How to Increase Average Order Value With Discounts

To increase average order value (AOV) with a discount, make the discount depend on a bigger order: a spend threshold, a lower price per item for buying more, or a bundle. A flat percentage off moves average order value the other way, because the same basket gets cheaper. The offers that raise it all ask the shopper to add something.

Which discounts raise average order value?

A spend threshold

Spend $50, get free shipping or 10% off. A shopper at $44 now has a reason to add one more item. Set the threshold a little above what your shoppers already spend, so one small item gets them there. Below that, you pay for orders you already had; far above it, few shoppers reach it. Our guide to making free shipping profitable has the sum.

In Discounty, a discount threshold is a Cart goal campaign, on every plan with one tier. A free shipping threshold is a Shipping discount, on the Lite plan and up.

A quantity break

Buy three, and the price per item falls: one for $20, three for $54. Each step is compared with the single-item price the shopper just saw. Across all campaigns stores have created in Discounty, 16% are quantity discounts.

In Discounty, this is a Quantity discount campaign, with a tier table on the product page. More than one tier needs the Essential plan or above.

A bundle or a gift

Several products at one price, or a gift with a qualifying purchase. It moves items that sell less well alone, by pairing them with ones that sell. In Discounty, a Buy X get Y campaign (Lite plan and up) gives one item free or reduced when another is bought, or a gift once the shopper spends a set amount on the qualifying products.

Why does a flat discount not raise average order value?

20% off everything reaches the shopper who was buying one item and the one who was buying five. Both pay less, and neither has a reason to buy more. A flat discount is the right tool for clearing stock, not for growing a basket.

What if your products are under $50?

A low average order usually means low-priced products, so the threshold and the tiers have to be built from them. If most items cost $15 to $25 and the average order is $30, a free shipping threshold at $40 asks for one more item. A quantity break of "3 for $50" on $20 items gives a clear reason to take a third. Keep the step to one item.

Can you combine discounts to raise average order value?

Yes, with care. In Discounty, a Bulk price editor sale can combine with a Quantity discount or a Cart goal, so a shopper who buys more on sale items saves again. Combining campaigns is on the Discounty plan and up. A Quantity discount and a Cart goal cannot combine with each other, and stacking a Buy X get Y or a discount code on the same item as either of them needs Shopify Plus and the Discounty plan or above. Check the margin on an order that qualifies for both before you switch it on.

How do you show shoppers how close they are?

An offer the shopper cannot see does little. "$6 away from free shipping" in the cart tells the shopper what to do next, which "free shipping over $50" in the header does not. In Discounty, a Shipping discount that applies without a code can show a progress bar, on the Essential plan and up. For quantity, the tier table on the product page shows what the next step costs.

What should you measure?

Not average order value alone. A threshold usually raises it by design, partly by putting off the small orders that would have come in anyway.

Compare total revenue and margin over the same weeks with and without the offer. An offer that raised average order value but lowered the number of orders may have cost you money.

To undo a Discounty campaign, deactivate it. It shows as Reverting while Discounty removes the discount.

How we counted

The quantity share is the proportion of all campaigns Shopify stores have created in Discounty that discount on quantity, read from our own records in October 2026. It is a share across campaigns; no single store can be identified from it.

Questions

How do I increase average order value on Shopify?

Give the shopper a reason to add one more item: a spend threshold, a quantity break, or a bundle or gift. A flat discount lowers the price without changing the basket.

Where should a free shipping threshold be set?

A little above your average order value, so that one more small item reaches it.

Does raising average order value always mean more revenue?

No. A threshold can raise the average by removing small orders. Compare total revenue and margin over the same period.

What causes a low average order value?

Usually low-priced products bought one at a time. A threshold or a quantity break built around one extra item is the usual fix.