Upsell vs Cross-sell: Meaning and Benefits

Upsell and cross-sell are as important as reaching out to new customers. Yet, if you are new to the eCommerce industry, you might not know much about it. Don’t fret. This article will expound on cross-sell vs. upsell and the benefit of cross-selling and up-sell for your business growth.

Upsell and cross-sell are the art of suggesting upgrades or additional items for a purchase which can enable the growth of average order value (AOV) with relatively small marketing efforts. The customers are already interested in your brand and products. Therefore, it is simply your job to present relevant products or upgrades at the right time and right place. If the technique is done poorly, you can come across as an aggressive salesperson.

What is upsell and cross-sell?

Upsell meaning

Upselling is the sales tactic in which an eCommerce seller convinces customers to buy a product at a higher volume, size, or other related adds-on. The most common method is to suggest an option that was perhaps not considered by the customer before with the aim of making more revenue out of an existing customer.

Cross-sell meaning

Cross-selling is the method of selling additional products or services to an existing customer when they are shopping. This generates more revenue by showcasing products related to what the customer is currently looking for.

While it is a good technique, it comes with the risk of disrupting the current product is trying to buy. Furthermore, your cross-selling offer shouldn’t be too pressing and intrusive. Remember, your primary objective is to retain your customer and for them to come back to your store.

The benefit of upsell and cross-sell

Increase revenue

The revenue rises from implementing cross-sell and up-sell can be clearly seen while doing your accounting. If you initiate an effective upsell and cross-sell strategy, you can increase your revenue and profit remarkably. However, remember to moderate whatever strategy you decide to implement.

Create a better customer experience

We are in the era of personalization, and customers want businesses to proactively offer relevant product recommendations when they shop. However, human agents can’t always make product recommendations and answer customer queries. In other words, it’s almost impossible to maintain a 24/7 assistance system with humans only.

Therefore, you can leverage live chat software to provide a better customer experience. Recent studies show that companies that offer live chat experience an annual increase in upselling and cross-sell revenue.

Another solution is to employ an automation platform to gather information and personalize every message without you looking at each individual customer.

Increase Customer Lifetime Value

The rationality behind the upselling and cross-selling technique is based two-fold. Firstly, it enhances customer loyalty and your brand credibility. A customer who agrees to buy your upsell or cross-sell item is more likely to become your loyal customer and even customer advocate.

Secondly, it makes your store the one-stop-shop solution for whatever product they need. Upselling and cross-selling allow your customer to look through different effects on your store and choose those they want to buy. In other words, they can get all products in a convenient and centralized place.

It is essential to choose the right eCommerce app that can improve customer buying experiences while boosting average order value (AOV). There are tons of free BigCommerce apps executing cross-selling and upselling to your customers such as Order Booster. The all-in-one solution that can increase your store AOV with pre-purchase cross-sell and upsell, product recommendation, quantity, volume upsell, etc. It is best for you to try out many apps to find the best one.

Conclusion

Are you thinking of upselling or cross-selling? The primary reason for cross-selling or upselling is to increase the revenue and profit of your store. In short, it can help you: