From our partners at .biz domains
Want to boost your company’s revenue? Master the art of upselling—that is, convincing customers to purchase pricier items or additional products they hadn’t previously intended on buying. Apart from having a positive impact on your bottom line, upselling can also help strengthen relationships with clients and improve their perception of your brand.
There are several subtle online strategies you can employ to further capture clients’ interest and persuade them to spend more than they originally planned. Now, we’ve all seen upselling done poorly — scrolling through an annoyingly long list of things you don’t need just to complete your order is not ideal. But when done well, upselling provides greater value to your customers, bolsters brand loyalty, and adds, not deters, to your overall customer experience.
If you’re looking to increase your site’s average order value, try these simple yet effective strategies for digital upselling.
Spotlight the superlatives
Create a dedicated lander or tags to highlight the most popular items or services your company offers. Calling attention to products with the best reviews or most popular items will signal to customers that they should purchase those too and increases the odds that you’re presenting them with something they really need.
Package deals
Encourage consumers to buy more items by bundling them together. By offering a slight discount on multi-pack products or subscriptions, customers will appreciate getting more bang for their buck. This can also simplify purchase renewals, making it easier for customers to manage their services in the long run – ultimately making them appreciate your business that much more.
Be complementary
Customers are more likely to purchase a suggested item if it is related to one or more products already in their basket. For instance, a person shopping for web hosting is often more inclined to tack on an SSL certificate, matching email, or ecommerce capabilities to his or her order. Ultimately, giving consumers the ability to easily add offerings that complement their own selections will increase the odds of them spending more.
Have practical expectations
Don’t expect customers looking to purchase a $5 email plan to add $500 website security to their shopping cart on a whim. Make sure the recommended add-ons generated by your site’s algorithm are in the same price range (or better yet, cost less) than their initial picks—for example, compatible services that aren’t too extravagant. Otherwise, customers will probably ignore the propounded products.
Just name a few
Per a well-known study conducted by Columbia University, consumers can become overwhelmed when faced with too many options—so it’s best to limit choices. Don’t go overboard and bombard consumers with a slew of products in an effort to grab their attention—only try to upsell two or three items at a time.
Instill urgency
Motivate customers to take action by using expressions such as “limited-time deal” or “low stock”—terms that will prompt them to act quickly before the clock runs out. A countdown ticker at checkout might also spur customers to make swift decisions regarding add-on items they might be on the fence about buying.
Upsell after selling
Direct customers to buy more even after they’ve checked out. Follow up every purchase with a confirmation email containing a few suggested products they should consider. And give them a chance to modify their order for a brief period, so that they can easily add items even after it’s been placed.
Avoid overdoing it
We touched on this earlier, but it can’t be overstated. Don’t be too aggressive in your upselling. Blitzing site visitors with popup ads, for instance, is extremely off-putting—as is sneaking items into their shopping carts without them knowing. In the end, attempting to employ any deceitful measures will only hurt you and your brand in the long run.
Looking for more great tips? Check out the .BIZ partner toolkit, full of helpful infographics, video clips and creative assets you can use to fuel your marketing needs.