Cross-selling is an easy-to-overlook yet highly effective e-commerce strategy that lets you suggest complementary products to customers as they browse and buy from your online store. Done right, cross-selling strategies introduce customers to new items tailored to their needs while showing you’re invested in their satisfaction.
Box Builder explores proven cross-selling techniques to increase average order value and build lasting buyer relationships.
How Do Cross-Selling Strategies Work?
With cross-selling, you suggest complementary or additional products to customers shopping on your online store. For instance, if someone adds a camera to their shopping cart, you may cross-sell a compatible memory card to store all the scenes and images they capture.
The beauty of cross-selling is you can expose shoppers to items they may not have known about or considered buying had you not suggested them. Still, it’s essential that whatever products you recommend are directly related to an item viewed or added to a cart. After all, the central aim of cross-selling strategies is increasing the average order value and maximizing revenue.
Examples of Cross-Selling
Consider a few examples of cross-selling techniques in action:
- Amazon’s “Frequently Bought Together” Section: When browsing items on Amazon, customers often see a section titled “Frequently Bought Together” that suggests complementary products other shoppers purchased at the same time.
- Fast Food Combos: Fast food restaurants offer combo meals that include a burger, fries, and a drink. By bundling these items at a slightly discounted price, restaurants encourage customers to purchase a complete meal instead of one item.
- Online Clothing Retailers: Many online clothing retailers display suggestions for coordinating accessories when customers view a specific outfit. By suggesting complementary items for shoppers, this cross-selling strategy simplifies the process of assembling the ideal outfit with matching accessories, helping shoppers look and feel their best.
Cross-Selling Strategies & Best Practices
Maximizing cross-selling techniques requires a thoughtful approach grounded in an understanding of customer behavior. Consider these five strategies and their best practices.
1. Personalization
Go beyond the standard, catch-all item recommendations that appear on product pages, carts, and confirmation pages. Tailor individual product suggestions based on a shopper’s preferences, purchase history, and demographic information.
Best Practice: If possible, use the customer’s name to better attract their attention. You can further personalize the cross-selling suggestions with words like “you” and “yours.”
2. Strategic Placement
Position cross-selling suggestions prominently throughout the shopping journey, including them on product pages, during checkout, and in follow-up emails. Only share recommendations relevant to the customer’s buying intentions. For instance, if a customer adds printing paper to their cart, you can recommend compatible ink cartridges.
Best Practice: When deciding where to place cross-sells, first map your average customer’s buying journey. Identify touchpoints and pages where shoppers are most likely to convert after expressing purchase intent. Promoting cross-sells in “hotspots” along the buying journey can have the greatest impact.
3. Clear Communication
Communicate the benefits of cross-sold items clearly, highlighting how they enhance the customer’s original purchase or address pain points. Use compelling language and images to capture their interest.
Best Practice: Craft value proposition messages for each cross-sell offer that resonates with customers. For example, “This top-of-the-line messenger bag protects your new laptop while you’re on the go” or “This printer ink bundle saves you 20% and ensures you don’t run out when you need it most.”
4. Limited Choices
Avoid overwhelming customers by suggesting too many product options. Instead, focus your cross-selling strategies on sharing a curated selection of relevant products that match their interests and purchase intent.
Best Practice: When deciding which cross-selling promotions to share, limit recommendations to three complementary products. For example, show the top three best-rated, most popular memory cards compatible with a camera. Besides avoiding burdening customers with an overabundance of options, limiting recommendations also leads to less shopping cart abandonment.
5. Testing and Optimization
Monitor cross-selling strategy performance continuously, and experiment with different approaches to see what resonates with your audience. A/B testing helps refine tactics and maximizes effectiveness.
Best Practice: Test factors like location, messaging, visuals, product selection, and email timing. Also track engagement and conversion rates.
Cross-Selling vs. Upselling
While sometimes used interchangeably, upselling and cross-selling refer to distinct strategies.
Upselling focuses on selling a higher-end, more advanced or premium version of an item the customer already has in their cart. The goal is to encourage the shopper to upgrade to a more profitable product, for example, upselling a deluxe hotel room over a standard room.
On the other hand, cross-selling strategies are about promoting complementary accessories, add-ons, or related items besides the original selection. Your intention isn’t to push an upgrade of the same product but to sell additional options that enhance the customer’s perceived value.
Combined, upselling and cross-selling are a powerful and proven e-commerce sales strategy.
Cross-Selling FAQ
To learn more, get the answers to these frequently asked questions about cross-selling best practices.
What is a good example of cross-selling?
Imagine a customer purchasing a gaming console bundle that includes the console, controllers, and basic accessories. As part of the deal, you could offer additional items such as premium gaming subscriptions, exclusive in-game content, or gaming-themed merchandise like clothing or collectibles. You could also cross-sell virtual currency or in-game items that enhance gameplay, such as special weapons, character skins, or expansion packs.
Is cross-selling effective for every e-commerce business?
Cross-selling strategies can be effective for a variety of online businesses, particularly those with diverse product offerings and complementary items. Overall success depends on product relevance, customer segmentation, and strategy execution.
How can I measure my cross-selling campaign’s effectiveness?
Key metrics for evaluating cross-selling success include average order value, cross-sell conversion rates, and revenue generated from cross-selling. Analyzing these metrics helps you see your cross-selling strategy’s impact on overall revenue and customer engagement.
Harness the Potential of Cross-Selling Strategies With Box Builder
Mastering cross-selling strategies takes dedication and time. When done well, you can reap significant rewards. By recommending products that align with customer needs at different stages of their journey, cross-selling opens doors to higher order values, stronger customer connections, and increased revenue. Box Builder also helps you increase profits with custom bundles and gift boxes. To see how to launch a bundle in five minutes or fewer, contact us today.
