Cross selling doesn’t just increase your average order value, it benefits the customer by recommending additional products that they’ll probably need. For example, someone buying a TV will probably need a wall bracket to mount it. The product page provides a great opportunity to cross-sell.
There are several types of cross-sell sections that you can add:
- People who viewed this product also viewed
- People who bought this product also bought
- You might also like
- May we suggest
- Complete the look
- More items in the collection
- Other products from the same brand
- Other products from the same designer
Obviously, don’t add all these sections. Choose what makes the most sense for your store.
Relevant recommendations
Relevance is the most important factor in cross selling. If the products you recommend bear no relation to the one a customer is currently viewing, that customer is going to completely ignore any other recommendations you make. That means if someone is viewing a laptop, you should recommend a laptop bag, not a bread maker. You can also base your recommendations on a customer’s browsing and/or purchasing history.
Keep cross-sells passive
You should avoid aggressive cross-selling promotions since those tend to annoy your customers. Cross-sells should be secondary on the product page, either display them in a sidebar or at the very bottom of the product page.
Include sufficient information and an “Add to cart” button on cross-sells
When recommending a product, make a point of including enough information to help a customer make a purchasing decision. If someone is buying a TV and you recommend a wall bracket, mention the range of screen sizes the wall bracket can support and whether it’s compatible with the TV the customer is currently viewing.
You should also include an “Add to Cart” button so a customer doesn’t have to open a new product page just to buy it.
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See also best practice #87) Offer relevant compatible products on the Product page