{"id":116098,"date":"2026-06-24T17:43:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T15:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.wingify.com\/blog\/how-to-boost-ancillary-revenue\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T14:08:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T08:38:57","slug":"how-to-boost-ancillary-revenue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingify.com\/blog\/how-to-boost-ancillary-revenue\/","title":{"rendered":"How Optimization Software Boosts Ancillary Revenue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Main Takeaways<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u203a<\/strong> How to help brands increase profits by offering useful add-ons beyond their core products and service<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u203a<\/strong> Why personalization, timing, and customer experience is important <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u203a<\/strong> How to avoid poorly timed, too generic, or friction-based pop-ups during the customer journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u203a<\/strong> How testing, AI, and real-time personalization help businesses boost ancillary revenue<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ancillary Revenue Is No Longer Extra \u2014 It\u2019s a Core Growth Lever<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ancillary revenue, which refers to any type of income generated outside of a company\u2019s core products and services, has never been more integral for future business success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is especially relevant for brands in travel, hospitality, and digital commerce. As 63% of travel bookings are now made on mobile devices, there are ample opportunities to present ancillary offers to users \u2013 which remain crucial to profitability and driving long-term growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ancillary revenue isn\u2019t just about selling more, but offering relevant add-ons to improve the customers experience. For instance, when you\u2019re booking a flight and a pop-up to purchase extra-leg room comes up \u2013 it isn\u2019t just to blindly sell the customer something, but to actually make their travel experience more comfortable and enjoyable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Effective ancillary experiences require specific optimization techniques, like personalization, to successfully appeal to the customer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In this article, we\u2019ll break down what ancillary revenue is, how it works, and exactly how optimization software like Wingify can help brands to break through their ancillary revenue bubbles and dare to go further. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is Ancillary Revenue? A Quick Definition With Big Business Impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ancillary Revenue is any type of income that is generated outside of a brand\u2019s core product or service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The main goal with ancillary revenue is to offer products and services in support of the primary or initial purchase made by the customer. In turn, the company earns additional revenue from related extras, upgrades, or complementary purchases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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For example, Apple is predominantly known for selling laptops, phones, and tablets. Anytime they make a sale on an accessory for one of these products, such as a laptop case or interactive pen for tablets \u2013 they are benefiting from revenue generated by ancillary products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The table below will provide additional, popular examples of ancillary revenue:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Industry\/Event<\/td>Example of Ancillary Revenue <\/td><\/tr>
Airlines<\/td>Charging for checked bags, seat selection, and Wi-Fi on board.<\/td><\/tr>
Hotels<\/td>Earning money from minibar purchases, parking fees, and room upgrades<\/td><\/tr>
Movie Theaters<\/td>Selling popcorn, drinks, and upgraded seating.<\/td><\/tr>
Theme Parks<\/td>Selling fast passes, souvenir photos, and food packages.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Keep in mind that ancillary revenue can come from optional services before, during, or after the core purchase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why is Ancillary Revenue Important?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ancillary revenue is important because it allows brands to boost their income beyond their main product or service, making their business more profitable as a whole.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By offering various products and services to diversify their income streams, companies can also use ancillary revenue as a way to enhance the overall customer experience through additional upgrades or services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is why ancillary revenue is especially important for travel and e-commerce industries, as companies can significantly increase profits through add-ons, travel upgrades, and complementary purchases<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"shopping<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why Ancillary Revenue Growth Depends on Experience, Not Just Offers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ancillary products aren\u2019t just an avenue to secure additional revenue, but a way to enrich the overall experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Think of being at your favorite artist\u2019s concert or football team\u2019s tournament. Having your favorite drink or a new t-shirt to serve as a souvenir from the day can enhance the overall experience and further contribute to creating lasting memories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The problem is that brands often focus on what<\/em> they offer rather than how<\/em> they offer it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Remember, the main goal of ancillary revenue is for businesses to increase their revenue. This is why airlines are often trying to sell seat upgrades, entertainment services, or loyalty subscriptions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But the thing is that in their efforts to boost ancillary revenue, brands can easily overload the experience with too many upsells, creating friction, fatigue, or even distrust. That\u2019s why personalization is so important. Poor timing, irrelevant recommendations, or cluttered interfaces can weaken ancillary performance instead of improving it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Customers are far more likely to engage with ancillary offers when they feel timely, useful, and personalized<\/a> to their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is where optimization plays a critical role, helping brands strike the right balance between revenue growth and user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where Brands Miss Out on Ancillary Revenue Opportunities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The opportunities for brands to benefit from ancillary revenue are vast, but they still often miss the mark on how to design and deliver these offerings in a way that feels seamless and genuinely adds value to the customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The interactive overview cards below will reveal some of the most common mistakes that limit businesses from fully benefiting from ancillary revenue:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cart\"<\/div>
Add-ons<\/div>
Offering too many add-ons at once can overwhelm users and deter them from completing an ancillary purchase.<\/div><\/div>
\"Crosshair\"<\/div>
Pop-Ups Passed Their Prime<\/div>
Surfacing extras too late in the journey reduces the likelihood of converting users on ancillary products or services.<\/div><\/div>
\"Chat\"<\/div>
Too Generic Messaging<\/div>
When messaging is not tailored to the user, they may not understand how the additional product benefits their experience.
<\/div><\/div>
\"User\"<\/div>
Poor Personalization<\/div>
Failing to personalize based on traveler or shopper intent limits relevance and does not support healthy ancillary revenue.<\/div><\/div>
\"Alert\"<\/div>
Hidden Value<\/div>
Unclear pricing or poor UX can weaken the perceived value of an ancillary product and discourage users from purchasing.<\/div><\/div>
\"Upload\"<\/div>
Missed Moments<\/div>
Not identifying the right moment to present an offer can cause brands to miss high-intent opportunities for ancillary conversion.<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, even when there are strong ancillary offers \u2013 they can often underperform when the surrounding experience adds friction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Average Ancillary Journey Timeline <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Below is the average step-by-step process for how brands present ancillary offers and either secure or deter the user from purchasing the product or service: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Core Journey Focus:<\/strong> Brands design the customer experience around the main product or service (flight, ticket, subscription) and treat everything else as secondary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Late-stage Add-ons: <\/strong>Ancillary products are introduced only at checkout or after purchase, which makes them less known and reduces the chance of meaningful engagement \u2013 as most users want to be done with the shopping process by then.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Fragmented Touchpoints: <\/strong>Extras (like upgrades, merchandise, or add-ons) are scattered across different steps or platforms, making the experience feel disconnected and harder to navigate.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Low Emotional Stakes: <\/strong>Add-ons are presented as transactional upsells rather than part of the experience, meaning that customers don\u2019t inherently associate them with enhancing the journey.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Missing Context: <\/strong>Opportunities to offer relevant extras at high-intent moments (booking, anticipation, experience, reflection) are overlooked.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Poor Timing & Relevance: <\/strong>Offers are shown when they don\u2019t align with customer mindset, such as after the initial purchase has already been made instead of before checkout, reducing conversion and perceived value.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Lost Ancillary Revenue Realization: <\/strong>Since the ancillary journey isn\u2019t designed as an end-to-end experience, customers don\u2019t engage with optional extras \u2013 even if they would provide added value (like WiFi on a business trip). This leads to missed revenue and less optimal experiences: whether it be for travel, live events, or e-commerce.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"macbook<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    How Optimization Software Improves Ancillary Revenue Across the Customer Journey <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Ancillary revenue, as it\u2019s often tacked on closer to the end of the user\u2019s shopping experience, can be a little more challenging for brands to get right. This is where partnering with optimization software like Wingify<\/a> can help to boost ancillary revenue.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Iberojet: Tailoring the Search Funnel to User Intent<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Getting the very first interaction right is crucial to moving travelers down the purchase path. A great real-world example comes from the Spanish travel agency Iberojet<\/strong>, who questioned whether the default tab order on their homepage search widget (“Holiday Packages” vs. “Travel Circuits and Long-Distance Trips”) was ideal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Instead of relying on static layouts, they used Wingify to dynamically swap the order of the homepage tabs based on each user’s specific browsing history. This simple, intent-driven personalization caused a 25% surge in clicks on the “Search” button<\/strong> and cut tab-switching friction by 22%<\/strong> \u2013 proving that small, personalized adjustments to the homepage can unlock massive conversion potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Go Towards Growth: Test What Actually Drives Ancillary Revenue<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s hard to grow if you don\u2019t know what\u2019s driving your success, or holding it back, in the first place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    This is where A\/B testing<\/a> and multivariate testing<\/a> can be used to help support healthier ancillary revenue \u2013 as both offer opportunities to compare offer placement, design, messaging, bundles, and timing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    By moving beyond assumptions and seeing what really influences shoppers to buy ancillary products and services, companies can take one step closer to unlocking new levers of success with ancillary revenue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Elevating Trust Signals for Higher Conversions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Trust is a critical driver when booking travel online. If your key reassurance points, like price guarantees or round-the-clock support, are buried too far down the page \u2013 customers may hesitate and abandon the checkout process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In one notable experiment, a travel operator decided to test moving their core trust signal banner (highlighting their Price Promise and 24\/7 customer support) from the bottom of the page to a prominent position higher up the screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Making these trust factors visible early in the customer journey resulted in a remarkable 35% increase in transaction rates<\/strong><\/a>. If you want travelers to click “book,” make sure your credibility cues are visible right from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Personalize Ancillary Offers for Relevance, Not Noise<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    One of the main factors that deters people from purchasing ancillary products or services is that they don\u2019t feel relevant to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    This is where personalization steps in, especially real-time personalization<\/a> \u2013 which adapts to what the user wants right now in the moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    By being able to determine what would feel most applicable to the shopper while they are still on the site, brands can present better-suited ancillary offers according to each individual user. This helps to make ancillaries feel helpful instead of intrusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Our latest Mobile Booking Friction Report<\/strong> highlights exactly why this tailored, upfront approach is so critical. In our benchmark evaluation of major European airlines, we discovered that 0 out of 6 airlines showed tax-inclusive pricing on their results page<\/strong>. When passengers encounter these “price surprises” later in the journey, it damages brand trust and triggers cart abandonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Given that 80% of airline traffic is now on mobile devices<\/strong>, brands can no longer rely on generic, one-size-fits-all digital experiences that fail to convert. By leveraging real-time personalization to present transparent, relevant ancillary offers dynamically, brands can eliminate friction, rebuild customer confidence, and protect vital conversion rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Reduce Friction Around Add-Ons and Upgrades<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    To be successful with ancillary revenue, it\u2019s important to simplify how ancillary options are displayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This include tactics like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n