Essential Upsell & Cross Sell vs Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrderfor Shopify (2026)
Essential Upsell & Cross Sell and Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder, while sharing the "Upsell and bundles" category, serve distinctly different purposes. Essential Upsell & Cross Sell focuses on increasing Average Order Value (AOV) through strategically placed upsells and cross-sells. It leverages features like frequently bought together bundles, product recommendations, and post-purchase upsell discounts to encourage customers to add more items to their cart. It appears best suited for merchants looking to actively increase the value of each order. Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder, on the other hand, concentrates on customer retention and capturing potential sales lost due to out-of-stock items. It achieves this by allowing customers to sign up for back-in-stock alerts, offering pre-order options, and enabling wishlists. The app includes FOMO-inducing features like low stock counters and offers both D2C and B2B capabilities, making it valuable for businesses dealing with fluctuating inventory levels or offering pre-release items. The shared category label is somewhat misleading; their actual functions are quite separate. Notify! is more about preventing lost sales than proactively driving additional ones at the point of purchase.
At a Glance
Essential Upsell & Cross Sell
1,004 reviews
Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder
2,483 reviews
Detailed Overview
Essential Upsell & Cross Sell
One click upsell and cross sell. Show frequently bought together product upsell & related products.
Key Features
- Show frequently bought products (FBT), related products, product recommendations
- Post purchase upsell & cross sell: Product addons, bought together bundles
- Automatic discount promotions: Add discounts to upsell & "also bought" products
- Product page upsell: Add one click upsell & cross-sell products & BOGO bundles
- Cart upsell: Add upsell cart app, cross-sell & product add-ons to cart drawer
Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder
Notify Me! for back in stock alert, backorder, out of stock waiting list, low stock alert & wishlist
Key Features
- Accept B2B preorders for your chosen catalogs and locations alongside D2C
- Save products with Wishlist button even when not logged in (Guest Wishlist)
- Works with your other tools and apps to create back order and restock workflows
- Human in-house customer support team
- Low stock alert and widget, multilingual tools, forecasting, resend, and more!
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 4.9/5 |
Rating Essential Upsell & Cross Sell5/5 Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder4.9/5 | ||
| Reviews | 1004 | 2483 |
Reviews Essential Upsell & Cross Sell1004 Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder2483 | ||
| Core Function | Upselling and Cross-selling | Back-in-Stock Alerts & Pre-orders |
Core Function Essential Upsell & Cross SellUpselling and Cross-selling Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrderBack-in-Stock Alerts & Pre-orders | ||
| Primary Goal | Increase AOV | Prevent Lost Sales |
Primary Goal Essential Upsell & Cross SellIncrease AOV Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrderPrevent Lost Sales | ||
| Key Features | FBT bundles, Post-purchase upsells, Discount promotions | Back-in-stock alerts, Pre-orders, Wishlists, Low Stock Alerts |
Key Features Essential Upsell & Cross SellFBT bundles, Post-purchase upsells, Discount promotions Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrderBack-in-stock alerts, Pre-orders, Wishlists, Low Stock Alerts | ||
| Target Merchant | Merchants aiming to proactively increase AOV | Merchants frequently facing out-of-stock situations |
Target Merchant Essential Upsell & Cross SellMerchants aiming to proactively increase AOV Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrderMerchants frequently facing out-of-stock situations | ||
| Ease of Use | Likely focuses on product-page and cart integration | Likely focuses on inventory management and notification setup |
Ease of Use Essential Upsell & Cross SellLikely focuses on product-page and cart integration Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrderLikely focuses on inventory management and notification setup | ||
| Value Proposition | Maximize revenue per transaction | Retain customers and capture lost sales |
Value Proposition Essential Upsell & Cross SellMaximize revenue per transaction Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrderRetain customers and capture lost sales | ||
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Conversion Audit
Our Verdict
The choice between Essential Upsell & Cross Sell and Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder depends entirely on a merchant's specific needs. If the primary goal is to increase the value of each sale by encouraging customers to add more items to their cart, Essential Upsell & Cross Sell is the clear winner. Its focus on FBT bundles, post-purchase upsells, and discount promotions is designed to drive AOV.
Conversely, if a merchant frequently faces out-of-stock situations or offers pre-release items and wants to minimize lost sales and retain customers, Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder is the more suitable option. Its back-in-stock alerts, pre-order functionality, and wishlist features are crucial for capturing potential sales that would otherwise be lost. The apps do not compete; the focus is entirely different.
Common Questions
Can Essential Upsell & Cross Sell help me recover lost sales due to out-of-stock items?
No, Essential Upsell & Cross Sell focuses on increasing the value of existing sales and does not directly address the issue of out-of-stock products. It's designed to recommend additional items to purchase when products are available.
Does Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder offer any features for increasing AOV?
While Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder primarily focuses on capturing lost sales, the wishlist feature *could* indirectly lead to increased AOV if customers later purchase multiple wishlisted items. However, it is not its primary function.
Which app is easier to set up and configure?
Without hands-on experience, it's difficult to definitively say. However, Essential Upsell & Cross Sell likely focuses on configuring product recommendations and discount rules, while Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder probably involves more inventory management and notification setup.
Are these apps compatible with each other?
Potentially. They address different aspects of the customer journey. You could use Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder to capture lost sales and then use Essential Upsell & Cross Sell to increase AOV on returning customers.
Which app has better customer support?
Notify! Back in Stock|PreOrder explicitly mentions a 'Human in-house customer support team', which suggests potentially stronger support compared to Essential Upsell & Cross Sell, where support details are not specified.
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