What is Woocommerce Cross Selling and How to Setup Cross Selling?

Online shopping is at its peak right now as the world has become digital. Online shopping offers multiple benefits to buyers as well as sellers. Ecommerce platforms like Amazon lets sellers promote their products even when users have not gone looking for them, you’d ask how? Cross selling is a major marketing tool sellers use to suggest to their potential customers certain product recommendations when a buyer has not intended on a purchase.

Almost all online businesses can benefit from cross selling, yet only a few use it. Cross selling increases the business’ sales and boosts the company’s revenue, making it profitable. Jeff Bezos in 2006 revealed that Amazon had greatly benefited from a total of 35% of all sales coming in from the cross-sells directly.

If you have a WooCommerce store and are trying to figure out cross-sells, or have not heard about cross selling before and want to give it a try, this blog is just the place you will find your answers. Discussing what cross selling is, to the difference between cross-sells and up-sells, to how Woocommerce cross selling benefits you, to steps on to how to set up cross selling on WooCommerce, we have covered it all, just for you.

What is Cross Selling?

Cross selling is all about selling to your customer a related or a supplementary product/ service based on their primary product/ service choice. A great way to increase sales, cross selling also betters customer loyalty and deepens buyer-seller relationships. This in turn improves customer retention. A marketing tactic if executed well, cross selling will significantly broaden your business prospects.

For a better explanation, this is how cross selling works- when you add a product to cart on a multi-vendor site like Amazon, you will often see that Amazon recommends you related products when you add them to the cart. These recommendations of similar, relevant products from the one purchased is what cross selling is.

If you are new to the world of eCommerce, you might have questions about how up-selling differs from cross selling. Read the below topic to clear your air.

The Difference Between Woocommerce Cross Selling and Up Selling

The two concepts differ very little from each other and so using these terms interchangeably will cause confusion.

Cross selling is when a customer is recommended a product or a service in addition to what they are already purchasing. Up-selling, on the other hand, is asking buyers to buy a better, and a costlier version of the same product or service. For instance, a user is asked to purchase a high-end dress when they are looking for a local brand dress is what up-selling is.

It may look like the difference between up-sells and cross-sells is subtle but the results both bring in to your revenue is actually huge. Up-selling requires sellers to convince buyers to purchase a more expensive product/ service, while cross selling is done with items of any price points, given the suggested products are relevant to the one actually being purchased.

A user is purchasing a mobile phone from your online store, offering them a phone with enhanced features and a higher price point is called up-selling. If you offer them headphones or a phone cover, you are cross selling.

How WooCommerce Cross Selling is Beneficial For Your Online Business?

Increased average order value (AOV) by suggesting complimentary products. This motivates buyers to buy more, thus increasing the total transaction value.
Enhanced customer experience when you provide relevant product recommendations improves user-shopping experience. This makes it easy for customers to find items they might need.
Products are easily discovered through cross selling that they might otherwise not find. This increases inventory visibility.
Cross selling increases conversion rates as customers are likely to purchase more items they think are complimentary.
Boosts customer retention by offering personalized recommendations. You build a relationship with customers, increasing the likelihood of repeat purchases.
Leveraging existing customer traffic to promote relevant products, optimizes your marketing efforts.
Increased revenue generation from existing website traffic saves your money without the need for extra advertising spend.
Analytics and data is provided on Woocommerce cross selling performance, that helps you understand what products are selling better than the others.
Cross selling strategies are personalized to each customer's preferences, increasing customer happiness and applicability.
Once your cross-sell recommendations are well-targeted, your business sets you apart from competitors who are not utilizing similar strategies.

How to Cross Sell Woocommerce Products?

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WooCommerce cross selling is made easy using the standard WooCommerce feature. If you are looking for advanced methods, we’ve explained the steps below using a plugin called IconicWP Sales Booster. There are a few similar plugins available that you can use.

1. Cross Selling Related Products on WooCommerce

A great way to cross-sell is by offering similar products. This can be accomplished with the WooCommerce plugin. Navigate to Products> All Products.
Go to the Edit button of the products you want to add cross-sell products too.

Proceed to the Product Data section and select Linked Products. Here's where you can add related products via the Cross-Sells feature.
Once you have added the related products, you will have to update the product.
Once you add a product to your cart and navigate to the cart page, your associated products will be displayed.

2. Setting Up WooCommerce Cross Selling Product Using Tags and Categories

To edit the product:

Go to Products in your WordPress dashboard.
Click on the product you choose to update.

Update Categories and Tags by doing these:

In the product edit page, find the Product Tags and Product Categories in Woocommerce in the sidebar.
Update these fields to include relevant categories and tags.

Display Related Products:

WooCommerce will automatically show related products based on these categories and tags on the product page.
Note that these related products are shown randomly from the matching products.

3. Adding "Customers Also Bought" Feature

Install the Plugin:

Go to Plugins > Add New.
Search for Iconic WP Sales Booster, then Install and Activate it.

Configure the Plugin:

Go to Products and Edit The Product you want to add this feature to.
Move down to the Product Data section, then choose Sales Booster.

Set Up Customers Also Bought:

In the Sales Booster Settings, find the After Add to Cart Popup section.
Add the products you want to recommend as Customers also bought.
Save your changes. Now, customers will see these recommendations on the cart page after adding a product.

4. Adding Frequently Bought Together Feature

Access Product Settings:

Edit the product in which you want to include this functionality.

Configure the “Frequently Bought Together” Option:

In the Product Data section, go to Sales Booster.
Find the Frequently Bought Together option.
Customize the text, description, and select the products to show together.

Save Changes:

Click Update to save settings. The recommended products will now appear on the Products page.

5. Add Cross Sell on Checkout

Set Up the Cross-Sell:

Go to Sales Booster > After Checkout.
Click Add New.

Choose Products and Offers:

Under the Products tab, select the products you want to cross-sell.
Under the Offer tab, set up the details for the cross-sell, including any discounts or offers.
Use the Customize tab to adjust the design and text of the offer.

Publish the Offer:

Save and Publish your cross-sell offer. Customers will see these recommendations on the checkout page.

These steps will help you enhance Woocommerce cross selling store and boost sales.

Benefits Of Choosing to Cross Sell in Your WooCommerce-Powered Marketplace

Cross selling in your WooCommerce-powered marketplace has several benefits you shouldn’t miss out on. For starters, it significantly enhances your business's performance. By presenting complimentary products to your customers at the point of purchase. This way, you are not only increasing the average order value but you are also improving the overall shopping experience for your customer. This approach further helps you leverage the natural tendency of shoppers to explore related items. Thus, making it easier for them to discover products they might not have considered earlier. As a result, your marketplace can see a boost in revenue without the need for acquiring new customers.

Cross selling fosters stronger customer relationships by providing tailored recommendations that cater to their interests and needs. This personalized approach helps in building trust and loyalty, as customers value suggestions that align with their preferences. Woocommerce cross selling strategies can also streamline your inventory management by promoting products that compliment each other, ensuring a balanced distribution of stock. Hence, integrating cross selling into your WooCommerce marketplace can drive increased sales, enhance customer satisfaction, and optimize inventory efficiency.

Conclusion

Having cross selling into your marketplace is the strategic move. This significantly betters your business’s success by recommending complementary products to customers at the point of purchase. By doing so, you not only enhance their shopping experience but also drive a higher average order value each time a purchase is made. This approach capitalizes on the natural inclination of shoppers to explore similar, related items. This eventually leads to increased sales and a more profitable business operation. The benefits go beyond immediate revenue gains; cross selling betters deeper customer relationships and improves customer retention by delivering personalized and relevant product suggestions.

By using WooCommerce cross selling effectively, you can optimize your marketing efforts, boost conversion rates, and have a better use of existing traffic. This will ultimately lead to a more successful and sustainable eCommerce business.

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FAQs

Q1. Does cross selling work in a multi-vendor marketplace?

Yes, cross-selling can be highly effective in a multi-vendor marketplace. It helps increase average order value by suggesting complementary products to customers. This benefits both the marketplace and individual vendors.

Q2. Explain cross selling with an example.

For example, if a customer buys a new phone on Amazon, the platform might suggest a phone case, screen protector, or wireless headphones to go with it. This increases the average order value.

Q3. How many cross-selling products should I display?

The optimal number of Woocommerce cross selling products depends on your product range and store design. Generally, displaying 3-5 products is a good starting point.