Why is upselling important?
Upselling increases revenue. But that's not the only (or most important) rationale for using this sales tactic. Here are the three main reasons why upselling helps your business.
1. Upselling creates value for customers and loyalty for brands
Upselling works when you suggest an upgrade that better addresses your customer's needs – despite the higher price tag.
When you provide these recommendations at the right time and to the right customer, they'll feel understood, which increases trust and loyalty. But this isn't exactly a simple task – today, customers use a variety of channels and devices to interact with a single brand. Meaning, it's much more difficult to know when (and where) customers will be most receptive to your offer.
To help, customer engagement tools like Twilio Engage can orchestrate multi-step, multi-channel customer journeys that adapt in real time based on people's behavior. (We've included a sample Journey below, which demonstrates a flow for converting free trial users to a paid account.)
2. Upselling is easier and cheaper than customer acquisition
You can only upsell to someone who has or is about to buy from you. By definition, such customers trust you and need your offering. Otherwise, they wouldn't be purchasing. Convincing them of an upgrade that better meets their needs is easier than finding and selling to someone who has never heard of you.
You'll also have more relevant data on existing customers, which will help you propose the right upsell option. Even prospects who are about to make their first purchase might have already left some data you can use, for example, other product pages they've looked at before proceeding to check out.
3. Upselling increases revenue and LTV
Finally, upselling naturally brings in more revenue, as the customer buys a higher-priced option than they intended. But the benefits transcend that one sale.
Upselling increases loyalty – see point one above. Loyal customers stay with your company longer and spend more, so the practice also improves Customer Lifetime Value (CLV or LTV).