Average order value

What Is Average Order Value? Quick Strategies To Grow Your AOV

By
Alex Quin
|
August 30, 2024

Feeling overwhelmed by the constant need to boost your business's revenue? You're not alone. One effective way to achieve this is by focusing on your Average Order Value (AOV). 

By increasing the amount each customer spends per transaction, you can significantly enhance your overall revenue. 

Improving AOV isn't just about higher sales; it's also about providing better value to your customers, leading to greater satisfaction and loyalty. Let's explore some practical ways to make each order a bit more valuable and turn your business goals into reality.

What Is AOV In Marketing?

What is AOV in marketing? AOV in marketing refers to the average amount spent on a single order by a customer within a given period, such as a month or a quarter. It is arrived at by using the formula; total sales revenue divided by the number of orders made within a given period. AOV can be used as an important KPI that allows businesses to evaluate sales and customers’ behavior.

AOV Vs. Total Revenue

While total revenue gives the total amount of money that a business makes from its sales, AOV is the average amount that a customer spends per order. 

This is a significant differentiation because AOV offers information about the buying habits of your clients and helps you determine how to influence them to spend more per order.

AOV can be used to track the average amount that each customer spends and this can be used to put measures in place to increase the amount of money that each customer spends, thus increasing the revenue of the business without necessarily having to deal with more customers.

Why AOV Matters For Your Business 

The significant impact of AOV on a business's overall profitability cannot be overstated. Here’s why it matters:

  1. Increased Revenue without Growing Your Customer Base: By encouraging existing customers to spend more per transaction, you can boost your revenue without needing to acquire new customers. For example, if your AOV increases from $50 to $60, with 200 orders, your revenue jumps from $10,000 to $12,000.
  2. Insights into Customer Behavior: AOV reveals valuable insights into how much customers are willing to spend per order, which can inform pricing strategies, product bundling, and promotions.
  3. Strategic Decision Making: Analyzing AOV by product category, customer segment, or marketing channel can highlight which areas are performing well and which need improvement. For instance, if AOV is higher for customers shopping through social media channels, you might allocate more resources to social media marketing.
  4. Link to Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV): A higher AOV often correlates with a higher Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV). When customers spend more per order, they are likely to have a higher overall value to the business over time. Encouraging repeat purchases and higher spending per order contributes to a greater CLTV.

average order value formula

How To Calculate Average Order Value

Here’s how to calculate average order value:

Average order value formula = Total Revenue/ Number Of Orders

Step-By-Step Average Order Value Calculation

  1. Determine the total income that has been generated in a certain time frame, for example, a week, a month, or a quarter.
  2. Count the total number of orders made in the same time frame.
  3. To arrive at the AOV, the total revenue should be divided by the total number of orders.

Sample Scenario

Let’s say your business generated $15,000 in revenue from 300 orders in one month:

AOV=15,000 / 300 ​= $50

When calculating AOV, it's essential to use data from a specific timeframe to ensure accuracy and relevance. This approach prevents the use of outdated information and provides a clearer picture of current performance.

Tools And Resources

Several tools and resources can help businesses track and analyze AOV:

  • E-commerce Platforms: The majority of e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify and WooCommerce, offer inbuilt tools to track AOV.
  • Analytics Software: Google Analytics and Adobe Analytics are some of the tools that provide data on customers and their orders’ values.
  • CRM Systems: Some CRM solutions may be used to keep track of the customer’s spending habits and subsequently market to them.

AOV is one of the most effective ways to enhance your overall profits and customer satisfaction levels. So, concentrating on the amount of spending per customer order allows you to make correct decisions based on your company’s profitability and long-term goals.

Strategies To Increase Your Average Order Value

There are several strategies businesses can implement to increase their AOV. Here are some effective methods:

Upselling And Cross-selling

Upselling involves encouraging customers to purchase a higher-priced product or an upgrade from the one they originally intended to buy. On the other hand, cross-selling promotes related products to complement the primary purchase. There’s a clear difference between upselling and cross-selling.

For example, if a customer is buying a laptop, upselling would involve suggesting a model with more advanced features at a higher price. Cross-selling would involve recommending accessories like a laptop bag or a wireless mouse. Both strategies can increase the total sale amount and enhance the customer experience by providing additional value.

Product Bundles And Packages

Creating product bundles or packages that offer discounts can entice customers to spend more. Bundles can be particularly effective for promoting new products or clearing out inventory. 

A skincare brand might bundle a cleanser, toner, and moisturizer at a discounted price, encouraging customers to buy all three instead of just one. 

This approach increases the perceived value of the purchase, helps move less popular inventory, and encourages customers to try new or additional products.

Minimum Order Thresholds For Free Shipping

Offering free shipping for orders exceeding a specific minimum amount can incentivize customers to add more products to their cart to reach the free shipping threshold. Here’s a quick scenario; if the free shipping threshold is set at $75, a customer with $60 worth of products in their cart might add another item to qualify for free shipping. 

This strategy increases the average order size, improves customer satisfaction by reducing shipping costs, and encourages customers to complete their purchases.

Implementing these strategies can effectively increase your AOV, leading to higher revenue and better customer satisfaction. By understanding and leveraging AOV, businesses can create more targeted and effective marketing strategies that drive growth and profitability.

Strategic Discounts And Promotions

Interested in increasing sales and making your customers happy? Tailor your deals! Discounting the right amount to the right customer is like giving a good present. A few cents saved on their favorite product or a good offer on them can go a long way. 

You could give 10% off on expensive products or two for the price of one on related products - this will increase the order size. This strategy not only increases the sales volume but also enhances customer satisfaction.

Offer Free Gifts With Purchase

Free gifts are like little nudges. They tempt customers to spend a bit more to snag something extra. It's a win-win: they get a bonus, and you boost your average order. 

Imagine offering a fancy makeup bag for shoppers spending over $50. Suddenly, that extra lipstick seems like a must-have!

Optimize Your Product Page Design

Your secret weapon is clear and inviting product descriptions. They are not just about the product attributes; they communicate your product’s benefits. 

Combine them with beautiful pictures, comprehensive descriptions, and actual customer testimonials, and you will see the buyers’ confidence rise.

A good product page is not only a source of information, but also a shopping experience. Simplify, entertain, and sell, that is the formula that you need to follow to see your sales increase.

Offer Subscriptions And Recurring Orders

Products that customers purchase on subscription are likely to be more consistent and possibly have a higher AOV because of the subscription orders.

For instance, a coffee firm may decide to offer its consumers a monthly subscription of their favorite coffee brands. This is because subscriptions ensure that there is a constant sale while at the same time making the customer spend more in the long run.

Follow Marketing Trends 

Stay updated with the latest marketing trends to remain competitive and meet customer expectations. Incorporating current trends into your strategies can drive growth and profitability, ensuring your business stays relevant in a dynamic market.

AOV In Different Business Models

Average Order Value is relevant and important across different business models, impacting strategies and outcomes uniquely.

E-commerce

Ecommerce average order value plays a really important role in the success of an online store. Strategies like product recommendations, abandoned cart recovery, and dynamic pricing are likely to be useful in this sector.

You could suggest products based on the browsing history or send emails to remind customers about their abandoned carts - both of these can increase average order value to a great extent.

Subscription Services

In subscription models, AOV has a different meaning and is more concerned with average monthly recurring revenue (MRR) per customer. Subscription businesses can leverage strategies like offering tiered pricing plans with varying benefits to influence AOV. 

For instance, a software firm may have the basic, standard, and premium packages with the latter having more features and being more expensive than the former.

Brick-and-Mortar Retail

Even if a company does not engage in any online sales, AOV is a valuable metric for physical stores. The AOV by product categories, departments, or stores can be compared to assist in the management of inventory and promotions.

Tools And Resources For AOV Tracking And Analysis

To evaluate the effectiveness of your strategy, it is necessary to monitor AOV and its fluctuations over time. The analytics dashboards that come with the e-commerce platforms such as Shopify and WooCommerce provide useful information on AOV.

Asides from the ones mentioned above, marketing automation tools such as HubSpot and Market, and business intelligence tools like Tableau and Power BI offer analysis capabilities. These tools help firms in measuring performance, identifying patterns, and making decisions that would improve AOV.

Case Study: Knifebox

Our client, Knifebox, faced difficulties in showcasing quality content to potential subscription box buyers on Facebook, struggling against the platform's algorithm. They sought a marketing agency specializing in content marketing strategies to drive more sales and subscriptions.

  • Client Goals: Knifebox aimed to increase sales, conversion rates, average order values, and community engagement.
  • Our Strategy: UADV crafted a strategic content plan centered around viral video campaigns that highlighted Knifebox's offerings. These campaigns were designed for their target audiences and distributed across multiple platforms to maximize reach and impact.
  • Action Items: To achieve these goals, we created captivating animations for advertisements, conducted comprehensive market-wide research, managed a full SEO campaign, and curated engaging video content for social media.
  • Results: The results were significant: Knifebox saw a 40% increase in new visitors, over 600 store sales totaling more than $100K, and top rankings for the keywords "Knife Box" and "Knife Subscription Box." Web traffic also surged by 45%.

This case study illustrates how a focused content marketing coach and strategy can overcome platform challenges and drive substantial growth in sales and engagement.

Bottom Line

AOV is one of the most important marketing metrics that directly affect your business’s ability to generate profit.

Monitoring AOV is crucial as it allows you to see the areas that need improvement and apply changes to boost revenue. There are several approaches that can be used to increase AOV ranging from upselling and cross-selling to improving product pages and offering subscriptions. 

Apply these techniques to your business to see the changes in your AOV and overall revenue.

Browse our selection of superior online UADV services. Our services range from local SEO to paid ads, and we build websites as well. You can find out more about our other services on our page or contact our support team if you have any questions.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Markets And Industries Differ In AOV?

The Average Order Value (AOV) differs from one industry to another because of factors such as the pricing model, the target market, and the kind of products being sold. For example, the AOV of luxury goods markets is higher than that of the markets for essential consumer products. 

Does AOV Stand Alone, Or Should It Be Considered With Others? 

AOV should not be viewed in isolation; it’s more effective to consider it as one of the key performance indicators, together with conversion rates and customer lifetime value (CLV). Such an approach is beneficial for businesses as it helps them better understand profitability and customers’ purchasing patterns. 

What Is The Best Way To Evaluate AOV? 

AOV is most effectively measured relative to the competition to determine its competitiveness and in relation to prior years’ data to determine performance trends. However, analyzing AOV together with other financial indicators such as CAC and retention rates gives a more comprehensive picture of the business’s state.  

Are Cart Abandonment Rates Related To AOV? 

Cart abandonment rates are generally linked to AOV; normally, higher basket values are followed by higher abandonment rates. This may be because of either higher purchase indecision or more often cross shopping as the stake involved goes up.  

How To Represent Average Order Value?

Average Order Value (AOV) can be represented as a simple mathematical calculation: total revenue obtained by the number of orders placed. In terms of the presentation, it is commonly represented by the bar charts or the line graphs that display the changes in the marketing variables over time. 

How Can A/B Testing Improve Your Average Order Value?

This can be a very effective way of increasing AOV because it provides businesses with an opportunity to test strategies such as upselling, cross-selling, or adjusting prices. By experimenting with different configurations in product presentation, companies can determine which strategies have the most impact on per-head consumption.

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