How many occasions have you ever been to a McDonald’s and heard them ask, “do you want fries with that?” after putting your order? That’s a traditional instance of cross-selling.
Did you recognize this straightforward gross sales approach reportedly will increase McDonald’s annual income by 15-40%?

And the identical approach will be deployed in on-line companies. In your online business. In truth, McKinsey & Company reports that cross-selling and different class penetration ways can enhance gross sales and income by up to 20% and 30%, respectively.
Here is the opposite attention-grabbing factor. Cross-selling and upselling for ecommerce shops can transcend the web site. In addition to pushing the “Frequently Bought Together” suggestions in your checkout web page, you’ll be able to run cross-selling campaigns as part of your electronic mail advertising and marketing technique.
And that’s what we’ll deal with on this publish. You will learn the way to write cross-sell emails that may skyrocket your gross sales. You can even see how these post-purchase emails may help you construct worthwhile, long-lasting buyer relationships.
But first…
What are cross-sell emails?
A cross-sell electronic mail permits you to suggest extra associated or complimentary merchandise, a.ok.a. cross-sell merchandise, to a potential buyer or an present buyer. The beneficial objects depend upon the merchandise a customer is at the moment viewing in your retailer or those of their purchasing cart.
You can even use present buyer buy historical past to suggest acceptable merchandise, persuading clients to come again and full their journey.
These emails (featured under) successfully flip potential clients into returning clients. Moreover, cross-sell emails enable you to attain a customer or a buyer lengthy after they’ve left your retailer.
Cross-sell emails are sometimes despatched proper after a customer leaves your retailer, no matter whether or not or not they’ve accomplished the acquisition. In truth, these communications are a wonderful manner to persuade misplaced prospects to rethink.
Below is a wonderful instance of a cross-sell electronic mail recommending objects based mostly on a person’s previous buy historical past.
Now that you recognize what cross-selling emails are, let’s focus on why they’re important.
Why are cross-sell emails so vital?
Win extra gross sales with the least funding; that’s the aim of each marketer. It’s additionally one of many advantages of cross-selling in electronic mail advertising and marketing.
Here are the three main causes to cross-sell by way of emails:
1. Drive repeat purchases
What is the primary place you look while you want to improve your income? New clients? Sure, however that’s not your most beneficial asset. Your most beneficial asset is your present buyer base.
Cross-selling and upselling emails aid you capitalize on that to drive repeat purchases. And the perfect half is that repeat clients are identified to spend 67% more than new clients.
What’s extra, because you’ve constructed up that belief, they’re extra doubtless to purchase your costlier merchandise.
Moreover, it’s manner tougher to promote to a brand new buyer than an present one. And with restricted assets, wouldn’t it’s higher to use them the place you’d get the perfect bang in your buck?
After all, getting a brand new buyer can price you up to 5x extra. And to get them to spend on the present spending degree of your present clients will price you 16x more, in accordance to Francis Buttle.
2. Build loyalty by way of personalization
The effectiveness of cross-selling emails depends in your means to suggest the appropriate merchandise. You have to know what the shopper is all for based mostly on their conduct in your retailer or their previous purchases. Then, personalize your product suggestions accordingly. That’s the one manner to generate gross sales by way of cross-selling.
Of course, you don’t have to do this manually. There are loads of good AI algorithms that collect invaluable buyer information and personalize the shopper provide for you. Such product suggestions be taught over time, adapt to the patrons’ wants, and simply make an integral a part of your automation workflows.

This personalization cultivates model loyalty over time. Customers will see that you simply perceive their wants based mostly on the cross-selling emails they obtain.
Moreover, they’ll by no means have to search for different merchandise elsewhere. That’s since you’ll proactively recommend these merchandise to them. So they’ll stick together with your model for longer and will even change into model advocates over time.
After all, loyal clients are identified to refer extra folks. For instance, this report reveals a buyer who has made ten purchases from an attire retailer often refers seven different folks to that web site.
Learn extra about model loyalty from the highest trade’s specialists on our advertising and marketing podcast:
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3. Increase CLV
The largest advantage of loyalty is a rise in a buyer’s lifetime worth (CLV). If you didn’t already know, CLV estimates the income a buyer will carry your model throughout the size of your relationship.
While most individuals suppose CLV is all about income, it goes past that. Let me clarify.
CLV is a good indicator of how deep your relationship together with your present clients is. What is extra, it may well aid you determine huge spenders in addition to potential model advocates.
So what’s the relationship between cross-selling emails and CLV?
When used successfully, cross-sell emails helps improve your common order worth. That interprets to a lift in income. A fantastic instance of a model utilizing cross-sells emails is Dollar Shave Club, featured above.
They provide a month-to-month subscription the place they ship shaving merchandise like razors. But earlier than their members’ month-to-month packages ship out, they ship out a cross-sell electronic mail.
It comprises a couple of associated merchandise that present clients can add to their month-to-month shipments. Doing this could improve their common order worth within the quick time period.
In the long term, cross-sell emails lead to an prolonged buyer lifetime worth.
How to write cross-sell emails that improve CLV

Cross-sell emails are sometimes quick and candy. But in case your aim is to enhance your ROI particularly, then there are particular parts you have to embrace. These are:
Highlight the product a buyer is trying to purchase or has already purchased
Start by reminding your buyer what they’ve already bought. This works should you’re cross-selling in an order affirmation electronic mail.
Alternatively, you’ll be able to remind the prospect of the product they’ve left of their cart if the cross-sell is connected to an deserted cart electronic mail.
Offer a handful of associated or complementary merchandise
This is probably the most important side of your electronic mail as a result of that is the place you provide your buyer different merchandise.
Recommend merchandise that complement the merchandise they purchased. Again, there are devoted AI options that may routinely determine the appropriate merchandise and suggest them to your clients. It’ll prevent plenty of time and trouble!
That mentioned, be sure that solely to embrace a couple of merchandise. This manner, you don’t overwhelm your clients inflicting selection paralysis.
Make it part of a sequence and never a one-time electronic mail
Every profitable cross-sell electronic mail is often a part of a sequence. You may have to do follow-ups to enhance the effectiveness of your marketing campaign.
Using an ecommerce advertising and marketing automation instrument, you’ll be able to ship out cross-sell emails at particular intervals. You can even deploy them based mostly on particular triggers, e.g., when sending an order affirmation electronic mail, deserted cart electronic mail, and so forth.
With all that in thoughts, it’s time to reply the large query: how to really write a changing cross-selling electronic mail?
Copywriting finest practices for electronic mail advertising and marketing cross-selling
So far, we’ve coated fairly a couple of profitable cross-sell electronic mail examples. And all of them stood out to us for one purpose solely: their wonderful copywriting.
So listed below are some ideas to take into account when working in your subsequent copy.
1. Write intriguing topic strains
You gained’t promote something in case your cross-sell electronic mail by no means will get opened. So listed below are a couple of hacks to create killer topic strains.
- Keep your topic strains quick quick and candy
- Add an emoji 🙌
- Use personalization, Alex
- Answer the query, “What’s in it for me?”
- Try our new AI Subject Line Generator

Using these topic line ideas can drastically enhance your electronic mail open charges.
2. Craft participating preheaders
A preheader is that quick piece of textual content you see subsequent to the topic line when taking a look at your electronic mail inbox.
Preheaders are invaluable in elevating curiosity and drawing consideration. In copywriting, the preheader is synonymous with a lead. Here are 6 methods for beginning your preheader:
- Offer lead, e.g. “Get our latest footwear at 40% off”
- Promise lead, e.g. “Get ripped in 3 months with no side effects”
- Problem-solution lead, e.g. “Tired of wearing boring outfits? This outfit will make you look like a runway model…”
- Big secret lead, e.g. “Exposed: The only permanent, long-lasting cure to hair loss…”
- Story lead, e.g. “I didn’t believe it the first time until it happened again…”
The aim right here is to entice your reader to open your electronic mail.
3. Add social proof

Nothing will get your buyer over the sting higher than social proof. This will be within the type of testimonials, critiques, and so forth.
You need to make your buyer really feel extra assured about their resolution. Therefore, be sure that your electronic mail copy supplies social proof.
4. Give them a purpose to act now
Are you operating a clearance sale? Black Friday sale? Put a timer on it and stick to it.
You can even obtain this by providing a restricted variety of merchandise or an expiring low cost code. Doing this places strain in your clients and provides them a purpose to act earlier than they miss out.
5. Offer a robust assure
How assured is your message? Amazon does this with Amazon Prime. Can you assure quick purchasing? Can you provide a 100% money-back assure?
Your aim is to take away as a lot threat out of your buyer that it makes it arduous for them to say no.
When is it good to ship a cross-sell electronic mail?
Now that you recognize the ‘what’ and ‘why,’ it’s time to resolve on the ‘when.’ You have 4 predominant alternatives you’ll be able to capitalize on to ship cross-sell emails.
After a earlier buy
Here you may give a buyer suggestions on different associated or complimentary merchandise. This is a novel alternative for you to capitalize on whereas the shopper remains to be within the shopping for temper.
Ralph Lauren (featured above) does a superb job of those electronic mail campaigns. You can even do that together with your order affirmation, replenishment, and transport affirmation.
In the cart abandonment electronic mail
Another alternative for a cross-sell electronic mail is within the cart abandonment electronic mail. When guests don’t take a look at, you’ll be able to ship them an deserted cart electronic mail that cross-sells.
Use this chance to encourage them to take a look at and add a few objects to their cart. You can see this motion within the above cross-sell electronic mail instance by Massdrop.
Adding a cross-sell in these emails can even inform the prospect of different associated merchandise, which can set off their curiosity as soon as extra and drive a worthwhile sale.
In common gross sales emails
Got a sale happening? Cross-sell emails may help you maximize it for a better ROI. You can flip any common gross sales electronic mail right into a cross-sell electronic mail. Since you had been going to ship the e-mail anyway, why not take that chance to suggest extra merchandise?
Google Store does a superb job at this for certainly one of their Black Friday Sales.
In the welcome electronic mail sequence
When folks join your e-newsletter, they’re declaring that they need to hear from you. They need to obtain product updates based mostly on what they’ve proven curiosity in.
That provides you a novel alternative to inform them about your different merchandise.
Lush does an exquisite job of welcoming clients whereas providing some merchandise.
Types of merchandise you’ll be able to suggest
Cross-selling is about recommending associated or complimentary merchandise.
Usually, you’ll have the information for all buyer purchases and looking conduct. With this information and an AI advice instrument, you need to be ready to determine and suggest the appropriate complementary merchandise to your clients as an integral a part of their pure buying cycle.
Plus, you’ll be able to automate the entire course of with superior ecommerce advertising and marketing automation software program, like GetResponse MAX.
For occasion, the automation characteristic helps you to set dynamic section filters. By combining it with an AI product advice, you’ll be able to guarantee your clients solely obtain related product recommendations.
If you don’t have the information, choose your best-selling or hottest merchandise as suggestions.
Here are a number of the suggestions you’ll be able to show:

Now, let’s check out some good examples that you should utilize as cross-sell electronic mail templates in your marketing campaign.
5 good examples of cross-sell emails
1. Methodical Coffee
This is an instance of an embedd that cross-sells inside your typical product gross sales electronic mail. With the topic line “Methodical Best Seller” and a espresso emoji, it grabs your consideration.
They go straight to the purpose with the headline “crowd favorites” and add a contact of persona with their quirky product names.
2. Crate & Barrel electronic mail instance
Talk about maximizing each sale alternative! Crate & Barrel reveals us how one can add a cross-sell electronic mail to an order affirmation electronic mail with ease.
They suggest 4 merchandise utilizing a easy, clear design proper after the order particulars.
3. Saatchi Art electronic mail instance
Saatchi Art leaves no stone unturned to enhance its electronic mail advertising and marketing ROI. First, they give you a reduction to return and take a look at. Then, they embrace a couple of items of artwork to lure the purchasers in with extra gorgeous items.
The topic line “The Artworks You Looked at Are Being Discovered;” stirs your aggressive spirit and provides you a way of urgency and FOMO.
4. Soak & Sleep electronic mail instance
Here’s an instance of a cross-sale masquerading as a clearance or common gross sales electronic mail.
With a topic line providing a reduction of up to 50%, they understand how to make clients really feel they’re getting an ideal cut price.
Moreover, they use belief badges for social proof. They additionally show their new product line in addition to their high sellers.
5. Atoms electronic mail instance
Yet one other common gross sales electronic mail turned cross-sell by Atoms to benefit from the back-to-school fever. They’re providing two shoe fashions and “Everyday Masks” as a part of the cross-sell.
Start cross-selling at the moment!
Email advertising and marketing helps nurture and deepen your relationship with clients. But cross-sell emails give your marketing campaign enamel. These emails assist drive repeat purchases, construct loyalty by way of personalization, and finally improve a CLV.
You can embed these emails in most of your common electronic mail campaigns. That contains welcome, deserted cart, order affirmation, and thank-you emails.
With the confirmed copywriting finest practices and cross-sell electronic mail examples to draw inspiration from, you need to be ready to launch a profitable cross-selling electronic mail advertising and marketing technique in your retailer.
Ready to begin including cross-sell emails to your electronic mail advertising and marketing marketing campaign?
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