Cross-sell Tactics of Top DTC Brands

Cross-selling helps merchants increase average order values while improving the shopping experience.

There are many ways to cross-sell on an ecommerce site. My just-completed analysis of 40 direct-to-consumer brands revealed several common techniques. None of the methods is new; many have existed in some form for decades, before ecommerce.

The most popular cross-selling features on top DTC sites are the very ones available in leading ecommerce platforms. Hence nearly any online shop can cross-sell and even outperform leading DTCs with a bit of creativity.

Product Bundles

Grouping related products in a bundle typically increases average order values — the purpose of cross-selling. Plus, shoppers benefit from lower per-item prices.

Glossier was one of several online stores featuring bundled sets and even allowed shoppers to create their own sets for a discount.

Product bundling:

• Highlights value via an overall discount.
• Simplifies merchandising and reduces decision fatigue for some shoppers.
• Offers a complete solution to a shopper’s problem or need.

Of the 40 DTC sites reviewed, bundling was the most commonly used form, deployed on Glossier (skincare), Brooklinen (bath and bedding), Judy (home emergency goods), Maude (apparel), and many more sites.

Glossier refers to bundles as “sets” and allows shoppers to build their own. Brooklinen’s bundles are value-driven with substantial discounts. On Judy, product bundles are “kits.” Maude calls them “matching sets.”

Discount-driven bundles, such as this example from Brooklinen, were the most popular tactic among the sites reviewed.

Shopping Cart Offers

Several DTC brands placed recommendations — “you might also like” — on product detail pages and, surprisingly, directly in the shopping cart or similar interface.

For example, a shopper who adds an item to the Allbirds (shoes) shopping cart sees a modal offering similar items. Allbirds also offers similar items in the checkout process, such as socks for running shoes.

Allbirds product recommendations also appear at the bottom of the slide-out shopping cart.

Kitchenware brand Caraway includes a content slider with several related products at the bottom of its checkout.

Placing product recommendations in the checkout flow creates a low-friction cross-sell offer precisely when shoppers are in buying mode.

Caraway places recommendations at the bottom of its slide-out shopping cart.

Threshold-based Incentives

The classic “spend X and get free shipping” tactic, or at least a variation, remains popular.

The DTC brands I reviewed mostly used threshold-based incentives for free shipping, but some offered a gift instead. The free item was meaningful and thematically aligned with the shop or products.

For example, Lovevery, which sells educational toys, offers free access to its app with the purchase of a play kit — essentially a revenue threshold.

DTC brands typically displayed the threshold-based incentives at the top of the page, a common feature of Shopify themes. Others also placed the incentive on product detail pages.

Yet Three Ships, a skincare brand, displayed its threshold-based incentives in the shopping cart. Shoppers receive free shipping at $49.99, free samples at $65, and a travel pouch at $85. (The incentives are cumulative: a purchase of $85 earns all three items.)

Three Ships offers cumulative rewards for spending more.

Ecommerce Platforms

While they vary in colors, fonts, and imagery, DTC sites employ similar cross-selling techniques — proven, tried-and-true methods refined over decades of retailing.

Another reason bundles, recommendations, and incentives are popular is that they are easy to launch. Leading ecommerce platforms include the features, or facilitate related plugins and external tools.

Opportunity

The takeaway for small and mid-sized businesses is two-fold.

First, emulating the cross-selling tactics of top DTC brands may be as simple as leveraging the ecommerce platform. Compelling cross-selling opportunities exist and are easily implemented.

Second, there is an opportunity for innovation. Not many sites are cross-selling beyond the platform or after the sale.

For example, ecommerce merchants could use SMS or the emerging Rich Communication Services to promote add-on products, “complete the set,” or upgrade to a subscription and save 10%.

What’s Missing on Store Locator Pages

Brick-and-click retailers can transform store locator pages into revenue drivers, integrating inventory, prioritizing pickup, and offering targeted incentives.

Store locator web pages are known providers of info such as addresses and operating hours. For small and midsized businesses, the locator is typically an app installed from, say, the Shopify or BigCommerce dashboard. Enterprises with a network of dealers and outlets are likely to deploy the pages, too, but only for directions and hours.

There is an opportunity here. Locator pages connect online and physical stores, providing a bridge for high-intent shoppers.

Certainly the locators encourage physical sales. But the potential is much more. Done well, the pages encourage shoppers to buy online first and pick up in-store — BOPIS.

Consider the revenue-driving features a multichannel merchant could add to a locator page.

Integrate Inventory

An eager shopper searching for a new air fryer does not want to go online, find the fryer she desires, and drive to a store only to discover it is out of stock. She might decide it is better to order from another retailer — think Amazon — than risk navigating to the strip mall and returning fryer-less.

That is presumably why Best Buy includes inventory counts directly on its store locator page. A shopper can enter a zip code, add a product, and obtain inventory availability, such as “(18) air fryers & deep fryers available for pickup.”

Best Buy encourages BOPIS on its locator pages.

Merchants could implement such inventory info in a few ways.

• Display “Available for Pickup” messaging directly on the store locator.
• Show stock quantity indicators (e.g., “Only 2 left in stock”).
• Offer estimated pickup times (“Ready in 2 hours” or “Same-day pickup”).
• Provide alternative store options if the nearest location is out of stock.

In each case, the aim is to display inventory levels and reassure shoppers.

Prioritize BOPIS

Many store locators simply list addresses and hours of operation. A strong call to action encourages BOPIS.

Apple’s online store displays click-and-collect options on its physical location finder page.

Apple, for example, includes in-store pickup repeatedly on its locator pages. The calls to action reflect Apple’s branding — subtle but present.

Prioritizing online buying might also take a few forms, each to encourage shoppers to close the sale before driving to the store.

• Add a “Pick up at this store” button to each location result.
• Highlight pickup benefits near the locator — “No shipping fees. Pick up in-store in 1 hour.”
• Design the locator so that selecting a store for pickup happens early in the customer journey.

Incentivize BOPIS

In 2017, Walmart famously offered discounts on BOPIS orders. The discounts appeared in the shopping cart and on locator pages.

That idea of incentivizing click-and-collect behaviors still makes sense and appears dynamically on some sites, such as Kohl’s.

Kohl’s offers shoppers $5 worth of Kohl’s cash when they pick up in-store.

For example, Kohl’s shoppers receive up to $5 of Kohl’s Cash for buying online and picking up in-store, depending on location.

Other BOPIS incentives on locator pages could include:

• Location-based discounts that apply only to pickup orders.
• Show a “Get 5% off when you pick up in-store” banner.
• Offer “$10 off your next purchase” when customers complete a BOPIS order.
• Provide bonus loyalty points or exclusive deals when pickup is selected.

Kohl’s incentives are not limited to discounts. The store locator also emphasizes speed.

BOPIS Hurdles

Merchants employing these store-locator features could soon experience a BOPIS boom, but it will be for nothing without addressing common hurdles.

• Delivery speed. Consumers browsing a store locator page are likely high-intent shoppers, ready to hop in the car and head to the store. Unreasonable or not, many buyers expect the order to be ready in minutes, not hours.

• Updated inventory. If your store locator page says there are 18 air fryers in stock, there better be at least one. Synchronizing inventory levels between a physical store and online is a challenge. Many retailers apply a buffer stock — if there are five in-store, show three online.

• Promotion. Many shoppers don’t think of click-and-collect as an option. Spread the word.

Dealers

Stihl lets shoppers buy on its site and pick up from a dealer.

What I’ve described thus far works for consumer brands, but the concepts apply to wholesale providers, too. A manufacturer could consummate the transaction on its site and refer the customer to a nearby dealer to pick up.

Stihl, a maker of chainsaws and power equipment, does that very thing.

Ask an Expert: How to Fix a Slow Checkout?

“Ask an Expert” is an occasional feature where we pose questions to seasoned ecommerce pros. For this installment, we’ve turned to Arjus Dashi, a longtime ecommerce developer and founder of Frontlevels, an Italy-based agency serving online merchants worldwide.

He addresses the solutions to slow ecommerce checkouts.

Practical Ecommerce: How can merchants diagnose and repair slow ecommerce checkouts?

Arjus Dashi: In ecommerce, faster page loads equate to more revenue. Yet no page is more important than the checkout, the final step that can make or break the sale. Here are the common causes of slow checkouts and my go-to solutions for fixing them.

Arjus Dashi

Common glitches:

• Unoptimized code and integrations. Checkout pages involve complex interactions such as real-time inventory checks, fraud detection tools, shipping calculators, and payment gateways. Each adds external API calls. Inefficient or buggy code can seriously slow these connections, frustrating users.

• Server overloads. Merchants using standalone hosting companies should stress-test servers for peak traffic levels. For instance, an ecommerce site anticipating 100 concurrent users on Black Friday should ensure its checkout can handle that load and a 20% buffer.

• Complicated processes. Lengthy forms, unnecessary fields, mandatory account creation, and excessive confirmation steps can frustrate users. A cluttered experience leads to confusion and abandonment.

• Lack of transparency. Unexpected shipping costs or other charges can cause hesitation. Users value honesty. Hidden fees erode trust and result in lost sales.

How to fix:

• Refactor code and dependencies. Use Chrome’s or Mozilla’s inspection tools to analyze checkout performance. Go to the checkout page and open the inspection tool (Mac: Command + Option + I. Windows/Linux: Control + Shift + C). Then start recording at the “Recorder” tab. Reload the page and stop recording after the load is complete. The timeline provides insights into JavaScript, API calls, CSS, and layout shifts to identify bottlenecks and optimize dependencies for faster loading times.

• Monitor performance regularly. Lighthouse, available in the browser inspection tools, analyzes your page’s performance. It highlights slowdowns and provides actionable solutions. One key metric is TTFB (“Time to First Byte”), which measures how quickly the server responds to the initial request. A high TTFB often signals hosting inefficiencies.

• Use reliable SaaS platforms. Many reputable SaaS ecommerce platforms have robust, optimized checkouts for high-traffic scenarios. Examples include Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, and many more.

• Simplify the process. Streamline the checkout by eliminating unnecessary steps. Consider (i) offering guest checkout to avoid mandatory account creation, (ii) removing optional fields, and (iii) displaying a progress bar to help users track their steps.

• Disclose all costs. Disclose shipping costs and fees upfront. It builds trust and reduces hesitation during checkout.

Securing Email Addresses for Abandoned Carts

Ecommerce shopping cart abandonment remains high, roughly 70% in 2024. Yet some in the industry — Dynamic Yield, for example — have estimated a good cart recovery email series will convert about a third of the time.

That is an impressive rate, but it assumes a merchant has the shopper’s email address — frequently not the case.

What follows are five tactics for securing an email address before a would-be buyer leaves the cart.

Ask Often

While it is important not to place speedbumps along a buyer’s journey, an online shop should repeatedly ask for a visitor’s email address during each session.

The easiest method is a simple signup form. Follow-up is easy if a shopper subscribes and later leaves items in a cart. The form might be for product updates, a newsletter signup, or even a purchase discount.

Offering a newsletter is a good way to collect email addresses for use in a shopping cart abandonment series.

Ask Early

Soliciting an email address during checkout is customary and unsurprising to a shopper. Take advantage of this expectation and ask in the first field of the cart. If the shopper leaves, the merchant can initiate a recovery email series.

The first field in the checkout process should be for an email address.

Invest in Newsletter Ads

Editorial newsletters are growing in popularity as the creator economy surges.

Sponsoring newsletters has several advantages, such as not being cookie-dependent. A lesser-known benefit is collecting email addresses, in two ways.

The first of these methods is to advertise a store’s own email newsletter. Sparklook, for example, is a pay-per-subscriber service that works with many creator newsletters. Merchants can advertise in those newsletters and pay a dollar or two per confirmed subscriber.

Next, newsletter ads can include links that pass the shopper’s email address to a form.

For example, the ad might offer a 20% discount on the first purchase. When a shopper clicks a “Subscribe and Save 20%” button, the newsletter’s link automatically subscribes to the shopper in one click, passing the email address directly to the merchant.

Use an Exit Pop-up

An exit-intent pop-up launches when a shopper’s mouse movements or scrolling patterns foretell an eminent exit.

The pop-up offers a minimal, relevant, and compelling alternative to leaving the site immediately. The offer can include an email capture, enabling the merchant to send the all-important shopping cart recovery email series.

Match Visitors to Email Addresses

All of the tactics discussed so far aim to increase the number of known email addresses, but according to Edward Upton, founder and CEO of Littledata, an ecommerce analytics firm, cart abandonment presents another challenge: recognizing a returning subscriber.

Some visitors may have already provided an email address and even followed a link from the store’s own email marketing. But something has gotten in the way: The Arc browser’s ad blocker cleans identifiers from the link.

The effect for many ecommerce shops is losing the connection and thus eliminating subsequent cart recovery efforts.

Littledata and similar tools boost the site’s ability to recognize returning subscribers despite ad blockers. Littledata claims it can increase subscriber identification by upwards of 40% for merchants using Shopify and Klaviyo.

More matching solutions are likely coming, thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning tools.

How I Restrict Coupon Abuse

Using coupons and discounts to entice purchases is a cornerstone of retail and ecommerce.

Today’s email automation platforms — Klaviyo, Listrak, many more — make it easier than ever to deliver coupons to consumers at different points in their journey. A simple example is the classic “10% off your first order” when a visitor subscribes to an email list.

Other examples target lapsed customers, shoppers who abandon carts, and upsells based on previous purchases.

Acquiring customers is one of many uses of coupon codes. This example from Chirp, a seller of discount audio books, is for first-time buyers.

Bargain Hunters

Consumers’ love of a good deal can unfortunately result in illicit attempts to stack as many discounts and coupons as possible.

Moreover, browser extensions — Honey, Fetch, Capital One Shopping, many others — automatically apply coupons to an order, lowering the price. A merchant might have created a coupon for first-time purchases, but the extensions can allow repeat buyers to use it.

Sometimes shoppers collaborate to discover and share coupons. It’s a tiny fraction of customers, but the repercussions affect everyone.

My own ecommerce business has encountered coupon abuse for years. We develop and sell music software directly to consumers. Though our margins are high, the behavior requires us to take extensive precautions when rolling out coupon-driven promos.

Coupons

Merchants often create a single code for an entire segment of customers. “WELCOME10” might be a coupon for first-time buyers. But such generic codes virtually guarantee widespread discovery and use, likely including browser extensions addressed above.

Some merchants create codes with random characters that appear to be customer-specific, such as “WELCOME10GH76BND.” The hope is a shopper receiving the code believes it’s for him alone and will not share it. My experience is consumers are far too savvy and will quickly learn and share.

Hence our only reasonable option is to create one-time coupons distributed individually and never on a public page. Many tools and platforms can help. Omnisend, for example, provides one-time coupons for WooCommerce and Shopify. Klaviyo offers it natively with Shopify and extended with WooCommerce.

Guardrails

Yet person-specific, single-use coupons will not prevent abuse. Experienced shoppers may discover the method of generating the coupons — e.g., adding an item to the cart and waiting two days — and exploit it.

We therefore add “guardrails” for coupon use and generation. A baseline precaution is preventing the same type of coupons from being stacked. For example, multiple cart abandonment coupons cannot be used in a single checkout. Or, limit coupon use globally to one per order.

Always add parameters to a coupon, such as an expiration date and time, and internal notes on how and why it was created. Those notes will help identify the origin if the coupon shows up in an unexpected place.

Limit coupon generation by adding filters to automated email flows. All modern email service providers allow restrictions on how often a visitor can enter a flow, such as once daily, weekly, monthly, or ever.

Firewall

Incredibly, even with all the tactics above, we’ve experienced malicious behavior, such as the same user creating multiple accounts under different email addresses to obtain the same coupons. At that point, we shift to general security measures that prevent deceptive or illegal activity.

Cloudflare, the content delivery network, offers a free “Web Application Firewall” with “Rules” that detect and restrict suspicious activity. The general idea is to limit how often users from the same IP can access the same page.

For example, a user accessing an account creation page multiple times per hour could be blocked for 24 hours. Ditto for reset password pages.

The downside of these measures is occasionally snaring innocent customers. Thus tuning the number of attempts and duration is essential.

Beyond Coupons

Besides the abuse issues, coupons can degrade the shopping experience. Some shoppers will leave a checkout containing a coupon field to search for a code. Others become frustrated that they’re missing out on a deal. The result either way is an abandoned cart.

The answer for my business is to transition away from coupons almost entirely and instead apply individual discounts and promotions automatically when customers log in and shop as usual. It has the dual benefit of being the most secure for my business and the most pleasant for our customers.

It’s seemingly the ideal scenario. although it requires development and testing.

Essential Questions

Coupon abuse follows ecommerce success. When launching a coupon, especially for a segment of buyers, ask yourself:

• What happens if all customers access this promotion?
• Should the promotion stack with other coupons? If not, have you taken steps to prevent it?
• Is the coupon for individuals only? It will likely be shared otherwise.
• Have you placed coupon guardrails to prevent stacking, hoarding, and overuse?

Swathes of consumers eager to buy your products are a good problem. Spending time and money protecting against coupon abuse is painful but necessary.