Cross-Selling

Cross-selling is the backbone of marketing and sales. Find out what cross selling means, and how to get started.

What is Cross-Selling?

Cross-selling is when a customer buys products and services related to their original purchase based on a brand’s suggestion.

When a store clerk recommends a pair of socks to go with the shoes you're buying, that's cross-selling. Amazon cross sells with its "customers who bought this also bought" and "frequently bought together" sections. And the offer on that drink to go with your meal? That's cross-selling, too.

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Cross-selling vs. upselling

Cross-selling gets customers to buy additional or related products to their original purchase, to increase business revenue and the average order value per user. Upselling convinces a customer to upgrade their original choice at a higher cost.

Say you switch to a Pro version of a smartphone after a recommendation from the vendor. That's an up-sell. If you buy a leather case for your phone at checkout, that would be considered a cross-sell.

With a customer engagement solution like Twilio Engage, you can better identify these opportunities for cross-selling or upselling depending on the user's behavioral and purchase history (among other traits).

Frequently asked questions