6 High-Impact Ways to Lift Your Average Order Value (AOV) This Week

You've already paid to get people to your store. Once they're there, the cheapest way to make more money is to get each order a little bigger.

That's what average order value (AOV) measures: how much a customer spends per order. Push it up, and most of that extra goes straight to profit, since your ad costs are already covered.

The six tactics below all work onsite, at the cart, the checkout, or the product page. Each one can be live within a week. Start at the top, roughly the order of quickest win to biggest build.

1. Set a Free Shipping Threshold

Free shipping is the easiest lever on this list, and shoppers respond to it. Most people would rather add another item than pay for shipping, and over half of US shoppers say they'll add to their cart to hit a free shipping minimum.

Set your threshold a bit above your current AOV. A common starting point is about 30% higher, so a $90 AOV becomes a "free shipping over $110" offer.

Then show the progress. A small bar in the cart that reads "You're $14 away from free shipping" does most of the work for you.

2. Add a Cart Upsell to Your Slide-Out Cart

The moment someone adds an item is the moment they're most ready to buy. They've decided to spend money. The only question left is how much.

A cart upsell puts one related product inside your slide-out cart, so the shopper sees it without leaving the page. The details decide whether it lifts the order or just gets in the way.

• Pick products that match the cart. A case for the phone, a filter for the coffee maker. Set simple rules so the offer fits what they're buying.
• Keep the add-on cheap next to the main item. A $20 add-on on a $90 order is an easy yes. A second $90 product usually isn't.
• Show one option, maybe two. A long list makes people stop and think, and you lose the sale you'd won.

Keep the offer inside the drawer. Sending someone to a separate page adds a step and can cost you the order you already had, the same way a slow, app-heavy store quietly loses sales on mobile.

3. Add a Post-Purchase Offer Right After Checkout

A post-purchase offer appears the second the customer pays, before they even reach the thank-you page. The first sale is already done, so this offer can't put it at risk.

Their card is already on file, so saying yes takes one tap. No forms, no second checkout. That's why these convert so well.

Keep it to a single offer, an upgrade or add-on for what they just bought, or a second unit at a small discount. Shopify's post-purchase checkout extensions drop it right into the flow, and since there's no ad cost behind this revenue, it's some of the best-margin money on your store.

4. Put a Bundle Below the Add to Cart Button

The product page is where people decide how much to buy, so it's the right place to nudge a bigger order.

A bundle sits just under the Add to Cart button and shows the main product with one or two matching items at a set discount. It's the "buy it as a set" offer, built cleanly into the page.

• Two or three items that clearly go together: a skincare routine, a starter kit, or a matching set.
• Show the saving in real numbers. "Buy the set and save $12" beats a percentage.
• Add the whole set with one tap, so it drops into the cart as a single unit.

Do the quick math first. A small discount paid for by a bigger order makes you money. A big discount on a set people would have bought anyway just eats your margin.

5. Offer Volume Discounts (Buy More, Save More)

For anything people buy in quantity, reward them for stocking up. Tiered pricing (buy three and save 10%, buy five and save 20%) turns one purchase into several.

This works especially well for consumables like coffee, supplements, and skincare. Some brands in these categories have seen order values climb by a third or more once customers had a clear reason to buy in bulk.

6. Give a Free Gift Over a Spend Threshold

A free gift once the cart passes a set amount pushes people to spend a little more to earn it. "Spend $75 and get a free travel size" is a simple, popular version.

It also does double duty. You lift the order value, build some goodwill, and move stock you want off the shelves. Pick a gift with a low cost to you and a clear value to the customer.

Bonus: Let Customers Build Their Own Bundle

A "build your own bundle" feature is the strongest version of this for variety-driven stores. The customer picks their own mix and unlocks a bigger discount as they add more.

They get to choose, and you get a bigger cart. For the right catalog, it's one of the best AOV plays there is, and it brings people back to reorder.

Where to Start

Pick one this week. The free shipping threshold and cart upsell are usually the fastest to set up and the quickest to show results.

Write down your current AOV first. Run the change for a week or two on real traffic, then check profit after any discount, not just the AOV. A higher AOV means nothing if the discount ate the margin.

Once one tactic proves out, add the next. Stack a few, and a bigger order becomes the easy choice at every step.