What Is Cross-Selling: Strategies, Benefits and Tools |

A customer lands on your site, ready to buy the latest mobile phone they’ve been eyeing for weeks. They add it to their cart—great! But before they check out, you suggest a toughened glass screen protector and a sleek pair of wireless headphones. Just like that, you’ve increased the order value and made their shopping experience even better.

That’s cross-selling in action—a brilliant sales technique that not only boosts your revenue as a retailer but also enhances value for your customers.

In this article, we’ll unpack the concept of cross-selling—what it is, why it works, the challenges it brings, strategies to nail it, and real-world examples to help you make it work for your business.

What Is Cross Selling?

Cross-selling is the art of suggesting related products or services whenever a customer makes a purchase. The goal is to fulfill more of their needs, enhance their shopping experience, and increase the overall value of their order.

Cross-selling is a powerful strategy in sales and marketing. Rather than chasing new customers, it helps businesses grow revenue by better serving existing ones.

While it’s far from a new concept—think of a traditional baker suggesting a pack of birthday candles with a birthday cake—today’s cross-selling has gone digital. Data analytics and personalized recommendations make it more targeted, effective, and impactful than ever.

Cross-Selling vs. Upselling

Ever had a computer store suggest a more advanced monitor model than the one you were considering? That’s upselling in action—another popular sales technique.

While cross-selling recommends related products or services to enhance your original purchase, upselling encourages customers to choose a higher-end version or add premium features to what they’re already buying.

Both strategies aim to increase value, but they work in slightly different ways. Together, they can be a powerful combo for boosting revenue and enriching the customer experience.

Let’s take a look at how these tactics play out in the world of software project management:

Here’s a summarized table of differences between the two:

Aspect	Cross-selling	Upselling
Definition	Suggesting related or complementary products	Encouraging the purchase of a higher-end or upgraded product
Goal	Increase overall cart value with add-ons or extras	Increase order value by moving the customer to a premium option
Example (Mobile Phone)	Recommending a case, screen protector, or headphones	Recommending a model with more storage or a better camera
Customer benefit	A more complete solution or improved product use	Better features or performance from their main purchase
Business benefit	Boosts average order value and customer satisfaction	Increases revenue and margin per transaction
Best used when	The customer has selected a product and is near checkout	The customer is comparing or selecting among similar products

Understanding the key differences between cross-selling and upselling allows you to tailor your sales strategy based on your client’s specific needs, ultimately leading to better results and stronger customer relationships.

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Cross-Selling

Cross-selling is an effective marketing tool for improving sales productivity. However, it also has some drawbacks. Here, we will discuss both.

Benefits

If your organization could boost revenue, increase customer satisfaction, build loyalty, and create a base of happy, returning customers—all without spending a fortune—you’d call that a win, right? That’s exactly what cross-selling brings to the table. Let’s break it down:

• Increased revenue: Encouraging customers to add complementary products to their purchase naturally boosts the average order value, resulting in higher overall sales
• Enhanced customer experience: Offering relevant, valuable add-ons makes customers feel understood and appreciated, improving their experience and encouraging repeat purchases
• More product visibility: Placing related items in front of customers at the right moment increases exposure, sparks impulse buys, raises awareness of other offerings, and gives lesser-known products a chance to shine
• Cost savings: Leveraging your existing customer base increases sales while reducing marketing costs and minimizing the sales team’s effort

In short, cross-selling is a low-effort, high-reward strategy that benefits both your business and your customers.

Drawbacks

While cross-selling can be powerful, it can backfire—and fast, if done poorly. Instead of delighting customers, it might leave them frustrated, overwhelmed, or worse, uninterested in your brand altogether. Here’s what to watch out for:

• Possibility of customer overwhelm: There’s a fine line between being helpful and being pushy. Bombarding customers with too many suggestions can lead to decision fatigue, confusion, or even cart abandonment. Sometimes, less really is more
• Risk of alienation: Irrelevant recommendations can feel tone-deaf and frustrating. Imagine offering formal shoes to someone shopping for a rugged riding jacket—it’s mismatched, off-putting, and could damage trust in your brand
• Complex implementation: Crafting an innovative, effective cross-selling strategy isn’t plug-and-play. It requires data analysis, thoughtful planning, and well-timed execution. Without a clear plan, your efforts can quickly become noise, wasting time and potentially irritating customers

The key takeaway? Cross-selling works best when it’s personalized, purposeful, and aligned with what your customer actually needs.

Cross-Selling Techniques

Now that you’re aware of the benefits and pitfalls of cross-selling, let’s dive into some practical strategies and techniques to make it work effectively:

• Identify related products and services: Use data analytics to understand buying patterns and behavior. If someone buys a tent for camping, recommend essentials like a sleeping bag, camping stove, headlamp, and waterproof tarp—products that naturally complement the primary purchase
• Target the right customers: Segment your audience based on their behavior, preferences, and purchase history to identify those most likely to respond positively. Tailored recommendations feel more personal—and more valuable

• Design a seamless cross-selling journey: Embed cross-selling opportunities across key customer touchpoints, such as personalized product pages, email campaigns, or in-store prompts. Ensure each recommendation adds genuine value and enhances the customer’s overall experience

• Bundle products: Offer product bundles at a discounted rate to increase perceived value. Grouping complementary items (like a laptop with a bag and wireless mouse) not only boosts sales but also simplifies the decision-making process for customers
• Time it right: Use insights from purchase cycles and customer feedback to make your offers timely and relevant. Suggest add-ons when they make the most sense—like recommending extra printer ink after a printer purchase, not before
• Educate customers: Help customers understand the benefit of purchasing related items together. For example, buying a phone with a screen protector and case not only saves time but ensures compatibility and better long-term protection

With the right approach, cross-selling can feel less like a sales tactic and more like thoughtful guidance, building stronger relationships and delivering more value at every stage of the customer journey.

Cross-selling strategies aren’t one-size-fits-all—they vary depending on the platform. In-store and online purchases each require a tailored approach. Here are some bonus tips and effective methods for uncovering cross-selling opportunities across different channels.

🏬 In-store cross-selling

Cross-selling isn’t limited to the digital world—physical stores can benefit just as much with the right strategies. Here are a few effective in-store techniques to boost complementary sales:

✅ Point-of-sale displays: Place related items strategically near the checkout area to encourage last-minute, impulse purchases—like batteries next to electronics or socks near shoes

✅ Sales staff training: Equip your sales team to spot cross-selling opportunities and make relevant suggestions based on customer needs. Also, familiarize them with sales tracking tools and report templates to monitor performance and refine their approach

✅ Loyalty programs: Incentivize customers to buy complementary products by integrating them into loyalty programs—rewarding bundled purchases or offering points for add-ons can encourage repeat buying behavior

These small, well-placed nudges can go a long way in increasing the value of every sale while enhancing the overall in-store experience.

💻 Online cross-selling

Digital platforms offer various tools to power up your cross-selling strategy. Here’s how online stores can make the most of it:

✅ Smart product recommendations: Use data-driven algorithms to analyze customer behavior and suggest relevant add-ons directly on product pages, in carts, or during checkout

✅ Retargeting ads: Remind shoppers of products they’ve viewed—or even bought—by displaying related or complementary items through targeted ads across websites and social media

✅ Abandoned cart emails: Follow up with customers who left items behind by sending personalized emails that not only nudge them back but also recommend relevant add-ons they might have missed

✅ User-generated content: Encourage customers to share photos, reviews, or unboxings on social media. This content builds trust and subtly promotes related products, sparking interest among new buyers

With the right tools and timing, online cross-selling can feel less like a sales tactic and more like thoughtful personalization.

Key Steps in Developing a Cross-Selling Campaign

Jumping into a cross-selling campaign without a clear plan is like setting off on a road trip without a map—you’re likely to get lost halfway through, and backtracking costs time and momentum. Here’s a step-by-step guide to set your strategy up for success:

Specify your goals

Start with a clear objective. Are you aiming to boost average order value, enhance customer satisfaction, increase loyalty, or raise customer lifetime value? Defining this upfront keeps your efforts focused and measurable.

Analyze customer data

Use analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Shopify, or your CRM to uncover trends in customer behavior. What do they frequently buy? When do they buy? What do they usually buy together? Understanding these insights helps tailor your offers more effectively.

Segment your audience

Group your customers based on purchasing habits, preferences, and past behavior. An RFM (recency, frequency, monetary value) segmentation lets you deliver more relevant cross-sell suggestions to each audience group, with tailored messaging to boot.

Identify complementary products

Pinpoint products or services that naturally go hand-in-hand with your main offerings. Whether it’s accessories, upgrades, or add-ons, make sure they enhance the customer’s overall experience. Think beyond obvious bundles—aim for thoughtful pairings.

Personalize the experience

Tailor your recommendations—both online and in-store. Personalized messages, product suggestions, and even timing can make your cross-selling feel thoughtful rather than salesy.

Monitor, measure, and adjust

Track the performance of your campaign through key metrics like conversion rate, average order value, and customer feedback. Use these insights to fine-tune your approach and improve results over time

Modern work has become synonymous with complexity.

Sales teams lose momentum chasing scattered customer data across CRMs, email threads, and Slack conversations. And manual busywork eats up productive time.

Managing a cross-selling strategy requires a well-organized system that keeps customer data, interactions, and sales activities in one place. By centralizing tools, projects, and marketing communication, teams can eliminate redundancy, reduce context-switching, and focus on impactful work.

Enter: , the everything app for work!

’s CRM capabilities help teams organize and execute cross-selling efforts more effectively. Unlike traditional CRM systems that only focus on contact management, combines project tracking, customer communication, and sales tools in one platform.

Here’s how helps your sales professionals spot and act on cross-selling opportunities:

Campaign planning with Tasks & Docs

Set up a campaign List in with clearly defined and clearly assigned Tasks for each stage—customer segmentation, asset creation, email rollout, and follow-up. Use Docs to draft messaging, scripts, and FAQs so everyone’s working off the same playbook.

Use ’s Gantt View to map out your campaign schedule—from ideation to execution—and assign dependencies, so nothing slips through the cracks.

Context mapping and personalization with Custom Fields

Next, create a CRM in with Custom Fields for recording the details of purchase history, upsell readiness, and customer tier. This gives your sales team context at a glance when deciding what to pitch to whom. 

Cross-functional collaboration with Assigned Comments and Chat

Tag your content team on the relevant tasks and Assign Comments in to write personalized email copy, as product managers review bundles, and sales reps test messaging. All updates and feedback live in one place in a threaded discussion.

You can also create campaign-wise channels in Chat to centralize conversations, feedback loops, and decisions for easy tracking. Each message can also be converted into a Task for clear follow-ups. 

Improving customer experience through personalized touchpoints

Cross-selling doesn’t work if it feels generic. Today’s customers expect relevance—and the tools you use should help deliver just that.

Here’s how to create personalized touchpoints with + your sales tech stack:

Create segmented outreach workflows

Use data from your CRM (or integrations with tools like HubSpot or Salesforce) to sort customers into automated workflow sequences based on their purchases.

Create a customer communications hub

Cross-selling is a conversation, not a transaction. With , you can centralize every customer interaction so your follow-ups feel relevant and personal, not robotic.

Organize everything in one place:

• 🧾 Track purchase records and link them to related recommendations
• 🛠️ Link support tickets so reps can cross-sell based on service issues or needs (e.g., a customer who called about running out of printer ink gets a suggestion for a high-yield cartridge bundle)

🎯 Why it matters: Your reps don’t have to dig through five systems to find out what a customer needs. It’s all right there, connected and searchable.

Track & iterate touchpoint effectiveness

Use Dashboards to monitor campaign performance across teams:

• What’s the open rate on follow-up emails?
• Which bundle converts best by segment?
• How do AOVs vary before and after adding personalized touches?

Share dashboards with your team weekly to double down on what’s working and tweak what’s not.

To maximize your cross-selling success, follow these practical steps in

1. Set up customer tracking

• Create Custom Fields to track product preferences
• Tag accounts based on purchase history
• Set up automated alerts for cross-selling triggers

2. Build targeted lists

• Group customers by product categories
• Segment based on purchase value
• Create lists of complementary product matches

3. Monitor results

• Track conversion rates
• Measure changes in customer value
• Analyze successful cross-selling patterns

By centralizing your cross-selling activities in a CRM marketing platform, you can better understand customer needs, time your offers perfectly, and measure the impact on your bottom line.

Challenges in Cross-Selling

By now, you’ve seen the many benefits of cross-selling—it sounds pretty great, right? But like any solid marketing or sales tactic, it comes with its fair share of challenges. Here are some common obstacles to keep in mind as you implement your strategy:

• Data management: Cross-selling thrives on accurate customer data. Without solid analytics and data management, it’s hard to identify the right products or the right audience. Invest in robust data tools to gain actionable insights and make smarter recommendations
• Customer resistance: Not every customer will be open to add-on offers, especially if they don’t see the value. Often, resistance stems from unclear messaging or irrelevant suggestions. Keep your cross-sell efforts subtle, personalized, and value-driven
• Resource allocation: A successful cross-selling campaign requires time, effort, and investment. From training staff to building algorithms or crafting personalized offers, make sure you’re allocating your resources wisely to maximize their impact without overextending them
• Timing and context: Even the best product suggestions can fall flat if poorly timed. Pushing additional items too early—or too late—can disrupt the buyer’s journey. Always align your cross-sell offers with the right moment in the purchasing process

Master Cross-Selling the Way

Building a solid cross-selling strategy isn’t just about pushing more products—it’s about creating genuine value and customer satisfaction. When done right, cross-selling helps build deeper customer relationships while boosting your bottom line.

Think of it like a helpful store clerk suggesting batteries for the flashlight you’re buying—you get what you need, and the store increases its average order value. This kind of thoughtful recommendation leads to satisfied customers and higher customer lifetime value.

The key is having the right tools to track and nurture these opportunities. For instance, when you use ’s customizable deal statuses and automated workflows, your sales professionals can focus on building relationships instead of managing data.

By integrating customer data, interactions, and sales processes into one platform, helps you turn cross-selling techniques into measurable results. You’ll be better equipped to suggest relevant complementary products, track sales revenue, and build lasting connections with your customers.

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