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Carrie · 06-12-2003, 10:25 PM

I'm curious as to what brought up the thought that cross-sells might be going away? Is this just an extreme hypothetical or is there some basis for it?

Everywhere I look there are cross-sells, and I don't see them going anywhere - now or even in the far future.
But I think we need to make a clear distinction between cross-sells and forced cross-sells... meaning pre-checked boxes. I can see forced cross-sells going away.

Mainstream - everytime I get a name at GoDaddy.com I've got about ten cross-sells coming at me for hosting, email services, private domain protection, blah blah blah. Then I click past that and I get yet another two cross-sells offering me a pop-up blocker and another program - a traffic generator "get your site in the engines" kind of thing I think.
When you're registering domains regularly it does get annoying, but do I mind it? Nope.
If I noticed those boxes were ever pre-checked I'd be gone in a heartbeat, never to return. And even though I've been doing business with GoDaddy for a long time now and I know those boxes aren't going to be checked, I still look and make sure.

Amazon, Buy.com, all of the mainstream online sites I deal with - same thing. Cross-sells left and right.
Offline, even. I get to the counter at Best-Buy with my purchase and they're offering me additional insurance for nearly everything in my hands except perhaps the batteries.
7-11. I go in to get my cigarettes and piled around the cash register there's tons of little things for just a buck or two.
Just think of the aisles at Wal-Mart. All of those shelves filled with useless, cheap goodies - things you didn't know you needed until you saw them - to stare at while you're waiting to hand over your money.
Offline they call these upsells, but they're really the same thing as what we're discussing here - cross-sells. (In online terms upsell has a totally different meaning.)

It's not just the adult market using cross-sells, and the mainstream market is using it at a much more feverish and aggressive manner than adult has ever dared to do. But they're not forcing it, and that's the main issue.
Cross-sells will never go away (especially with so many large sites using it in an honest, non-forced way), but forced cross-sells just might. I'd love to see it.

As for what would happen if forced cross-sells went away? Many programs would fold. Payouts would drop sharply. The guys who are in it for the quick buck would hopefully leave - cuz $15 sure doesn't look as nice as $35 or $50. Trials would be gone on credit card instant access joins (may still be offered on check joins with "you'll get access once your check clears" delayed joins). Revshare would see a huge resurgence.

Bring it on, baby. I'd love to see it happen. Clean this place up a bit and yank those ugly weeds out of our yard making the rest of the industry look so bad.

06-12-2003, 10:25 PM
Carrie Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Virgin - nee Posts: 3,162	I'm curious as to what brought up the thought that cross-sells might be going away? Is this just an extreme hypothetical or is there some basis for it? Everywhere I look there are cross-sells, and I don't see them going anywhere - now or even in the far future. But I think we need to make a clear distinction between cross-sells and forced cross-sells... meaning pre-checked boxes. I can see forced cross-sells going away. Mainstream - everytime I get a name at GoDaddy.com I've got about ten cross-sells coming at me for hosting, email services, private domain protection, blah blah blah. Then I click past that and I get yet another two cross-sells offering me a pop-up blocker and another program - a traffic generator "get your site in the engines" kind of thing I think. When you're registering domains regularly it does get annoying, but do I mind it? Nope. If I noticed those boxes were ever pre-checked I'd be gone in a heartbeat, never to return. And even though I've been doing business with GoDaddy for a long time now and I know those boxes aren't going to be checked, I still look and make sure. Amazon, Buy.com, all of the mainstream online sites I deal with - same thing. Cross-sells left and right. Offline, even. I get to the counter at Best-Buy with my purchase and they're offering me additional insurance for nearly everything in my hands except perhaps the batteries. 7-11. I go in to get my cigarettes and piled around the cash register there's tons of little things for just a buck or two. Just think of the aisles at Wal-Mart. All of those shelves filled with useless, cheap goodies - things you didn't know you needed until you saw them - to stare at while you're waiting to hand over your money. Offline they call these upsells, but they're really the same thing as what we're discussing here - cross-sells. (In online terms upsell has a totally different meaning.) It's not just the adult market using cross-sells, and the mainstream market is using it at a much more feverish and aggressive manner than adult has ever dared to do. But they're not forcing it, and that's the main issue. Cross-sells will never go away (especially with so many large sites using it in an honest, non-forced way), but forced cross-sells just might. I'd love to see it. As for what would happen if forced cross-sells went away? Many programs would fold. Payouts would drop sharply. The guys who are in it for the quick buck would hopefully leave - cuz $15 sure doesn't look as nice as $35 or $50. Trials would be gone on credit card instant access joins (may still be offered on check joins with "you'll get access once your check clears" delayed joins). Revshare would see a huge resurgence. Bring it on, baby. I'd love to see it happen. Clean this place up a bit and yank those ugly weeds out of our yard making the rest of the industry look so bad. Last edited by Carrie; 06-12-2003 at 10:28 PM..