# What Are Shopify Product Add-ons and Why They Work

> A product add-on is a small extra, like a case, a gift wrap or a warranty, that a shopper can add to the cart from the product page itself. They raise average order value because the offer appears at the moment the shopper has decided to buy.

If you have ever bought a phone and been offered a case at the same moment, you have seen a product add-on. On Shopify, an add-on is a small extra shown on the product page so the shopper can pick it up without leaving.

## What is a product add-on?

A product add-on is an optional item that goes with the main product. Think of a screen protector next to a phone case, a ribbon and a card next to a bouquet, or paper filters next to a bag of coffee beans.

Two things set it apart from other kinds of offers:

- **It sits on the product page.** The shopper sees it while deciding, not later.
- **It is separate from the main product.** Each add-on is its own product with its own price and stock, so your inventory stays accurate.

## Why add-ons raise average order value

Average order value (AOV) is total revenue divided by the number of orders. If a store makes $5,000 from 100 orders, AOV is $50. If a third of shoppers add a $9 extra, revenue from the same 100 orders goes up by about $300, and AOV rises to $53. No new traffic was needed.

That is the whole appeal: you earn more from visitors you already paid to get. The numbers above are an example of the arithmetic, not a promise of results. What you gain depends on your products and how well the extras fit.

## What makes a good add-on?

The best add-ons are cheap compared with the main product, obviously related to it, and easy to understand in a glance.

1. **Price.** An extra at 10 to 30 percent of the main price feels like a small decision.
2. **Relevance.** If the shopper would ask "why is this here?", remove it.
3. **Low effort.** No new choices, no sizing, no extra page.
4. **Real stock.** Hide extras that are sold out so nobody is disappointed.

## Where should add-ons appear?

Right under the buy area of the product page works well, because that is where the decision happens. Pop-ups work against this: they interrupt the page. We compare the two in [upsell pop-ups vs on-page add-ons](/blog/upsell-popups-vs-on-page-add-ons/).

## How do you add them to a store?

You can build it by hand in your theme, but it gets complicated fast: variants, quantities, stock and the cart all need to work together. An app does that for you. Our step-by-step guide shows [how to add product add-ons to a Shopify product page without code](/blog/add-product-add-ons-to-shopify-product-page/).

## Key takeaways

- An add-on is a related extra, shown on the product page, added in one click.
- It raises AOV by selling more per order from the traffic you already have.
- Keep it relevant, cheap, and limited to a few choices.