Upsell, Down-Sell & Cross-Sell Your Online Courses

If you want to stay competitive in the e-learning industry, consider focusing on finding new ways to boost revenue and deliver added value to your learners.

Upsell

With upselling you aim to persuade a customer to buy a more expensive or premium version of a product they are already interested in purchasing.

The goal is to increase the value of the customer’s purchase by offering upgrades or additional features that enhance their experience or provide more benefits.

Here’s the 21-Day Hip Opening Challenge, a front offer emphasizing the convenience and accessibility of the program, making it appealing to individuals looking to improve their fitness levels within a specific timeframe.

As customers progress through the purchasing journey, their barrier to entry is lowered with the enticing price of $69, along with the opportunity to save $30.

Many learners add the program to their cart and proceed to checkout, focused solely on this initial purchase.

However, the true effectiveness of the upsell strategy becomes evident after customers have already committed to their initial purchase. Once they have provided their payment information and completed their order, they have demonstrated a willingness to become a customer.

At this point, presenting an upsell offer is incredibly effective. With just one click, learners can add an additional offer, like a $295 program, to their purchase.

Since they have already completed the necessary steps and shown intent to buy, the simplicity of one-click upsells makes it easy for them to justify adding on to their initial purchase.

Essentially, the hard word of convincing them to commit has already been done and so the one-click upsell takes advantage of this by offering a seamless and convenient way to enhance their purchase.

Cross-sell

Cross-selling is the practice of offering complementary or related products to customers who are already buying something else.

The idea is to encourage customers to add additional items to their purchase that complement the main product or enhance its usefulness, increasing the total value of the sale.

Here’s a solid example of a cross-sell strategy.

The brand is offering customers an additional product to complement their ongoing purchase at a discounted rate in the same price range.

The inclusion of bonuses adds value and helps persuade customers to consider the offer.

Order Bump

An order bump is a small, additional offer presented to customers during checkout. It’s typically a low-cost or discounted item related to the product being purchased.

The purpose of an order bump is to encourage impulse purchases and increase the average order value by enticing customers to add an extra item to their cart before completing the transaction.

Check out a compelling order bump below:

The brand is offering customers a chance to take their learning to the natural next step with a product designed to build upon what they’ve learned.

What the brand is communicating to the customers via this order bump is that they could grab the opportunity to continue their learning journey at half the price.

Benefits of Upselling, Cross-selling and Order Bumps

Incorporating upselling, cross-selling and order bumps into your course sales tactics increases the average order value which in turn directly impacts your revenue generation and profitability.

Higher average order value means each customer is spending more, which can lead to increased revenue without necessarily needing to acquire more customers.

Shortening Sales Cycle

By presenting relevant offers at checkout, you can capitalize on the customer’s existing intent to purchase, effectively shortening the sales cycle.

Speeding Up Cash Flow

Upselling, cross-selling and order bumps can help you generate additional revenue from each transaction, leading to increased cash flow.

Remember these offers are presented at the point of sale, so they have the potential to immediately impact cash flow without the need for additional marketing or sales efforts.

Boosting Customer Engagement

Offering relevant upsells, cross-sells and order bumps means you’re engaging your customers in a more personalized way, showing that you understand their needs and preferences.

Are Upsells, Cross-sells and Order Bumps for You?

Diverse Product Offers

If you have a range of complementary products, then you can effectively implement upselling, cross-selling and order bumps to maximize sales.

Proactive Marketing Approach

If you are proactive in promoting additional educational resources or upgrades during the sales process, then upsells, cross-sells and order bumps are something you should consider.

Understanding Customer Needs

If you have been putting in time and effort to understand your customers’ needs and interests, you’re in a great position to tailor upselling, cross-selling and order bumps offers to provide maximum value and relevance.

Street Photography Brand – Upsell & Order Bump Example

Let’s take the example of a Street Photography Brand with 4 main products:

Street Photography Masterclass $300
Lightroom Editing Course $100
Preset Pack $50
Location guide $30

The brand uses the Lightroom Editing Course as an attractive front product, offering customers an entry point into its offers with valuable training on editing techniques.

The Location Guide order bump complements the Lightroom Editing Course, providing additional value to the learner’s overall photography experience.

Further, the brand introduces a Street Photography Masterclass. This presents customers with the opportunity to further develop their skills and knowledge, driving additional revenue to the brand.

Finally, offering a downsell option – the Preset Pack – ensures customers who decline the upsell can still purchase a complementary product at a discount price, maximizing revenue.

Each offer in the funnel is strategically designed to complement the others, creating a cohesive and engaging customer experience.

No Money Left on the Table

Each upsell or downsell offer represents a chance to increase the average order value and generate additional revenue without significantly increasing customer acquisition costs.

Comprehensive Product Ecosystem

By offering a range of products, such as courses, guides and presets, for example, you can create a comprehensive ecosystem catering to various needs and preferences within your respective niche.

Position each product to serve a specific purpose and address a different aspect of the customer’s journey, ensuring that no potential revenue streams are overlooked.

Strategic Pricing

Carefully design the pricing strategy for each product to appeal to different segments of your target audience so that you can maximize accessibility and affordability.

Price your front-end offers attractively to capture a wide audience, while upsell and downsell offers provide options for customers with different budgets and levels of commitment.

How to Get Started with Your Upsells, Cross-sells and Order Bumps

Choose an E-learning Platform

Start by selecting an e-learning platform that supports upselling, cross-selling and order bump features.

Platforms like Kajabi, Teachable and ClickFunnels offer built-in functionality for creating and managing these offers.

Set Up Your Main Offer

Create your main offer, such as a flagship course or training program, and set up the sales page on your chosen e-learning platform. This will serve as a front-end product in your funnel.

Configure Order Bump Offers

Use the order bump feature provided by your e-learning platform to add supplementary products or bonuses to the checkout process.

Here you can include additional courses, downloadable resources or access to exclusive content.

Design Upsell and Cross-sell Offers

Create upsell and cross-sell offers to present to customers. Ensure these offers are relevant and complementary to the main product.

Customize Offer Sequences

Customize the sequence in which upsell and cross-sell offers are presented to customers based on their behavior and preferences.

For example, you may choose to offer a higher–priced upsell first, followed by a lower-priced cross-sell offer.

Learn and Optimize

Continuously test different offers, pricing strategies and sequences to optimize the performance of your strategy.

Specialized Software

Look for software that offers flexibility in terms of customization options, pricing structures and offer sequencing, allowing you to tailor your strategies to meet the unique needs of your business.

Some examples include: ThriveCart, FunnelKit for WordPress or Zipify for Shopify.

Ease of Use

Your software of choice should be user-friendly and intuitive so that you can build and manage your offers with minimal technical expertise.

Integration

Ensure that the software integrates seamlessly with your existing e-learning platform or website, as well as with other essential tools such as payment processors and email marketing software.

Reporting

Opt for software that offers comprehensive reporting so that you can track the performance of your offers in real-time and optimize it.

Conclusion

Implementing upselling, cross-selling and order bumps in your e-learning platform strategy is essential for maximizing revenue and enhancing the customer experience.

Strategically offer complementary products and add-ons throughout the customer journey so that you can increase the transaction value and ensure optimal monetization.