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Shopping cart page – should we still try to sell there?
Shopping cart page – should we still try to sell there?

Take a closer look at the effective recommendation strategy on the shopping cart page.

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Written by Martyna Woźniszczuk
Updated over a week ago

A perfectly constructed shopping cart page is the one that maintains a balance between the conversion and the chance to increase the value of the order. Specifically, you should encourage your clients to make an additional purchase to avoid the situation in which the client moves to another subpage. Today, we'll take a closer look at the effective recommendation strategy on the shopping cart page.

What are the recommedations on the shopping cart page?

Recommendations on the shopping cart page are displayed when clients check its contents. They do this in two cases:

  • to verify the shopping list and remove some products,

  • in order to complete the order and move to pay.

Then, the recommendations generated on the basis of information on products already in the cart will be displayed to them. The customer usually sees a frame headed by: Customers who bought this item also bought. These recommendations have huge sales potential. However, there are a number of rules that determine their success. What do we mean by success in this case?

  • Stopping the customer on the cart page

  • Selling the products in the cart

  • Encouraging the customer to additional purchase

Below we discuss in detail the most effective strategy.

Neatly selected complementary products

The effectiveness of recommendations is primarily determined by the sales strategy. A common mistake is to recommend similar products. For example: the customer decided to buy a laptop. They go to the shopping cart to finalise the transaction, and similar models are recommended to them. Recommendations have an adverse to the intended effect – they confuse the buyer. The customer leaves the cart and starts the search process once again.

How to do it properly? The most effective strategy is cross-selling! Suggest complementary products that will complement the product added to the cart. Recommend a computer mouse or a privacy filter and the customer will buy the whole set instead of one product. In addition, the recommendations should be dynamic, i.e. instantly adjust the content to changes in the cart.

Products slightly increasing the value of the order

When the customer goes to the cart, they go towards the completion of the shopping process. Do not recommend product associated with a large expense. Recommend only products that are cheaper than those already in the cart. Customers are more likely to buy if they see a functional product at a low price. Let's refer again to the example of a laptop. If the screen-cleaning cloths are recommended at the last stage of the sale, the customer will definitely buy them because:

  1. the cost is so little,

  2. they realise the need for proper care of the new purchase.

Finally, two products land in the cart.

Conversion on the shopping cart page

Remember that your client is already at the final stage of the purchasing process. You should not take them away from it. However, this does not exclude additional sales! How to combine these two key issues? The product from the recommendation frame, after clicking, will automatically land in the cart. The transfer to the product website is in this case additional and unnecessary action.

Recommendations only on the order page

There are two steps between going to the cart to finalising the transaction,

  • order summary;

  • payment.

The key issue is where you will display product proposals. It is worth to offer complementary accessories to the customer who goes to the cash register. If, however, they are holding a credit card in their hands - it is too late.

The principle is as follows: yes, for the recommendation on the summary page, no for recommendation at the payment stage.

Summary

  • strategy: use cross-selling in the area of the shopping cart, i.e. recommend complementary products;

  • price: recommended products should be cheaper than those in the cart;

  • space: apply recommendations on the order summary page;

  • technology: use only dynamic recommendations;

  • simple solution: making another purchase should be possible without leaving the basket.

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