4 Ways To Increase AOV With Product Cross-Sells
Online shoppers rarely buy single products. Someone who adds a camera to their cart may also need a memory card. A customer who chooses a new sofa might want matching cushions.
These moments create opportunities for product cross-sells. Instead of waiting for customers to discover related products on their own, an online store can surface the right products at the right moment.
When these recommendations feel relevant, shoppers can discover more useful products, while stores increase average order value (AOV) without relying on additional traffic.
However, not every cross-selling strategy works in the same way. Buy together offers, product add-ons, complementary product recommendations, and product page cross-sells each serve a different purpose.
Understanding how these approaches work can help merchants create a smoother shopping experience and build a more effective cross-selling strategy.
What are Product Cross-Sells?
Product cross-sells encourage customers to purchase an additional product that complements the item they already want to buy. The recommended product usually serves a related purpose rather than replacing the original product.
For example, a customer who buys a laptop may see a laptop sleeve, wireless mouse, or external keyboard. The laptop is the primary purchase, the additional products make the overall purchase more useful.
Cross-selling differs from upselling because the two strategies focus on different types of offers. Upselling encourages customers to buy a higher-value version of the product they already consider, such as upgrading from a basic laptop to a premium model. Cross-selling offers an additional item that adds value to the original purchase.
The main goal of product cross-sells involves increasing the value of each order while helping customers find products they may genuinely need. A well-designed recommendation can therefore benefit both sides.
Customers save time by discovering relevant products more easily, while merchants generate additional revenue from the same shopping session.
4 Types of Product Cross-Sells
Different products and customer journeys need different cross-selling approaches. The following four methods cover some of the most common ways eCommerce stores can connect related products.
Buy together offers
Buy together offers group two or more related products into a single shopping proposition. The store shows the products together because customers often buy them as part of the same shopping mission.
A fashion store might pair a dress with a matching handbag. A coffee equipment store could show a coffee maker alongside compatible filters. The recommendation makes sense because the products are relevant naturally.
A buy together offer can be more attractive when the merchant provides a small incentive. For example, a customer receives a discount when buying both some together rather than separately.
This strategy works well when the relationship between products feels obvious. Customers can understand why the products belong together, which reduces the mental effort required to evaluate the offer.
Fether supports buy together strategy through its cross-sell features. Merchants can create bundle offers that connect complementary products and show them as a good option. Therefore, stores can increase basket size while giving customers a reason to buy an additional item.
Product add-ons
Product add-ons help customers enhance or personalize their main purchase with an additional product or service.
A customer buying a smartphone might see a protective case or screen protector. Someone purchasing a gift might have the option to add gift wrapping. A furniture retailer could offer assembly services alongside a large item.
The difference between add-ons and general product recommendations is their direct connection to the original purchase. The additional item improves, protects, customizes, or completes the main product.
Effective product add-ons should be useful rather than distracting. If a customer purchases running shoes, recommending running socks will be better than showing a kitchen gadget.
Timing also matters. An add-on can appear on the product page, near the add-to-cart button, or during the shopping journey when the customer is has already felt interested in the primary product. The placement should support the buying decision rather than interrupt it.
Complementary product recommendations
Complementary product recommendations show products that work well with the customer's selected item. These recommendations can help shoppers discover products that they might not have considered.
For example, a customer buying a camera may see a tripod, memory card, and camera bag. Each item serves a different function, but all of them support the customer's interest in photography.
The strongest complementary product recommendations rely on relevance. A store should consider product relationships, customer behavior, purchase history, and shopping context when deciding which items to display.
Data-driven recommendations can make this process more sophisticated. Instead of manually pairing every product, merchants can analyze sales data to identify patterns in customer purchases. If many customers repeatedly purchase two products together, that relationship can provide a strong signal for future recommendations.
Fether's AI frequently brings together features, taking this data-driven approach further by analyzing order history to generate smart upsell bundle suggestions. This approach can reduce the manual effort required to identify product relationships while helping merchants surface recommendations based on actual purchasing behavior.
The store can also combine this strategy with related-product sections such as "customers also bought" or "you may also like." These sections can suggest relevant products to customers without forcing them into a fixed bundle.
Product page cross-sells
Product page cross-sells appear while the customer evaluates a specific item. Because the shopper has already liked the main product, the page provides a valuable opportunity to introduce relevant additions.
If a customer is viewing a hiking backpack, you can setup the page to recommend a water bottle, rain cover, or hiking accessories at the cross-sell section. The customer can then consider whether any of these products belong in the same order.
Product page cross-sells can take several forms. A store might show a "frequently bought together" section, a "customers also bought" carousel, or a "you may also like" recommendation area. Each format can serve a slightly different purpose.
Frequently bought together recommendations focus on products that customers often purchase in combination. Customers also bought sections highlight purchasing patterns, while You May Also Like recommendations can broaden product discovery based on similarity or relevance.
The placement of these recommendations can influence their effectiveness. A cross-sell placed too far away from the main product may receive little attention. On the other hand, an overcrowded product page can overwhelm shoppers and make the primary buying decision harder.
Fether provides related-product features that allow merchants to display recommendations such as "customers also bought" and "you may also like". This flexibility helps stores create product discovery experiences that feel more natural across different types of catalogs.
How Product Cross-Sells Increase AOV
The relationship between cross-selling and AOV is relatively straightforward. When customers add relevant complementary products to their existing orders, the total order value increases.
For example, an online store that receives 1,000 orders with an average order value of $50, it generates $50,000 in revenue from those orders. If effective cross-selling encourages customers to add an average of $5 in relevant products, the average order value rises to $55, generating $55,000 from the same number of orders.
The example explains why merchants often focus on improving the value of existing transactions instead of relying exclusively on acquiring more customers. Cross-selling can create additional revenue opportunities from the traffic the store already attracts.
However, the objective should not be to recommend as many products as possible. Relevance remains the foundation of a successful cross-selling strategy.
A recommendation that solves a genuine customer need is more likely to drive an additional purchase than an unrelated product displayed to increase order value.
>> Don't miss: 5 Shopify Average Order Value (AOV) Strategies
How to Choose the Right Cross-Selling Strategy
The right cross-selling method depends on the relationship between the primary product and the additional item.
- Buy together offers work well when two or more products naturally form a purchasing combination. A meal kit with its recommended ingredients or a camera with essential accessories can make strong bundle candidates.
- Product add-ons are suitable for situations where an additional item enhances or protects the main purchase. Cases, warranties, accessories, and customization options often fall into this category.
- Complementary product recommendations suit larger catalogs where customers may benefit from discovering related products. These recommendations can introduce additional options without requiring merchants to create a fixed bundle for every product.
- Product page cross-sells work especially well when shoppers need contextual recommendations as they evaluate a product. The product page provides enough information about customer intent to make relevant suggestions.
Many stores can combine these approaches instead of choosing only one. A merchant might use a buy together offer for a high-value product combination, display add-ons near the purchase area, and use AI-powered recommendations across the wider catalog.
>> Don't miss: The Psychology Behind Cross-Selling: Why Customers Say “Yes”
How Fether Supports Product Cross-Selling
Managing multiple cross-selling strategies can become complicated when a store has hundreds or thousands of products. Merchants may need to create product relationships, build bundles, manage discounts, and decide where recommendations should appear.
Fether brings several of these capabilities together in one app. Its AI Frequently Bought Together feature analyzes order history to identify potential product combinations and generate smart upsell bundles. This approach can help merchants move beyond purely manual product pairing.
The product bundles builder also supports custom bundle experiences, including Mix & Match offers. Merchants can create more flexible combinations when customers need greater control over their purchases.
>> Read more: 6 Product Bundles Types Every Store Should Know
For stores that want a simpler approach, Fether supports classic buy together cross-sells and related-product recommendations. Merchants can highlight customers also bought, and You May Also Like products to encourage discovery throughout the shopping journey.
Fether also includes volume discounts that can automatically apply discounts when customers purchase multiple products or bundles. This feature can make larger purchases more attractive while giving merchants another way to increase basket size.
The broader advantage comes from combining different cross-selling approaches into a single strategy. A store can use AI-driven recommendations to discover potential relationships, create custom bundles for strategic products, and display related products across the storefront.
This combination can make cross-selling more consistent without requiring merchants to manage every recommendation manually.
Best Practices for Effective Product Cross-Sells
Successful cross-selling depends on more than placing related products next to each other. Several factors can determine whether shoppers view recommendations as helpful or irrelevant.
Relevance comes first
The recommended product should have a clear relationship with the primary item. Customers should understand the connection without needing a lengthy explanation.
Timing shapes the customer experience
Cross-sells should appear when customers have enough purchase intent to consider an additional product. Product pages, cart areas, and checkout-related touchpoints can each support different recommendation strategies.
Discounts should have a clear purpose
A discount can strengthen a cross-sell by encouraging customers to purchase a logical product combination. However, excessive discounts can reduce margins without creating meaningful additional demand.
Data can improve recommendations
Customer behavior can reveal product relationships that merchants might overlook. Purchase history, frequently bought combinations, and product interactions can all provide useful signals for improving recommendations.
Too many recommendations can create friction
A crowded page can make shopping more difficult. Fewer highly relevant recommendations often create a better experience than a large collection of loosely related products.
Final Thoughts
Effective product cross-sells can help eCommerce stores increase AOV while making product discovery easier for customers.
The most effective strategy depends on relevance, timing, and customer intent. When merchants combine these principles with behavioral data and thoughtful product relationships, cross-selling becomes more than a revenue tactic, it helps customers find everything they need in a single shopping journey.
Tools such as Fether can make this process simple by bringing together AI frequently bought together recommendations, custom product bundles, related products, buy together cross-sells, and volume discounts.
For stores that want to grow AOV without creating every cross-sell manually, a combination of automation and strategic merchandising can create a more scalable approach to product cross-sells.
FAQ
What is the difference between cross-selling and upselling?
Cross-selling encourages customers to purchase complementary products alongside their main item, while upselling encourages customers to choose a higher-value version of the product they already want. A laptop sleeve shows a cross-sell for a laptop, while a more powerful laptop model represents an upsell.
What are the best products for cross-selling?
The best cross-sell products usually have a clear functional or contextual relationship with the main product. Accessories, complementary items, replacement products, and products that customers frequently purchase together can all work well when the recommendation matches customer intent.
Can AI help with product cross-selling?
AI can help merchants identify product relationships by analyzing customer and order data. For example, Fether's AI frequently bought together feature analyzes order history to suggest potential product combinations, which can reduce manual effort when creating cross-selling campaigns.
