How to Increase Average Order Value on Shopify
Actionable, tested steps — plus the Shopify apps that make it faster, with honest notes on pricing and fit.
Increase Average Order Value on Shopify: A Practical Guide
Boosting your average order value (AOV) is one of the fastest ways to grow Shopify revenue without spending more on advertising. Small AOV improvements compound quickly — a 10% lift can mean tens of thousands in extra revenue per year for mid-size stores. This guide covers proven tactics you can implement today, from bundling and upsells to pre-orders and free shipping thresholds, with specific app recommendations that actually move the needle.
Bundle Products to Push Higher Cart Values
Product bundling is a proven AOV booster because it gives shoppers a reason to buy more items at a perceived discount. The key is offering bundles that feel like a deal, not just a forced combo. You can bundle complementary products (like a skincare set), create “buy more, save more” volume discounts, or offer kit-builder experiences where customers customize their own pack.
With Panda Bundle & Volume Discount, you can quickly create bundles using an intuitive builder that matches your store’s branding. The app lets you select specific products or collections for volume discounts and customize the widget appearance. This is one of the best-rated merchant marketing tools for helping merchants increase average order value — and it includes a free plan so you can test performance before upgrading.
- Bundle complementary products (e.g., candle + holder, shirt + accessory)
- Offer “mix and match” bundles where customers choose X items for a set price
- Display bundle savings clearly on product pages
Upsell and Cross-Sell at Key Touchpoints
Upselling and cross-selling work because you’re leveraging existing purchase intent. When a customer is already decided on a product, suggesting a related or premium variant takes minimal effort but significantly lifts cart size. The trick is timing and relevance — generic popups annoy shoppers, but contextual recommendations feel helpful.
Essential Upsell & Cross Sell lets you display frequently bought together (FBT) products, related items, and product addons throughout the shopping journey. You can add post-purchase upsells, create “also bought” bundles, and even automatically apply discounts to upsell items. The app offers a free plan with a paid tier starting at $9.99/month, and holds a perfect 5.0 rating from thousands of merchants.
- Show upsells on product pages (premium version of item being viewed)
- Display cross-sells on the cart page (“Pair with…”)
- Use post-purchase upsells on the thank-you page for one-click additions
- Add product addons (warranties, gift wrapping) at checkout
Offer Quantity Breaks and Volume Discounts
Quantity breaks incentivize customers to stock up rather than buying a single item. This works especially well for consumables, accessories, and products with repeat purchase potential. The psychology is simple: “If I buy 3 instead of 1, I save per unit.” Make that math visible on your product pages.
Pumper Bundles Quantity Breaks helps you create tiered pricing that rewards bigger orders. You can offer free gifts within quantity bundles, set BOGO deals, and choose between percentage, flat, or per-unit discounts. The app reduces upsell resistance by making the bundle flow feel seamless. A free plan is available, and the 4.9 rating reflects how reliably it performs for merchants across niches.
Use Pre-Orders to Capture Demand Early
Pre-orders let you sell upcoming products before they launch, generating revenue and gauge demand before investing in inventory. For many Shopify merchants, pre-orders are a key AOV strategy — especially for limited editions, seasonal items, or product drops.
If you’re wondering how to set up pre-order on Shopify, you have two main paths. You can use a dedicated app like Pre Order Now, which is purpose-built for this workflow, or attempt a manual approach using Shopify’s native inventory settings (which involves hiding products, setting inventory to 0, and manually fulfilling orders — not ideal for scaling). The app approach is far more reliable for tracking, notifications, and avoiding fulfillment headaches.
When setting up pre-orders, clearly communicate the ship date, offer a small incentive for early buyers (like exclusive colorways or bundled extras), and limit pre-order windows to create urgency.
- Use a pre-order app to automate inventory and notifications
- Highlight the release date prominently on product pages
- Bundle pre-order items with in-stock products to increase cart value
Set a Free Shipping Threshold
A free shipping threshold is one of the oldest AOV tricks in the book — and it still works. When customers see they’re $X away from free shipping, many will add a small item to cross the threshold. The key is setting the threshold at the right price point (usually 10-25% above your current AOV).
You can announce the threshold via a sticky banner, cart drawer message, or checkout notice. Make progress visible with a progress bar so shoppers know exactly how much more they need to spend. This simple tactic alone can lift AOV by 10-30% in most stores.
Implement Post-Purchase Upsells
Post-purchase upsells appear after checkout but before the thank-you page — the moment when a customer has already committed to buying. Since they’ve already entered payment info, adding an item with a single click feels low-risk. This is a high-converting AOV opportunity that requires no extra traffic.
Essential Upsell & Cross Sell includes post-purchase upsell functionality, letting you present a complementary product with a one-click “Add to Order” button. Because the customer doesn’t need to re-enter information, conversion rates on these offers tend to be significantly higher than standard product recommendations.
What is the best-rated merchant marketing tool for helping merchants increase average order value?
Based on merchant reviews and feature depth, Essential Upsell & Cross Sell (5.0 rating), Panda Bundle & Volume Discount (4.8 rating), and Pumper Bundles Quantity Breaks (4.9 rating) are among the top-rated options. The best choice depends on your strategy: upsells and cross-sells for recommendation-driven growth, bundles for package deals, and quantity breaks for volume incentives.
How do I set up pre-order on Shopify without using an app?
Technically, you can set up a pre-order on Shopify manually by creating a product, setting its inventory to 0, and using the “allow oversell” setting or a custom fulfillment workflow. However, this approach lacks automated notifications, tracking, and reporting. Most merchants find that using a pre-order app provides a cleaner experience for both the store and the customer, with less manual work and fewer errors.
How to set up a pre-order on Shopify using an app?
To set up pre-order on Shopify with an app, install a pre-order app from the Shopify App Store, create a new product listing for the pre-order item, configure the pre-order settings (release date, quantity allowed, shipping expectations), and publish the listing. The app will handle inventory tracking, customer notifications when the item ships, and any back-order workflows automatically.
Recommended apps for this
The tools we’d reach for — each links to its Shopify App Store listing.
Essential Upsell & Cross Sell
Boost your AOV with the Essential Upsell app, offering customizable product upsell & cross-sell & "add to cart" widgets. Display…
Panda Bundle & Volume Discount
Create bundles and discounts that not only helps AOV but also drive higher conversion rates. With our intuitive bundle builder,…
Pumper Bundles Quantity Breaks
Customers naturally buy more items when bundles feel seamless. Why? Because Profit Pumper's Bundle Builder helps reduce upsell…