What is cross-selling and how to implement it?

Did you know that, according to Forrester data, implementing strategies such as cross-selling or upselling can help increase your e-commerce profits by up to 30%? Both are tools that not many people know about, but by understanding what they are and what steps you should follow to implement them, you will be able to boost the sales strategy of your business.

One of the strategies that encourage sales is cross-selling, which helps you earn more revenue from existing customers.  The key is to offer the right product or service for each customer at the right time. Want to know more? We tell you all about cross-selling and how to implement it!

What is cross-selling?

Cross-selling, also known as cross-selling, is a technique that helps increase the average value of the purchase ticket. It consists of recommending to the customer different products or services that may be related or, in  some way, complement the products that they already have in the cart.

It is important that the recommended products make sense and add value to the user, since a bad suggestion can have the opposite effect and worsen the user experience in your e-commerce.

Know the needs of your customers to be able to offer them alternatives that satisfy them.

An example of this type of sales strategy would be to recommend a cover or paddle balls to a user who is about to buy a paddle racket in an e-commerce.

Up-selling and cross-selling, is it the same?

It is easy to confuse these two practices as both seek to increase the value of the average ticket. However, it is important to understand the differences.

Up-selling aims to sell an improved or similar product but with a higher price than the one the customer is trying to acquire.  An example of this practice would be to recommend in a mobile e-commerce, a model with more RAM and more durable battery than the one the user is buying.

What are the advantages of cross-selling for an e-commerce?

• Improves the user experience.  A good recommendation of complementary products that meet the needs of the user can bring great value to the customer experience in the purchase in your e-commerce.
• Increases total sales.  By implementing cross-selling you not only increase the average value of your e-commerce ticket, but you also increase the number of products sold and therefore the revenue.
• Build customer loyalty.  This practice helps you strengthen the relationship with the client since, if you offer personalized complementary services, you reinforce the connection with your consumer.

What steps should you follow to make a good cross-selling?

As we have said before, it is important to perform this practice correctly so as not to harm the user experience in your e-commerce. Here are four steps you can take to successfully implement a cross-selling strategy.

1. Study and know your customers.  Analyse the data about the users who buy in your e-commerce to be able to make personalized recommendations.
2. It offers solutions to your problems.  Recommend products that represent a solution to a problem or meet their needs, always seeking to add value with the suggestion.
3. Present the prices in a transparent way.  No one likes surprises in a buying process, so you need to make a clear and transparent price breakdown from the start.  
4. Analyse what works.  It's important to understand which combinations of products work best and which don't to know what to change and what to keep.

As you can see, cross selling is a practice that can help improve the customer experience in your e-commerce while at the same time generating more profit. However, it is very important not to take it lightly since the bad practice of cross selling can lead to great losses for your business. We invite you to follow in our footsteps and give a chance to this great strategy that so many e-commerce’s already use!