upsell

1 of 2

verb

up·​sell ˈəp-ˈsel How to pronounce upsell (audio)
variants or up-sell
upsold ˈəp-ˈsōld How to pronounce upsell (audio) or up-sold; upselling or up-selling; upsells or up-sells

transitive verb

: to try to convince (a customer) to purchase something additional or at a higher cost
With a strong correlation between the amount of video consumed and the Internet speed that consumers think they need, providers could possibly upsell customers on costlier broadband packages.Makeda Easter
They start upselling you before you book your vacation by offering upgrades to a higher-class cabin …Christopher Elliott
upselling noun
or up-selling
Counter clerks, paid on commission, are typically instructed to pitch more expensive cars, a tank of gas, a damage waiver … It's called "up-selling" in the trade, and can account for as much as 20% of the revenue of some car-rental companies … Joni James

upsell

2 of 2

noun

plural upsells
: an attempt to convince a customer to purchase something additional or more costly : the act or an instance of upselling
We passed on the products they had used during the massage, which were for sale. Almost every activity, it would turn out, ended with a gentle upsell.Dan Saltzstein
I tend to avoid server upsells because I usually suspect they're trying to push a high margin or past-its-prime menu item.Michael Nagrant

Examples of upsell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
On top of that, the analyst also pointed to artificial intelligence as providing an opportunity for the company to upsell users to more premium bundles. Sean Conlon, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2024 These systems can then proactively engage at-risk customers to offer assistance and provide more personalized incentives to help retain their product usage or upsell them. Ron Schmelzer, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
Noun
Expand your offers with upsells, downsells, and complementary products to increase your sales volume. Melissa Houston, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024 Tracking customer behavior data allows businesses to anticipate churn and deliver personalized offers that retain customers and drive upsells. Dr. Milan Kumar, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for upsell 

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1972, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of upsell was in 1972

Dictionary Entries Near upsell

Cite this Entry

“Upsell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upsell. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!