Intuit TURBOTAX

2026 Monetization & Upsell provocations

Role

Product designer
Time frame
March - April, 2025
PROJECT

Redefine our monetization experiences, shifting from "pushy and overpriced," static, and ad-like to transparent, flexible, and value-driven.

PROBLEM

TurboTax losing market share, due to generic upsells and confusing pricing

It's so irritating how there's an upsell every three screens, how many times can I say no thanks before you believe me? 
Evan
Gen Z customer,
went with competitor instead of TurboTax

CONCEPT GENERATION

Activities  during this period included leading workshops, creating user journey maps, observing customer shopping behaviors, priotizing concepts via matrix,

Genrated multiple concepts tying back to the user problem over the next 2 weeks while tying back to 3 core principles:

Introduce upsells in context
HMW offer upsells that are more relevant and timely /personalized?

Integrated upsells

Surface upsells at points of need rather
than in random touchpoints.

Intelligent offer system

Determine how long a user has been stuck on a page for, and determine if they need extra help or not with relevant upsells.

Allow access to benefits immediately

Provide easy access to the upgrade benefits (e.g. access to an expert) right on the spot that are timely

Amplify the benefit and simplify choice
HMW we find easy and delightful ways to show customers the benefits so they really get the value?

Social proofing through testimonials

Data shows that social proofing works. Find real customers and tell their stories of how benefits provided tangible value.

Statistics to show the value

Use real metrics from last year to show the hours saved, additional refunds uncovered, capital gains uncovered, etc.

Video how-tos

Customers want to get the upsell but they don’t know how it works e.g. when they can use it, how to use it.

Clarity and transparency
HMW make it easy for customers to understand why they are being presented with an offer, what they are purchasing and the cost?

Comparison cards

A focused two-card layout that surfaces key benefits and uses social proof to build trust and justify the upsell.

Clear distinction of required vs optional upgrades

Breakdown the rationale behind why a customer needs to hit a required upgrade and why.

A clearer breakdown of the cart

Cost breakdownsshow clearly what happened in the cart (what they started at, where the ended)

Outcomes and next steps

  • Successfully reframed internal thinking around monetization by surfacing bold, user-centered opportunities that had not been previously prioritized

  • Embeded strategy into acitionable roadmaps, strategy integrated into FY25 roadmaps

  • Teams formed to develop test plans of multiple concepts

BASELINE DESIGNS - COMP CHART

TEST - 2 POD FORMAT

Success measured around 3 indicators

  • Take rate (primary metric)
    (# of times users put add-on in cart/ # of upsell sees)

  • Guard Rail Metrics
    ‍    Start to Complete Conversion (S2C) = # of users who removed add-on from cart/ # of users who added add-on to cart
    Attach Rate rate and detach rate

  • MPS and PRS Scores
    ‍    We want to improve customer sentiment for offers and this should be reflected in their in product feedback by reducing negative scores related to offers.

Challenges

Thinking beyond taxes: offering more lucrative benefits and pushing for non-tax partnerships

I would have liked to explore more non-tax benefits and get us thinkng beyond taxes.

While amplifying the current offers in a personalized, optimized way is important, I felt like we didn't go deep enough into exploring the broader benefits and would want to explore more durable-long term partnerships.