How to Fix Low Average Order Value
Low average order value makes paid acquisition hard to justify, because each order has to cover the same ad and shipping cost. We look at what people buy together and redesign the offers, thresholds and follow-up that lift basket size.
Measure the baseline, find the root cause, fix the biggest leak first and then keep testing. For most businesses that means combining Microsoft Ads Management Services, Email Marketing Services, Ecommerce Consulting Services, rather than spending more on what already isn’t working.
Many stores try to fix AOV by discounting, which lifts basket size for a week and cuts margin for good. The real levers are quieter: a free-shipping threshold set just above your typical basket, bundles built from products people already buy together, relevant add-ons in the cart rather than random bestsellers, and quantity pricing for consumables.
We start with your order data to find natural product pairs and the order-value bands where most baskets sit. Then we test one change at a time so you know what worked: threshold, bundle, cart prompt or post-purchase offer. Email and ad campaigns get adjusted too, because promoting single low-price items to cold audiences pulls AOV down before the customer even lands.
This is a good fit for D2C and ecommerce brands with steady order volume. With very few orders a month, tests take too long to read and the effort is better spent on traffic first.
Common symptoms
- Carts are abandoned at a high rate
- Customers buy one item and leave
- Discounts are the only lever that works
- Returns eat into margin
- Marketplace sales outpace your own store
Root causes
Surprise shipping costs or slow delivery promises
No cross-sell or bundle logic
Weak product pages and imagery
No abandoned-cart or post-purchase flows
Checkout friction on mobile
How to fix low average order value
Measure the baseline
Set up clean tracking so you know exactly how big the low average order value problem is, and where it starts.
Diagnose the root cause
Work through the causes above in order of likely impact. Usually one or two explain most of the gap.
Fix the biggest leak first
Apply Microsoft Ads Management Services to the constraint with the largest upside.
Test and iterate
Change one thing at a time, measure, keep what works. Weekly, not quarterly.
Systemise and report
Turn the fix into a repeatable process with a dashboard, so the problem stays solved.
Assess the impact on your business
An honest check of how much low average order value is costing you. Your answers stay in your browser.
How Nians fixes it
Microsoft Ads Management Services
Bing search campaigns with cleaned-up Google imports, LinkedIn profile targeting and their own bids and negatives.
ExploreEmail Marketing Services
Deliverability fixes, list hygiene, automated flows and regular campaigns that reach the inbox and get read.
ExploreEcommerce Consulting Services
Advice on platform, channel mix, merchandising and margins for brands selling online, with help to execute.
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Case studies & resources
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Client stories
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Helpful resources
Guides, tools and articles our team recommends on this topic.
Questions we often hear
Straight answers to the things clients ask us most. If yours isn’t here, just ask.
How do I calculate average order value?
Do free shipping thresholds really increase order value?
What causes low average order value?
How long does it take to fix low average order value?
What does the free audit include?
Find out exactly what is holding growth back.
A free 30-minute session with a senior Nians strategist. You leave with a prioritised plan, whether or not you work with us.