February 22, 2023
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We talk to Cross-Sell app creator Steve Jones to find out more about this simple yet effective handpicked recommendations app.
Cross-Sell is a third party app for Shopify that allows store owners to handpick a unique set of related items for each product in their store. The related items can be placed anywhere on the product page, but the idea is to allow them to appear in a place that encourages additional purchases. The app also caters for a separate set of Cross-Sell items to appear on the cart/basket page to encourage additional purchases just prior to checkout.
Whilst building a store that required a finer level of control over related items, I read a Shopify article by Caroline Schnapp (a well regarded developer at Shopify) that demonstrated how to use metafields to store and output handpicked recommendations per product. The solution was solid, however I knew that my client didn't have the necessary technical expertise to manage the metafields. So I built a user interface, added some features and turned it into an app.
Most Shopify themes contain a 'Related Items' feature, however they offer little control over the products that are selected. There are also a number of apps offering smart, algorithm-based recommendations for either up-sell or cross-sell items, often based on browsing history or the basket content. Shop owners with a little technical expertise can also achieve similar functionality to Cross-Sell by using the excellent Metafields Editor app. However, all of these offer little customisation, thus not giving store owners the ability to handpick and display recommendations the way Cross-Sell does.
The main weakness of the app, as I see it, is the styling of the cross-sell items. Every Shopify theme or customisation that I have worked with approach the markup for related items in a slightly different way - therefore it’s just not possible to build an app that mirrors the shop owners’ site. However, the next major feature on the app’s roadmap is the ability for store owners to style the cross-sell items using the app.
Where structural tweaks to the markup are required, store owners often get in touch to request a change to the layout. More often than not I undertake this work free of charge, but if it involves a fair bit of work then there is a fee for bespoke customisations. Shop owners can choose to work with their own developers to amend the code and CSS to achieve their desired layout.
I have quite a long list of features on the roadmap, but the one that excites me the most is the ability to select product variants as cross-sell items, along with the ability to select which product image to display.
I'm constantly amazed at how store owners use Cross-Sell. I have seen it used to create outfits, highlight accessories for video cameras and even to suggest additional products 'For maximum pleasure...' on an adult toy site. I'm sure this new feature will open up yet more interesting implementations of the app.
The Cross-Sell app is available in the Shopify app store for $7 per month. There is an exclusive 30 day trial period for We Make Websites readers, and it’s free to use whilst the store is under development.
