If I had to give a definition about the concept of cross-selling I would say it is the technique used to generate additional sales and increase margins.
It is such an old technique, 50 years ago the delicatessen in Italy while they were wrapping the ham said: “they have just brought me an amazing pecorino… do you want to try it?”.
As you know I like technical definitions, but dealing with companies every day I know how important it is putting the theory into the practice which is what makes the results.
Thinking about it that’s my job, putting in practice all visual marketing to a real packaging which concretely helps the product to sell.
It is the packaging functional to sales
For this reason I decided to write this article to speak of cross-selling and to explain how the packaging could help you to generate additional sales and increase margins.
Therefore selling more products and selling them easily. That’s pretty great, right?
The packaging, as I already explained more times, has got an important and delicate role at the same time because in lane and on the shelves the package speaks for you.
Everything you would like to communicate to the customer when they will be in front of your product will be exclusively entrusted to your packaging, at its ability to communicate.
An excellent solution is to exploit the package of the product to suggest to the customer an additional purchase perhaps complementary or similar. In both cases of possible interest.
Therefore, once you have gained customer’s trust your message will work to suggest an additional purchase.
It is definitely a big opportunity if your company produces different products, also if it is focused just in one area but it offers a selection of range with different characteristics.
Use the cross selling to suggest a similar or complementary purchase
Similar product
The classic example can be that of a selection of range. Therefore on the back of arrabbiata sauce jar, bolognese sauce, siciliana sauce can be suggested.
Otherwise on the back of the rice box can be illustrated the whole range produced (Arborio, Carnaroli, Ribe etc…).
This operation will allow the customer to get to some additional information which maybe weren’t so clear, it is not said that the store gives a reference to the whole selection of range of a line of products and it is not said that at moment of the purchase the customer had the necessity of one of the products suggested on the packaging. This advice could cause additional sales.
Complementary product
In this case you have got the possibility to suggest something which is able to complete the purchase.
Thinking about pasta is automatic suggesting a sauce and vice versa. Clearly this is possible when your company is present in both sectors (pasta and sauces).
A third possibility in case of an extended production is finding a thematic link, therefore suggesting a product which has got the similar characteristic of the purchased one. An example is the one of the Mulino Bianco’s integral crackers that on the back of the packaging suggest Mulino Bianco’s integral brioches. By analogy, if the customer is interested in an integral product he will be interested also to an integral brioche. This is the perfect utilization of cross-selling.
I want to clarify that the cross selling is efficient in all sectors, not just in food industry. Let’s try to close the eyes and let’s think about, for example, automotive accessories, at the cigarette’s sector, exaggerating but not too much open your eyes and think about condoms….
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When selling
The aspect not to be underestimated is that these messages which are usually positioned on the back or inside the packaging, they will act better far away from the store, at home, in the home environment where the customer feel themselves safe and comfortable in a precise moment, that’s of using the product. A moment where their attention will be the highest.
There are some cases where just the use of the product itself can give us a priceless assist. I am thinking about breakfast cereals that in the habit of many are taken from the cupboard, put on the table and left on the table for all breakfast long. The reported message on the back will assume, in this case, even more value. Pure cross selling.
I would like to advice you a test: go to the lane and analyze who is taking advantage of this opportunity and who is losing sales ignoring it. This could help you to measure from close the using of cross selling and re-think about your product in this perspective.
Don’t wait that your competitors move towards this direction, find instead a partner who can help you in this, and when you find them don’t live them anymore.
We help companies every day to identify the best packaging solution to increase their sales’s product, if this is what you are looking for contact us for a free consultation.
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In 1996 enters in the world of marketing, in 1999 founded Ardigia Marketing Funzionale (Ardigia Functional Marketing), in 2013 founded Packaging in Italy, Design Agency for Packaging Positioning™
