Learn how AI agents enable e-commerce merchants to replicate Amazon’s dynamic cross-selling strategies and boost revenue effortlessly.

The Challenge: Cross-Selling at Scale

Cross-selling is one of the most effective ways to increase average order value:

  • Suggesting complementary products at the right time encourages customers to buy more.
  • Manual cross-selling is time-consuming and often inconsistent across product pages, checkout, and emails.
  • Predicting what each customer wants requires data-driven insights, which many merchants struggle to leverage.

Even small missed opportunities in cross-selling can add up to significant lost revenue over thousands of transactions.

How Amazon Does It

Amazon’s success isn’t just about inventory — it’s about personalised, data-driven cross-selling:

  • “Frequently Bought Together”: Suggests products commonly purchased with items in the cart.
  • “Customers Also Bought”: Offers complementary recommendations based on user behaviour.
  • Dynamic adjustments: Algorithms adapt suggestions in real-time as inventory and trends change.

This automation ensures every customer sees the most relevant products, increasing conversion rates and basket size.

Replicating Amazon With AI Agents

Merchants can now use AI-powered agentic workflows to achieve similar cross-selling results:

1. Analyse Customer Behaviour

  • AI agents monitor browsing, purchase history, and abandoned carts.
  • Predict which products are likely to appeal to each customer.

Benefit: Creates highly relevant recommendations tailored to individual users.

2. Dynamic Product Recommendations

  • Suggest complementary items on product pages, at checkout, and in emails.
  • Adjust recommendations in real-time based on inventory, trends, and seasonal promotions.

Benefit: Increases average order value and conversion rates automatically.

3. Multi-Channel Automation

  • AI agents implement cross-selling across Shopify, BigCommerce, Adobe Commerce, Amazon, and marketplaces.
  • Integrates with email campaigns, push notifications, and social media ads.

Benefit: Ensures a consistent cross-selling experience across all customer touchpoints.

4. Predictive Upselling

  • AI identifies opportunities to suggest premium products or upgrades.
  • Evaluates past purchases, browsing patterns, and price sensitivity.

Benefit: Boosts revenue per customer without increasing marketing spend.

5. Continuous Learning and Optimisation

  • AI agents analyse results in real-time.
  • Adjusts recommendations, messaging, and positioning to maximise performance.

Benefit: Recommendations get smarter over time, ensuring ongoing revenue growth.

Real-World Impact: AI-Powered Cross-Selling in Action

A mid-sized online retailer implemented VortexIQ AI agents for automated cross-selling:

  • Recommendations were shown on product pages, checkout, and in emails.
  • AI dynamically adjusted suggestions based on inventory and customer behaviour.
  • Results:
    • Average order value increased by 22%
    • Conversions from recommendations rose by 18%
    • Manual effort in managing cross-sells dropped to almost zero

This shows that even small and medium merchants can achieve Amazon-level cross-selling efficiency with AI.

Key Takeaways for Merchants

  1. Data-driven recommendations outperform static suggestions: Use AI to personalise every interaction.
  2. Automate across all channels: Product pages, checkout, emails, and ads should all reflect cross-sell logic.
  3. Dynamic and adaptive workflows: Recommendations should update in real-time based on behaviour, inventory, and trends.
  4. Continuous monitoring and learning: AI agents optimise recommendations automatically, improving results over time.

Focus on revenue impact, not just clicks: Measure average order value and conversion rates to track success.

Final Word

Cross-selling doesn’t have to be manual or guesswork. By using AI agents to automate recommendations, upsells, and personalised suggestions, merchants can replicate Amazon’s playbook, increase revenue, and deliver a more engaging shopping experience — all without extra headcount or effort.