The holidays are fast approaching, which means holiday shoppers are on the hunt for last minute gift ideas. This is an opportune time for retailers to meet those needs and increase sales. That being said, smaller, add-on inventory items can have a surprisingly big impact on your bottom line and shouldn’t be overlooked this holiday season. The best part: live selling presents a festive and fun way to showcase upsell inventory and turn seasonal shoppers into repeat customers for years to come.
If you need some ideas for good inventory buys to address those holiday upsell items and cross sell opportunities, we’ve got them for you! Here’s a list of our top 6 picks for the holiday season.
Cold Weather Accessories
It’s hard to argue with the weather. Not all states are as cold as North Dakota (deemed “worst winter” on several lists), but the majority of the U.S. does indeed get quite chilly during the winter months. Herein lies an incredible opportunity to add cold weather accessories to your upsell strategy.
A beautiful thing about live shopping virtual events is the ability to style and promote entire outfits from head to toe. Unlike traditional product listings that only present a single item at a time, live sales give sellers the room to play with fashion in real time and showcase several ways a shopper can piece together an entire outfit—not just an individual item.
In this way, live selling presents ample room for suggesting cross sell items to keep your holiday shoppers warm: when showcasing a sweater, suggest a complimentary scarf. If promoting a puffer vest, suggest a long-sleeve tee to go underneath. Highlighting a winter jacket? A pair of gloves will go great with that coat. The apparel options are limitless: cozy socks, slippers, earmuffs, headbands, and anything thermal.
For brands that branch outside of clothing, consider an upsell of practical and useful everyday items. A branded mug or insulated thermos for coffee or hot cocoa; lip balm or lotion for dry skin during the frigid winter months; or a ladle or set of bowls just in time for soup season.
Self-Care Essentials
Given that New Year’s Day is right around the corner from the holiday shopping season, it’s safe to say that self-care merchandise presents a great opportunity to increase sales with the right cross sell approach. With New Year’s resolutions at the ready, retailers can play into the moment and offer products that speak to health and wellness.
Something that will never go out of style: skincare. The skincare market in the U.S. is set to hit $145 billion by 2028, proving it’s an incredibly lucrative cross sell opportunity for retailers. A bottle of face wash or overnight eye cream would round out a gift for a loved one when paired with a nice sweater or pair of boots, anything really. Lotions aside, facial rollers and massage tools like gua sha are huge in 2022 and give users a quiet, centered activity to do each morning or before bed. And who doesn’t love a little self-care moment provided by a bonus gift?
Jewelry
Jewelry is more popular than ever and serves as one of the best upsell items because it pairs well with everything, weighs next to nothing (which keeps shipping costs low), and does not require heavy lifting or take up much space to pack and get shipped off. When hosting live sales, think about which items jewelry will pair well with. If you’re selling a low-neck shirt or sweater, pair it with a long necklace. If you’re highlighting a lot of neutral items, maybe add some color and dimension with a fun pair of colorful earrings. Show your holiday shoppers how the jewelry pieces will pair with your other inventory items as extra incentive to tack on a little bling to their holiday orders.
Make-up
Make-up tutorials are incredibly popular right now across social media platforms and so are seasonal “looks” (festive eye shadow, that special red lip for the holidays, you name it). Similar to jewelry, make-up is small and relatively lightweight, making these items a perfect addition and upsell during your holiday live sales.
The best part about upselling make-up while hosting virtual live shopping events is the ability to host your own shoppable tutorials! It’s a win-win situation: everyone loves a tutorial, and with live selling, you can give holiday shoppers and Christmas shoppers what they want while selling inventory. Live selling and the beauty business are the perfect match and can help boost your sales this holiday season.
Electronics
Some of the best gifts are tech gifts—and almost everyone in your life, young or old, can appreciate being gifted some top-notch technology. Nearly 90% of those in the U.S. own a smartphone, which is great news for retailers. Cell phone cases are a great, lightweight, and relatively inexpensive item to upsell to your live sale shoppers. Cell phone chargers too come in all sorts of varieties, from standard plug-ins to charging docks that double as lamps. Stands that hold phones for the car, selfie sticks, tripod holders, the list is endless. These tech tools are a smart addition to your holiday inventory.
Smell Good Staples
Candles, soaps, room sprays, and essential oils, especially if you choose seasonal scents (think: warm apple cider or pumpkin spice for around November and cocoa mint, mulberry, or pine for December and into January), are a great add-on for holiday orders that anyone can appreciate. Scents are universal and don’t play favorites when it comes to age, gender, or style preference, so they are a safe bet when it comes to ordering inventory. Another bonus? Smell goods don’t age quickly or go out of style, so they’re a safe upsell bet to help round out your holiday orders!
Make the Most of Your Holiday Inventory
Holiday shoppers are always on the hunt for last minute gift ideas and the perfect package for their loved ones. As retailers, this time of year presents the perfect opportunity to move some upsell inventory and improve your cross sell strategy. From self-care essentials to smell good staples, there are endless ways to help shoppers find gifting success-–and increase your revenue—by incorporating the above-mentioned upsell items into your live selling strategy.
