14 Ways to Increase AOV of Your Shopify Store: Complete Guide

Average Order Value (AOV) is a key metric for any online store as it measures the average amount of money spent per transaction. A higher AOV means that the customers are spending more money during each purchase which leads to increased revenue and profit for the business. 

Not only this, increasing the average order value of an online business like a Shopify store can have multiple added advantages like higher customer lifetime value. The more money a customer spends per order, the more likely they are to return and make additional purchases thus boosting the customer's lifetime value.

Other advantages would be improved margins, better inventory management, increased customer loyalty, reduced marketing costs, and much more. So let`s see how you can increase the average order value of your Shopify store and start your growth journey. Let's dive straight into it.

What Does Average Order Value mean?

Average Order Value (AOV) is a metric used in e-commerce like Shopify and retail businesses to measure the average amount of revenue generated by a single transaction. It can be calculated by dividing the total revenue by the total number of orders.

A higher AOV indicates that customers are spending more per transaction, which can be a sign of a successful business strategy. AOV can also be used to track changes in customer spending habits over time and to identify opportunities for increasing revenue.

How to calculate Average Order Value 

The formula for calculating AOV is:

Revenue

___________ = Average Order Value

Number of orders

For example, if your store's sale was $30,000 for a total of 1000 orders in a month, then divide $30,000 by 1,000 = $30. So for that month, your AOV was $30.

AOV is an important factor as it is the main performance indicator that helps you measure your customers' purchasing habits. Like other major key metrics, AOV can be tracked for any time period or monitored with the moving monthly average on a year-over-year (YOY) basis.

What is a Good AOV

A survey carried out in September 2022 that included 2,216 Shopify stores found the average order value for Shopify was US$ 85.

Anything more than US$ 192 would put you in the best 20% of Shopify stores. And more than US$ 311 would put you in the best 10%.

AOV by Industry.

As the latest e-commerce stats in October 2022, the AOV in e-commerce is £101.67, which is approx $129.23.

Consumers purchasing these items online spend an average of £189.25, or $230.51, per checkout. The average checkout value of these items marks a 51.91 percent of a year-over-year jump from £124.58 (around $151.74) in 2021.

The AOV in eCommerce online stores varies from industry to industry. The industry with the highest average order value per visitor in October 2022 was the electrical and commercial equipment category. The online sales spend recorded is an average of $230.51, per checkout.

14 Effective Ways to Increase AOV for Shopify Stores 

Free Shipping and Express Delivery 

Free Shipping is the magic word that every customer wishes to hear. They want to save on shipping costs. And free shipping is also a simple way to increase the average order value. You can set a threshold and offer free shipping to those customers who have reached the threshold.  

Increase AOV by 30%. For example, $100 AOV would become $130. This is your free shipping threshold. And you can offer free shipping on all orders over $130.

You can also add a notification to remind customers to purchase more to add up to the free shipping threshold. 

Upselling, Cross selling, and Downselling 

This tip is all about adding product recommendations to your product page. It is different from just suggesting other popular items from your store.

It involves identifying and recommending only the relevant products that pair well with the shopper's main product. It is like showing relevant accessories and add-ons that complement the main product. For example, a handbag to go with an outfit. 

Cross sells promote a complementary product. And upselling is to promote a product upgrade or an expensive version of the product chosen by the customer.

Down selling is another way to ensure sales by offering an alternative that is more budget-friendly. In other words, it involves offering more convenient buying options to customers if they reject or decline an upsell offer you offer.  

Frequently Bought Together Bundle  

Bundle deals are every shopper's favorite and can affect your average order value. You can strategize bundle deals in a way that entices the customer. You can put together offers like buy two and get one free or buy three and get a fourth one free.  

Also, make sure to choose free gifts that will not impact your product margins too much. For example, if you sell gift items, you can set a free gift that might be around $2, like a bracelet. If you offer a buy three get a fourth free deal, price your products for profit from the bundle deal.

Bundle up relevant products that will go together well or add options for better versions of one main product. 

Threshold Discounts or Discounts for Minimum Order  

Offering discounts can actually help you increase your average order value. However, be sure to add a minimum spend to your discount offer. For example, get $10 off on purchasing for $100 or more.

You can also have volume discounts. For example, get $10 off on spending $100, get $15 off on spending $150, and get $25 off on spending $200 or more.

Focus on Personalized Experience

Personalization is a great way to keep visitors to your Shopify store. It encourages them to make repeat purchases as you send personal email notifications about your special offers. Social proofs such as these help in enhancing your overall reachability.

Send them reminders about abandoned shopping carts if there are any. Enhance their shopping experience by showing relevant offers and promotions, particularly for all their favorite products. This will help customers know that you value their interests. So this is what it takes for them to purchase at your store than elsewhere.

Optimize the Checkout Process

Optimizing the checkout process at three stages can help increase your average order value drastically.

Pre-checkout 

Optimizing the checkout process begins with optimizing it at the pre-checkout stage. Make your home banner do the talking by making it relevant with applicable promotions that speak to customer personas. Additionally, implement on-site personalization throughout your store.  

During checkout 

With exciting promotions and products, the shoppers will now proceed to checkout. This is where you have to add personalized messages during checkout that talk about the delivery and shipping options. This prevents cart abandonment to a great extent. 

Also, leverage customized cross-sells, and this combination will boost the AOV. Use checkboxes to enable frictionless cross-selling in your store.

Post-checkout 

After the order has been placed with a low cart value, optimize your post-check-out with effective upsell add-ons. When customers place their order, this add-on will enable a pop-up on the screen.

This prompts shoppers to pick a high-end version of the product they’ve previously selected and that too for a relatively low price. According to Forrester research, this upselling is known to boost the total revenue by 10-30%.

Highlight Your Return/Refund Policy

Every shopper needs to feel safe with every single purchase they make. And online shopping is all about offering them the privilege to return with a total refund for various reasons. However, you can limit the number of days within which a return and refund policy is applicable. They can either return it and get a total refund or they can proceed to exchange it for a new product.

Highlighting your return and refund policy will encourage customers to purchase more from your store. And it will also give them a guarantee that they have value for their money at your store with easy returns. 

Offer live Chat Support For Quick Queries

Online shopping can be personalized at different levels. You can make your Shopify store more customer-friendly with live chat support. Both during and after the purchase, a live sales representative can simplify your work a lot.

Live chat support enables you to stay connected with your customers throughout the process. And this gives them a sense of value. They will want to buy more from you with this way of instant communication. In other words, live chat support can increase your AOV to a whole other level. 

Use Gift Cards

Gift cards are a great way to improve AOV. For example, if your retail price is $30 or more, you can offer a free $5 gift card to your customers. So they can use it on their next purchase. This will motivate them to purchase again.  

However, make sure that your product price is high enough. And ensure that your gift card will not offer a free purchase to your customer, which will cause a profit loss. Also, make it known to customers that they cannot use the gift card on any current purchase or on free shipping offers. 

As gift cards encourage future purchases, they will help cut down costs on future ad spend. Offering gift card deals also come in handy as a sales-enhancing strategy, particularly when sales are lower. So avoid offering this deal throughout the year. And you can offer a gift card to customers right from your Shopify admin.

Execute First Time Offers 

If you’re a relatively new brand, which means most customers will be first-time visitors. Offering deals can help increase your average order value. You can provide a one-time discount to those who buy multiples of a popular product or an exclusive bundle to encourage repeat purchases. If your customer orders several items, it’ll be even easier to entice them to shop again. 

Set up a Customer Loyalty Program  

A loyalty program motivates customers to order more and increases your average order value. And allowing customers to earn points or discounts just for being loyal entices them to purchase more.  

It also allows your customers to be your brand evangelists. And they are the repeat customers, who make things happen more than first-time visitors to your store.

So create a fanbase for your brand by just placing a valuable loyalty program in place, which will greatly improve repeat sales.  

Offer Limited-Time Deals

A limited-time deal is a great mechanism to increase the average order value. For example, put up a 48–hour deal with a free gift or a special discount to make customers buy within that time frame.  

Though it may not increase the average order value for a long duration, the urgency it creates still increases conversion rates. Such deals can be particularly helpful during slower periods. You can promote these deals on social media or also include a banner notification on your website.

Show Savings With Bulk Orders

People love saving money, and you can maintain a high average order value from a customer by displaying their overall savings. This can prevent abandoned carts that directly affect your AOV.  

But, if you show customers how much they can save on their individual purchases, they will feel the value it adds to their pocket. Showing people the monetary savings they make from purchasing multiple items can help increase your AOV.  

Creating A Game Or A Contest 

In Shopify e-commerce, you can run contests where customers can participate and win prizes as they buy frequently. You can let them know that if they make a purchase, they get to enter a contest where they can win several prizes.  

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why is my AOV decreasing?

A high or increasing AOV is a good sign, which indicates that you are maximizing the revenue on each purchase. On the contrary, a low or dropping AOV means your transaction revenue is lower than ideal. It is an indicator that you need to refine your strategies by adding better options. Upselling and Cross selling is the best way to encourage your customers to make repeat purchases, which in turn will increase your AOV. 

How do I increase my orders on Shopify?

Knowing your customers is the key to increasing your orders. Know what they like and offer them what they expect. Keep your services personalized at every step of the way.

Get your customers to review your services and products and share that review across your social media channels. Get them involved by giving them relevant offers which will in turn make them your brand evangelists. Doing all of this will definitely increase your orders. 

Wrapping Up

Calculating your average order value the right way can help you analyze the performance of your store. After calculating your average order value, try implementing the strategies we’ve given here to improve the AOV of your Shopify store.

Begin by implementing smart Upsell and Cross sell strategies, combined with a personalized experience, and free shipping threshold. It can help you get back on track to increase the order volume of your store. Get started today!

Also read:

10 Reasons Why Shopify Stores Fail and How to Avoid Them