Page 64 - AVN January 2018

BUSINESS | TECH NEWS
THE UPSELL UPSIDE
Boost sales when you offer more options
Cross-Selling
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, claims that 35 percent of Amazon sales are a direct result of
cross-selling. Notice every time you go to a page on Amazon, there’s a “Frequently bought
together” suggestion underneath your product? That suggestion is cross-selling.
Cross-selling gives you the opportunity to educate your consumer about all the other
products and services available in your store and how they go together. With every sale, try
and use a “you want fries with that?” approach.
Every gadget or product in your store pairs well with other novelties, so make sure you
point out these complementary products when your customer is ready to make a purchase.
When customers buy vibrators, steer them toward the appropriate lube they’ll need
for that particular vibrator. If they buy bright pink lingerie, find matching bright pink
fur handcuffs to go with the outfit. There are hundreds of ways these products can come
together to make for an exciting intimate encounter.
Samantha Holton works the floor at xxxToySpot and insists that cross-selling is her
favorite thing to do.
“If someone buys a vibrator, they’re going to need batteries,” Holton said. “So keep
batteries close by. And also educate them on refresh powder. Refresh powder will keep that
expensive toy looking brand new.”
Stewart also enjoys the concept of cross-selling.
“I always encourage my retailers to put products together that make sense,” he says.
“Some people are intimidated by an entire wall of BDSM products. Instead, take a few
products, like a feather tickler and a blindfold, and put them next to lingerie. Giving them a
different context makes them less intimidating.”
I always start out asking what they’re looking for. Is it a vibrator? Is it for clitoral or anal stimulation?
Alone or with a partner? Always find out the purpose.
—SAMANTHA HOLTON, XXXTOYSPOT
RETAIL DETAIL | By Allison Travers
right? They come to you because of your selection,
your knowledge and your general awesomeness.
YOUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS are your bread and butter,
But if you aren’t upselling and cross-selling to your
customer base, you are missing out on a huge growth
opportunity.
So let’s talk about what “upselling and “cross-
selling” means and how you can apply it in your store.
Upselling
When a customer is interested in a particular product or service, this
is your opportunity to upsell a higher-quality product to enhance their
experience. This upsell will increase revenue just from simply convincing
the customer that the higher-priced upgrade is worth it.
If a customer is shopping for a vibrator, educate them on why the high-
end vibrator is better than the mid-level vibrator. Take it out of the box
and let them hold it. Give them a demo vibration. And then tell them the
higher quality means there’s a lesser chance they’ll need to replace the
vibrator, which will help justify the higher cost. Boom—you just upsold a
vibrator.
Carrying a spectrum of products across price ranges can really help your
upsell. Tom Stewart, founder and CEO of Sportsheets International, carries
tiers of products in each category: Sex & Mischief (entry level), Sportsheets
(main category) and the Edge line (high-end leather products).
“As a manufacturer, upsell is where we shine,” Stewart says. “We
have good, better and best offerings so our retailers can offer a spread of
products for their customers, which entices them to spend a little more.”
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Impulse Buying
Another way to get additional revenue is through impulse buying. This is when your
customers purchase products or items on a whim in addition to the product they originally
came shopping for. While most retailers assume impulse buying occurs mostly at the
register, Stewart has a different take.
“When people are purchasing a sex toy, they’re ready to get out of there by the time
they’re checking out,” he said. “So it’s better to stock impulse items around the store.”
Your Employees
Both Stewart and Holton agree that the success of upselling and cross-selling really
comes down to the sales clerk.
“Successful selling is finding out what the customer’s needs are and then you can sell
them anything,” says Stewart. “People need more direction and information these days
than ever.”
Holton adds, “I always start out asking what they’re looking for. Is it a vibrator? Is it for
clitoral or anal stimulation? Alone or with a partner? Always find out the purpose.”
Holton recommends the VeDO line as the perfect vibrator for the newbie.
“I don’t always go for the upsell if it’s something completely new to them,” she cautions.
“Start lower grade first. If you start too high and it’s too intense, you may scare them off.”
In conclusion, it all boils down to your floor employees when it comes to bringing in
additional revenue. In addition to teaching them the skills of upselling and cross-selling,
make sure your employees are also experts in the field of sexual health. Eldorado offers
a free online course, Elevate U, for retailers who want to become a valuable information
resource for their customers. The more knowledge, advice and product-purchasing
direction they can provide to customers, the more they’ll keep coming back.
This article by Allison Travers, Eldorado Trading’s director of marketing communications, originally appeared in the adult distributor’s
monthly newsletter. To sign up for the newsletter, email marketing@eldorado.net.