12 Ways to Increase Average Order Value on Shopify in 2026

To increase average order value on Shopify, you need customers to add one more relevant item, choose a bigger pack or reach a spending threshold before they check out. Each of those is a merchandising decision, and Shopify now has native tools for most of them, from free bundles to automatic discounts and post-purchase offers.

Average order value (AOV) matters because it raises revenue from traffic you already pay for. If your AOV moves from $80 to $90, every order is worth 12.5% more before you spend another dollar on acquisition.

This guide covers 12 ways to increase average order value on Shopify in 2026, the plan each one needs, and the order we'd test them in to protect your margin.

Key Takeaways

• Shopify calculates AOV as gross sales minus discounts, divided by orders. A tactic that raises order size through heavy discounting can lift revenue per order without lifting profit.

• Start with a free shipping threshold, product bundles and complementary product recommendations. All three run on native Shopify features or Shopify's own apps, with no custom development.

• Post-purchase offers work on the Basic plan and up, but offers inside the information, shipping and payment steps of checkout need Shopify Plus.

• Volume pricing and quantity rules are no longer limited to Plus: Shopify B2B supports both on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans.

• Test one change at a time and judge it on gross profit per order, not AOV alone.

What Average Order Value Is and How Shopify Measures It

Average order value is the average amount a customer spends per order. Shopify's analytics calculates it as gross sales minus discounts, divided by the number of orders, excluding post-order adjustments such as edits and returns.

Because discounts come off the top, a 20%-off bundle that adds a second item raises AOV by less than its sticker price suggests. Shipping and taxes sit outside gross sales, so a free shipping threshold lifts AOV only through the extra products customers add to reach it.

Before changing anything, record a baseline of four weeks of AOV, conversion rate and gross margin. Then split AOV by channel, device and new versus returning customers, since the store-wide average often hides the real gap. Mobile is a common one, and we cover it in detail in our post on how mobile shopping drives AOV on Shopify Plus.

1. Set a Free Shipping Threshold Just Above Your Current AOV

Shipping cost is one of the biggest reasons shoppers walk away: in the Baymard Institute's checkout research, 40% of US shoppers who abandoned an order said extra costs such as shipping, taxes and fees were too high. A threshold turns that objection into a reason to add one more item.

On Shopify, create an automatic free shipping discount with a minimum purchase amount. That minimum counts product prices only, so taxes never push a customer over it, and you can limit the offer to certain countries or exclude expensive shipping rates.

Set the threshold close enough to your current AOV that a single add-on gets most customers there, then show the remaining amount in the cart ("You're $12 away from free shipping"). Watch your shipping cost per order alongside AOV, since you're now absorbing it.

2. Sell Bundles and Multipacks

Bundles raise order size by selling a complete solution instead of a single product: a starter kit, a full routine or a three-pack of a consumable. Shopify Bundles is a free first-party app available on all plans, and it supports fixed bundles of up to 30 components as well as multipacks of the same product.

Bundles work across the Online Store, Shop, Shopify POS and headless storefronts, and inventory is calculated from the components. One thing to build into your process: bundle prices don't update automatically when a component's price changes, so review them whenever you reprice.

3. Recommend Complementary Products on Product Pages

A customer buying a camera needs a memory card, and a customer buying a serum may want the matching moisturizer. Shopify's Search & Discovery app lets you hand-pick up to 10 complementary products and 10 related products for each item, rather than relying only on automated suggestions.

Shopify's own guidance is to choose complementary products that cost the same or less than the main item, and it's sound advice: the add-on should feel like an easy yes. Depending on your theme or app, you can repeat these suggestions in the cart drawer, where purchase intent is highest.

4. Offer Volume Pricing and Quantity Breaks

Tiered pricing (buy 2 and save 10%, buy 3 and save 15%) works well for consumables, gifts and anything bought for a team. For direct-to-consumer stores, Shopify's built-in discount types cover simple quantity offers, while multi-tier discounts need an app or, on Shopify Plus, Shopify's Checkout Blocks app.

For wholesale buyers, Shopify B2B now supports quantity price breaks and quantity rules on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans, with up to 10 price breaks per product. If your tiered pricing still ran on Shopify Scripts, note that Scripts was deprecated on June 30, 2026, and that logic now belongs in Shopify Functions. Our Shopify B2B and wholesale guide covers the setup.

5. Add a One-Click Post-Purchase Offer

The moment after payment is a good time for a small add-on: the customer has already committed, and accepting takes one click with no need to re-enter card details. Post-purchase apps show an offer after payment and before the order confirmation page, and they work on the Basic plan and up.

You can run only one post-purchase app at a time, so choose carefully. Keep the offer cheap relative to the order, related to what was just bought, and limited to one product.

6. Use the Thank-You Page and, on Plus, the Checkout Itself

Checkout UI extensions on the thank-you and order status pages are available on the Basic plan and up, which makes them a good place for a reorder prompt, a referral offer or a discount on the next purchase.

Offers inside the information, shipping and payment steps of checkout are a Shopify Plus feature. That's where a "complete the set" block or a protection plan can sit right beside the order total. If you're still deciding whether Plus is worth it, read our take on whether you really need Shopify Plus.

7. Offer a Gift With Purchase Above a Spend Level

A free gift above a set spend often protects margin better than a percentage discount, because the gift costs you its wholesale price, not its retail price. Shopify's Buy X get Y discount handles this: set a minimum spend or quantity as the "buy" condition and a free item as the "get", either as a code or as an automatic discount.

One detail is easy to miss: Shopify never adds the free item to the cart automatically, so customers must add it themselves. Make the gift visible in the cart, with a clear "add your free gift" prompt, or customers will miss it.

8. Show Shop Pay Installments on Higher-Priced Products

Splitting a $400 order into smaller payments makes a bigger cart easier to say yes to. Shop Pay Installments covers orders from $35 to $30,000 in the US and Canada, including discounts, shipping and taxes, and it's also available in the UK.

You need Shopify Payments and Shop Pay activated. Display the installment price on product pages and in the cart, not just at checkout, so customers factor it in while they're still choosing what to add.

9. Tie Loyalty Rewards to Order Size

A loyalty program that pays the same points on every order rewards frequency, not basket size. Shift some of the value to bigger orders: double points above a spend level, a bonus reward for orders with three or more items, or a tier that unlocks once a customer's orders reach a set value.

Shopify doesn't include a points program natively, so loyalty runs through apps from the Shopify App Store. Our roundup of top Shopify Plus apps is a good starting point for choosing one.

10. Make the Bigger Option the Default

How you present choices changes what people buy. Show the larger pack size first, pre-select the best-value variant rather than the cheapest, and show the price per unit so the saving on the bigger size is obvious.

The same idea applies to collection pages: if your best-value kits sit on page three, few customers will see them. Sort key collections so bundles and larger sizes appear in the first row.

11. Make the Second Item Easy to Find on Mobile

Shoppers can't add what they can't find, and the hunt is hardest on a phone. Check that filters, search and the cart drawer all work smoothly on mobile, and that suggested add-ons appear without extra scrolling.

These are UX fixes rather than promotions, so they raise AOV without costing margin. Our posts on how mobile shopping drives AOV and UX and A/B testing for ecommerce conversions go deeper.

12. Personalize Offers for Returning and High-Value Customers

Your best customers don't need the same offer as a first-time visitor. Shopify's customer segments are dynamic, rule-based lists, and discounts such as Buy X get Y can be limited to a segment.

That lets you offer a bundle upgrade to repeat buyers, a gift with purchase at a higher spend level for customers who already clear your standard threshold, or an early-access collection to your top spenders. You can then reach each group with Shopify Messaging or your email platform.

Which Tactics to Test First

Not every tactic is worth the same effort. We sequence them by how quickly they can launch and how little margin they put at risk:

How to Raise AOV Without Eroding Margin

• Judge each test on gross profit per order. A bigger basket bought with a 25% discount can leave you worse off than a smaller one at full price.

• Change one thing at a time and run it for at least two full weeks, so weekday and weekend buying patterns both show up.

• Watch conversion rate alongside AOV. A threshold set too high can raise AOV while cutting the number of orders.

• Check discount combinations. Make sure a free shipping offer, a bundle discount and a code don't all stack on the same order unless you've priced for it.

• Track returns. If add-ons bought only to reach a threshold come back, the gain disappears with them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good average order value on Shopify?

It depends on your category and price points, so generic benchmarks rarely help. Compare against your own four-week baseline, split by channel, device and new versus returning customers, and aim to grow each segment.

How do I calculate the average order value in Shopify?

Shopify divides gross sales minus discounts by the number of orders, excluding post-order adjustments such as returns. Shipping and taxes aren't included, and you'll find AOV in Shopify's analytics.

What is the fastest way to increase average order value?

Set an automatic free shipping threshold just above your current AOV, then add bundles and complementary product recommendations. All three use native Shopify features and need no custom development.

Does increasing average order value hurt conversion rate?

It can, if a threshold is set too high or an upsell gets in the way of checkout. Track conversion rate and gross profit per order alongside AOV, and test one change at a time.

Do I need Shopify Plus to increase average order value?

No. Bundles, discounts, post-purchase offers, thank-you page offers and B2B volume pricing all work on the Basic plan and up. Plus adds offers inside checkout and unlimited B2B catalogs.

What's the difference between upselling and cross-selling?

Upselling moves a customer to a bigger or premium version of what they're buying, while cross-selling adds a complementary product. Both raise AOV, and cross-sells priced below the main item tend to be the easiest yes.