How To Cross Promote Products On Shopify

As a business owner, one of the most important things you can do is find ways to increase sales, conversion rates and revenue. One way to do this is by cross-promoting your products. Cross-promotion is the practice of promoting one product in conjunction with another product. It's a great way to encourage customers to purchase more products from your store, and it can be done in a variety of ways.

In this article, I'll explore some effective cross-promotion techniques for Shopify store owners, and by implementing these strategies you can boost your business and increase sales.

What is cross-selling in Shopify?

Cross-selling is the practice of suggesting a more expensive product to a customer who is already in the process of purchasing. For example, if a customer is interested in buying a pair of running shoes that are in the mid-price range, you could promote the high-end range that has better materials and more positive reviews.

By doing this you're giving the customer a chance to buy a better product that he or she might not have noticed, and you will potentially make more money.

What is upselling in Shopify

Upselling on the other hand is when you sell product A with product B and is an even better way to maximise your profits. For example, if a customer is purchasing a T-shirt, you could suggest a matching hat or pair of sunglasses which will increase the total cost of your customer's order and give you more profit.

Another technique related to upselling is bundling which is used with great success by companies like Amazon. This involves offering a bundle of related or similar products at a discounted price. This can be a great way to encourage customers to purchase more products, and it can also be used to clear out older inventory.

How do I cross-sell or upsell on Shopify?

There are a few ways to do this, but in my opinion, the number one way to cross-sell on your Shopify store is to promote the better/more expensive products on your product pages, because this is when your customers are paying the most attention.

And in theory, by using targeted product recommendations on your store's product pages, if someone is already interested in a specific product, they might well be interested in the bigger or better version of it.

Email marketing is another great way to cross-promote or upsell your products. By sending targeted email campaigns to your customer base, you can highlight specific products and offers.

And believe me when I say that it's far cheaper and easier to sell to your existing customers than it is to obtain new ones!

You can also segment your email list by customer behaviour, such as past purchases, which allows you to send personalised recommendations.

Customising your cross-promotion techniques for your business and customers

One of the most important things to keep in mind when cross-promoting your products is that every business and customer is unique. It's important to customise your cross-promotion techniques to suit the needs of your business and your customers.

For example, if you sell custom-made products, you can create a “customer's also viewed” section on your product pages. This section can showcase similar products that other customers who have viewed the product have also looked at. This can help to increase sales of those products.

Additionally, you can create custom landing pages highlighting specific product categories or sales, which can be advertised through your social media, email marketing and in-store promotion efforts.

Another way to customise your cross-promotion techniques is to get to know your customers as quickly as possible. This can be done by gathering data through surveys, tracking customer behaviour on your store's website, and analysing customer demographics. This information can then be used to create targeted product recommendations and offers that will appeal to specific segments of your customer base.

It is also important to test different cross-promotion techniques to see what works best for your store and customer. This can be done through A/B testing, where you experiment with different promotional strategies and compare the results.

Ultimately, the key to successful cross-promotion is to understand your business and your customers and to tailor your techniques accordingly. By customising your cross-promotion efforts, you can maximize the effectiveness of your strategies and boost your sales.

Maximising your online retail potential through eCommerce and cross-promotion

E-commerce has changed the way that businesses sell their products, and it has also changed the way that businesses cross-promote their products. Online retail allows for greater flexibility and reach in cross-promotion techniques, and it also provides valuable data about customer behaviour that can be used to optimize your strategies.

One of the advantages of eCommerce is the ability to track customer behaviour on your website. This data can be used to understand which products customers are viewing and purchasing and can inform your cross-promotion efforts. For example, if you notice that customers who purchase item A also tend to purchase item B, you can highlight item B as a related product or cross-promote it in your email marketing campaigns.

Another advantage of eCommerce is the ability to personalise your cross-promotion efforts. This can be done by using cookies to track customer behaviour, or by asking customers to create an account when they make a purchase. By gathering this information, you can send targeted product recommendations and offers to your customers.

Upselling on your Shopify checkout page

Upselling at the checkout page is in my opinion something that should only be done if you're confident that your customers will either take up the option or at least, carry on with their purchase.

The main problem I have with upselling at the checkout stage is that you run the risk of putting doubt into the minds of your customers, which could lead them to abandon their purchase altogether, which obviously means that nobody wins.

Upselling at checkout is a risk, and although I'm not completely against it, I would be more inclined to win them as a customer and then promote to them via email.

This way you make the sale and can continually keep your brand in their minds with new offers and promotions.

The benefits of cross-promotion techniques for your business & customers

Cross-promotion techniques, like upselling, bundling, and cross-selling, can bring a number of benefits for both your business and your customers.

For businesses, cross-promotion techniques can help increase sales and revenue by encouraging customers to purchase more products or upgrade to more expensive items. This can also help to clear out older inventory or promote slow-moving products.

For customers, cross-promotion techniques can offer a number of benefits. By upselling and cross-selling, customers can discover new products that they may be interested in and increase the value of their purchase. Bundling can be particularly beneficial for customers, as it allows them to purchase several related items, often at a discounted price.

By cross-promoting complementary products, customers will also have lower shipping costs and it will be more convenient for them to get all products in the same order.

Designing a cross-promotion strategy for your Shopify store

Designing an effective cross-promotion strategy for your Shopify store can be especially challenging for retailers who are new to eCommerce, and one suggestion I often make is to look at platforms like Amazon and eBay, especially if you already sell on them.

For example, on Amazon, you can use the “Frequently Bought Together” and “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” sections to cross-promote related products. On eBay, you can use the “Similar Items” section or “Promoted Items” features to promote related products.

If you can build this type of feature into your store, or your Shopify theme already lets you do this, then you'll be getting a head start and can immediately start increasing your average order value.