What is an upgrade and how can it improve your customers’ shopping experience?

Whether you’re checking in for a flight or at a hotel, hearing that you have been upgraded is synonymous with instantaneous joy!

But are upgrades only advantageous for customers?

To answer this and other questions, keep reading. 

In this post, we’ll show you what an upgrade is, how this strategy is positive for your customers’ shopping experience and in the end, you’ll find 5 tips on how to create a profitable upgrade offer.

Stay with me!

What is an upgrade?

The term upgrade is synonymous with updates or improvements. 

It’s quite common to hear about upgrades in the area of computers. Think of your cellphone for example. 

Sometimes you will see a system update (or upgrade) message and this is exactly what it means: a newer version of the system you already use.

However, the term isn’t only restricted to technology.

Nowadays, when you buy an airline ticket or book a hotel, you can pay an extra fee for those products and ask for an upgrade so that your experience can be more fulfilling and unique.

With this, the concept of sales upgrades emerged, which is basically quite similar to the examples above.

As a Producer, you can offer upgrades to customers who want a unique experience or an even better product than the one they have purchased.

In short, an upgrade is the addition or even the exchange of a product for something newer or better.

How do upgrades improve the shopping experience?

Nowadays, selling only once isn’t enough. It is important to win over your customers so that they’ll come back and shop again.

Besides, having people talk about you is essential, because they’re the ones to recommend your product to other people.

In order to make this happen, you need to delight your audience. There’s nothing better than delivering a high-quality product that truly solves your customers’ pain.

But it is still possible to go beyond and improve the shopping experience.

When you offer an upgrade, you show that you are making an improvement to your product, which already had your audience’s approval.

This makes the shopping experience better because people realize that you aren’t only concerned about creating a product, but also upgrading it so that it is always the best solution they could purchase.

5 tips on how to create an upgrade strategy

Now that you understand what an upgrade is, and the importance of this strategy both for you and your audience, we’ve listed 5 tips to help you plan your product upgrade.

Check them out!

1. Talk to your audience

This might sound obvious, but many people neglect this step.

It is every important to talk to the people who have already bought your product in order to understand their perception. By doing so, you can know exactly what you still need to improve.

So, ask for feedback and keep a communication channel open so that people can criticize and make suggestions about your product.

2. Study your competitors

Besides analyzing your audience’s criticism and suggestions, also monitor your competition.

When you observe what other Producers in your segment are doing, you can get ideas on how to improve your product.

But be very careful when analyzing your competitors!

We aren’t saying that you should copy what other people are doing, since this wouldn’t be good for your audience and even less for your image.

However, it’s a good idea to know what other people are doing so you can understand if your product really meets the market’s requirements. 

3. Identify market trends

If you don’t get any feedback from your customers, a good option so you can understand the type of upgrade you can offer is identified in your market’s standards.

This sounds a bit like the previous tip, but let me explain the difference.

When we refer to the market, we’re talking about everything that is happening on the internet and not only in your area of operation.

Have you noticed how gamification has become a trend for online courses?

If you still haven’t tested this teaching method, you might want to upgrade your product and add a few online games in order to keep up with the market trends. 

4. Upgrade your product

With all of the information gathered, it’s time to update your product.

These improvements can come in many ways:

• More complete content
• The development of a new technology
• A new format of material to delight your audience
• An update that will make your course faster or with improved didactics
• Another course that complements the information of material already purchased by your customer and that can be purchased at a lower price.

There are several options! The important thing here is to use your creativity and develop something that really offers an upgrade for your audience. 

5. Advertise your upgrade 

There’s no pint in making improvements to your product if people don’t hear about them.

Therefore, focus on your advertising strategies!

Show your audience that you care about them and therefore, have updated the content.

A good tip is to use the e-mail list containing those who have bought your product and tell them about the upgrade.

Did you like these tips? Do you wish to upgrade your product, but don’t know where to start? Learn about the main digital market trends and find out how to make your product even better!