The Add-on Fatigue

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In this newsletter, you’ll find:

🛍️ Add-on Fatigue Is Real, Unless You Make It a Story: How to turn your upsells into a guided journey, not a last-minute grab

📈 Google Ads: Smarter Graphs, Smarter Assets

🏆 Ad of the Day

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🛍️ Add-on Fatigue Is Real, Unless You Make It a Story: How to turn your upsells into a guided journey, not a last-minute grab

The Problem Most Carts Create, every brand wants a higher AOV. So they throw in bundles. Upsells. Memberships.

And what was once a checkout… becomes a pitch deck. The result? Decision fatigue, disguised as “choice.” Customers don’t say no because they’re not interested. They say no because they feel overwhelmed, cornered, or distracted.

The Real Reason Add-ons Don’t Convert

You’re interrupting the story instead of continuing it. The buyer already said yes in their mind. They’re in flow. They’ve made the choice.

Then suddenly: “Want fries with that? What about a membership? Add protection? Wait, don’t forget this bundle…” It’s not that they don’t want more. It’s that you changed the tone. From “this is for you” to “we want more from you.”

So What Works Instead?

Narrative-style upsells. Upsells that feel like the next logical step, not a sales layer. You’re not stacking options, you’re guiding a journey.

Here’s the Playbook

1. Start With a Soft Continuation

“Great pick. Most customers who get this also unlock a sample set for $7.”

It doesn’t demand attention. It rewards attention. It continues the momentum of the buyer’s decision.

2. Time the Upsell Like a Plot Point

Don’t shove everything at once. Space it like a story:

• First upsell after item selection
• Second upsell after the total is shown
• Final gentle nudge before CTA

Let each choice feel sequenced, not stacked.

3. Speak in Outcomes, Not Products

Don’t sell “Add-on Bundle #3.” Sell what it does.

“Add this travel set and skip the liquid bag hassle at TSA.”

“Upgrade to premium for twice the wear and zero pilling.”

Upsells aren’t for explaining features. They’re for showing the life that comes with the product.

4.  Use Conversational Interfaces When It Makes SenseTools like Manychat make it easy to turn upsells into conversations, so they feel like part of a guided journey, not just a pile-on at checkout. You can sign up here and get 30% off for 3 months. 

If it reads like a dialogue instead of a pitch, the user keeps saying yes.

Why This Works

Upsells should feel like a concierge, not a vending machine.

You’re not offering more. You’re offering better. The best AOV machines don’t shout,they narrate. Turn your checkout into a story worth continuing, and buyers won’t just add on, they’ll lean in.

📈 Google Ads: Smarter Graphs, Smarter Assets

Google Ads just rolled out two focused updates, one improving how you analyze performance shifts, the other enhancing creative optimization in Performance Max. These features are designed to give advertisers deeper insight and better automation, directly within the UI. 

The Breakdown:

1. Charts Now Explain Performance Spikes - You can now click on highlighted areas in Google Ads charts to see why performance changed, while the sidebar helps in revealing shifts in cost, clicks, CPC, and keyword performance. It's a faster, cleaner way to understand campaign volatility. 

2. Automatic Driver vs. Non-Driver Insights - It also tells you what didn’t cause a change, like bids or strategy settings, so you don’t waste time fixing the wrong things. It pinpoints the true driver, like increased search demand or specific ad group behavior, adding clear, data-backed context to every spike or dip.

3. Visual Tools for Performance Max - Landing Page Images will now automatically pull relevant visuals from your site to use in ads, and image Enhancements will smart-crop your uploaded assets to fit more placements. Both these tools are turned on by default, improving reach and asset performance.

4. Changes Are UI-Only (For Now) - These new image features can’t be managed via the Google Ads API, only through the platform's UI. API users need to switch to the interface to toggle them on or off. Google also says more API access will roll out in the future.

With clearer insights and automated visual tools, Google Ads is becoming smarter and more hands-on, right from the UI. Marketers who adapt quickly get the most out of these real-time diagnostics and creative enhancements.

🎥 Ad of the Day

What Works:

The line “Sweating your 🍑 off?” is a perfect blend of humor, relatability, and suggestive curiosity. It instantly evokes physical sensation (sweating, heat) while using the peach emoji as a double entendre. 

“Limited seasonal flavor” taps into FOMO psychology, which spikes conversion rates when paired with a functional product. Highlighting “5 essential electrolytes” and “crisp, refreshing flavor” ties emotional urgency (seasonal) with rational need (hydration), covering both impulse and logic-driven consumers.

Blue/orange complementary color palette commands attention and reinforces refreshment + energy. The product shot is water-dappled and gleaming, priming thirst on a visual level. 

Broader Insights:

This ad blends high emotional resonance with low cognitive effort. It asks a playful question, offers a seasonal solution, and delivers clear reasons to act now, all while visually embodying refreshment. It doesn’t just sell hydration, it sells relief.

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