Upsell (flow or campaign): best practices

Why in-email upsells?

In-email upsells are only for subscription-based customers and "swap" a SKU or selling plan to a SKU or selling plan that is more valuable. Some example uses include:

• Upselling from monthly to quarterly plans

• Offering bundles that include items a customer is already subscribed to

The specific use cases other than the upcoming order email will be highly brand-dependent, but as a general rule, high-performing offers see between a 1% - 2% take rate.

What you'll be building:

Need ideas?

Examples of the swap-up block

How to set up and use the swap-up block

1. Create your non-interactive template in Klaviyo

   1. This template will be used as a fallback for customers who aren't able to view interactive emails

2. Identify opportunities throughout your customer journeys

   1. Zaymo is built to work across flows and campaigns, with a focus on re-engaging current and past subscribers since they can complete actions 100% in-email

   2. Purchase actions do not need to be attached to an upcoming order email

3. Build in Zaymo

   1. Import your template from Klaviyo into Zaymo

   2. Add the Zaymo block(s) into the email

      1. The 📄 Swap upblock allows for multiple swap options to be configured. The first swap option in the list which applies to a given customer will be the one shown to them

      2. How to set up swap options

      3. If none of the swap options apply to the customer, the block will not be shown unless an "empty state" is configured. You have several approaches to handle unmapped subscriptions:

         • Use the same image from your fallback as the empty state (simplest approach)

         • Add a separate "static" product/grid section as a fallback and configure it to show only when no mapped offer applies

         • Create a product feed on the swap block with rules to display certain products, then configure a list of default products to display if none of the rules are met

   3. Delete any repetitive or non-applicable elements

   4. Customize the block to match your brand

4. Export back to Klaviyo

   1. Click on "Preview / Export"

   2. In the previewer, view the email and ensure that it looks as expected on desktop vs mobile, and Apple vs Gmail. You can also send yourself test emails to review

   3. Once you're satisfied, export the template to Klaviyo

      1. If you'd like to run an A/B test, export the template as an A/B test. More info here: 📄 How to use a Zaymo in-template A/B test

5. Add your new template into the flow or campaign

Examples & best practices

Annotated example

Well-timed offers drive results: prompting a quarterly upgrade once a customer hits that milestone reinforces the value and savings they’re missing Keep your CTA singular and focused

For some brands, upselling can be more effective than cross-selling on upcoming order emails When offering bundles, highlight the fact that the bundle includes the customer's current subscription item(s) Applying a discount to your upsell can make it seem like a 'no-brainer' for customers

Advanced use case: Tiered renewal offers

You can create tiered renewal offers for monthly and prepaid subscription plans using the Swap up block. For example, offer X% off + a free gift to customers renewing their 3-month plan.

1. Create a discount (in Zaymo or Shopify/subscription provider) that applies to the desired products and add it to the Swap up block

2. Point the Swap up block from the current plan to the new discounted plan

3. To add a free gift (like a mystery box): highlight the block, go to Content, select Additional actions, then add the free gift there

4. Leave the toggle for "maintain sales variant" ON so customers stay on the same plan duration (e.g., 3-month to 3-month)