Cart Drawer Upsells: $33K/Month Case Study

The best cart drawer addition depends on your brand. Trust badges aren't always the answer.

We tested cart drawer layouts for an 8-figure dog treats brand. The control had no upsells. We tested adding "People also bought" recommendations, trust badges, and brand value icons.

The winner? Upsells only. No trust badges.

Results: +$33,072/mo revenue.

The Problem With Copy-Paste Optimization

We've seen trust badges win in cart drawer tests for other brands. "100K+ SATISFIED CUSTOMERS" drove significant lifts for an adult wellness brand in the same testing period.

But what works for one brand doesn't automatically work for another.

This dog treats brand had different customers, different trust barriers, and different purchase motivations. The cart drawer needed different optimization.

The Hypothesis

Optimizing the cart drawer by improving clarity, adding persuasive elements, and streamlining upsell opportunities will enhance the checkout experience. By reducing friction, reinforcing social proof, and encouraging higher-value purchases, this test will increase average order value and boost overall revenue.

We tested three potential improvements:

1. Upsell products ("People also bought")
2. Trust badges (review count)
3. Brand value icons (family owned, all-natural, etc.)

Test Setup

Component: Cart Drawer
Location: Sitewide
Platform: Intelligems
Test Type: A/B/n with 5 variations

Control

Basic cart drawer:

• "You're $23.81 away from free shipping!" progress bar
• Product card with Smoked Beef Marrow Bone
• Subscription details (Size: Small, Number: 5, 2 week subscription with 10% discount)
• Crossed-out price showing savings: $27.99 → $25.19 "(Save $2.80)"
• Discount code field with "Apply" button
• "Checkout • $25.19" button
• No upsells

Variation 1

Same layout as control. Removed discount code field. Cleaner interface, same functionality.

Testing if the discount code field added friction.

Variation 2 (Winner)

Added the brand logo at top. Same free shipping progress bar. Cleaner product card with "Save $2.80" badge. Added "People also bought" section with two products:

• Uncle Justy's Just Chicken - $14.99
• Smoked Bully Sticks - $21.99

Green "Add" buttons on each upsell. "Checkout • $25.19" button.

No discount code field. No trust badges.

Variation 3

Same layout as V2 with logo, product card, and "People also bought" upsells. Added trust badge below checkout: "★★★★★ 10.5K+ Tail Waggin' Reviews"

Upsells plus trust signal.

Variation 4

Same layout with logo, product card, and upsells. Trust icons at bottom showing four brand values:

• Family Owned and Operated
• All-Natural
• Limited Ingredients
• No Additives or Preservatives

Upsells plus brand value messaging.

Results

Winner: Variation 2 (Upsells Only, No Trust Badges)

Metric	Improvement
Monthly Revenue	+$33,072

Adding trust badges (V3) and brand value icons (V4) didn't improve on upsells alone (V2). For this brand, the upsells were enough.

Why It Worked

1. "People also bought" drove AOV

The control had no upsells. Zero opportunity to increase cart value at checkout.

Adding two complementary products (Just Chicken at $14.99, Bully Sticks at $21.99) gave customers an easy way to add more. These are natural companions to the marrow bone in the cart.

Relevant upsells at checkout are low-hanging AOV fruit.

2. Trust was already established

Variations 3 and 4 added trust signals. They didn't outperform V2.

Why? This brand likely doesn't have a trust problem at checkout. Customers buying dog treats have already decided the brand is legitimate. They found the products, read the reviews, chose their items. By the cart, trust is established.

Adding "10.5K+ Tail Waggin' Reviews" tells them something they already believe. It's not solving a problem.

3. Brand values are known to existing customers

Variation 4's icons (Family Owned, All-Natural, Limited Ingredients, No Additives) communicate brand values.

But customers in the cart already know this. They chose this brand because of these values. Repeating them at checkout doesn't add new information.

Trust signals work when trust is in question. For established brand believers, they're redundant.

4. Removing the discount code field reduced friction

The control had a discount code field. V1 removed it and didn't hurt (or significantly help) performance.

Discount code fields can cause customers to pause and hunt for codes. For brands that don't rely on discount codes, removing the field can reduce friction.

For this brand, the subscription discount was automatic. No code needed. The field was unnecessary.

What This Means for Cart Optimization Strategy

Test what your customers actually need, not what worked for other brands.

Trust badges won for an adult wellness brand where customers might feel uncertain about the category. They didn't win for a dog treats brand where customers already trust the product.

Questions to ask:

• Is trust a barrier at checkout? If yes, add trust signals. If not, focus elsewhere.
• Are there relevant upsell opportunities? Complementary products at appropriate price points.
• What friction exists? Unnecessary fields, unclear information, missing incentives.
• What do customers already know? Don't repeat information they've already absorbed.

FAQ

Why didn't trust badges help here but helped other brands?

Different trust barriers. For intimate products, customers may feel uncertain about the category, the brand's legitimacy, or privacy. Trust badges address real concerns.

For dog treats from an established brand, customers trust that the products are safe and legitimate. The barrier isn't trust; it's just completing the purchase.

Should we never add trust badges to cart drawers?

No. Trust badges work when trust is in question. Test for your specific brand.

If you're a new brand, a high-ticket brand, or in a category where customers have concerns, trust badges likely help. If you're established with loyal customers, they might be redundant.

How do you choose which products to upsell?

"People also bought" should be data-driven. Show products that actually get purchased together.

For this test: marrow bones pair naturally with other chews like chicken and bully sticks. Same customer need, complementary variety.

Should upsell prices be lower than the cart total?

Generally, yes. Upsells should feel like easy additions, not major decisions.

The cart was $25.19. Upsells at $14.99 and $21.99 are significant but not larger than the existing purchase. They feel like "add more" not "double your order."

This test was run using Intelligems as part of a CONVERTIBLES personalization program. Want to see what cart drawer optimizations could do for your store? Book a call to get 3 personalized recommendations for your store.