Understanding Smart Rules in UpsellPlus

Understanding Smart Rules and Conditions

Smart Rules are the backbone of targeted upselling. They let you control exactly when and to whom your offers appear, ensuring you're showing the right offer to the right customer at the right time. This guide covers all available Smart Rules and how to use them effectively.

What Are Smart Rules?

Smart Rules are conditions you set in your offer configuration that determine whether an offer is shown to a customer. Instead of displaying an offer to everyone, you can target specific segments based on their behavior, attributes, and purchase history.

All Smart Rules are configured in the Conditions tab of the Offer Editor. You can combine multiple rules to create sophisticated targeting logic.

Available Smart Rule Types

Here's a complete list of Smart Rules you can use in UpsellPlus:

1. Cart Total

Target customers based on their current cart value. Set minimum and/or maximum cart totals.

Example: Show a premium upsell only when cart total is over $100. Or show a discount offer when cart is under $50.

2. Cart Products

Target based on what products are in the cart. Two options:

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

Example: Show phone accessories only if a phone is already in the cart. Or hide an offer if a competing product is already added.

3. Cart Product Tag

Target by product tags. Show or hide offers based on whether the cart contains products with specific tags.

Example: If cart has products tagged "electronics", show a tech protection plan upsell. If cart contains "clearance" items, hide premium bundles.

4. Cart Product Collections

Target based on which Shopify collections are represented in the cart.

Example: If a customer has items from your "Winter Collection", show matching accessories. If they're buying from "Sale Items", show a discount upgrade offer.

5. Customer Tag

Target specific customer segments using Shopify customer tags.

Example: Show VIP-only offers to customers tagged "VIP". Hide trial offers from customers tagged "enterprise".

6. Customer Language

Target customers based on their language preference.

Example: Show French-language offers to French-speaking customers, Spanish offers to Spanish speakers, etc.

7. Customer Market

Target customers by their geographic market.

Example: Show USD pricing offers to US customers, GBP offers to UK customers. Run region-specific promotions.

8. Discount Code

Target based on discount codes in the cart.

Example: Show additional upsells when a specific promo code is applied. Or hide offers when a bulk discount code is used.

Special Smart Rule Options

Beyond the basic rule types above, UpsellPlus offers powerful modifiers:

Exclude Products Already in Cart

Prevents products from being recommended if they're already in the customer's cart. This prevents showing duplicate products and improves recommendation quality.

Example: A customer already has a blue shirt in their cart. Even if your AI recommends blue shirts, this setting ensures they're not shown the same product again.

Automatically Add to Cart When Conditions Are Met

Instead of showing an offer that requires customer action, automatically add qualifying products to the cart when Smart Rule conditions are satisfied.

Example: When cart total exceeds $75, automatically add a free gift to the cart as a loyalty reward.

Product Swapping

Replace one product with another when specific conditions are met.

Example: If a customer has a standard product in their cart and meets upgrade criteria, swap it for the premium version in the upsell offer.

Combining Rules for Advanced Targeting

You can stack multiple Smart Rules together. All conditions must be met (AND logic) for the offer to display.

Example: Show a premium bundle offer when ALL of the following are true:

• Cart total is over $200 (Cart Total rule)
• Customer is tagged "premium" (Customer Tag rule)
• Cart contains at least one item from "Electronics" collection (Cart Product Collections rule)

This level of precision ensures your offers are highly relevant to each customer segment.

Practical Smart Rules Examples

Let's walk through some real-world scenarios:

Scenario 1: Cart Recovery with Smart Rules

You want to show a discount offer, but only to customers with abandoned carts.

Rules:

• Cart Total is between $50-$200
• Customer Language is English
• No discount code is already applied

This targets price-sensitive customers in the sweet spot where a discount incentive works best.

Scenario 2: Premium Upsell Strategy

You want to show a high-value bundle exclusively to VIP customers.

Rules:

• Cart Total exceeds $150
• Customer Tag is "VIP"
• Cart contains products from "Premium Collection"

This ensures your best offer reaches your most valuable customers.

Scenario 3: Complementary Product Recommendations

You're selling laptops and want to recommend accessories.

Rules:

• Cart contains products with tag "laptop"
• Exclude products already in cart (enabled)

Whenever someone adds a laptop, your accessories appear without duplicating items they've already selected.

Scenario 4: Geographic-Specific Offers

You want to run region-specific promotions.

Rules:

• Customer Market is "Canada"
• Cart Total exceeds $100

Show Canadian customers a special offer that's only available in their region.

Smart Rules and Post-Purchase Upsells

Smart Rules work differently for post-purchase upsells since the "cart" context is different. You can still use:

• Cart Total (based on order total)
• Cart Products (based on order contents)
• Cart Product Tags (based on products in the order)
• Cart Product Collections (based on order product collections)
• Customer Tags
• Customer Language
• Customer Market
• Discount Code (if used on the original order)

This lets you show relevant follow-up offers based on what the customer just purchased.

Smart Rules and Discount Conditions

When using Shopify Functions for discounts, you have an additional option: "Remove discount when Smart Rule conditions are no longer met."

This means if a customer's cart no longer meets your conditions (e.g., they remove items so cart total drops below your threshold), the discount automatically disappears. This prevents customers from getting unintended discounts.

Testing Your Smart Rules

After creating an offer with Smart Rules:

1. Save the offer
2. Create a test cart that meets your conditions
3. Verify the offer appears
4. Create another test cart that doesn't meet conditions
5. Confirm the offer is hidden
6. Use Analytics to monitor performance

Best Practices

• Start simple: Begin with 1-2 rules, then add complexity as needed
• Use customer tags: Leverage Shopify's built-in customer tagging for reliable segmentation
• Test before launching: Always verify rules work as expected before making offers live
• Monitor performance: Track conversion rates for different rule combinations
• Iterate: Use analytics to refine your rules over time

With Smart Rules mastered, you're ready to create highly targeted offers that drive real revenue growth!

Updated on: 11/02/2026