Sell more to every customer in your online shop

Additional sales in your online shop matter when you have already paid to bring the customer in. Marketing is insanely expensive. So you need to think about how customers can buy more from you and want to shop with you again, so you get more out of the marketing you have invested in.

The video is from April 2009. Among other things, I use SPAMfighter, Pixmania and Symantec as historical examples of extra products and add-ons.

Additional sales in your online shop start with relevant extra products

Once you have finally brought a customer into the shop, you also need to make sure you sell him something. It is not just a matter of letting him buy a set of golf balls and leave again.

Perhaps he also needs a golf glove or a new club. Then draw his attention to it.

When customers have put something in the basket and are heading towards the checkout, you can offer relevant extra products. If you do not, you may miss out on a lot of sales.

So you should not focus only on new customers. You also need to work on how much you sell to the ones you have already brought in.

The SPAMfighter customer is already thinking about security

At SPAMfighter, we make money by suggesting extra products on the way to the purchase. Customers have their credit cards out and are already thinking about security.

If a customer is buying a spam filter, an antivirus solution may therefore be interesting too. I do not think customers are offended when we suggest something that fits the need they already have.

In the video, I say that around ten per cent of customers choose to add an antivirus solution. That is my description of our experience at that time.

Think about what that can mean for the business. We have already paid for the marketing that brought the customer in. A relevant extra sale can therefore make a big difference.

An add-on can also be a service

I mention Pixmania as an example of a shop that suggests insurance when you put something in the basket. I compare it to electronics shops offering extra insurance when you buy an iPod.

Another example is Symantec. In the video, I describe a paid service that lets customers install the product on a new computer again.

I mention seven dollars and say that, according to the information I have, 40 per cent of customers accept that option. It is a historical example from 2009.

My point is that you can also sell something that costs the company very little to provide but that customers are happy to pay for. An add-on does not have to be another physical product.

Get customers to shop with you again

You also need to ask yourself how to bring customers back. Could you create a loyalty programme? Could you send a newsletter?

The first purchase does not necessarily have to be the customer’s only purchase from you. If you are a good retailer, there may be a reason to come back.

I use a simple calculation: The customer spends 400 kroner and you earn 100 kroner. That is fine. But if you get every other customer to make the same purchase again, the average earnings in this example become 150 kroner per customer.

If you also get some extra items into the basket, the value can be higher still. I illustrate that with earnings reaching 200 kroner. The figures are there to show the thinking, not to promise a particular result.

A more valuable customer gives you more room for marketing

Increasing the value of each customer through additional sales and repeat purchases can make you more profitable.

And it can allow you to pay more to bring in new customers. In the video, I use Google AdWords as an example: If you double a customer’s value, my simplified calculation allows you to pay twice as much for marketing and still earn the same amount.

Then perhaps you can get more customers through the shop too. And every new customer can tell others about you if you give him a good experience.

So remember to look at the entire customer relationship. Once you have paid to bring the customer in, think about both relevant extra purchases and the reason he should come back. Also read E-pusher about my experiences of selling online.