Don’t Forget the Up Sale / Cross Sale
When you walk into the local shoe store to buy a pair of dress shoes, you usually
walk out with a few extras. Why? Because the salesman talks you into buying an extra
set of shoelaces, shoe shine, a horse-hair shoe buffer (only the finest!), and so
on. That’s called cross selling and is something all good salespeople do.
Furthermore, the pair of shoes you originally looked at isn’t the pair you walked
out with. Again, the salesman talked you into purchasing the much more expensive
shoes, convincing you that you had a need for the space-aged polymer material that
does amazing things to your feet. That’s called an up sale.
Up selling and cross selling work well in the world of brick and mortar retail stores
where a high-pressure salesman can convince just about anybody into buying stuff
they originally didn’t want. But how do we take advantage of this well known tactic
online?
While you won’t ever be able to slam a super high-pressure pitch to shoppers online
(the lack of pressure from salespeople is just one of many reasons why consumers
choose to shop online), there are several things you can do to increase your per-order
revenues.
Show similar items on each product page
This is a way to both up sell as well as cross sell. Visit the website of any large
online retailer and you’ll quickly see what I’m talking about. At the bottom of
each product page, you’ll often see a list of recommended accessories or similar
items.
This gives the buyer an opportunity to see what else is available, and shows them
accessories they may want, but might not buy if they weren’t reminded that they’re
available.
Imagine that you sell two different models of automotive GPS units. They are identical,
but the more expensive model is Bluetooth capable. On the product page for the less
expensive model, including a small image next to a line such as, “Try it with Bluetooth
for hands free calling!” or something similar is a good example of an up-sell attempt.
Links to accessories, such as a windshield mounting device, additional map software,
extended warranty, and so forth are examples of cross selling.
Recommend accessories on the shopping cart or checkout page
The perfect opportunity to recommend additional items to a customer is when they
add an item to their shopping cart. By taking this action, the shopper is showing
that they intend to make a purchase. While they are in the buying mindset, you’ll
want to take the opportunity to make recommendations on additional related items.
For example, if a shopper adds a camping tent to their shopping cart, provide links
on the shopping cart page to tent stakes, waterproofing spray, sleeping bags, and
so on. In addition to potentially increasing your sales, you’ll also be doing your
customer a huge service. There’s nothing worse than forgetting to order an important
accessory, especially when you’re buying online.
Capture their contact information
During the checkout process, ask for your customer’s email address. This should
always be done so you can email order confirmation information anyway, and is something
online consumers expect. However, it also gives you the opportunity to market to
that person in the future. Doing so helps keep your company name in the minds of
your customers, vastly improving the odds that they’ll return to you again for future
purchases.
Cross selling and up selling is something that many small internet retailers fail
to do. Some just don’t believe there is any effective way to do it online. But by
implementing these three quick and simple tactics you’ll see a rise in your overall
sales, dispelling the myth about the impossibility of an online up sale/cross sale.
Target Customers in Your Area