Cross selling is a method of improving sales figures at very little extra cost. Because a website cross sells items to existing customers, lost customers, and new customers, much of the expensive marketing and advertising has already been conducted. A lot of the cross selling technique is down to how effectively you educate your visitors and potential buyers concerning the range of products you do offer. By also adding promotional offers or attempting to cross sell items using more specific methods it is possible to further increase its impact.
Organic Cross Selling
Some degree of natural cross selling should occur with a strategically planned e-commerce or service provider website. When users browse through an online catalog they will be subjected to categorized items. By using good categories and not being too specific in those categories your visitors will begin to understand the range of products you offer. However, natural cross selling alone won't generate the best results possible for your site.
Link To Related Items
At the very least you should ensure that product pages offer some form of link to related products. The more directly related the products are, the more likely that you will make multiple sales. If you offer telephone ordering or assistance, also ensure that your employees are trained to handle cross promotion without being too pushy. In your own email correspondence with consumers, there is likely to be ample opportunity to promote related and complementary items.
Cross Promote The Same Item
Cross selling can begin with promoting the same item. In the case of consumable goods, offer a discount for the purchase of a greater quantity and ensure that the listed “similar items” include the same item but in different quantities. You can also offer discount to abandoners. A product abandoner is somebody that has viewed or showed interest in an item but then abandoned the process of purchasing. Offer a discount to change their minds. This can be done through emails to the relevant people.
Cheaper Alternatives
Most consumers are looking for the best deal. If you offer an alternative product but at a less expensive price then include this in the similar items. For example, some brands offer what is essentially the same product but at a lower rate. By offering this you give those customers that want the best deal, a cheaper alternative and a reason to proceed with their order.
Products Within The Same Category Or Keyword
A catalog that has been well categorized offers excellent opportunity for cross promotion. Items that fall within the same category can be considered similar to one another. If your catalog also allows the use of keywords then this offers even greater cross promotional tactics presuming you use relevant keywords. Always provide consumers with the chance to search your product catalog and show results in order of relevancy. You don't to deter buyers from finding the product they are searching for, but items considered to be closely relevant will show up in the search results as well.
Cross Promotion Benefits Your Sales
Cross promotion can prove an effective tool to greatly increase your average sale value. Where customers might otherwise purchase a single product, cross promotion helps to persuade them to purchase more and, therefore, part with more money. More sales means greater profits for your business.
Cross Selling Through Product Promotions - To learn more about this author, visit Omaro Ailoch's Website.
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Dave Kurlan
Dave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development.
Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit.
He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine.
He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball.
He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Omaro Ailoch
(Visit Omaro's Website)
Omaro Ailoch is a senior software
engineer, an internet marketing expert, an
entrepreneur and the founder of OC IT
Services a highly skilled California based
web development, design, and search
engine optimization firm. Omaro has
been helping businesses and organizations
become more efficient by custom developing
solutions to streamline their business
processes. He also helps businesses by
providing them with professional web
presence and helps them achieve high
search engine ranking.
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