Sell More Per Transaction: Simple Ways to Increase Your Average Basket Size

Basket size, (sometimes referred to as "average ticket") can tell you a lot about your retail business. For starters, the number of items they purchase can show you if you’re offering the correct assortment of goods for your customers. It can be an indicator if you are satisfying their needs. More importantly, you’ll know if you’re meeting your overall goals as a business owner.

Here are a few simple tactics to get them to buy more per transaction:

• Spread high-traffic items throughout the store
• Cross-merchandise complimentary items
• Offer some "retail-tainment" so you expose customers to new items they can buy
• Track your average basket size

How do you increase average basket size in retail?

The Most Effective Strategy: Retail Kitting

Kitting gives you the opportunity to sell clients something they may not have thought of, but they will thank you for later.

Unlike the classic upsell – placing magazines and gum by the cash register, or asking if they want “fries with that” – the concept of Kitting is to add value with additional, complementary items that the customer may not even know they need, but will benefit or enhance their original intended purchase.

For example, if your customer comes into your pet store and tells you they're buying a puppy for their child, you can prepare a “Puppy’s First Family” package as a kit.

This could include a puppy care book, a safe travel carrier, stain remover, chew toy, food, water dish, food dish, ball, collar, leash – and of course, a first dog bed.

Of course, this can work for much more complex sales. For instance, a fireplace may have some very specific parts that go with every sale.

You could even kit consumable or safety items with the rental of a piece of construction equipment.

So, instead of having your sales staff suggest one or two items off the top of their head - or worse, leaving purchase choices entirely to the consumer - your team presents as the experts on the topic and helps the consumer in the process.

After all, the general public may not know what items could be useful when you buy a puppy.

Or a snowblower (gloves, hat, boots, goggles, earplugs, hand warmers, gas can).

Or the first time they attempt an oil change ( oil, oil filter, socket set, oil filter wrench, drain pan, funnel, latex gloves, jack and jack stands or ramps)

You get the picture...

With a kit, you suddenly have a way to offer everything the customer potentially needs as one package.

Boost Profits With Built-In Kitting in Windward System Five

As a business owner, you can create one or more “package” of items that go together under one SKU.

"Kitting" is a Windward System Five on Cloud feature that automatically creates a sales SKU and pricing for a group of items.

Traditionally, kitting is used in hardware or furniture sales to ensure four table legs are paired and sold with a tabletop, or the right bulbs are easy to locate and sell with a particular light fixture.

However, there are also huge opportunities to use the kitting features built into in Windward System Five to create promotional kits that can really give your bottom line a boost by including the high-margin items you want to sell.

Benefits of Using Kitting in Windward System Five:

• Staff doesn’t need to remember specifics on the floor while they are busy
• Everything is included in one SKU, so no essential item is left behind
• It’s easy to offer a discount price on the kit, then inform the customer of the cost savings and the convenience of buying it all, all at once
• Kit together items from different suppliers and everything entered in your point-of-sale is automatically removed from inventory and updated across Windward System Five, including customer records, accounting, purchase orders, delivery, etc.
• Offer the “fries with that” package, i.e., one or two upsell items; as well as the “full meal deal” package, i.e., multiple items that go together. 

Merchandising & Marketing Tips for Kits

Final Takeaway