Raising average order value (AOV) is the cheapest growth lever you have. You've already paid to acquire the visitor — getting them to add a little more costs nothing extra. This guide covers the tactics that actually move AOV on Shopify and how to set each one up.
What is AOV (and the formula)
AOV = total revenue ÷ number of orders
If you make $20,000 across 400 orders, your AOV is $50. Lift it to $58 and — at the same order count — you've added $3,200 in revenue with zero extra ad spend. That's why AOV compounds.
Seven tactics to increase AOV
- Product bundles. Group items that go together at a small saving. See how to create product bundles on Shopify.
- Mix & match. "Pick any 3 and save" gives choice and raises basket size — see mix and match bundles.
- BOGO offers. Buy-one-get-one pulls in a second unit — see BOGO on Shopify.
- Volume discounts. Reward bigger quantities with quantity breaks.
- Free gift with purchase. A gift above a threshold nudges the next tier — see free gift with purchase.
- Free-shipping threshold. "Free shipping over $X" is one of the strongest AOV levers — set X just above your current AOV.
- Relevant upsells & cross-sells on the product and cart pages.
How to choose where to start
- Consumables? Volume discounts and mix & match.
- Complementary catalogue? Fixed bundles and free-gift thresholds.
- Promotion or launch? BOGO and gift-with-purchase.
Most of these run from a single app — Packmate covers bundles, mix & match, BOGO, volume discounts and free gifts, with the discount applied automatically at checkout and a theme-matched widget on your product pages.
Don't forget margin
A higher AOV isn't the goal if the discounts eat your profit. Before you launch any offer, check the real margin after costs and fees with ProfitVault — the point is more profit, not just bigger carts.