Order option to push tagged orders to the top of fulfillment.
• Title and Description are locked after first save — do a quick dry run with the Preview panel before clicking Save.
• To create urgency without losing late deciders: use the Timer with Show Expired Message rather than Hide Digital Upsell — shoppers who take a beat can still add it.