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FunnelTerm

Cross-sell

cross-selling · cross selling · cross-sale

Cross-selling is an offer of related products or services at the time of or after the main purchase to increase the average order value.

Cross-selling is an offer to the client of a product or service that complements his main purchase. If you bought a CRM, buy integration with telephony. If you buy a course, buy a coaching session. The mechanics are simple, but most projects underestimate it and leave 20-40% of the revenue on the table.

In my practice, cross-sell works best 5-15 minutes after the first transaction, while the client is still in the “buy” mode. During this window, the conversion to upsell for e-com projects was 14–22%, while a day later it drops to 3–5%. In SaaS, cross-sell is built into onboarding: the client has not yet closed the tab, and he is already offered to connect a paid module.

The main principle that I test in projects: a cross-sell offer should reduce friction from the main product, and not add a new one. If a person has purchased an SEO audit, it is logical to sell him technical editing of the website. Suggest SMM - no. Inappropriate cross-sell is annoying and hurts NPS.

Success metric: attach rate - the share of clients who accepted the cross-sell offer. Normal attach rate in B2C e-com: 12–18%. In B2B SaaS with properly built-in onboarding: 25–35%.

Frequently asked questions about Cross-sell

What is cross-sell?+
Cross-selling is an offer of related products or services to the main purchase to increase the average bill. I bought a CRM, offer integration with telephony, bought a course, offer coaching. Most projects underestimate this leverage and leave 20-40% of revenue on the table.
When to offer cross-sell?+
In the window of 5–15 minutes after the first purchase, while the person is in purchase mode. During this window, the conversion to upsell reaches 14–22%, and after a day it drops to 3–5%. In SaaS, cross-selling is built directly into onboarding.
How is cross-sell different from upsell?+
Cross-sell is a related product to the purchase, an addition. Upsell is a transition to a more expensive version of the same product. Buying a case for your phone is a cross-sell, buying a more expensive model is an upsell.
What is attach rate?+
This is the percentage of customers who accepted a cross-sell offer, the main metric of its success. The normal level in B2C e-com is 12–18%, in B2B SaaS with properly built-in onboarding 25–35%. If it's lower, the offer is irrelevant or shown at the wrong time.

Related terms

Where is it understood in practice?

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