Cross-Selling and Upselling Tips for Campgrounds

Cross-selling and upselling are pillars of successful sales strategies across industries. With research showing that cross-selling can boost sales by 20% and profits by 30%, campground operators have the huge potential to drive greater revenue and improve guest satisfaction by employing these techniques.

With reservation software like Campspot, you can take advantage of the many opportunities to drive more business during and after the booking process. Read on to learn the advantages of cross-selling and upselling, tips to cross-sell effectively, and inspiration and ideas for the countless add-ons you can offer campers.

But First, What Is Cross-Selling vs. Upselling?

Cross-selling is offering a customer additional, related products that complement their purchase. For instance, through Campspot’s Add-Ons feature, you can promote firewood and firestarters to campers during their checkout flow, so they can seamlessly add those to their cart.

On the other hand, upselling refers to getting customers to purchase a higher-priced or upgraded version of the product they intended to buy. An example might be promoting a higher-category accommodation—like going from tent to cabin or glamping yurt—or site location, like moving from non-waterfront to waterfront.

The Power of Cross-Selling and Upselling for Campgrounds

The clearest and most immediate impact of cross-selling and upselling is, of course, to your campground’s bottom line. Promoting add-ons through Campspot generates more revenue for your park, while enhancing your guests’ overall stay.

Therein lies the other important advantage of cross-selling: increasing customer satisfaction. These offerings are meant to improve their experience, enjoyment, and ease during their time at your park. Thoughtfully provided add-ons can help visitors feel like you appreciate and understand their needs, sometimes even before they do themselves.

When your guests feel like your campground not only consistently meets their expectations, but is also ready to go above and beyond, you’re more likely to win their trust and repeat visits—increasing their overall customer lifetime value.

Campground Tips to Cross-Sell and Upsell Effectively

Cross-selling requires a thoughtful approach to produce optimal results. Follow these campground tips to cross-sell successfully.

1. Understand Your Guests

Effective cross-selling requires a solid understanding of your visitors and their needs. If you haven’t already, create buyer personas for your campground—different profiles of your ideal guests based on market research and your existing data.

For instance, the needs and wants among families, couples, groups, and single campers can vary. Take the time to understand their preferences and their budgets. Over time, review guests’ purchases, as well as their direct feedback, so you can understand what they gravitate toward and how to make your add-on selections more appealing.

2. Cross-Sell at Optimal Touchpoints

In the same way grocery stores know customers will grab a last-minute chocolate bar or pack of gum right at checkout (and stock them there accordingly), you need to evaluate your visitors’ needs and purchase behavior to understand the best time to present your offerings.

Right at checkout is, indeed, a strategic time to promote ancillary purchases. Campspot users can conveniently display add-ons in the booking flow—anything from firewood to 24-hour kayak/canoe rentals—so visitors can seamlessly add these to their cart and lock in these items ahead of time, while campground operators benefit from the ancillary revenue.

This also means you can have these items ready for guests when they roll into camp, making for an even smoother visitor experience.

Campspot also provides an opportunity to upsell during the camper’s stay. The pre-departure email is a customizable, automated email you can send to all guests before their checkout. It allows campgrounds to offer last-minute upsells like late check-out fees, incentivize future bookings with exclusive promotions, or even encourage guests to stay longer.

3. Make the Purchase Experience Seamless

Beyond checkout, cross-selling opportunities abound once visitors arrive at your campground. Whether they want to shop add-ons, supplies, or any other campground store merchandise, you need to make their buying experiences as easy as possible in order to drive as much revenue as possible.

Campspot has several features to help you manage and optimize these sales:

POS Charge to Site: A standard practice among leading hospitality businesses, this feature allows guests to make purchases even if they don’t have their credit card with them. This not only elevates the guest experience, but also encourages on-site spending and unlocks more revenue for your campground.
Card on File Payment Method: This feature similarly creates a hassle-free experience for your guests by allowing you to simply charge their card on file, rather than requiring them to have their card on them.
Star Items on Storefront: During busy times, your ability to speed up transactions will directly impact guest satisfaction. This feature allows you to add key, popular items to your Starred List for quick access and prioritization, so it’s quick and easy to check a guest out.

4. Leverage Discounts and Deals

Deals, package discounts, and promotions are a common cross-selling and upselling strategy to encourage guests to buy more at a cheaper rate.

For example, you might offer a discounted rate on your cabins or glamping options on eligible days to upsell visitors who might’ve been considering cheaper accommodations.

Another option is to offer deals for extended stays. If guests see they can get a discounted rate if they stay a little longer, they might just jump on it, resulting in more revenue for your campground.

5. Improve Your Add-Ons Over Time

As you monitor your visitors’ purchasing behavior and collect more feedback, improve your add-ons and promotions accordingly. Understand which are popular and brainstorm new ones with your staff. A consistent tracking and evaluation of your cross-selling and upselling opportunities will only drive greater revenue and improve your ability to delight guests.

Cross-Selling Opportunities: Ideas for Add-Ons

Enhance your visitors’ experience and drive ancillary revenue for your campground with these add-on ideas below, which include some of the most popular selections by Campspot users. Customize these based on the preferences of you and your guests.

Camping Supplies and Refreshments

Supplies are an important cross-selling opportunity. Offer camping items that are frequently used and often needed, such as:

Firewood
Ice
Propane
Charcoal
Firestarters
Extension cords and adapters

You could even throw in refreshments or goodies that campers would love, including:

S’mores kits
Ice cream pick-ups
Family meal kits

Timed Add-Ons and Rentals

These are amenities you can offer for a set amount or time, or on a per day/night basis. Popular ideas include:

Golf cart rentals
Bike rentals
Fire pit rental
Pool cabana/hammock rentals
Linens/towels packages
Kayak/canoe/paddle board rentals
Daily parking fee for additional vehicles

Special Event or Fun Passes

If you’re hosting an event on-site, advertise that special activity through Campspot’s reservation workflow.

If you offer many family-friendly activities, you might benefit from promoting a “fun pass” as an add-on that combines several paid on-site attractions or treats into one pass at a discounted rate. You could even bundle it with a campground souvenir or other merch.

Experiential Add-Ons

Cross-sell experiences that capitalize on your campground’s location and available amenities, while creating memorable moments for your campers. This includes on-site activities right at your campground, as well as off-site activities you might connect campers with as a concierge service.

Ideas include:

Guided nature tours or hikes
Hiking or fishing guide
Fitness or yoga class
Wine tasting
Guided meditations or relaxation-focused activities
ATV or off-roading
Ziplining

Stargazing Add-Ons

Dark sky campground or not, nighttime observation items can provide a unique ancillary revenue stream and delight your guests in the great outdoors. These can include:

Binoculars
Star guides and books
Rentable tablets with preloaded sky-viewing apps

Maximize Your Campground’s Cross-Selling and Upselling

Evaluate your guests’ preferences and purchasing behavior to continually optimize your cross-selling and upselling strategies. Get creative with the add-ons and amenities you offer, and show visitors you’re dedicated to going above and beyond for their experience at your campground!

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Elizabeth Pun writes for ecommerce and SaaS businesses. A former content marketing manager, she has over a decade of experience helping brands grow through compelling content. She loves scouring for vintage finds, exploring the outdoors, and getting her glamp on.

Image credit: Adobe Stock user – Yuto Photographer

Cross-Selling and Upselling for Campgrounds: Tips and Ideas to Drive Revenue