For any marketplace business, increasing the average check is the main task to generate more revenue with less cost. Upsell and cross-sell strategies help to achieve this by offering customers more valuable products or related products that complement the main purchase. In this article, experts from the marketing agency “Goal” will share how to use upsell and cross-sell strategies on marketplaces. 

1. Upsell. Offer a more expensive product 

When implementing an upsell strategy, it is important to take into account that communication with the customer is limited. Therefore, the platform displays additional products next to the main product in a designated place. If your goal is to sell a more expensive option, its advantages should be clearly visible in the title and main photo.

The upsell strategy offers the customer to choose a premium or functionally advanced product. In our project, an Etsy store, cheaper product options were displayed, i.e. one product with a lower price, but when the buyer went to the listing, he realized that he could choose how creative his design would be and how many he needed. Accordingly, the average purchase check increased.

An example of a listing from the case study

2 ways to improve upsell: 

• Adding a discount: the discount for the set increased according to the number of chairs to the table). 
• Showing a possible outcome: To make the client understand that it is more profitable for him to buy several chairs at once, we added photos with more than one person to the listings, hinting at visits from friends or holidays.    

2. Cross-Sell. Related products relevant to the selected one

The cross-sell method works effectively for online stores whose assortment is not limited to one category. Most marketplaces have an additional tool called “Cheaper Together”, such as Rozetka or “Often bought together” on prom.ua. In our case study of a confectionery store, we offered to collect a full set of necessary goods to create a specific product: food coloring, confectionery decorations, cake packaging, and even packaging tape. 

During the purchase process, customers found recommended products that complemented the main selection. This significantly increased the average check as customers added more items to their carts than they had planned.

How to improve cross-selling:

• Discount on the “amount from”: you can offer a discount on products if the customer places an order for a larger amount. 
• Create bundles: many different products cannot be used without each other. Create bundles that include such an offer.
• Special offers: in addition to intuitive bundles, you can also offer themed ones for certain events or holidays. For example, in this case, sets of products for March 8 and Easter worked perfectly on the prom.ua. 

Conclusion

Increasing the average check with upsell and cross-sell is a proven method of improving revenue for marketplace businesses. Rozetka has the most developed tools for implementing both strategies. You can also combine both options for promotion. By combining upsell and cross-sell, businesses can significantly increase not only revenue but also customer satisfaction, providing them with a positive shopping experience on marketplaces.