Chandler Olson
January 3, 2023
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But like most marketers, it’s easy to forget about your current customers, especially when you’re putting all your blood, sweat, and tears into finding new ones. In most cases, your best results will come from nurturing your current customers.
One of the best ways to do this is by upselling and cross-selling. According to a recent survey by HubSpot, 74% of salespeople who cross-sell and 72% of those who upsell say that the techniques increase revenues by 30%.
But where do you start? Here are 10 inspiring examples of upselling and cross-selling that you can apply to your eCommerce store.
Upselling is a sales technique that encourages customers to purchase an upgraded or expensive version of the product they’re interested in. When upselling, you offer add-ons that increase your product’s functionality. Upselling aims to increase your total sales while introducing customers to options that can meet their needs better.
Various brands have already mastered the art of upselling up their sleeve. Examples of these brands include:
Dollar Shave Club is an eCommerce retailer selling grooming and shaving products. The brand keeps expanding its selection of products and uses upselling to increase the sales of the higher-end ones.
You'll first see the bundled options on the products display page, including shave bundles and special value bundles. These are more expensive that the products in the single-item category.
Visitors to the Dollar Shave website will first see the most expensive items, including the double-header electric trimmer, the newest addition to the shaving products family. The cheaper options, such as the option to buy only a blade appear lower on the products page. By cleverly displaying the expensive products first, Dollar Shave Club increases the chances that visitors will order the pricey, valued-added items.
The tech giant is upselling its latest iPhone 14 through a trade-in deal. This is a brilliant technique as it entices even the most discerning customers to upgrade their devices and take up the more expensive model. Plus, it’s an incentive for people on the fence about spending a hefty amount of money upfront.
Trade-in as an upselling technique also appeals to customers who are conscious about their environment. It’s possible to recycle some smartphone parts, so it’s more eco-friendly to return an outdated gadget and get a discount to buy the upgraded and better version.
Did you know you can upsell by creating a sense of urgency? Evernote, a popular app for note-taking and archiving, upsells its higher subscription plans by offering time-limited deals. Currently, Evernote is offering a 50% discount for those who subscribe to its personal plan before January 26, 2023.
This upselling strategy encourages customers to act quickly, as the offer is only valid for a limited time. By creating a sense of urgency with its upsell message, Evernote ensures it doesn’t miss out on potential revenue.
The offer is placed side to side with the free plan. However, the personal plan has more features that make people perceive it as more worthwhile.
Are upsells only for tech companies? Absolutely not!
Italian fashion brand O bag upsells its products with personalization options. That’s right. Customers can tailor their bags by adding patches, straps, and accessories in all sorts of colors and materials.
Upselling via personalization is a great way to increase customer loyalty, as people love to have unique items that reflect their style. Upselling through personalization also helps the brand keep up with the latest trends. Customers can find the most up-to-date colors, materials, and designs in their product range without O bag having to invest a lot of effort in creating new products from scratch.
The bags become more fashionable and appealing as customers add more features such as handles, inner bags, and trims. However, the more features, the more expensive the product becomes. And since most customers are willing to pay up for customizing their bags, upselling through personalization can greatly increase the average order value.
Molekule sells award-winning air purifiers equipped with technology to destroy pollutants like mold, bacteria, and viruses. The company upsells its air purifiers by highlighting its high-end products with customer reviews.
In today's market, most customers will look up reviews before making a purchase decision. These customers are more likely to buy your products if they have amazing reviews from people who have tried them.
Molekule understands this perfectly, upselling its products by displaying reviews from users of their high-end air purifiers. People get the assurance they need to spend more on a product that will last them years and offer better air quality than cheaper alternatives.
Cross-selling is a sales technique that encourages customers to purchase complementary products or services related to the product they’re already buying. It’s one of the easiest strategies you can use to grow your business because you’re leveraging the relationship you already have with your clients to sell the products that are most likely to meet their needs.
Retailers cross-sell sell every day, and customers often buy cross-sold items without even realizing it. Here are five examples of cross-selling to give you an idea of how it works:
iHerb is an online retailer that sells natural and organic health products. The company cross-sells its products by showing customers the combinations other customers often buy with the items they select. iHerb displays the complementary products under the “frequently purchased together” section.
By cross-selling products together, iHerb makes it easier for customers to purchase items they might not have considered before. At the same time, the company can increase its average order value and maximize revenue from each customer.
TheOutnet is an online luxury fashion retailer known for offering designer clothing, shoes, and accessories. The company cross-sells its products using "the complete the look recommendations" technique. It encourages customers to purchase clothing pieces that are likely to match the items they already have in their cart.
TheOutnet’s cross-selling strategy offers its customers more product options and makes them perceive it as more worthwhile by offering them a complete look. If you're a fashion retailer, this cross-selling strategy can increase your credibility because when you give styling advice, customers are more likely to believe you’re an expert seller. You’re not only giving them the product they come to buy but proving that you understand fashion and style.
MAKE Beauty is an online cosmetics retailer that cross-sells its products by showing customers other products that pair well with products already in their cart. They do this by displaying a "pairs best with" section for every item customers click on. This section shows some other products customers can buy to complete their makeup look.
MAKE Beauty's strategy of suggesting complementary items that go well together helps customers get more out of what they’re already buying. Plus, it helps them discover new beauty products they might not have considered before.
Cleancult is an eco-friendly cleaning brand that sells sustainable cleaning solutions. The company cross-sells its products by using the bundling technique. This involves offering customers packages that include several items at a discounted price. For instance, customers can buy bundles of dishwasher tablets, hand soap bundles, or a complete home bundle consisting of different solutions customers would need to clean various surfaces.
Cleancult's strategy encourages customers to buy more items and helps them save money. Plus, the complete sets of products help customers create a convenient and sustainable way to clean their homes quickly. But beyond that, the cross-selling technique makes the brand's products seem more attractive by helping them stand out from competitors who don’t offer bundled deals.
Showing your customers what others are buying is a great way to increase sales. Aesop, a natural skincare and home fragrances brand, cross-sells its products by displaying the “others also considered” section on every product page. This section shows customers other products that previous customers bought alongside the items they’re considering.
This cross-selling strategy is more like showing customers a section of "you might also like" items. It encourages customers to explore products they weren’t interested in and helps them discover products that are likely to yield the best results when used together.
Like with customer reviews, customers are more likely to trust other customers’ opinions than the company itself. So, displaying this section can increase purchase decisions. Moreover, it increases engagement by giving customers a personal feel that shows the brand cares about their shopping experience.
You now have some of the best upselling and cross-selling examples that you can use to increase your sales and customer loyalty. Learn from these brands and combine some of their strategies to grow your eCommerce store.
If you want to automate your upselling and cross-selling strategies, consider using the In Cart Upsell & Cross-Sell app. This Shopify app will help you create more opportunities for your customers to buy more when shopping at your eCommerce store by automatically displaying what they’re more likely to buy. Start your 30-day free trial today.
