Essential Free Shipping Upsell vs RS: Smart Search Bar & Filterfor Shopify (2026)
Essential Free Shipping Upsell and RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter, while sharing the 'Upsell and cross-sell' category on Shopify, target vastly different aspects of the customer journey. Essential Free Shipping Upsell focuses on increasing Average Order Value (AOV) by incentivizing customers to spend more to qualify for free shipping, leveraging a progress bar and optional cart upsells and cross-sells. It aims to squeeze more revenue out of existing traffic by motivating customers already in the checkout process to add more items to their cart. RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter, on the other hand, centers on improving product discovery and search functionality. It seeks to convert browsers into buyers by making it easier for customers to find the products they want quickly and efficiently. The app emphasizes intelligent search, customizable filters, and product merchandising to guide shoppers towards the most relevant items. While it indirectly contributes to higher sales, its core focus is on enhancing the user experience and search accuracy within the online store. The key difference lies in their approaches: one maximizes AOV during checkout, while the other optimizes product discovery and search performance.
At a Glance
Essential Free Shipping Upsell
438 reviews
RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter
310 reviews
Detailed Overview
Essential Free Shipping Upsell
Increase Profits, AOV & Sales With A Free Shipping Progress Bar Cart Goal and Cart Upsell.
Key Features
- Placed Anywhere: product page, cart page, cart drawer, or as an announcement bar
- Boosts Average Order Value: add product upsells, cross-sells & cart upsell.
- Revenue-Oriented: track additional revenue generated by free shipping bar.
- Highly Customisable: customise cart goal progress bar or use pre-made styles.
- Extras: translations, different currencies and Online Store 2.0 themes support.
RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter
Replace the search icon with an AI Search Bar, add Product & Collection Filters to improve discovery
Key Features
- AI Search Bar: show typo-tolerant, predictive instant search results instantly
- Always-Visible Search Bar: Replace the search icon to boost engagement & sales
- Custom product filters & collection filters: tag filter, metafield, variant, etc
- Product merchandising: pin, boost, demote, or hide to spotlight bestsellers
- Scales to 1M+ products: blazing fast, no slowdown, works with any theme
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 4.8/5 |
Rating Essential Free Shipping Upsell5/5 RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter4.8/5 | ||
| Reviews | 438 | 310 |
Reviews Essential Free Shipping Upsell438 RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter310 | ||
| Primary Goal | Increase AOV via free shipping incentives & cart upsells | Improve product discovery & search functionality |
Primary Goal Essential Free Shipping UpsellIncrease AOV via free shipping incentives & cart upsells RS: Smart Search Bar & FilterImprove product discovery & search functionality | ||
| Key Feature | Free Shipping Progress Bar with customizable goals | AI-Powered Search Bar & Customizable Filters |
Key Feature Essential Free Shipping UpsellFree Shipping Progress Bar with customizable goals RS: Smart Search Bar & FilterAI-Powered Search Bar & Customizable Filters | ||
| Target Merchant | Merchants wanting to increase AOV and encourage higher spending per order | Merchants with large catalogs or complex product attributes needing improved search and filtering |
Target Merchant Essential Free Shipping UpsellMerchants wanting to increase AOV and encourage higher spending per order RS: Smart Search Bar & FilterMerchants with large catalogs or complex product attributes needing improved search and filtering | ||
| Focus | Post-Product Selection Upselling | Pre-Product Selection Discovery |
Focus Essential Free Shipping UpsellPost-Product Selection Upselling RS: Smart Search Bar & FilterPre-Product Selection Discovery | ||
| Customization | High - Customisable progress bar, goal values, reward types | High - Customisable filters, synonyms, product boosting |
Customization Essential Free Shipping UpsellHigh - Customisable progress bar, goal values, reward types RS: Smart Search Bar & FilterHigh - Customisable filters, synonyms, product boosting | ||
| Technical Complexity | Likely lower - Easier to implement, primarily visual element | Likely higher - Requires integration with product data and potentially more complex setup |
Technical Complexity Essential Free Shipping UpsellLikely lower - Easier to implement, primarily visual element RS: Smart Search Bar & FilterLikely higher - Requires integration with product data and potentially more complex setup | ||
Our Verdict
Choosing between Essential Free Shipping Upsell and RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter depends heavily on your store's specific needs and priorities. If your primary goal is to immediately increase AOV and you believe customers are easily motivated by free shipping offers, Essential Free Shipping Upsell is the clear choice. It's simple to implement and directly targets spending habits during checkout. This is beneficial for stores with relatively simple product offerings.
However, if your store struggles with product discovery due to a large or complex inventory, or if customers frequently use search and filters, RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter will likely provide a greater long-term return. Investing in improved search and filtering will lead to higher conversion rates and a better overall customer experience, especially beneficial for stores with large product catalogues where finding specific items might be difficult.
Common Questions
Does Essential Free Shipping Upsell improve search functionality like RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter?
No, Essential Free Shipping Upsell focuses solely on encouraging customers to add more items to their cart to qualify for free shipping or another reward. It does not affect product search or filtering.
Can RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter be used to upsell products like Essential Free Shipping Upsell?
RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter doesn't directly upsell products in the same way as Essential Free Shipping Upsell. However, its product boosting and merchandising features can guide customers towards higher-priced or more popular items, indirectly influencing AOV.
Which app is easier to set up and use?
Based on the descriptions, Essential Free Shipping Upsell likely has a simpler setup process, primarily involving customizing a visual element and setting spending goals. RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter, with its AI search and filter customization, might require more technical configuration and ongoing management.
Are both apps compatible with Online Store 2.0 themes?
Essential Free Shipping Upsell explicitly mentions Online Store 2.0 theme support. RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter doesn't specifically state this, but it claims to work with any theme, suggesting compatibility. However, it would be prudent to confirm compatibility directly with RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter's developers.
If I have a small product catalog, which app is more beneficial?
With a small catalog, the benefits of RS: Smart Search Bar & Filter might be less pronounced. Essential Free Shipping Upsell could provide a more immediate and noticeable impact on AOV by encouraging customers to purchase more items during checkout.
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