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Upselling: The Correct Way

DaleKingDaleKing subscriber Posts: 141
edited June 2007 in Sales
It`s no secret that fast food restaurants spend millions of dollars on research. One of the things their research revealed was, if they "upsold" at the time the order was placed... For example, "Would you like a drink with that today? How about fries?" When they started upselling, sales increased exponentially, sometimes as much as 40% of the total order.However, upselling digital products is an entirely different matter than selling fast food.I`ve seen many businesses trying to upsell digital products on the order page.In my opinion, this is a mistake. Here`s why:The last thing you want to do when your customer is getting ready to order is confuse the issue.Putting additional products on the order page confuses the issue.And by confusing the issue, you risk losing the sale altogether.If you have additional products to sell, for example a Gold Package vs. a Silver Package vs. A Bronze Package, etc., you should either tell your customer ahead of time in the sales letter, on the thank you page, or better yet... wait until the download area.Of course, there are exceptions to every rule. So if you`re successfully upselling on your order form, disregard my advice.On the other hand, if you`re upselling on your order form with dismal results, try making the changes I suggested.Dale King

Comments

  • ToddFToddF subscriber Posts: 3
    I think when the user adds an item your cart , that`s when the upsell should happen, or when they`re reviewing the order before the final check out.
    Example: I add a digital camera, when I view my cart it suggests I add a memory card, or insurance package.
    I think this is one open issue with the internet, people don`t want to be hammered with up selling and its easy for them to get upset and leave. However when your at McDonalds your pretty committed to making a purchase and it`s ALWAYS harder to say no to a person over a computer page.ToddF2007-6-7 12:33:52
  • Victor363Victor363 subscriber Posts: 2
    Apparently transactional emails are a very effective medium for upselling - though, I personally never have tried it. 
  • eventbrandereventbrander subscriber Posts: 6
    Have you ever ordered through Dell?
     
    Their order process is one long upsell/options addon, and I find it a bit taxing.
     
    I didn`t enjoy ordering through the site. The process froze several times and I had to restart my order.
     
    I honestly almost called customer support to tell them how frustrated I was.
     
    This makes it hard for me to believe they are ranked 4 in the top 500 retail sites by Internet Retailer.
     
    Chris
     eventbrander2007-6-8 3:10:20
  • eventbrandereventbrander subscriber Posts: 6
    Usually I build my own computers. This purchase was for my parents who just needed something basic with the software bundled in. Dell does have good deals. I`m not a fan of hp or compaq and sony is just pricey.
  • Victor363Victor363 subscriber Posts: 2
    If you have additional products to sell, for example a Gold Package vs.
    a Silver Package vs. A Bronze Package, etc., you should either tell
    your customer ahead of time in the sales letter, on the thank you page,
    or better yet... wait until the download area.I recently read an article on nuero marketing - apparently that for e-commerce, presenting three purchasing options tends to be the least confusing for customers to make a decision on. Traditionally for online marketing, upselling refers to to advertising products between a purchase and the checkout. However, in the real world, upselling is different and is more of a choice on the original purchase opposed to deluging customers with product ads during the checkout.
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