Product Upgrade shows shoppers a higher-value version of what's in their cart (or converts a one-time item into a subscription), with the price difference (e.g. "Pay only $75.05 more") and a one-click Upgrade button. They can revert if enabled. Configure it across four tabs - Settings, Appearance, Product Selection, Display Conditions - then add the block to Shopify.
1. Settings
Token for Shopify - copy the
product_upgrade_…token for the Shopify block.Internal Name - organizational only.
Upgrade Configuration:
Display Mode:
Line Item Action - an upgrade button next to each eligible cart item. (Requires item-targeted rules and specific block placement - see Install.)
Standalone Block - upgrade shown in a separate section.
Layout Style (Standalone only): Comparison view (original vs. upgrade side by side; product-to-product only) or Focused Offer (single card; required for one-time → subscription upgrades).
Variant Selector: Always Show (dropdown appears when clicking the CTA) or Popup (dropdown always visible). ⚠️ The labels read almost backwards - go by the descriptions.
Allow Users To Revert The Upgrade Action (+ Revert Button Label).
Allow Subscriptions / Preserve Subscription Properties (keep the same subscription schedule on the upgraded item).
2. Appearance
Container & Image - Border, Border Width, Corner Radius, Padding.
Title - Label (rich text, e.g. "Upgrade Available"; dynamic fields via
{), Appearance, and Show Badge On Text → badge text (e.g.Pay only {amount-left} more), background/text color, corner radius, icon.Upgrade Text - Label, Appearance, Show Badge On Text.
Buttons - Button Label ("Upgrade"), Label for products with variants ("Select an option to upgrade"), Button Appearance (Interactive / Accent / Decorative).
3. Product Selection (one or more Product Rule Groups)
Trigger Products - If Products In Cart Are: Specific Products or Smart Selection; Upgrade Will Apply When: Any or All of the selected are in cart; + Add Products.
Upgrade Products - Upgrade Will Apply When:
Upgrade To A Different Product - swap the cart item for a higher-value one.
Upgrade To Subscription - convert a one-time purchase into a recurring subscription (Shopify selling plan). Requires the Focused Offer layout + Allow Subscriptions.
Then choose upgrade products via Specific Products or Smart Selection (+ Add Products).
Product Restrictions: In-Stock Products Only · Match Fulfillment Center · Include Digital Items · Hide Products Already In Cart (Detection Level: Parent Product Only / Specific Variant Only).
Use + Add Rule Group for more trigger→upgrade mappings.
4. Display Conditions
"This Upgrade Will Only Appear If:" → Add Rule Group (destination, customer tags, order count, etc.).
Save, preview, install
Save, then Preview (Desktop/Mobile) / Preview In Shopify. To go live: Shopify → Settings → Checkout → Edit→ Add block → PDQ Product Upgrade → paste the Upgrade token.
⚠️ Placement must match your Display Mode (or it silently fails):
Line Item Action → place the block in the order summary, inside the cart - and your rules must target specific items.
Standalone Block → place it anywhere in the main checkout area.
Mismatch (Standalone inside the cart, or Line Item Action outside it) → the logs say the upgrade is "displaying," but shoppers see nothing and there's no uplift. This is the #1 cause of "the upgrade isn't showing."
Good to know / troubleshooting
One upgrade per checkout, by design: if several eligible trigger products are in the cart, only the highest-priority rule group's upgrade shows (even in Line Item Action). To change which one, reorder your rule groups. This is intended (anti-clutter), not a bug.
Order-count conditions need an email: a condition like "Customer order count ≤ 0" only resolves once the shopper enters their email - before that the upgrade reads as not displaying. Use ≤ 0 (not = 0) so guests are included, and don't judge it "dead" in a fresh, pre-email QA session.
Empty upgrade pool with Smart Selection: over-constraining — especially Match Fulfilment Centre - can leave no eligible upgrade products, so nothing shows.
Tips: start with one or two high-value paths; A/B test uplift; keep upgrade products active and in stock.