Ask a repair-shop owner where their next 20% of revenue is coming from and most will say "more repairs." But the cheapest, fastest growth usually isn't more tickets. It's bigger tickets. The lever is attach rate: the share of repairs that leave with an accessory attached.
A tempered-glass protector costs roughly $1–3 (about £1–2 / AED 4–11) and retails for $15–25. A case bought for a few dollars sells for $20–40. These are margins a screen repair can't touch, and the customer is already standing at your counter with their wallet out. This playbook is how the best shops turn that moment into a habit, not an accident.
Why attach rate beats discounting
When you cut repair prices to win volume, you trade margin for traffic, a race competitors will happily run with you to the bottom. Attaching accessories does the opposite: it raises the average ticket without touching your headline price. If your average repair is $90 and you add an $18 protector to half your repairs, you've lifted revenue per customer ~10% at near-pure margin. Push attach rate higher and the effect compounds.
Step 1: Measure attach rate before you try to grow it
You can't improve what you don't track. Define it simply: accessory-attached tickets ÷ total tickets, measured weekly. Most shops that have never looked are sitting between 10–20%. Good shops run 40%+. Seeing the number is half the battle: it turns a vague "we should sell more cases" into a target.
A POS that ties accessories to the repair ticket makes this trivial to report. With Get Repair, parts, labour and accessories ride in one cart, so attach rate falls out of your sales reports instead of a manual count.
Step 2: Stock the three accessories that actually sell
Don't drown in SKUs. The reliable movers attached to a repair are:
- Screen protectors (tempered glass), the natural pairing with any screen repair.
- Cases, especially for the exact device on the bench.
- Charging cables and bricks, high failure rate, easy yes.
Stock the models you repair most. A Galaxy and iPhone-heavy bench needs different shelves than a shop doing a lot of laptops. Serialized, lot-tracked inventory keeps the fast movers in stock without overbuying the slow ones.
Step 3: Make the offer a script, not a mood
Attach rate collapses when it depends on whether a tech "feels like" upselling. Standardize a one-line offer at a fixed moment, usually at pickup, when relief is highest:
"Your screen's brand new. Want a tempered glass on it so the next drop doesn't crack it? It's £15 fitted."
It's not pushy; it's protective advice, which is exactly how customers across the US, UK and Gulf receive it. Bundle pricing helps: "screen repair + protector + case" at a small discount lifts both attach rate and perceived value.
Step 4: Coach it like a KPI
Put attach rate on the board. Share it weekly. Recognize the front-desk person with the highest rate. Some shops add a small spiff (commission) on accessories. Get Repair's timesheets and commissions can track that. What gets measured and rewarded gets done.
Regional notes
- US: Add-on culture is well established; lean into bundle pricing and protection framing.
- UK: Quote accessories inclusive of 20% VAT so the "fitted price" is the final price. British customers dislike surprises at the till.
- Gulf: Premium-device penetration is high; higher-end cases and branded glass attach well, and AED pricing with clear value framing converts.
The bottom line
Attach rate is the rare growth lever that needs no extra footfall, no price war and almost no labour. Measure it, stock the three movers, script the offer, and coach it weekly. A shop that moves from 15% to 40% attach rate has effectively given itself a raise, from customers it already had.
See how Get Repair keeps repairs, accessories and reporting in one place. Free 14-day trial, no card.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good accessory attach rate for a repair shop?
Many shops sit at 10–20% without trying. A focused shop can reach 40%+ by measuring it weekly, stocking the right accessories, and using a consistent one-line offer at pickup.
Which accessories sell best with repairs?
Tempered-glass screen protectors, device-specific cases, and charging cables/bricks. They pair naturally with the repair and carry far higher margins than the repair itself.
How do I get staff to upsell without being pushy?
Frame it as protection advice, not a sale, and standardize a single line offered at a fixed moment (usually pickup). Coaching and a visible weekly target matter more than pressure.
Does this work outside the US?
Yes. The mechanics are identical in the UK and Gulf; adjust for VAT-inclusive pricing in the UK and GCC and for higher-end device preferences in the Gulf.