Cross-sells in Nitro's in-app checkout: +21% average order value
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsNitro added cross-sells and multi-license options to the in-app purchase flow for Nitro Pro, and reported a 22% rise in cross-sell revenue and a 21% rise in average order value.
Nitro ran this change itself, working with its ecommerce vendor Cleverbridge, and it was published as a MarketingSherpa case study.
It is a before-and-after comparison, not a split test.
- Cross-sell revenue: +22% after the add-ons went live.
- Average order value: +21%, so buyers spent more per purchase.
- These are before-and-after figures, so other changes over the same period may have played a part.
The change
The variant adds software assurance, a backup CD and multi-license options before checkout.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The in-app purchase flow sold one thing: a single Nitro Pro license.
Variant
The product selection pop-up added software assurance and a backup CD as cross-sells, plus the option to buy multiple licenses, with tuned messaging and placement in the funnel.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Many buyers already wanted a backup CD or software assurance, so the flow now offered what they were looking for.
- Small teams could buy several licenses on the spot instead of calling sales for a purchase under $1,000.
- The add-ons appeared inside the same in-app flow, so taking one cost almost no extra effort.
Caveats: This is a before-and-after comparison, not an A/B test, and sample size and duration were not shared. The data is from 2014.
Who ran it
Nitro ran this test and published the results (MarketingSherpa case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Nitro →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we offer relevant add-ons and multi-seat options in the purchase flow, then average order value will rise because some buyers already want them and would otherwise buy elsewhere or not at all.
- Primary metric
- Average order value
- Guardrails
- Checkout conversion rate
- Refund rate on add-ons
- Support contacts per order
- Who should test it
- SaaS and desktop software sellers with self-serve checkout and add-ons that buyers already ask for. It probably won't help if your add-ons are weak or your buyers mostly go through sales.
Questions
Do cross-sells in a software checkout raise order value?
They can. Nitro reported a 21% rise in average order value after adding add-ons to its in-app checkout, though this was a before-and-after comparison.
Should a self-serve flow sell multiple licenses?
Nitro found trial users were willing to buy several licenses in the app instead of contacting sales.
If your small-team deals are low in value, letting buyers self-serve is worth testing.
Can cross-sells hurt conversion?
Yes, extra choices can slow buyers down. Watch checkout conversion alongside order value when you add them.