Pesapal.com
Upselling Strategies To Employ In the Retail Industry

Upselling Strategies To Employ In the Retail Industry

On 14 December 2018
S

The festive season is the perfect opportunity for any business to up-sell.

Upselling is encouraging anything additional in the same selling interaction that would make the primary purchase more expensive with either an upgrade or a premium. It needs one to be  very observant with their consumers to determine the people that can upsell. However when you focus primarily on your customer’s experience and goals, upselling benefits both you and your customer tremendously.  Below we have prepared strategies you can adopt to make upselling work for your business.

  1. Take time to Understand Your Customers Needs

At all times your customer needs to feel like they are the point of focus. You need to take time to have a firm grasp on what kind of success is important to them. Cultivating a deep understanding of your customers priorities is important for building trust right from the start. This will ensure that you will be able to advise on the additional  items they can purchase from your store that can help satisfy their needs.

For example,  If you know what your customer values and where he/she wants to go, then it will be easier to advise. Each organization should invest in having customer relations teams that deal with building a working relationship with their customers.

  1. Identify Customers With A Real Need For Additional Services

Not every customer is a good fit for an upsell, you should never try to upsell with a customer who has no need for the additional products. In such instances some customers might take offence and this will play out negatively in the long run. At the top of your mind you should remember that if you can’t explain how the additional purchase will benefit the customer’s overall goals, then it is not an upsell that is worth pursuing.

A good example for  a salon and spa; if you realise that your customer is looking tired, you can suggest that they can have a massage after they are done with their nail treatment. Providing a solution for a problem they are facing will be a great motivating factor for them to upsell.

  1. Start Providing Value As Soon As Possible

Everyone is looking for solutions to the problems they are facing. The moment that you realise that the customer has a gap you should provide means for bridging the gap. To set yourself up on a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the customer you need to provide quick wins as soon as possible. This is anything that delivers immediate value to the consumer.

For example, in the event that the customer mentions that they are going on holiday you can be able to throw in  a toilet bag that will be able to help them organize their toiletries in one place.

  1. Pitch Ideas, Not Just Upgrades

You need to make your customer fully understand why an additional purchase is a good idea. If you see an opportunity of helping a customer to increase her chances of achieving their goals with your products then use that chance to inform them about how that product can make their life better. Don't just tell her that she needs to spend more give her an easily understood plan to see where her money will be spent and how it will contribute to the overall success of her business by purchasing an upgrade.

As a payment service provider, Pesapal provides you with a  simple and secure way of paying payments for both businesses and individuals. This will give an illusion that you want to help your customers have a smoother journey when it comes to making and receiving payments.

  1. Use Social Proof To Convince Them

Many people need evidence to convince them before making big, expensive purchase decisions. Before you try to indulge make sure you have the data to back you up from other customers or reviews of the products that you are upselling. Social proof is a powerful convincing factor hence you should have resources at hand that suggest the success of customers using those products to make your pitch more convincing.

In case you are a company that offers services, it is important to have a section where people can write reviews of the services you offer. For example, The Chocolate Bar has a section on their website where they display various reviews they have received from their clients. On the other hand you could have testimonials of people whom have been working with you so that they can share their experience.


Now that we are quickly approaching the peak holiday season, we hope that these strategies will help your business generate more sales. In case you want to know more on using our Business tools to upsell your services on your website, you can reach out to us at [email protected]

Published In: How To's

Subscribe to our Blog