Article

The Guide to Upselling Throughout the Customer Journey

Do you find you’re spending more money on marketing and advertising than what you’re actually bringing into your store?

Many Shopify owners find it challenging to achieve a healthy profit because their average order values (AOV) aren’t offsetting increasing marketing budgets.

Upselling and cross-selling are powerful strategies that help bridge this gap, but only if executed properly.

Remember, increasing average order values isn’t about just selling more, it’s about selling smarter. 

By introducing customers to products they’ll love, and offering them at the perfect moment, you can significantly boost your revenue without inflating marketing expenses.

This is where Shopify apps like LimeSpot, CartHook, and UpOrder come into play. Each of these tools seamlessly integrates with your Shopify store to upsell and cross-sell through different phases of your customer journey.

The customer journey’s phases and upselling opportunities

The customer journey comprises several stages, from the moment the customer first heard about your brand, then compared products, placed a purchase, and repeated the cycle several times.

To create a successful upselling strategy, which uses thoughtful tactics to increase your customer’s cart size and average order value, it’s essential to use the right Shopify tools at the right time.

Pantastic’s apps LimeSpot, CartHook, and UpOrder each will play a vital role in different parts of the customer journey.

Discovery phase: first impressions matter

When a customer first lands on your Shopify store, their gut reaction will significantly impact their purchase decisions.

This is where LimeSpot, a personalized shopping app, truly shines.

For example, consider a customer who lands on your store that sells natural cosmetics. LimeSpot’s advanced algorithms will analyze your customer’s behavior (clicks, product views, pages viewed) to notice they’re showing interest in organic face creams.

With this information, LimeSpot could immediately start showcasing premium versions (upsells) of these products, or related products like face masks (cross-sells) to initiate the upsell opportunity from the get-go.

Consideration phase: making comparisons easier

As your customers move to the consideration phase, they’ll typically compare different products before making a purchase decision.

LimeSpot also helps in this phase by showing effective product comparisons.

Suppose a customer is considering purchasing a yoga mat from an eco-friendly Shopify store. LimeSpot can also highlight similar, higher-end yoga mats or complementary items like yoga blocks to make the comparison more efficient, while also exposing the customer to potential upsells and cross-sells.

Purchase phase: sealing the deal

During the purchase phase, your customers have decided that they want to buy a yoga mat, but there are still upselling opportunities to make before they complete their transaction.

LimeSpot can enhance this by presenting personalized product recommendations in real-time, constantly updating your highlight product selections to only show the most relevant products to your customers.

Then, when the customer proceeds to check out, CartHook steps in to offer a one-time deal, such as a matching yoga block set, to capitalize on the customer’s high purchase intent.

Post-purchase phase: capitalizing on customer satisfaction

After the purchase, the upselling and cross-selling opportunities don’t end. This is where CartHook and UpOrder come in.

CartHook’s post-purchase upselling feature allows you to offer additional products the customer might find interesting, shown right at the end of the checkout page, eliminating cart abandonment.

With ‘one-click’ your customers can easily accept or decline these last-minute product recommendations to increase their cart size.

Then, UpOrder takes the reigns for post-purchase email follow-up. UpOrder replaces the generic Shopify transactional emails (order confirmations, shipping confirmations, password resets, etc.) to turn these overlooked emails into an effective sales channel.

For instance, in the order confirmation email, UpOrder could include a coupon for the customer’s next purchase or include recommended products based on their purchase. 

Repetition: building loyalty and driving repeat purchases

Creating a cycle of repeat purchases is the key to driving sustainable revenue for our Shopify store — and UpOrder and LimeSpot can help with this.

UpOrder’s customizable transactional emails add a personalized touch to the typically generic communication. 

Suppose a customer purchases a backpack. The order confirmation email generated by UpOrder could contain personalized messaging thanking the customer, forming a strong connection. Additionally, a discount code for their next purchase can bring them back for more.

On the other hand, LimeSpot’s data-driven product recommendations make each visit unique for the customer. Its ability to adapt to customer behavior and continually update recommendations can entice customers to return, explore new products, and make repeat purchases.

Practical tips for effective upselling, cross-selling, and driving repeat purchases

Upselling is the art of maximizing your store’s profitability by suggesting premium product upgrades and add-on cross-sells to increase your customer’s average order value (AOV).

Remember, that upselling and cross-selling becomes easier with repeat customers, who are 54% more likely to return than first-time buyers, and who spend 67% more than new customers. 

Here are practical tips incorporating features from LimeSpot, CartHook, and UpOrder for upselling and bringing customers back for future repeat purchases:

  1. Create a personalized shopping experience with LimeSpot to provide dynamically changing, personalized product recommendations
  2. Leverage the post-checkout window with CartHook to present one-time, last-minute offers immediately after checkout, when purchasing intent is high
  3. Make transactional emails a sales channel with UpOrder, by embedding promo codes and product recommendations
  4. Analyze customer behavior with LimeSpot to understand what products are the most popular in your store
  5. Reward loyalty by using LimeSpot’s personalized recommendations to encourage repeat purchases
  6. Use high-engagement moments by inserting upsells into order confirmation and shipping update emails with UpOrder
  7. Simplify the upsell with CartHook to show a one-click, post-purchase upsell at the very end of the checkout page
  8. Cross-sell strategically with LimeSpot’s intelligent complementary product recommendations
  9. Test and adjust using LimeSpot’s A/B testing capabilities
  10. Maximize every interaction through personalized emails using UpOrder and LimeSpot

Download your free trials of LimeSpot, CartHook, and UpOrder!

Ready to increase your average order values and conversion rates for your Shopify store to see more revenue?

Start by exploring the capabilities of LimeSpot, CartHook, and UpOrder.

Each app offers a free trial, giving you the opportunity to experience the potential impact on your Shopify store.

Begin your journey to a more profitable Shopify store today by downloading a free trial of LimeSpot, CartHook, and UpOrder.

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