Can Digital Displays Help You to Upsell to Customers

Upselling is a technique taught to most salespeople:

"Oh, I've been considering getting this cell phone myself. It takes gorgeous photos. The photos are even better if you add this lens. See how it attaches? It even lets you take action shots!"

But what if you could increase the amount you upsell - without having to hire and train more salespeople?

You can. With your store's digital displays.

Retail stores have been adding digital displays to their footprints for years now. As technology advances, the ways we can use those digital displays in our business expand. Those ways include upselling and cross-selling.

Create a Sense of Urgency

You're shopping online. You see an item you've considered buying before. The difference is now there's a text box below the item description informing you that only one is left in stock.

Maybe you still haven't decided if the item is what you need. But now you're worried it won't be there when you make your decision, so you buy it anyway.

That is how creating a sense of urgency works. Here are some other scenarios you can use instead:

• Do you have a sale or bonus offer that's ending? Use your digital signage to remind customers that deals are going away...and might not return anytime soon.
• Is a holiday or special event approaching? You might offer a countdown on your digital signage: 11 Shopping Days Left Until Mother's Day!
• When will your next shipment arrive? Even if you still have a good amount of stock, inform customers that it'll be two months before a new truck comes.

Show the Product in Use

This is particularly easy to do if you sell clothing items - show a model wearing a complete outfit. You may even consider adding a map to direct the customer to each item's location in the store.

But you can use this tactic for more than clothing:

• If you sell tools, present a list of everything the customer may need with, say, their new drill.
• If the customer is buying a car, show the benefits of all-weather mats or your extended service plan.
  
  
• If the customer is comparing financial services, provide an interactive quiz that shows their options and explains the benefits of each.

"You May Also Like..."

Or "Customers also buy..." Your online shopping experiences may have also exposed you to this technique.

You're reading a product description. The sidebar shows you three or four items similar or complementary to the product you're considering.

Your digital signage can also do this. If set up in your cookware department near pots, your display may also show the items that complete the set of your most popular pot. Or, a grocery store may show a recipe (with all foods and cookware items needed) that uses the pot instead.

Utilize Beacon Technology

Beacon technology allows digital signage and mobile devices to work together. Beacon works by recognizing a returning customer's mobile device when they enter the area in the store with the beacon signal.

The beacon is connected to customer relationship management (CRM) software. The software sends information about this customer to the digital display. The digital display then shows content relevant to the customer as she walks by.

For example, your CRM knows this particular customer looked at a pair of boots on your website. She didn't buy, though. The digital signage might show the boots with a ticker showing that the sale price of the boots is ending soon. Or that there are only three pairs left in the store.

Complete the Customer Experience