Introduction to Upselling: How to Make Extra Money Off Every Buyer Online

Posted by Big Brand Wholesale.com on 30th Mar 2020

This week is "Upsell Week" so we will be discussing everything upsell related. This first article is an introduction to upselling, so let's get started!

An "upsell" is getting a customer to spend more than they planned to by offering additional items, services or discounts. With good upselling strategies you can easily increase your average sale price by 20 - 35%!

There’s tons of different ways to Upsell your online customers. Some ways might not work for you depending what platform you sell on, but hopefully you can find at least 1 way that is compatible.

ADD ON MERCHANDISE UPSELLS

Whatever is being bought has “upsell” products. If a customer buys a shirt you can upsell a necklace or a purse:

If a customer buys a pair of jeans, how about adding on a belt?

Customer buys a candle trio? Sell them a candle holder set.

The second way to upsell is QUANTITY DISCOUNTS

The customer is buying a tank top - Want to double your order for only $5 more?

Customer buys 2 body mist for $12? Offer a "6 for $20 Deal" and get them to add on 4 more!

CUSTOMIZATION UPSELLS

Offering customization is super simple and can bring in TONS of extra money + Very happy customers!

Do you want a gift box and a bow for only $3?

You can buy super nice boxes for $1 on Amazon and bows are mega cheap (75 Big 3" Hallmark brand bows for $9.99!). If you buy the items shown above and offer a box and bow for $3, you'll make over $1.75 for absolutely nothing.

Want gift wrap for $5?

Hallmark (on Amazon) offers great All-Occasion wrapping paper packs for about $12 (shown above). You could also go with plain brown craft paper and put more money into the bow / ribbon. Kraft wrap is a nice, clean minimalist look and is super cheap. This two pack is 200 FEET and is only $16 on Amazon (shown below)

You could also offer Brow Kraft Wrap with bow for $3 or fancy Hallmark paper with bow for $4. :)

In our next article in this series we will start digging into all the different types of customization / gift packaging upsells.

Then there are SERVICE ADD-ON UPSELLS

Quicker Shipping
Add on Product Insurance or Warranty Extension
Your internet provider has probably also tried to sell you a "bundle deal" if you add on other services they offer

Then theres “FREE" UPSELLS

Even though you aren’t increasing the AVO (Average Order Value) you ARE hooking your customers in; when you get your customers to join your mailing list, download an eBook or come to your business to pickup, you are creating a direct connection between you and the buyer. It is much easier to get business, and repeat business, when you have a connection.

“Customers Also Viewed” is a great upsell that may or may not increase AVO, but either way it gives your customer a better UX (User Experience) on your site. Our site calls it "Frequently Bought Together":

Sign Up today and you’ll get a coupon for 10% off is a really good one for our company. It makes buyers really happy to get the discount and it makes us happy to be able to directly contact our buyers with news, sales, coupons and other important info:

Buy Now and We’ll Give you 3 Months FREE - You have probably seen offers like this all over for service-based businesses.

Double Loyalty Points - We do this one a couple times per year at BigBrandWholesale.com

Free Gift (with Purchase) - Another one of our fav promotions. We love giving out samples of stuff that we offer for sale. We know when our customers see the sample, a lot will come back and buy that exact item.

You can also use Countdown Clocks to emphasize the time left on your awesome deal; "Add on this travel bag for only $4.99 in the next 10 minutes!". Countdown clocks are cool in general.

Showing Stock Quantity for Low Stock Items. If you only have 1 left, people don't want to miss the chance to own it. Even though this isn't necessarially an "upsell" it can still encourage a sale from someone who was debating.

Love this blog post? Check out our other Amazon & eCommerce detailed guides: