The Digital Upsell extension puts a one-click digital add-on in front of shoppers at checkout (usually on the Shipping step) — built for low-friction items: shipping protection, priority processing, warranties, gift wrapping, digital downloads, or any add-on service. At the top of the editor you'll see live Impressions, Revenue, and # of items purchased.
💡 Looking to recommend products from your catalog instead of a digital add-on? That's a different extension — see the Upsell (Checkout Upsell) extension for product recommendations. This article covers the Digital Upsell, which creates its own digital item.
How it works
When you first save a Digital Upsell, PDQ automatically creates an unlisted digital product in your Shopify store (Vendor: pdq) from your Title, Description, and image, at the price you set — you don't create it yourself. It's hidden from the storefront and used only to process the add-on at checkout. Deleting the upsell in PDQ deletes that Shopify product.
⚠️ Three fields lock on first save: Title, Description text, and product image. Set them deliberately — to change any later, you'll need to Duplicate the extension and start over. (Do a dry run in the Preview panel first.)
Where to find it
Go to Extensions in the left sidebar. Click Add Extension (top-right) and select Digital Upsell. The editor opens with two tabs — Settings and Timer — plus a live Preview panel.
On any extension card, click the three-dot menu (⋯) for four options:
Edit — opens the full settings editor.
Copy Token — copies the Shopify token without opening the extension.
Duplicate — creates a copy with all its settings.
Delete — permanently removes the extension.
Step 1: Configure the offer (Settings)
Internal Name — your reference only, not shown to shoppers (e.g. "Shipping Protection Upsell"). Editable any time.
Title — the headline shoppers see (e.g. "Protect your shipping"). Locked after first save.
Description text — the supporting line, up to 255 characters. Locked after first save.
Upload product image — .png only, max 500KB. Locked after first save.
Step 2: Choose where it appears (Component Placement)
Standalone — the upsell shows as its own block in checkout.
Inside Shipping Method — embeds the upsell within a specific shipping option. If you pick this, define which method in your Shopify Online Store Editor.
Step 3: Set the price
Under Choose Type:
Fixed Rate — a flat amount in Upsell Rate (e.g. $5.75). Most stores use this for protection.
Percent — a percentage of order value. PDQ builds the product with up to 100 variants priced around your target %, and at checkout picks the variant closest to the target for that cart — so coverage scales with cart size. The percentage can be A/B tested.
To layer on a discount (shows a motivating strikethrough):
Apply Discount To — Upsell item (discount only the add-on) or Entire order.
Discount % — the percentage to apply. Example: a $6 upsell at 20% shows as $4.80.
Here's how that looks at checkout:
Step 4: Free items, tooltips, and order tags
Auto-Select Only Free Digital Item at Checkout — if your upsell is $0, this auto-adds it to every cart. Use it for free downloads or loyalty gifts. Paid upsells are always shopper-selected.
Enable Tooltip for Extra Details — adds an info icon with a Tooltip Title (short heading) and Tooltip body (up to 5,000 characters). Ideal for spelling out what protection covers and the claims process.
Custom Order Tags — auto-tag any order that includes the upsell (filterable on Verify/Assign/Track). Tick Pin Order to Top of PDQ Screen to prioritize tagged orders in fulfillment. You can type your own tag names.
Step 5: Set display conditions
Decide exactly when the upsell shows. Add rules — cart value, item count, collection, coupons, customer tags, destinations, device type, gross margin, locale, product type, SKU, time of day, weekday, weight, zip codes, and more. Combine with Add Rule Group for AND/OR logic. No rules = always shows.
Under When cart no longer meets conditions:
Keep in Cart — the upsell stays even if the cart changes.
Remove from Cart — the upsell is pulled if the cart no longer qualifies.
For margin-aware offers, see Margin-based display rules for Extensions.
Step 6: Add a countdown timer (optional)
The Timer tab adds urgency. Toggle Enable Countdown Timer on — it starts the moment a shopper hits checkout. With the toggle off, no timer shows.
Configure:
Timer Duration — a number, then minutes or seconds.
Time Format — Digital (01:30:45) or Compact (1Hr 30m).
Placement — In Item Description, Inline Bar, or Badge.
How each placement works
In Item Description — embedded in the description; add {countdown} inside the Description text field (Settings tab). The Messages fields don't apply here.
Inline Bar — a separate banner below the card; text and styling come from the Messages section.
Badge — a small pill by the title; clock only, no message text.
Messages
Applies to Inline Bar. For In Item Description, edit the Description text on the Settings tab. Badge shows the clock only. All fields support dynamic fields — type { to see options; the key one is {countdown}.
Default Message Displayed — shown while the timer runs (e.g. "Only {countdown} left to claim this offer!"). Style: Info, Success, Warning, Critical.
Message When Timer Is Low — kicks in below the threshold set under Show when remaining time is under. Style options as above.
Message When Time Has Expired — shown at zero. Style options as above.
Each message section has an eye icon to preview that state. Under Expiration Behavior:
Show Expired Message — the card stays visible with the expired text (no longer addable).
Hide Digital Upsell — the component disappears once the timer hits zero.
Step 7: Install in Shopify
After saving, the Token for Shopify appears at the top of the Settings tab (format custom_upsell_XXXXXXX). Copy it, then in Shopify go to Settings > Checkout > Customize on your live profile, Add block > PDQ block > Digital Upsell, and paste the token under Custom Upsell Token. Save.
For the full install walkthrough, see Adding a PDQ Extension to your Shopify checkout.
Save and preview
Click Save (top-right) to save across both tabs; the first save creates the unlisted Shopify product. Cancel discards unsaved changes. Use the Preview panel (Desktop/Mobile) or Preview In Shopify for a live preview, and View Audit Logs for the change history.
Use case: shipping (order) protection
Protection is the most common Digital Upsell — an optional policy covering loss, theft, or damage in transit for a small fee. Unlike third-party shipping insurance, you keep 100% of the revenue.
Price: Fixed (e.g. $2.99) for simplicity, or Percent to scale with cart value (A/B test the %).
Copy: a clear Title ("Extra Protection") and turn on the Tooltip to explain what's covered and how to claim.
Scope: use Display Conditions to offer it only above a cart value or to certain destinations.
⚠️ Auto-fulfill the protection line. It's a service with no shipment, so set a Shopify Flow to auto-fulfill it — otherwise the order shows Partially Fulfilled and the Shop app can tell customers "part of your order was delivered" before the goods ship. Consider delaying that auto-fulfillment until the physical items ship.
⚠️ Manage price and copy from PDQ. The underlying Shopify product is auto-managed; if you rely on its SKU for ERP/accounting (e.g. NetSuite), avoid editing that SKU manually in Shopify, as a PDQ re-save can push defaults back and revert it.
💡 PDQ also has a newer native Shipping Protection feature (uses Shopify's Cart Transforms permission) that isn't set up through this extension — ask your CSM if you'd prefer it.
Tips
Paid add-ons (protection, warranties): use a Fixed Rate, a clear title, and the tooltip to explain what's covered.
Free items (guides, loyalty gifts): turn on Auto-Select Only Free Digital Item at Checkout.
Premium services (priority processing): tick Pin Order to Top to push tagged orders up the queue.
Title, Description, and image lock after first save — preview before saving.
For urgency without losing late deciders: use the Timer with Show Expired Message rather than Hide Digital Upsell.
Happy upselling! And as always, reach out to support@prettydamnquick.com if you have any questions.