Definition: upsell

An e-commerce technique that attempts to sway a customer to purchase a more expensive model/version or additional merchandise that may be used with the product. Widely employed, upselling is very enticing because buyers are already in the mode of purchasing something they want. It is also very profitable. "Cross-selling" is similar but persuades the user to buy a related product; for example, "If you like X, you may like Y" or "Users who bought X also bought Y."