Less of a disadvantage and more of a danger of cross selling is that customers may perceive the cross references as inappropriate or miscommunicated. This can happen quickly when a customer is recommended the same products over and again at each step of their online purchasing journey. If, after purchasing a pair of shoes, advertisements for the same shoes appear in their email inbox, this tends to have a negative impact on customer satisfaction.
The disadvantages that can arise from cross selling are therefore mostly due to store operators sending the wrong messages – presumably because the data at hand is being used incorrectly. Therefore, if you haven’t already done so, establish careful tracking of user data and invest sufficient time to set up a successful and sustainable cross sales campaign.
Never forget that there are customer groups that are not suited to cross selling. These could be customers who frequently return goods or complain to customer service, for example. Again, observe and analyze user behaviors to derive useful insights, and apply these to your online marketing strategy.