7 Proven Ways to Increase Average Order Value on Shopify
Why Average Order Value Matters
Average order value (AOV) is the average amount a customer spends each time they place an order. Increasing AOV means you earn more revenue from the same number of customers and transactions. Since customer acquisition costs money, getting more value from each transaction is one of the most efficient ways to grow a Shopify business.
Unlike conversion rate, which requires attracting more traffic to move, AOV can be improved through changes to your store experience that cost nothing in ad spend. The tactics below are all implementable without increasing your marketing budget.
1. Mix-and-Match Bundles With Tiered Discounts
Product bundles are consistently the highest-impact AOV lever for Shopify stores. When you give customers an incentive to add more items in a single order, AOV increases naturally.
Mix-and-match bundles work better than fixed bundles because customers choose their own combination. They are more likely to engage with a bundle where they control the selection. Adding tiered discounts creates a second motivation: a visible reward for reaching the next threshold.
Bundle MixMatch handles the setup in under 10 minutes with no theme edits required. It is the fastest path to running product bundles natively on Shopify. Check the how it works guide to see the exact process.
2. Free Shipping Thresholds
A free shipping threshold creates a simple, universally understood incentive: spend over a certain amount and your shipping is free. This is one of the most effective AOV levers in ecommerce.
Set the threshold at 20 to 30% above your current AOV. If your AOV is $50, a $65 free shipping threshold will pull a meaningful portion of orders upward. Display the threshold prominently in your cart, header, and on product pages.
3. Volume Discounts on Single Products
For consumable products where customers regularly buy multiples, a buy-more-save-more structure on individual items is effective. A simple "buy 2, save 10%" offer on a single product page can increase units per order without requiring any bundling logic.
4. Post-Purchase Upsells
After a customer completes checkout, show them a relevant add-on offer. At this point, the customer has already made a purchase decision. Their buying resistance is at its lowest. A well-matched post-purchase offer converts at a high rate because the mental friction of the initial decision is already resolved.
5. Cart Upsells and Cross-Sells
Display relevant product recommendations in the cart. When a customer has added a coffee grinder, show them a bundle of specialty beans. The recommendation should be genuinely useful, not just a random selection. Specificity drives clicks and purchases.
6. Loyalty Incentives for Larger Orders
Reward larger purchases with loyalty points or store credit that applies to future orders. This creates a dual incentive: customers spend more now to earn more for later, and the promise of future credit increases the likelihood of returning.
7. Bundles for Gift Occasions
Position your product bundles as gift-ready options. Customers buying gifts have a higher AOV than customers buying for themselves because they are spending to meet social expectations rather than personal need. A bundle labelled as a gift set with a discount for buying multiple items converts strongly in the lead-up to major gift occasions.
Where to Start
Of these seven tactics, mix-and-match bundles typically produce the most consistent and measurable AOV lift. They work because they align with customer intent rather than fighting it. The discount is a reward, not a manipulation.
If you have not tested bundles on your Shopify store yet, install Bundle MixMatch free and run a bundle on your top product category for two weeks. Compare AOV before and after. The data will tell you whether to scale the strategy across more categories.