15 examples of cross-selling by homeware and DIY retailers

Online homeware and DIY retailers are tapping into a significant trend: houses are never truly “done.” With endless gadgets to buy, fixes to tackle, and spaces to spruce up, the potential for cross-selling is a game changer in eCommerce.

Retailers can leverage this by using promotions and offers that resonate with consumer behavior, ultimately driving revenue and boosting conversions.

What’s a stellar example of cross-selling in action?

Let’s dive in!

What’s cross-selling for homeware and DIY retailers?

Cross-selling involves suggesting complementary products based on customers' interests. For instance, if someone picks up a hammer, why not recommend some nails?

Or if they're buying kitchen units, a shiny new sink or tap could finalize the deal. There’s almost always a perfect pair for every item on a customer's list.

Impulse buys thrive in the homeware and DIY sector. Have you ever entered a hardware store with one item and left with a cart full? We've all been there!

The challenge for eCommerce sellers is to recreate that enticing atmosphere online through effective testing and optimization.

What’s upselling for homeware and DIY retailers?

While cross-selling focuses on adding more products to the cart, upselling encourages customers to purchase higher-priced versions of what they already consider.

Here are a few examples:

• Paint: Suggest a premium option in the same color, showcasing better durability or finish.
• Lighting: Recommend upgraded versions of the fixtures they're browsing.
• Curtains: Offer options with desirable features like blackout or thermal properties.

Today, we will focus on cross-selling and how homeware and DIY retailers can enhance their average order value (AOV) through personalized marketing strategies.

By utilizing segmentation and loyalty programs, businesses can create tailored offers that drive repeat purchases and improve customer retention.

Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work! Optimizing your online shopping experience is crucial for boosting conversion rates and ensuring customers return for more.

Leveraging machine learning for business growth and profit has never been easier.

Homeware and DIY examples

‍Example #1 – Dunelm – Shop the collection

Like many homeware retailers, Dunelm has furnishings that form part of collections. 

Clicking on a cushion and scrolling down the product page brings up recommendations for items in the same range. Like in a store, the suggestions put everything in the right place.

‍Example #2 – Bed Bath and Beyond – Matches well with

Outdoor furniture is a product category with almost endless cross-selling opportunities. We decided to test Bed Bath and Beyond’s strategy for a premium seating set.

All of these recommendations are useful – from the furniture covers for our new purchase to the fireplaces to sit right beside it. 

We also like the ‘sales and deals’ tile on the selections. It suggests that if the price is right, we might buy extra impulse.

Example #3 – Ikea – Using data and experience 

Homeware and DIY retailers generally use two types of cross-selling strategies. More often than not, we see a rack of suggestions that ‘customers also bought’ or something along the lines of ‘products that go with your cart.’ 

The first option relies solely on data but can offer interesting suggestions. The second is more about the retailer’s opinion on what goes with our cart, which can be curated.  

Ikea hits a compromise between what it feels will go well with our office storage unit while displaying products people buy. 

Two racks of scrollable suggestions provide lots to consider. We like the extra options here. 

Example #4 – The White Company – Viewed products

We decided to head for the premium market next with a visit to The White Company. 

When viewing a product, we saw a list of alternatives to consider. When heading to the checkout with a side table in our cart, we were met with recommendations of items that would sit nicely on top of it.

The checkout can be an underutilized area for cross-selling recommendations. However, just about every physical store has a selection of items right next to where you pay. The White Company makes full use of the last possible chance to cross-sell.

Example #5 – DIY.com – All we need 

We love it when recommendations come as a set. When we view wood preserver at DIY.com, we recommend a brush to apply it.

The extra touch of DIY.com, totaling the price, clarifies everything we need to know here. Plus, we can get both suggested items by clicking the same button, making it simple.

Example #6 – Sam’s Club – Going big

Some retailers prefer to deliver subtle recommendations to avoid interrupting the path to conversion. Sam’s Club goes much bigger than some of our other examples with a striking overlay, but we like the boldness.

The primary advice is to keep your recommendations relevant. We added a mattress to the cart and saw the correct-size suggestions of beds and bedding. They wouldn't have gone down well if these weren’t linked to our purchase. 

Example #7 – Laura Ashley – Mix and match

There is nothing wrong with using a deal to land a much bigger order. By doing so, your discount works harder and delivers incremental revenue. 

In this example, Laura Ashley lets us choose the item to purchase alongside our TV unit, with a multi-buy reward of 10% off.

Personalized product recommendations are always welcomed, but deals can increase your AOV differently.

Example #8 – Wayfair – Low-value recommendations

It would seem logical to recommend expensive extras to someone spending nearly $1,000 on a top-of-the-range air fryer. We could add Ninja pans to our order, increasing the cost. But there’s something more tactical about Wayfair’s approach. 

The recommendations of boxes to hold food and the budget-level chopping board remind us of the inexpensive but no less inviting items that tend to be featured close to the checkout in a physical store.

As this is the virtual checkout, we think shoppers are far more likely to add these to their cart than something more expensive, requiring much more consideration. Brilliant stuff, Wayfair!  

‍Example #9 – Target – Shop the look

‘Shop the look’ is more commonly associated with fashion than homeware and DIY. But Target, of all retailers, uses it to good effect here.

We place a cabinet in our cart and receive suggestions from items that would go well with our purchase. It’s ideal for those moving into a new home worried about disjointed interior design.

‍Example #10 – Home Depot – Filling in the user journey gaps

From cabinets to cement, we needed to cover all the bases! 

When creating these lists, we always try to imagine ourselves as someone who comes to a retailer with a specific product in mind. Here, we’re going to Home Depot in search of cement and using it for the first time. 

We were delighted to see the retailer recommend the essentials, such as a trowel, acrylic fortifier, and a product for fixing cracks.

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After seeing these, we wanted to test the accuracy of Home Depot’s other recommendations. Clicking onto the acrylic produced another rack of suggestions – this time more relevant to someone trying to fix a specific area.

The UX and design here are not too fancy; they are more Amazon-like, simple, but effective. Still, it shows that even some of the less glamorous corners of the home improvement world have some form of cross-selling. 

Example #11 – Lowe’s – Service recommendations

Lowe’s offers just about everything under one roof, so we figured this was the best place to test a cross-selling play on a high-ticket item without accessories.

When adding a refrigerator to our cart, we recommend a ‘haul away’ service to remove our old items. There’s also a ‘protection’ service to provide peace of mind if we need to repair our new purchase.

We like how these recommendations are given instantly rather than at the checkout, which helps us get in the purchasing mindset. 

Example #12 - CB2 - Multiple recommendation types

Another compelling example of serving different types of recommendations can be found at CB2. We place a set of drawers in our cart and see recommendations for other items in the same collection. Then, we get a ‘complete the look’ section with smaller items to match our purchase style.

Data comes into play with products that ‘people also viewed’. Finally, here’s a reminder about the items we’ve viewed previously, just in case we want to revisit them. 

This product page's sleek design makes the recommendations easier to digest rather than too extreme.

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Example #13 - Floor and Decor - Creates a project

Laying a floor is a typical DIY job that must attract its fair share of amateurs. To help its customers with their projects, Floor and Decor cross-sells with tools they will likely need.

We also noticed a handy ‘save my project’ button above the recommendations—ideal for a highly considered purchase like this one. 

Example #14 - Loaf - A reason to continue shopping

Premium homeware retailer Loaf has a great way of plugging its mattresses into customers who are shopping for beds. We’re on a product page for the latter, and while a mattress could be of interest, there’s every chance we’d look for this elsewhere. 

The brand decides against recommending a line of mattresses (which will all look pretty similar) and chooses to include a note about its 100-day trial on these products.

It’s all down to comfort with mattresses, so this is the right message to cross-sell the customer in this scenario.

Example #15 - Argos - Getting us thinking

This is a really basic recommendation, but it’s the right one. When we add garden storage to our trolley at Argos, we are reminded to buy a lock for it.

There’s a recommendation for a specific product and a plug for the category in case we want to assess our options. Argos makes a great tactical move by suggesting a low-value yet highly relevant item.