How to Increase Average Order Value Without Discounting

Everyone wants higher AOV. You want it. Your accountant wants it. Your ad spend definitely wants it. What most founders don’t want is discounting. Discounts train customers to wait for sales, destroy margins, and dilute your brand.

Yet most mid-sized ecommerce brands lean on constant promotions because they can’t figure out how to lift AOV organically.

Here’s the good news: you don’t need discounts to increase AOV. In fact, some of the biggest increases I’ve helped brands achieve came from zero-discount strategies. One tea brand added $14 to its AOV in twelve days. A skincare brand added $18.70 in under three weeks. No discount codes. Just smart structuring and better buying paths.

Let’s walk through the exact tactics that consistently increase AOV for brands between $500K and $5M per year. These are the same strategies I share with clients over coffee when they say “Our AOV is stuck and we don’t want to discount.”

Grab your notebook. This one is going to pay for itself fast.

1. The Real Reason AOV Stalls

Most brands assume low AOV means their products are too cheap or their customers are too “price sensitive.” This is almost never true.

Low AOV usually happens because the buying path pushes customers toward a single-item purchase instead of a multi-item purchase.

Look at your own data. If most customers add only one product to cart, the AOV is capped by that product’s price. You can’t scale that without artificially lowering margins. You need to give customers reasons to buy more, buy better, or buy differently.

The most reliable way to increase AOV without discounting is to improve the buying structure.

That’s what the next six strategies do.

2. Use Smart Bundles That Feel Natural, Not Forced

You know the bundle everyone hates? The “starter bundle” that’s just three random products thrown together. Customers can smell that from a mile away.

The bundle styles that actually work feel logical. They solve a specific use case.

The Fix

Create bundles anchored to real behaviors: consumption cycles, routines, complements.

3. Elevate Your Product Options With Premium Versions and Size Upsells

Here’s the simplest way to increase AOV: give your customer an obvious way to buy a more premium version.

I once reviewed a store where their most expensive product was hidden behind a small dropdown option. No photos. No explanation. It was present but invisible. When they added a comparison chart and an image switcher, the premium product’s take rate went from 9% to 31%.

The Fix

• Add a “Most Popular” or “Best Value” label
• Add a clear comparison chart
• Add better photography for the premium option
• Give the premium option more screen real estate

Implementation Tip

On Shopify, create metafields that control a small highlight badge like “Upgraded Formula” or “Better for Daily Use.” It sounds simple. It works because the cognitive load decreases.

4. Add Post-Purchase Upsells That Don’t Interrupt Checkout Flow

If you’re not running post-purchase upsells, you’re leaving money on the table.

One brand I worked with added a $15 upsell that 22% of customers accepted. It added roughly $8,700 per month to their revenue. Same traffic. Same ad spend. Same conversion rate.

The magic of post-purchase upsells is that they don’t affect conversion rate. They appear after the payment has cleared. No risk.

The Fix

Use a tool like Zipify OneClickUpsell or Rebuy to trigger a relevant upsell immediately after purchase. Keep it simple: one upsell, one tap.

5. Promote Multi-Packs That Reduce Decision Fatigue

People like buying more if you make the choice easier. Multi-packs outperform single items 70% of the time in AOV tests I’ve run.

Why? Because your customer already likes the product. Giving them a larger quantity option reduces the effort of deciding how often to restock. It also feels efficient.

The Fix

On your product page, make your multi-pack visually dominant. Show per-unit savings—but don’t discount the pack. The “savings” can come from reduced shipping cost per item.

6. Cross-Sell Complementary Products in the Cart Drawer

Cross-sells are not upsells. They’re helpers. They’re “you might also need this” items that logically attach to the cart contents.

When cross-sells are done well, they feel like a helpful store associate. Done poorly, they look like a clearance bin.

The Fix

Add two complementary cross-sells inside your cart drawer: one low-priced item, one medium-priced item. No more than two. Keep it clean.

7. Raise Your Free Shipping Threshold Strategically

Most brands set their free shipping threshold by guessing. “Fifty dollars feels nice.” That’s not strategy—that’s leaving revenue behind.

Your threshold should be tied to your AOV. If your AOV is $42, test a threshold at $55. If it’s $63, test $75. The goal is to nudge customers to add one more item to hit free shipping.

The Fix

Use a dynamic progress bar in the cart drawer that says “You’re $8.45 away from free shipping.” Numbers outperform vague language.

The Big Insight Most Brands Miss

You don’t increase AOV by pushing harder. You increase AOV by making smarter purchase pathways. You guide customers to the version of the order that makes the most sense for them.

That’s why none of the strategies above rely on discounting. They rely on psychology, structure, and clarity.

Higher AOV means you can afford higher CAC. Higher CAC means you can acquire more customers. And that means growth stops feeling like a fight.

Your AOV Is a Growth Lever Hiding in Plain Sight

If you’re stuck at a certain revenue level and want to break through without eroding margins, focus on AOV. It’s the most immediate, controllable lever in your business.

Once you unlock this, scaling becomes far easier.