How to Increase Average Order Value on Shopify

You increase average order value (AOV) on Shopify by giving shoppers a clear, fair reason to add one more item before they check out. The main levers are quantity breaks, bundles, BOGO and free gifts, a free shipping threshold, and cross-sells.

This playbook shows how to measure your AOV, which tactic fits which kind of product, and how to check that a bigger order is also a more profitable one. For the full picture of bundle types, see our product bundles guide.

What is average order value on Shopify?

Average order value is the average amount a customer spends per order. In Shopify’s analytics fields reference, the formula is:

AOV = (gross sales - discounts) / orders

Shopify notes that this figure excludes “any post-order adjustments”, such as later edits or returns.

Watch out for one detail. The AOV metric on Shopify Home is built differently: it leaves out gift cards, and its order value “includes taxes, shipping, and discounts before sales reversals.” So the Home number and the analytics number won’t match. Pick one source and stick with it when you compare periods.

How do you find your AOV and spot the gap?

Open Analytics in your Shopify admin and add average order value to a report for the last 90 days. Then look past the single number:

1. Export your orders and sort them by subtotal. Note where most orders cluster.
2. Check the median order. A few big orders can pull the average up and hide what a normal customer spends.
3. Count units per order. If most orders hold one item, quantity offers have room to work.
4. Find common pairs. Look for products that often show up on the same order.
5. Note your round numbers. If many orders land just under a price point, such as $50, a threshold a little above it may be reachable.

These five checks tell you which tactic to try first. Write the numbers down, since you’ll compare against them later.

Which AOV tactics work on Shopify?

Each tactic fits a different buying pattern. Match it to what your order data shows:

You don’t need all seven. One or two well-priced offers on your top products usually beat a page full of widgets.

How do quantity breaks raise AOV?

Quantity breaks show tiers, such as Single, Duo and Trio, each with a lower price per item. They suit consumables, basics and gifts: anything a customer would happily own two or three of.

Keep the step from one tier to the next small and easy to read. Mark the tier you want most people to choose, and put the bigger saving or a gift on the top tier. Our quantity breaks setup guide walks through the build, and how many quantity break tiers helps you pick the steps.

When should you use bundles instead?

Use a bundle when customers buy different products together, not more of the same one. There are three common shapes:

• Fixed bundle. A set you choose, such as a shampoo, conditioner and hair mask. Shopify’s free Shopify Bundles app creates fixed bundles and multipacks on all plans.
• Mix and match. Shoppers pick one product from each group, such as a bag and an accessory.
• Bundle builder. Shoppers build their own box, and the discount grows as they add items.

Our comparison of fixed bundles vs mix and match vs bundle builder explains which one fits your catalog. If you want suggestions next to a product without a discount, start with the native frequently bought together options.

Do BOGO and free gifts raise order value?

They can, because the shopper has to buy more to unlock the free item. The cost to you is the product cost of the free unit, not its retail price.

On Shopify, a native Buy X get Y discount covers both. Under Customer buys, you choose a minimum quantity of items or a minimum purchase amount. One limit matters for AOV: Shopify’s help center says “the free or discounted ‘get’ item is never automatically added to the cart.” If shoppers don’t add it, they miss the deal and the offer does nothing.

For ideas and the margin math, see BOGO offer ideas and free gift with purchase on Shopify.

How does a free shipping threshold raise AOV?

A threshold asks shoppers to add one more item to skip the shipping fee. In Shopify, create a Free shipping discount and set Minimum purchase amount under the minimum requirements. Shopify’s free shipping discount page notes that the minimum counts product prices only, not taxes.

Set the number a little above your typical order, at a level a shopper can reach with one product they would actually want. Then check that the extra profit covers the shipping you stop charging. Our guide to the free shipping bar threshold has the full method.

What about upsells and cross-sells?

An upsell offers a better or bigger version of what the shopper picked. A cross-sell offers something that goes with it. Both work best when the add-on is cheaper than the main item and clearly useful.

Places to show them:

• Product page. Complementary products, a “complete the set” bundle or a quantity tier with an add-on.
• Cart. A short list of low-cost add-ons, if your theme or an app supports it.
• After payment. A post-purchase upsell on the thank-you page adds no step before checkout.

Keep the list short. Two or three relevant suggestions are easier to act on than ten.

How do you set up an AOV offer with Sam Bundles?

Sam Bundles, our bundle app, puts offers on the product page and applies the discount automatically in the cart and at checkout, so customers don’t need a code. Other bundle apps work in similar ways, so use these steps as a checklist.

1. Turn on the app embed. Follow the install guide to switch on Sam Bundles under App embeds in the theme editor.
2. Create an offer from a template. On the app home, click Create new offer, pick a Brand color, then choose a template: quantity breaks, buy X get Y, quantity breaks with a free gift, mix and match, bundle builder or fixed bundle. The create offer guide shows each screen.
3. Set the tiers. In a quantity breaks offer, set each bar’s Quantity and Price: Full price, Percentage off, Amount off or Fixed price. In a bar, Add free gift adds a free product, and Complete the bundle adds other products at the bar’s discount.
4. Choose add-ons. Switch on Badges such as Most Popular, a Savings summary or a Sticky add to cart bar.
5. Set the rules. Under Advanced, tick which discounts the offer combines with (product, order or shipping) and which customers can use it. Use Schedule for a limited-time offer. See offer settings.
6. Save to publish, then place a test order on a phone.

How do you check that a higher AOV is also more profit?

Run the math per order before you launch. Here is an example with made-up numbers: a product sells for $30 and costs you $12.

In this example, every tier raises AOV. The 30% tier still earns less profit than the 2-unit tier, though, even with a higher order value.

Also watch for customers who already bought two at full price. Before the offer, they paid $60 and you kept $36. If they now take the 10% Duo tier, you keep $30. A discount that goes to people who would have bought more anyway costs you money. Our bulk discount margin math and bundle pricing formula guides go deeper, including shipping and payment costs.

Which mistakes undo AOV gains?

A few common ones:

• Too many offers on one page. Stacked widgets slow shoppers down and can lower conversion.
• Discounts that stack by accident. Decide up front whether your offer combines with discount codes, and test it.
• Inflated “before” prices. The reference price should be what you normally charge.
• Fake urgency. If a timer says the offer ends Sunday, end it Sunday. Use a real end date, not a countdown that resets.
• Add-ons nobody wants. A gift or cross-sell that doesn’t fit the product adds cost and noise.

Honest offers hold up over time. Shoppers who feel tricked tend not to come back.

How do you measure whether it worked?

Compare the offer period with a normal period of the same length, and change one offer at a time. Track four numbers:

• AOV, from the same Shopify report you used before.
• Units per order for the product with the offer.
• Conversion rate on that product page. If it drops, the offer may be adding friction.
• Profit per order, using your own costs.

In Sam Bundles, the dashboard shows additional revenue, orders and AOV increase, plus visitors, add-to-cart rate and conversion rate, with a results row for each offer. Turn off offers that don’t pay their way and try a different tier or product mix.

Start with your best-selling product and one offer. When it works, roll the same idea out to the next product. To see the offer types on a real product page, visit the Sam Bundles page or read how to create bundles on Shopify.