What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear "upselling?"
If you're like most people, it's probably an annoying salesperson trying to convince you to buy something more expensive or upgrade your purchase.
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But in reality, upselling is a simple concept that businesses can use—from retail shops and restaurants to service providers—to increase profits and customer satisfaction.
In this post, we'll walk through some common examples of upselling strategies and how you can implement the same to upsell like a boss!
Let's start from the basics.
What is Upselling?
Upselling is a sales technique that encourages customers to purchase a more expensive product or service than what they originally intended. In the context of D2C sales, upselling can be used as an effective way to increase revenue and boost customer loyalty.
Let's make this clear with an example. If a customer is looking for a laptop with medium-tier features, you can upsell them to a higher-tier model with more features. The customer may be willing to pay more for additional features if the product solves their problem better than before.
This way, your brand can provide customers with the best possible experience without losing out on sales. The key to upselling is ensuring your customers get value for their money.
But remember, if you push them into buying something they don't need or want, they will not be happy with the product or service. Not only that, but it might also lead them to take their business elsewhere next time around.
So listen to us, and we will show you how strategically you can do it! 😎
Upselling Examples.
To better understand how to upsell, it is essential to see how you can implement this in your store. Let's see some practical Shopify upselling examples,
- You are selling a watch, and the customer looks at a model with a rubber strap. You should recommend another model that has an alternative material, such as leather or metal.
- If a customer is looking for a camera, you can upsell him the better version with more features.
- If a customer is looking for traveling luggage, you can upsell him the model with wheels and an extendable handle.
When to upsell?
Upsell exists in every stage of the customer buying cycle. Here are the three stages in which you can upsell:
1. Pre-sale upselling.
Online or in person, a successful upsell begins as soon as customers enter your store. Use product pages to sell cheaper or less advanced versions of items while encouraging customers to upgrade with comparison charts that highlight the benefits.
2. Upsell at the checkout page.
When a customer is ready to check out, upselling can effectively convince them to spend more money than they originally intended.
You can personalize your checkout page to suggest offers that enhance a customer's purchase, including volume discounts and expedited shipping. This persuades them to spend more money and helps you to improve your margins.
3. Post-purchase upselling.
Upselling to a customer after they've placed their order effectively increases revenue during the post-sales stage. This approach works well for digital goods, where adding features or functionality can be as simple as clicking on "add to cart."
This works because customers are already in the buying mindset and are more likely to purchase additional products or services.
Top 6 Upselling best practices.
Upselling can be effective, but it's not a magic bullet. The key to successful upselling is to provide customers with the right products at the right time. Here are some tips:
1. Make personalized recommendations.
Make sure you're offering products that are closely related to what your customer has already purchased. If you recommend lipsticks for track pants, your customers won’t buy it. So make sure you're offering products related to the product or service your customer is already purchasing.
2. Don't oversell.
Be careful not to oversell and push too many products onto your customers at once. This will make them feel overwhelmed and less likely to purchase anything else from you in the future.
When recommending a product or service, avoid promoting one significantly more expensive than the purchased one. In the long term, this will reduce customer lifetime value by unsatisfying buyers and preventing repeat purchases.
3. Limited-time offers.
Create a sense of urgency by offering upsells as a limited-time offer. For example, a customer who purchases a product during a sale may be offered an additional 10% off if they also purchase a related product.
This is not pushy but is a great way to increase customer lifetime value. If they are already buying from you, there is no reason why they shouldn’t buy more!
4. Limit the number of options.
Too many options can be overwhelming and reduce the likelihood of a purchase. For example, if you are selling a t-shirt with 15 different designs to choose from, it will be difficult for people to decide which one they want. Instead, offer fewer options but make sure that they are all appealing.
For example, if you sell t-shirts, instead of having 15 different designs, try offering just 2 or 3 but make sure these are good quality and appeal to your target audience.
5. Create product bundles.
By creating product bundles, you can increase the number of products people buy while also increasing the average order value. For instance, you could sell one deodorant for $3 or two sticks of deodorant for $5.
That's bundling. This helps you increase the margin; your customers will be happier because they're getting more bang for their buck.
6. Offer seasonal discounts.
If you're selling only relevant products in certain seasons, consider offering a discount for customers who purchase them during those specific times. For example, if you sell swimwear, offer a 20% discount during the summer months when it's more popular. This can attract new customers and keep existing ones happy by giving them more value for their hard-earned money!
Bonus: We have 8 best strategies to help you make more with upselling. Wanna check?
4 Templates to help you Upsell on Shopify.
Now you know the importance of upselling and the ways to do it. To ease things further, we have also added some templates. So all you have to do is, choose a template and edit it according to your needs.
1. Post-purchase upsell template.
This is an upsell template that you can use after a customer has made a purchase. You have to leverage the platform where your customers are active to get the most out of your efforts. No prize for guessing!
It's WhatsApp. The reason? It has the highest click-through rate of 60% of any other platform. As you can't manually send the upsell message once a customer place order, you can automate the process with BiteSpeed.
All you have to do is set a rule like if a customer purchases X, recommend Y. This flow gets triggered when a customer places the X order.
And when you target a customer base instead of throwing pop-ups to every customer, your message will make much more sense and they most probably take action.
What else, sit and watch the revenue flow in.
Here's the template that you can use to upsell your customers,
Hey [name],
You have ordered this excellent smartphone for ZZZ. But what if you can get more features with a 5% additional charge?
Amazing, isn't it? Check and upgrade your order now.
Shipping charges are on us...
2. Upsell with pop-ups.
Pop-ups are a great way to get your customers to buy more, and it's best suited for pre-sale upselling. Most people find this annoying, but not when you use it while they are trying to exit.
It appears when a customer is trying to leave the website just as they are about to click off. With BiteSpeed, you can purchase by offering a 10% discount. You can use various templates, from sign-up bonuses to limited-period offers.
Here's how Ambrane does the same,
Here's a template to use on your pop-up,
Looking for something you love?
Let us help you get it at the best deal possible.
Sign up and get a 10% offer straight to your WhatsApp number!
You can even use gamification like Lavie,
Here's a template to use on your pop-up,
We have lined up jaw-dropping deals on the spin wheel! Sign up with your WhatsApp number and check your luck!
You can even use the above-used templates from the template section of BiteSpeed.
3. Upsell using bundles.
Bundles are a great way to upsell customers. You can offer bundles at different price points, and customers will buy tem, as it’s like free money. This is a very effective method if you want to increase your revenue.
To leverage this method, you can use the Shopify app "Vitals-All in one marketing." This app helps you create bundles and promote them on your product pages. You can also use the app to show a buy-one-get-one offer.
Vitals comes with multiple templates, so you can choose the one that fits your needs.
4. Upsell email templates.
Upsell email templates are another effective way to increase your revenue. You can send an email that includes a product recommendation and a link to that product. This method works well if you have a targeted message.
Here's the template that you can use on our mail campaigns,
Hi, [NAME],
You’ve ordered [ITEM] from our store. We know how important it is to get the best quality product at an affordable price. That's why we recommend you switch to another product that will help you achieve your goals faster.
Check out the link below to learn more about it!
Wrapping up.
In conclusion, upselling is the ultimate secret weapon for maximizing sales on your Shopify store. By using the tips and techniques outlined in this guide, you'll be able to increase your average order value, boost customer loyalty, and drive more revenue. And remember, it's not about being pushy or aggressive; it's about being strategic, relevant, and adding value to the customer's experience.
And to make things right and profits close to autopilot, you need a supporting partner, BiteSpeed. It helps you upsell like a pro that your customers don't even notice that they are being upsold. After all, that's what a true upsell does. 😉
It makes your customers happy, not frustrated. And when you upsell the right way, you can expect a better average order value and more revenue in your pocket.
With BiteSpeed, you can upsell from your website to WhatsApp, so your customers can enjoy their experience better. So, don't wait; schedule your free demo now, and let BiteSpeed be your wingman in the world of upselling!
