Three techniques for getting the most out of every visitor with your Shopify store

To optimise the incoming traffic to your e-commerce, organic or paid, it is not enough to only pay attention to the conversion rate, but it is important to also try to increase the average order value (AOV).

In this article, we will describe three of the most successful techniques used in online shops.

When it comes to AOV, cross-selling, upselling and downselling are among the most effective sales practices as they not only aim to increase the average order value but also to keep the customer within your product or service ecosystem.

Cross-selling

Cross-selling consists of offering your customers complementary products to those they have already purchased.

For example, if a customer has bought a pair of shoes, you could also suggest accessories such as socks or a pair of coloured laces.

To make best use of this technique, it is important that the products offered are relevant and interesting to the customer, and it is also useful to show the cross-sell options clearly and visibly before the purchase phase.

According to Amazon's latest statements, 35% of its revenues come from cross-selling while the industry standard is around 10%.

Upselling

Upselling consists of offering your customers a superior version of the product they have already purchased or intend to purchase.

For example, if a customer has purchased a low-end product, you could offer them a deluxe or premium version of the same product.

To use upselling effectively, it is important to understand the needs and desires of customers, offering products or services that are truly useful and meet their needs.

In addition, it is important to offer the upsell at the right time, when the customer is already committed to the purchase and is therefore more likely to consider the offer.

According to a study recently reported by smallbizgenius.net, the chances of selling to existing customers would be 60-70%, while the chances of acquiring new customers would only be 5-20%.

Downselling

Downselling consists of offering your customers a cheaper version of the product they have already purchased.

For example, if a customer has chosen a high-end product but then abandons the cart, you could offer them a cheaper version of the same product or a similar but cheaper product.

To make the best use of this technique, it is important that the product offered is still of value to the customer and meets their needs. Additionally, it is useful to present the Downsell option in a positive way, marking the advantages of the product at a lower price.

Remember that, based on a research by SaleCycle, 20% of users abandon the shopping cart because they feel the final price is too high. Therefore, implementing a downselling strategy would allow us to encourage at least part of this 20% of users to finalise the purchases they have left pending.

How can these techniques be implemented effectively?

There are two ways to enrich your e-commerce with these sales methods:

To obtain professional results and be sure that these techniques have a positive effect on your e-commerce sales, we recommend using the second method, also because this allows you to verify through A/B tests the effectiveness of the elements implemented, as explained in this article.

As a general rule, whatever the technical implementation choice, in order to make the best use of these three sales methods, it is important to know your target audience well and to offer complementary or higher-end or lower-end products that are relevant to their needs and wishes. In addition, it is important to present these options clearly and convincingly, showing the benefits to the customer and trying to create a positive customer experience.