Cross-selling is a powerful, frequently used strategy to increase ecommerce revenue, strengthen customer loyalty, and scale your business.

Cross-selling refers to encouraging the shopper to buy additional products with the primary one.

For example, if a website visitor searches for a fantasy book, you can suggest buying an additional book of the same genre, author, or series.

And yet, rarely the e-store has an integrated cross-selling feature in its CMS. And even those who do have it, they rarely exploit it.

So, are you using these best-converting cross-sell opportunities in your site search?

1. Show related products on the search results page.

One of the simplest ways to cross-sell your site search is to show related products on the search results page.

This strategy helps expose your customers to more of your offerings and increase the number of products in their carts.

For instance, if the customer searches for “trendy biker shorts,” you can show other related clothes that go well with them: white and black t-shirts, tote bags, socks, and sneakers.

This strategy alone can drastically increase an average order value, bringing more revenue per user.

2. Use facets to refine search results.

Exploit the added benefits of filters and facets to allow your customers to refine their search results based on their preferences and needs.

Faceted search provides a more personalized and user-relevant experience and suggests products that ideally match shoppers’ criteria.

For example, if a website visitor searches for “shorts” on your site, you can use filters and facets like size, length, color, brand, or price to narrow down the results and show them products they might be interested in.

3. Let autocomplete guide the search query.

Unique query endings can provide new product ideas your users might not have thought of.

First, autocomplete helps your customers type their search queries faster and receive more accurate results. This feature alone can significantly reduce bounce rates and increase conversion rates.

Then, spellcheck and autocomplete can show additional products that users might be interested in.

For example, if a customer types “cof” on your site, you can use autocomplete to show them suggestions like “coffee maker,” “coffee beans,” “coffee grinder,” or “coffee mug.”

4. Use product recommendations based on browsing history.

Personalizing the shopping experience is an indirect cross-selling strategy. It is a slightly more advanced yet highly effective way to drive more sales.

You can recommend certain products to a user based on your customer’s browsing history, behavior, and overall search trends.

For instance, if a user previously searched for a coffee maker, you can suggest other coffee-making appliances or coffee beans.

5. Make the Zero results pages work for you.

When customers search for products that are temporarily out of stock or unavailable, seize the opportunity to suggest alternative items.

First, add as many relevant synonyms as possible to make sure you don’t miss the chance to show an available product.

Yet, if you are sure you made everything you could to make each product discoverable, think of ways to exploit a zero results page.

By displaying related products or alternatives, you can redirect customers’ attention and prevent potential frustration, transforming a “no result” search into a successful cross-selling opportunity.

6. Use custom product recommendations based on current trends.

Analyze search data, pick current search (and overall industry) trends, and turn on custom product recommendations.

This strategy can help showcase your best-selling or most popular products and attract customers’ attention and curiosity.

For example, if a shopper searches for “skincare products” on your site, you can use custom product recommendations to show them the latest trends or bestselling products such as serums, masks, or toners.

Site search is an excellent place for trying out different cross-selling opportunities in addition to other website-wide strategies like product bundling, “people also buy” and other strategies.

Exploiting every sales channel on your e-store opens new growth opportunities.

Use these strategies to optimize your site search to leverage cross-selling opportunities and provide a better shopping experience for your customers.