Complete Guide to Smart Rules & Targeting

Master Smart Rules for Intelligent Upsell Targeting

Smart Rules are the foundation of successful upsell campaigns. They allow you to show the right offer to the right customer at the right time. UpsellPlus includes 8 powerful rule types that you can combine to create sophisticated targeting logic.

Understanding Smart Rules Basics

Smart Rules live in the Conditions tab of your Offer Editor. They determine when an offer displays to a customer. Think of them as conditional statements:

• IF conditions are met, THEN show the offer
• You can combine multiple rules with AND or OR logic
• Rules evaluate in real-time based on the customer's cart, profile, and session

The Power of Rule Logic

When combining rules, understand how logic gates work:

• AND logic: All conditions must be true. Example: Cart Total > $100 AND Customer Tag = "VIP"
• OR logic: At least one condition must be true. Example: Customer Language = French OR Customer Market = Canada
• Nested logic: Combine AND/OR for complex conditions

Best practice: Start simple and add rules incrementally. Test each addition to ensure your rule set works as expected.

Rule Type 1: Cart Total

Target customers based on their current cart value.

How It Works

Cart Total rules trigger based on subtotal amount (before tax and shipping). You can set:

• Minimum cart value: "Show offer only if cart > $X"
• Maximum cart value: "Show offer only if cart < $X"
• Range: "Show offer if cart is between $X and $Y"

Real-World Examples

Premium Upsell for High-Value Carts

Rule: Cart Total > $100. Offer: Luxury gift wrapping service (+$15). Logic: Only show premium services to customers with substantial purchases.

Budget Offer for Low-Value Carts

Rule: Cart Total < $50. Offer: Free shipping coupon (on orders $75+). Logic: Encourage customers to add more items to qualify for free shipping.

Best Practices

• Use Cart Total alongside other rules for precise targeting
• Consider your product margins when setting thresholds
• Test different thresholds to find the sweet spot for conversion
• Remember: Cart totals are pre-tax/shipping, so factor that into your strategy

Rule Type 2: Cart Products

Target based on specific products already in the customer's cart.

How It Works

Cart Products rules use two operators:

• Has any of: Show offer if cart contains ANY of the specified products
• Has none of: Show offer if cart does NOT contain any of the specified products

You select products by searching your catalog.

Real-World Examples

Complementary Product Upsell

Rule: Cart Products has any of [iPhone 15]. Offer: Premium protective case bundle. Logic: Customers buying phones almost always need cases.

Prevent Redundant Offers

Rule: Cart Products has none of [Screen Protector]. Offer: Screen protector special. Logic: Don't waste real estate showing what they already bought.

Best Practices

• Start with your best-selling complementary product pairs
• Use "has none of" to prevent duplicate offers
• Combine with other rules for precision
• Update products regularly if you have seasonal inventory changes

Rule Type 3: Cart Product Tag

Target customers based on product tags, not specific products.

How It Works

Cart Product Tag rules evaluate Shopify product tags on items in the cart. Instead of targeting Product A, you target all products tagged as "Electronics" or "Summer Collection." This is especially powerful for large catalogs with many variants, dynamic inventory management, and category-based upselling.

Operators: Has any (cart contains products with ANY of these tags) and Has none (cart does NOT contain products with ANY of these tags).

Real-World Examples

Tech Accessory Upsell: Cart Product Tag has any of ["electronics"]. Offer: Extended warranty + tech support bundle.

Seasonal Targeting: Cart Product Tag has any of ["winter-collection"]. Offer: Winter care kit.

Exclude Lower-Tier Products: Cart Product Tag has none of ["budget", "clearance"]. Offer: Premium concierge service.

Rule Type 4: Cart Product Collections

Target based on collections that products belong to.

How It Works

Cart Product Collections evaluates Shopify collections. This works similarly to tags but uses your collection structure instead. Ideal if your store is organized by product categories, brand partnerships, or curated collections.

Operators: Has any (cart contains items from ANY of these collections) and Has none (cart does NOT contain items from these collections).

Real-World Examples

Winter Collection Cross-Sell: Cart Product Collections has any of ["Winter Collection"]. Offer: Complete your winter wardrobe bundle.

Brand-Based Upsells: Cart Product Collections has any of ["Nike", "Adidas"]. Offer: Premium shoe care bundle.

Rule Type 5: Customer Tag

Target Shopify customer tags to recognize customer segments.

How It Works

Customer Tag rules evaluate tags assigned to customers in Shopify. Common use cases include VIP/Loyalty ("vip", "gold-member"), Lifecycle ("first-purchase", "repeat-buyer"), and Behavior ("newsletter-subscriber").

Operators: Has any (customer has ANY of these tags) and Has none (customer does NOT have these tags).

Real-World Examples

VIP-Exclusive Upsells: Customer Tag has any of ["vip"]. Offer: Exclusive members-only bundle at 25% off.

First-Time Buyer Welcome: Customer Tag has any of ["first-purchase"]. Offer: Welcome bundle.

Win-Back Campaign: Customer Tag has any of ["at-risk", "inactive"]. Offer: Comeback discount.

Rule Type 6: Customer Language

Target based on the language setting of the customer's browser or store.

How It Works

Customer Language evaluates the visitor's browser language preference or the language they selected in your store. Operators: Is (exact match) and Is not (exclude languages).

Real-World Examples

Localized Upsells: Customer Language is "French". Offer: French language accessories bundle.

Multi-Language Campaign: Customer Language is any of ["French", "Spanish", "German"]. Offer: European edition bundle.

Rule Type 7: Customer Market

Target Shopify markets to serve different offers by region.

How It Works

If you use Shopify Markets (multi-region setup), this rule lets you target specific geographic regions, market-specific pricing, and localized checkout experiences. Operators: Is (exact market match) and Is not (exclude markets).

Real-World Examples

US-Specific Upsells: Customer Market is "United States". Offer: Free domestic shipping on orders $50+.

Premium Market Targeting: Customer Market is any of ["Switzerland", "Luxembourg", "Norway"]. Offer: Ultra-premium concierge service upsell.

Rule Type 8: Discount Code

Show or hide offers based on active discount codes applied to the cart.

How It Works

Discount Code rules evaluate which coupon codes a customer has applied. Use this to prevent duplicate discounting, create code-specific upsells, and manage discount stacking. Operators: Has any and Has none.

Real-World Examples

Prevent Double Discounting: Discount Code has none of ["SAVE15", "SAVE25"]. Offer: Additional 10% off upsell items.

Code-Specific Upsells: Discount Code has any of ["BLACKFRIDAY"]. Offer: Buy more Black Friday items for extra discount.

Combining Rules: AND vs OR Logic

The real power comes from combining multiple rules.

AND Logic: All Conditions Must Be True

Example: Cart Total > $100 AND Customer Tag has any of ["vip"] AND Customer Market is "United States". Result: Only show offer to US VIP customers with carts over $100.

Use AND when you want highly specific targeting or are testing a premium offer.

OR Logic: At Least One Condition Must Be True

Example: Cart Products has any of ["iPhone"] OR Cart Products has any of ["iPad"]. Result: Show offer to ANY customer buying Apple products.

Use OR when you want broad reach or multiple conditions indicate the same customer segment.

Advanced Feature: Auto-Add to Cart

Enable "Automatically add to cart when conditions met" to instantly add upsell products without customer click. Perfect for free gifts, warranties, and obvious product pairs.

Important Caveats

• Clearly communicate what was added and why
• Ensure the product pair makes sense
• Test mobile experience (auto-added items affect cart height)

Troubleshooting: Rules Not Triggering

Common Issues

Rule never shows offer: Verify rule syntax (exact tag names, product IDs), confirm rule operator (AND vs OR), test with a simple rule first, review offer status.

Rule shows too frequently: Review AND/OR logic, verify product/tag/collection names, add exclusion rules.

Product/tag/collection not found: Verify exact spelling in Shopify admin, ensure product is published, check for typos.

Testing Your Rules

1. Add a test product to cart matching rule conditions
2. Preview the offer in UpsellPlus dashboard
3. Verify offer appears/disappears as expected
4. Test with different rule combinations
5. Clear browser cache between tests

Best Practices for Smart Rules

Rule Design: Start simple, test incrementally, document logic, use consistent naming.

Rule Maintenance: Quarterly review, archive old rules, monitor performance, update seasonally.

Performance Optimization: Avoid excessive combinations (3-4 rules max per offer), use OR sparingly, prioritize rules.

Quick Reference: All 8 Rule Types

Updated on: 11/02/2026