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Understanding Upsell Strategy Matching

How Order Editing decides which upsell strategy to show when multiple strategies match a customer.

3 min read

Overview

When you create multiple upsell strategies, Order Editing automatically decides which one to show each customer. You do not need to set priority numbers or manually rank strategies.

Order Editing evaluates matching strategies, scores them, and chooses the best match for that page.


The matching process

Every time a customer reaches a page where upsells are enabled, Order Editing follows these steps.

Step 1: Gather strategies. Order Editing collects active strategies assigned to that page and market.

Step 2: Evaluate filters. Each strategy's filters are checked against the current order data.

Step 3: Determine matches. Strategies whose filters pass become candidates.

Step 4: Score and rank. Matching strategies are scored by specificity. The highest-scoring strategy wins.

Step 5: Check the Fallback Strategy. If no targeted strategy matches, the Fallback Strategy can show if it is active.

⚠️ Warning: The Fallback Strategy only shows when it is Active. A Draft Fallback Strategy will not catch unmatched customers.


How specificity scoring works

Specificity scoring helps Order Editing choose a winner when multiple strategies match the same customer.

Factor 1: Number of filters

A strategy with more filters is usually more specific, so it scores higher.

Factor 2: Filter weight by type

Product and cart filters usually score higher than broad order-value or customer-history filters. Products in cart, Product in collection, and Cart attribute match are among the strongest signals. Order total is the broadest signal.

ℹ️ Note: Treat filter weights as a practical guide, not exact numbers. Small differences between similar filters may not always change the winner.

Factor 3: Matching logic

Strategies using When all filters match score higher than strategies using When any filter matches, because they target a narrower audience.

The Fallback Strategy and scoring

The Fallback Strategy does not compete in scoring. It only shows when no targeted strategy matches.


Practical examples

Simple vs specific

If one strategy targets orders over $75 and another targets orders over $75 with a Premium product and VIP customer segment, the more specific strategy wins when both match.

When all vs when any

If two strategies use the same filters, the strategy using When all filters match wins over the one using When any filter matches.

Fallback in action

If a customer does not match any targeted strategy, an active Fallback Strategy can show broad bestsellers or other default products.


How pages affect matching

Strategies are filtered by page before matching begins. Checkout Page strategies only compete with other Checkout Page strategies. Thank You Page strategies only compete on the Thank You Page.

ℹ️ Note: Only one strategy wins per page. To show different product sources on the same page, add multiple modules to one strategy.


Strategy audits

To see which strategy was selected for a specific order, go to Upsells > Settings > Audits. Use audits to confirm targeting or troubleshoot unexpected offers.


Tips for designing your strategy hierarchy

Start with your Fallback Strategy. Make sure every eligible customer can see something.

Use product or cart filters for important offers. They are usually the strongest targeting signals.

Do not over-filter. More filters can improve precision, but they can also make your audience too small.

Review with Audits. Place a test order and confirm the expected strategy won.


FAQ

Can I manually set strategy priority?

No. Order Editing uses automatic specificity scoring.

What if two strategies have the same score?

Order Editing picks one. To avoid this, use distinct filter combinations.

Can a customer see two strategies on the same page?

No. One strategy wins per page.

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