Once a customer has purchased from your ecommerce store, the first bonds of a connection have been made. From that point on, there is the potential to build and create a lasting relationship between the customer and merchant. If the customer is satisfied with the service and product, then it is the perfect foundation for repeat custom that benefits everyone involved.
Keeping existing customers is less effort and investment than trying to acquire new ones, so any methods that can be used to support this are valuable. Cross-sell and upsell emails are perfect.
These emails are sent to customers shortly after they have made or received an order. This means the purchase is fresh in their minds and the customer is familiar with the brand- the perfect time to get in touch and start building solid foundations for a long relationship.
As a result of this, there is a 61.7% open rate for these emails, a 9.7% click rate, and a 9.16% conversion rate. If these emails are personalized, they have the potential to drive up AOV by 28%. With these figures in mind, investing in these emails, and doing so well, is undeniably important.
What Are Cross-Sell And Upsell Emails?
Cross-selling is related to recommending related products to a customer, based on the information of what they have bought already. For example- if someone has bought a new phone, appropriate cross-sell recommendations would be a phone-case, screen protector and spare charging cable. This is very useful for the customer, as they have not had to search for other items needed, they are simply presented to them. On the merchants end, the AOV and customer satisfaction is boosted. As you can imagine, cross-sell emails are one of the most profitable methods of marketing.
Upselling is suggestions for additional products that customers might also be interested in. This includes upgrades to a previously purchased product, products that are unrelated but may be of interest to the customer or more expensive options that offer a higher value and may seem more attractive and tempting. Since the customers appetite for buying has already been stimulated, upsell emails also hold a huge appeal and success rate.
A key about both of these emails is that they are helpful to the customer. The last thing we want these emails to be viewed as are ‘annoying’ or ‘pushy’. These emails should always have the customer in mind, as the goal is to create a positive consumer experience that is beneficial for everyone.
What Are The Benefits Of Cross-Sell And Up-Sell Emails?
Now we know what these emails are made of, we can see why they have an appeal. However, let’s take a closer look at the reasons why these emails really work.
They Are Relevant To The Customers
Cross-sell and upsell emails are effortlessly personalized, as the starting point is a purchase the customer has already made. Already having the information about what the customer is interested in, the email can suggest products that we know they will like.
Using this knowledge as a basis, the emails are relevant and helpful to the customers. They can find things they could use and are missing or things they really like, without having to scroll through pages of products to find them. They can also find products they may have otherwise missed, and you’ve done them a favor by showing them the products out there.
The Perfect Timing For Customers
A huge advantage of cross-sell and upsell emails are that they reach the customers at the ideal time. The marketing team in a company can decide when the emails will be sent, so the emails are received at the optimal time for positive interaction.
For example, a flow can be triggered as soon as a purchase is complete; thanking the customer and letting them know of complementary products. Alternatively, an email can be scheduled at around the time the purchase will arrive, which gives the opportunity to check up with the customer on how the product is, showing them you care about their approval. This could also be a good moment to offer an upsell recommendation, as the service and quality of their previous purchase is fresh in their minds.
The Trust Is Already There
This email isn’t trying to engage people who are strangers. The customers are already familiar with the brand; you’re just further proving to them that you’ve got their back and are here to help make their lives easier.
Sending this email strengthens your relationship, as you can demonstrate that you are grateful for their service.
Sending a ‘thank you’ email after a purchase, for example, can go a long way in creating customer loyalty, as well as offering discounts in the email. This person chose to shop with your company, and now the stage is yours to take the relationship deeper.
Targeting Is Made Easy
Sending emails to customers who are simply uninterested is a waste of money and time. With background knowledge on existing customers, this need not happen. Finding the right recipient is easy, and there is the potential to send emails to certain segments of people who are likely to be interested.
For example, people who are interested in luxury products would be sent an email relating to these. People interested in camping materials will be sent emails relating to this. If either of the two were mixed up, the conversion results would probably not be great!
By creating targeted segments, click through rates are increased 22% compared to non-segmented emails. Customers expect a personalized experience (particularly when it comes to emails) and with cross-sell and upsell emails this could not be more accessible.
Two Things To Remember
- Don’t Be Pushy: this isn’t about taking advantage of the customer, it’s about helping them find things they really need. Take care that the tone of the email reflects that.
- Be Honest: keep your reputation afloat by being transparent about what you’re offering. If your intentions are good, you have nothing to hide! Prices, reviews and testimonials are all great tools in achieving this.
What Does Klaviyo Offer?
Probably by now you’re feeling convinced that cross-sell and upsell marketing emails are the way forward; as you should be! But putting this into action might seem a little daunting… There are benefits to be gained, but there is an art to creating the perfect setting for these emails to thrive.
For a beginner, this might be a question of trial and error over time to figure out what works. But this doesn’t need to be the case, as there are companies like Klaviyo which come prepared- they have it all figured out for you!
Klaviyo is an email marketing platform that specializes in sending the perfect cross-sell and upsell marketing emails at exactly the right moment. They have put in the background work, and can make sure this marketing skill is employed perfectly in the way that suits your business best.
They have a built-in product review and cross-sell flow, which means that the perfect emails or SMS can be sent at the right time, to the right people. In short, they let you relax as the emails work their magic.
The Fast Simon x Klaviyo Integration
Fast Simon and Klaviyo’s integration provides a winning combination of Klaviyo’s email marketing and Fast Simon’s AI ecommerce optimization skills. Fast Simon’s recommendations are shared with the Klaviyo team, in order to create intent based flows and emails or SMS messages that are directly relevant to the customer based on Fast Simon’s AI machine’s personalization knowledge.
The Fast Simon integration further empowers marketers to utilize their owned data from onsite-events, like product search enriched with AI recommendations, in their SMS and email messages. This unlocks the ability to further enrich personalized content and send better timed messages to those exploring their brand.
– Dan Caldwell, Sr. Strategic Partner Manager, Klaviyo
What Does This Mean?
Fast Simon identifies high intent shoppers, and triggers intent-based flows that will resonate with those customers. The customers will then be shown products that genuinely interest them, that can be known through their previous viewing history. Fast Simon’s AI is perfect to ensure that the emails that Klaviyo sends out will be of the highest quality and relevance to the customers.
Uses More Available Data
The more data Klaviyo has about the customers, the better emails it can send to them. This is where Fast Simon helps. Fast Simon’s AI system is already equipped to send the best ‘recommended products’ to a customer, based on what they have previously viewed.
With the integration with Klaviyo, these suggestions are not only seen on search and collections pages, but can reach the customers eyes directly, when sent in an email. Fast Simon has the information about what customers search and browse, and this information leads to perfect personalization in the buyers inbox. These emails are not spam; they are useful and relevant.
Accurate Segments
Furthermore, Fast Simon’s knowledge can help to create optimized segments to send emails to. For example, if a company has a sale on dresses, Fast Simon’s AI can discern who has been looking at dresses recently, and Klaviyo can send the emails to this segment of people. This level of customer information outweighs simply knowing people’s metrics such as age, gender, or location. This is up-to-date knowledge on exactly what the buyer is interested in buying at any given time. When it comes to campaigns, this is extremely useful.
With the combined power of Fast Simon’s data information and Klaviyo’s email marketing expertise, optimized cross-sell and upsell emails are far from being unattainable. Making the most out of information on offer has never been easier with the integration of these two companies, and boosting conversions is at your fingertips.