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As a consumer, I can usually sniff out marketing gimmicks which are encouraging me to spend more than I wanted. In today’s economy, I try to avoid these consumer traps, like not biting on a promotion that requires me to buy an extra item I didn’t need or really want in the first place. But every now and again, I come across a so-called gimmick that is actually quite helpful for me in trying to be a smart shopper.

One such feature is similar product suggestions. Amazon.com does this so well that there’s many an item I’ve purchased by clicking on these links. Being a foodie, the other day I found myself looking for cookbooks on Asian noodles. Now I don’t know much about Asian cookbook authors, but it wasn’t hard for a search on the topic to take me to a relevant result. A quick glance at the description and reviews gives me a feel for whether or not this is what I’m looking for. And the best part? If it’s not what I’m looking for, Amazon has already suggested alternate products. No need to click on the back button and return to the search results. Nope, I can go straight to what Amazon suggested and so often, going down this trail will eventually help me land on just what I was looking for.

Of course not all consumers are as savvy. For other consumers, suggesting similar, alternative, or corresponding products is just the trick to get them put a little bit more in their shopping cart. This is not unlike going to the grocery store and while you’re looking for graham crackers in the cracker and cookie aisle, a standalone display is in the middle of the aisle selling marshmallows and chocolate bars. Perhaps s’ mores were not on the menu, but all of a sudden this doesn’t seem like a bad idea. The same can be said for ecommerce stores selling clothing, shoes, and accessories. A shopper just looking for a blouse may add some matching pants and shoes when they’re displayed alongside the blouse.

Since cross selling is not a new marketing strategy, I’m so glad that Ignify eCommerce platform offers this feature out of the box. What a simple way to enhance the customer’s shopping experience while bringing in more sales to your store. Details of how to setup cross selling can be found in the Ignify eCommerce user manual.

Let me just point out a few helpful features in the latest version of Ignify eCommerce v4.0.8.

• Quick View – This allows customers to view details about the product and add the item to their cart – all without leaving the product they were on.
  
• A scrollable module so that you can include more products than can fit on the screen. These products can also be custom sorted.
• Customizable templates. Your Ignify eCommerce team can work with you on the best template to fit your needs. Perhaps displaying the price or more product details is necessary, or maybe you want to show smaller images in order to fit more products in the display.

Since the Ignify eCommerce platform is always being enhanced and improved upon, let me just mention a couple places where there is room for improvement.

• The ability to import values en masse from a spreadsheet through the Import Manager. This would be a great help to store managers in ensuring that all products have related products assigned. It takes time to consider what the most appropriate products to suggest are, but at the very least, having something set up is better than nothing. It can only introduce the possibility of increased sales.
• The ability to track how many sales were generated as a result of cross sell clicks and eventual purchases. A store manager is always looking to see what generates sales, and seeing the value of this feature helps to know how much time to devote towards maintaining the cross selling items.

If you’re not taking advantage of this feature, talk with your implementation team about getting this setup. It’s a simple tool that adds easy value for both the consumer and the seller.

This post is written by Katie Lee. Katie is the eCommerce Support Team Lead in the eCommerce Practice at Ignify. Ignify is a Global Microsoft Dynamics Inner Circle Partner specializing in ecommerce for Retail, Distribution, and Manufacturing businesses. Ignify has been included as the fastest growing business in North America for 3 years in a row by Deloitte, Inc Magazine and Entrepreneur Magazine.