Smart brands are always looking for new ways to move the needle on revenue growth, including by highlighting best-selling products at different points during the shopping journey.
Here’s something that might surprise you: Customers’ purchasing intent actually peaks right after they place an order. By then, any doubts about buying are long gone, they’re excited to have made a purchase, and they’re often ready to buy even more.
That’s where Recharge’s new post-purchase cross-sells come in. They’re the perfect way to lean into that excitement and get just one more thing into an order.
Here are our 5 favorite ways to use post-purchase offers to drive bigger orders and convert more subscribers—the perfect recipe for revenue growth.
Key takeaways
- Customers are most inclined to buy products right after they've already bought something else, making post-purchase cross-sells a smart way for brands to grow sales.
- Post-purchase cross-sells have tons of applications, like highlighting your best sellers or moving through seasonal inventory.
1. Spotlight perfect pairings
Sometimes 1+1=3—like when a serum and a moisturizer deliver better results together than solo. When one of your products can help customers get even more out of something they already have, it’s a win for them and for your bottom line.
And cross-selling isn’t limited to subscription products. It works for one-time purchases too, making them the perfect way to expose more of your catalog and create fun product combinations.
Put it into practice
These pairings work best when they’re super specific—use as many “if this, then that” conditions as you need to show exactly the right offers to the right shoppers.
Then, customize the copy on each offer page to highlight the benefits of that product combo. Hyper-personalization, automated.
Example
Sarah buys a cleanser from a skincare brand she recently discovered. She receives a post-purchase offer for its complementary toning pads, which highlights the benefits of using the two products together for the clearest possible skin.
2. Make sure everyone knows about your hero product
If you have a product that all your customers rave about, it would be a shame for a new customer not to know about it. Make sure they do by showing off its popularity in a post-purchase offer.
Put it into practice
Set up a simple post-purchase offer that showcases your best seller to any customer who checks out without it.
Spruce up the offer page’s copy with keywords like “customer favorite” or “award-winning” for social proof, then sweeten the deal with a discount—20% off is very effective, if it makes sense for your margins.
Example
A supplement brand is best known for its greens powder. When Jordan places an order for a collagen supplement, he is shown a post-purchase offer for the greens powder, which highlights that it’s received over 1,000 5-star reviews.
3. Stock up at a discount
There are some things it’s best not to run out of: toilet paper, your dog’s favorite treats, whichever protein bar best keeps you out of the hangry zone.
And while subscriptions are a great way to replenish the essentials, sometimes it makes sense to have an emergency stash. Offering customers a deal on a little stockpile of their latest purchase means better value for you, too.
Put it into practice
Set up a post-purchase offer that shows customers the same product they just bought, along with some custom copy about stocking up.
Consider offering a slightly higher discount than you normally might—they likely just bought this product at full price and may need a little more motivation to double down. This kind of offer works best for one-time purchases.
Example
Maya regularly orders bags of coffee from her favorite roaster. Because she travels frequently for work, she sticks to one-time orders because it always takes her a different amount of time to get through the bag.
But last month, she got home from a trip to find that she barely had enough for one cup left. So when she placed an order to restock and received a post-purchase offer for a second bag at 30% off, she jumped on the opportunity to have an extra bag on hand.
4. Highlight limited-release products
It’s hard to say no to anything peppermint mocha during the winter. But those seasonal products get far less appealing as spring approaches, and you don’t want to waste excess inventory.
Post-purchase offers on seasonal products are a great way to give them an extra little push.
Put it into practice
Set up a post-purchase offer for the limited-release item to any customer who checks out without it. Lean into seasonality and exclusivity with your offer page content to create some urgency.
Just make sure to swap these offers out as the seasons change so you’re not accidentally pushing pumpkin spice in July.
Example
A pet brand makes a dog treat advent calendar for the holidays. When Jenna buys some gifts for her fellow dog-parent siblings during the brand’s Black Friday sale, she gets a post-purchase offer for the advent calendar and adds it to her order as a little treat for her own pup. One more holiday gift crossed off the list!
5. Get them to sample something new
A “sure, why not?” purchase now could turn into a subscription down the line. Use post-purchase offers on sample products to give customers a low-stakes way to try new products—and maybe buy even more of them later. It’s playing the long game.
Put it into practice
Offer a sample-size product or trial pack to any customer who didn’t purchase the full-size version of that product. You might even sway some customers into spending more over time by offering them higher-margin products than they usually buy.
If your margins allow it, consider offering the sample product for free, charging only for shipping. And don’t forget to follow up with those customers and encourage them to add a full-size version to their next order.
Example
Henry places an order for a protein powder from a brand that a friend recommended. After checking out, he gets a post-purchase offer for a sample pack of immunity shots. Since he’s on a health kick and the sample pack is a good deal, he adds them to his order.
The next month, before his subscription to the protein powder renews, he gets an offer to add a 12-pack of the immunity shots to his subscription. Since he loved them the first time, he decides to subscribe to both products moving forward.
Ready to grow your orders—and subscribers?
You can set up post-purchase offers on Recharge in minutes with Post-Purchase Cross-Sells. Take advantage of the moment that customers are most likely to say yes with strategic post-purchase offers.
With customizable offer logic, conversion-boosting page elements, and frictionless purchasing flows—all in the same place that you already manage your subscription business—it’s easier than ever to watch your revenue grow.
