WOULD YOU LIKE FRIES WITH THAT?
We hear this question every day a million times around the world, which is the perfect example of cross-selling. We’ll talk about how cross-selling can boost the customer experience and the sales of your online store.
In our article we go into the possibilities regarding cross-selling, but first we need to understand some concepts.
A GREAT MARKETING AND SALES TOOL
Cross-selling is when a seller has several products which they can sell to the customer when they make a purchase or after it. Here we can offer a product which goes well with the purchased product.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN PRACTICE?
Let’s say you have ordered the newest flagship cellphone online. You need some protection for it, so if the merchant applies cross-selling before your purchase you will see a lot of options for phone cases. Of course, you need to take care of the display, so you’ll be given an option to buy a screen protector.
Summer is coming and you would like to buy a waterproof case for your holiday trip? It’s your lucky day, because they are selling that as well, and you have already been sent a notification email about that. Now this is the highest level of cross-selling!
CROSS-SELLING VS. UPSELLING
Before diving deeper into cross-selling, let’s familiarize ourselves with another related term: upselling.
But what’s the difference?
While cross-selling invites customers to buy related or complementary items to the purchased product, in case of upselling you try to encourage the customer to buy a higher-end product which is a bit pricier but is better quality.
Now that you know the basics, let’s get on to online stores!
4+1 tips for effective cross-selling in your online store:
As an online store owner your goal is probably to make your visitors become loyal customers. And since they are already there, it’s not a problem that the items in their cart start increasing, and in the end, they’ll purchase those products – cross-selling is a great tool for that.
Inform your customers about the opportunities
It is important to inform the users about different options: make it clear that for their chosen item they can get numerous complimentary products or services. It is beneficial for both ends:
the customer only needs to pay for shipping costs once
they can order everything from the same place – and they only need to pay once
it is also beneficial for you, because your cross-selling will have a greater chance to be successful
Your website should be clear and easy to use
It’s okay that you would like to display as many relevant products as possible, but it is important to keep in mind that your website should remain well-structured. It shouldn’t be messy, there shouldn’t be any unnecessary steps, because in that case the visitors will turn away and spend their money at another online store.
Always offer a product which is relevant to the original chosen product/service!
Do not try to offer something which is absolutely irrelevant. If your offer doesn’t have any added value, it may easily drive away the customer from your site.
The offered product should always complement the purchased product
Conversion happens only if the offer helps or complements the use of the original product or is some kind of a discount for the users.
+1: Create a bundle!
Compiling together several items which complement one another has great value for the customer, so you don’t necessarily have to give a discount from the price. Nobody can be an expert in everything, so a lot of people will be grateful for premade bundles. May it be a video game (and its accessories), a creative DIY bundle etc.
… and lastly the 3 biggest advantages of cross-selling:
- improves the customer experience = there’s no disappointment
You have a wide variety of RC cars, but there is no battery included in their package? No problem, offer batteries for them! - increases the value of the cart
If the offered products upgrade the original product, customer will more likely revisit your online store - it generates more loyal customers
A satisfied customer is more likely to return to your online store, because they trust the products you sell and offer – so next time you have a better chance to sell the complementary products.
Cross-selling is a great opportunity to sell several products at once. Although you must be careful not to draw the attention of your potential customers away from the original product which they wanted to purchase.
With well-organized cross-selling you can get the attention of potential customers, and experience shows that good prices get the attention of most visitors! This way you can make them spend more, which increases your average cart value.
Are you using this technique at your online store? If not, it’s high time you started using it! Let’s start cross-selling!
