How to Master Cross Selling on Amazon and Increase Your Average Order Value in 2025
With increased competition and changing consumer behaviors, relying solely on high-volume single-product transactions is no longer sufficient. Sellers must now focus on strategies that not only attract new customers but also increase the lifetime value of existing ones. One of the most effective and proven techniques to achieve this is mastering cross selling on Amazon.
Cross selling has become an indispensable tool for Amazon sellers aiming to boost their average order value (AOV) and overall profitability. Using Amazon’s internal algorithms and promotional tools, sellers can strategically position related or complementary products to buyers, encouraging them to add more items to their cart.
Understanding how cross selling on Amazon works, its benefits, potential pitfalls, and best practices will empower sellers to build a thriving business in today’s competitive marketplace.
What is Cross Selling on Amazon?
Cross selling on Amazon refers to the practice of promoting additional products to a customer based on their original purchase intent. Rather than focusing exclusively on the primary product, sellers present related items that complement the buyer’s needs.
This approach not only increases revenue per customer but also enhances the shopping experience by anticipating what the customer might require next. The cross-selling and upselling cross selling techniques are often confused, but while up selling encourages a buyer to purchase a more expensive version of a product, cross selling introduces an entirely different, yet relevant, item to the customer.
Amazon’s platform is engineered to automate much of the cross selling process through its product recommendation features, but sellers who master how to strategically implement and optimize cross selling stand to maximize their results significantly.
How Cross Selling on Amazon Works
Cross selling on Amazon functions through several highly visible placements throughout the buyer journey. Each offers a unique opportunity for sellers to influence purchasing decisions subtly yet effectively.
Frequently-Bought Together
The “Frequently Bought Together” section on Amazon product pages showcases items that are often purchased in tandem. This feature is entirely driven by Amazon’s data mining cross selling algorithms, analyzing historical purchase patterns to pair complementary products.
Sellers can optimize product pairings by encouraging buyers to purchase bundles and accessories together, increasing their visibility in this section.
Customers who Bought This also Bought
The “Customers who Bought This also Bought” section operates similarly but focuses on showcasing related products that are frequently purchased by buyers of the same primary item.
Understanding this algorithm allows sellers to identify which products to market together and adjust listing strategies accordingly.
Product Bundles
Product bundling remains a powerful tactic for cross selling. By grouping complementary items into a single package, sellers can create value propositions that encourage buyers to spend more while perceiving they are getting a better deal.
Amazon supports product bundles natively, allowing sellers to list bundles as single SKUs.
Amazon Ads and Sponsored Products
Amazon selling strategies today increasingly rely on Sponsored Products and Sponsored Display ads to amplify cross selling efforts. Sellers can promote complementary items through auto-targeting or manual targeting campaigns to ensure buyers come across related products throughout their browsing journey.
Checkout and Post-Purchase Offers
Amazon occasionally offers post-purchase promotions on the order confirmation page or through follow-up emails. Combining these touchpoints effectively can lead to additional sales even after the initial transaction is completed.
How to Recognise Cross Selling on Amazon?
Recognizing cross selling on Amazon often comes down to paying attention to the strategic placements of suggested products during browsing, on product detail pages, in cart recommendations, and after checkout.
Sellers who understand where and how these cross selling triggers appear can reverse-engineer their product strategies to fit Amazon’s algorithms better.
Cross Selling on Amazon vs. Upselling on Amazon: Conceptual Differences
Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, upselling on Amazon and cross-selling serve distinct purposes.
Upselling refers to encouraging a customer to buy a higher-end version of a product they are considering, while cross selling suggests complementary but separate products.
Knowing the difference between what is upsell and cross sale is crucial for building effective Amazon selling strategies tailored to customer behavior and expectations.
Benefits of Implementing Cross Selling on Amazon
Sellers who prioritize cross selling on Amazon gain several important advantages. They can significantly boost their average order value without necessarily having to drive new customer acquisition.
By offering value through complementary items, they enhance customer satisfaction, reduce abandoned cart rates, and build brand loyalty. Additionally, cross selling helps sellers maximize the visibility of their broader product catalog, improving inventory turnover rates.
Foundational Cross-Selling Practices To Boost Average Order Value
To succeed in cross selling, sellers must implement core best practices that go beyond simple product listing optimization.
Understand Your Customer Base
Deep knowledge of your customers is the foundation of successful cross sellings. Sellers should dive into buyer behavior data to determine purchasing patterns, product usage habits, and common accessory purchases.
Leverage Amazon Data
Amazon provides valuable analytics tools that sellers can use to analyze customer behavior. Using data mining cross selling practices ensures that sellers do not rely solely on assumptions but act on verified buyer insights.
Formulate In-depth Buyer Personas
Developing detailed buyer personas is essential for predicting what additional products a customer might find useful. Incorporating demographic data, purchase motivations, and buyer pain points results in more targeted and effective cross selling strategies.
Identify Rooted Pain Points
Sellers who take the time to understand the underlying problems customers face can recommend solutions beyond the primary purchase. Identifying these pain points enables effective positioning of complementary items.
Personalized Recommendations
The future of cross-selling and upselling hinges on personalization. Amazon’s recommendation algorithms are moving toward even more personalized product suggestions. Sellers must tailor their offers accordingly, customizing bundles, promotions, and ads to different customer segments.
Advanced Strategies for Cross Selling on Amazon
The most successful sellers do not stop at basic techniques. They employ advanced strategies to continually refine their cross-selling effectiveness.
Dynamic Pricing to Avoid Repetitive Sales Pattern
Dynamic pricing strategies allow sellers to adjust complementary product prices based on demand patterns, seasonality, and competitor behavior. This prevents inaction and keeps buyers engaged with fresh offers.
Run A/B Tests to Reach Best Potential of your Thriving Amazon Business
Testing different cross selling tactics through controlled A/B experiments allows sellers to fine tune their strategies based on real world performance data. Adjusting product bundles, pricing, and promotional messaging can yield significant improvements over time.
Offer Bundle Deals to Push Cross-Selling on Amazon
Creating attractive bundle deals can dramatically enhance cross selling success. Buyers perceive bundled products as offering better value, especially when bundles solve multiple customer needs in a single purchase.
Challenges of Cross Selling on Amazon
Despite the immense potential of cross selling, sellers must navigate some critical challenges to succeed sustainably.
Cannibalization of Sales
Improper cross selling can lead to cannibalizing sales of more profitable individual items. Sellers must be strategic in bundling and recommending items to enhance, not replace, core product sales.
Competition
Cross selling efforts can be diluted by competitors offering lower priced or similar complementary items. Sellers must consistently differentiate through branding, quality, and unique value propositions.
Value Estimation
Misjudging the perceived value of a cross sold product can detect customers rather than encourage higher spending. Understanding how buyers value each additional item is crucial to successful cross selling and upselling on Amazon.