On the Internet, anything is possible to attract your targets to you and make them want to buy your products rather than those of your competitors.
The objective: to increase your sales and the number of orders.
There are a number of techniques for doing this, including cross-selling (which can be translated as cross-selling, up-selling or up-selling).
What is it and how can this method lead to a average basket?
Answers in our article.
Cross-selling and average basket: definition
To begin with, we’d like to give you a brief definition of what we’re talking about.
Here, two terms should catch your attention: cross-selling and average basket.
What is cross-selling?
Cross-selling is a technique that consists of making customers want toto buy items complementary to their initial purchase.
For example, if you sell shoes, you can offer insoles, shoe polish or shoe trees.
The idea is toto encourage customers to increase the value of their order by making additional purchases they might not have thought of at first.
In our example of shoe sales, it’s quite easy to sell shoe polishes by explaining to consumers that this type of item improves the lifespan of their shoes.
However, in some sectors, cross-selling can be more difficult. As an e-tailer, it’s up to you to be ingenious and encourage the act of buying.
Warning: do not confuse cross-selling and upselling which, in turn, is a technique that consists of offering customers an up-market product (switching from an entry-level smartphone to a higher-quality model, for example).
What is the average basket?
The average basket corresponds to the average amount spent by a customer in your online store.. If the average basket size is high, this means that your buyers tend to place large orders.
Now that you’ve probably understood the link between average basket and cross-selling, we can get down to business.
What is the purpose of the average basket and how is it calculated?
We’ve explained that the average basket is the average amount spent by your customers on your site.
But how do you calculate it? The formula is very simple, as all you have to do is divide your sales by your number of customers.
Obviously, it is important to to take into account a precise temporality so that the result obtained is meaningful.. You can therefore calculate the average basket over a specific period (sales periods, for example), or over a month or a year, correlating it with a previous period if you wish.
The point of knowing your average basket is to be able to implement marketing actions tailored to your objectives. As you’ve probably guessed by now, the cross-selling technique.
By taking an interest in your average basket, you can assess the value of the actions you’re taking, and optimize them if necessary.
How can you increase the average e-commerce basket through cross-selling?
First and foremost, the product you wish to cross-sell must be self-evident. Consumers shouldn’t have to think too hard to be convinced of the merits of the approach.
When selling shoes, it’s important to buy shoe polish to take care of them. However, if you sell household appliances, for example, it can be difficult to make customers want to buy related items. That’s why vendors have introduced extended warranties and special offers. Yes, this is cross-selling.
In all cases, a good way of cross-selling on an e-commerce site is to offer complementary products directly on the product sheet.. You may sometimes find boxes with the words “people who bought this product also bought…”. This is cross-selling.
It is also possible to create buying guides with advice.
Fnac does this very well, adding tip sheets and salespeople’s favorites to its product pages. This not only provides reassurance, but also makes it easy for the undecided buyer to find out more.
Not to mention the method of offering complementary items at half price. This is a very effective way of rapidly increasing the average basket size.
Note: cross-selling can also take place on the shopping cart page or after the purchase has been made by setting up a personalized e-mail campaign.
Which item should you choose to increase the value of your average shopping basket?
If you take the examples given above, you’ll have understood that the products that work best in cross-selling are those that meet a specific consumer need.
In the case of shoes, waxing extends their life. So you don’t have to buy new ones after a few months’ use. The customer knows he wins in the long run.
What’s more, we’ve observed that the products best suited to cross-selling are small, inexpensive items that are difficult to sell individually. small, inexpensive items that are difficult to sell individually. Especially online, where shipping costs can sometimes be higher than the item itself.
Other types of products that are well-suited to a cross-selling strategy: less popular items or those offering a high sales margin. The former benefit from the visibility of larger references, while the latter represent an excellent way of boosting your sales.
Now that you’ve understood the importance of cross-selling in increasing your average shopping basket, all you have to do is get started and test different distribution channels, taking into account your objectives and your resources (human and financial).
For example, you can offer a live-shopping with a live chat facility enabling your customers to talk directly to you during the show. It’s a great way to cross-selling or even upselling. And of course affiliation which remains a highly effective business lever in e-commerce.
Want to know more? Contact us!
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