Up-selling

Up-selling is a sales technique that offers the customer a higher-end, more complete or premium version of the product they are considering, in order to increase basket value.

How to practise up-selling

Up-selling works by highlighting the advantages of a superior model: better performance, greater durability, additional features, or better long-term value for money. The offer has to deliver real perceived value to the customer.

Up-selling vs cross-selling

Unlike cross-selling, which offers complementary products, up-selling suggests a product in the same category but higher up the range. The two techniques are complementary: they grow the average basket while improving customer satisfaction.

A concrete example

An outdoor equipment retailer uses its PIM to automate up-selling. A customer is looking at a 2-person tent at €199. Thanks to the product data enriched in the PIM (weight, wind resistance, comfort), the site automatically suggests: “3-person tent with better thermal insulation, €279 (+40% space, -15% weight)”. Well-structured product attributes in the PIM make relevant recommendations possible and grow the basket by 28% on average.