There are three ways to grow an online store's revenue: get more customers, get customers to buy more often, or get customers to spend more per order. Most store owners focus almost entirely on the first one (more traffic, more customers) and ignore the other two.
Increasing your average order value (AOV) is often the fastest path to higher profits because you're working with customers who are already buying. No extra ad spend. No new traffic needed. Just a smarter approach to what happens between "add to cart" and "order confirmed."
Email plays a surprisingly big role here. Not just in pre-purchase recommendation emails, but in how you structure post-purchase communication, cart recovery, and ongoing customer engagement.
Why AOV Matters More Than You Think
Let's say you're doing 1,000 orders per month at a $50 AOV. That's $50,000 in revenue.
If you increase AOV by just $10 (from $50 to $60), that's $60,000 per month. An extra $120,000 per year from the same number of customers, the same traffic, and the same ad spend.
That $10 increase could come from one customer adding a $15 accessory to their cart. It doesn't take much.
The other reason AOV matters: it directly improves your unit economics. Your fixed costs per order (shipping, packaging, processing) stay roughly the same whether someone spends $50 or $60. So that extra $10 flows almost entirely to your bottom line.
Email Strategies That Increase AOV
1. Cross-Sell Emails After Purchase
The post-purchase window is your best opportunity for cross-selling. The customer is happy (they just bought something), they trust you (enough to hand over their credit card), and they're in a buying mindset.
Timing: 2-4 weeks after delivery. They've had time to use and enjoy their purchase.
The email: "People who bought [their product] also love [complementary product]."
Keep it to 2-3 recommendations. More than that feels like a catalog dump. And make the recommendations genuinely complementary:
- Bought running shoes? Suggest running socks, insoles, or a shoe bag.
- Bought a skincare serum? Suggest the complementary moisturizer or sunscreen.
- Bought a camera? Suggest a memory card, lens cloth, or camera bag.
The "people who bought X also loved Y" framing works because it's social proof. Other customers have validated this pairing. It doesn't feel like you're pushing products. It feels like you're sharing what works.
2. Bundle Offers
Bundles are one of the most effective AOV boosters because they reframe the purchase. Instead of "buy this one thing for $30," it becomes "get all three for $75 (save $15)."
Email-specific bundle strategies:
- Curated collections. "The Complete [Category] Kit" with 3-5 products bundled at a discount. Works great as a seasonal email or new subscriber offer.
- Build-your-own bundles. "Pick any 3, save 20%." Gives the customer control while ensuring a higher cart value.
- Starter kits for new customers. If someone hasn't bought before, a "starter bundle" lowers the barrier to entry while starting them at a higher AOV.
Bundles work especially well in cart abandonment emails. If someone abandons a single product, your recovery email could suggest the bundle: "Want the full set? Save 15% when you bundle."
3. Free Shipping Thresholds
This is the simplest AOV lever and it works almost universally. Set your free shipping threshold 20-30% above your current AOV.
If your AOV is $45, set the threshold at $55-60.
Use email to reinforce the threshold:
- In cart abandonment emails: "You're $12 away from free shipping! Add [suggested product] to qualify."
- In promotional emails: Always mention the free shipping threshold prominently.
- In welcome emails: "Free shipping on all orders over $55" sets the expectation from day one.
The psychology is straightforward. Paying $8 for shipping on a $45 order feels bad. Adding a $15 item to get free shipping feels like a win, even though they spent more money total. People would rather spend $60 and get free shipping than spend $53 ($45 + $8 shipping) for less product.
4. Upsell Emails
Upselling in email is trickier than cross-selling because you're asking someone to spend more on the same type of product. The key is demonstrating clear value.
Pre-purchase upsells (in welcome or browse emails): "Considering the [Basic Product]? The [Premium Product] includes [extra feature/benefit] and customers rate it 4.9 stars."
Show a side-by-side comparison. Make the value gap obvious. Not just "the premium is better," but "the premium lasts 3x longer, which means less cost over time."
Post-purchase upsells: "Loving your [Basic Product]? Upgrade to [Premium] and get [specific benefit they'd care about]. Use this exclusive upgrade link for 15% off the difference."
This works for things like:
- Basic to premium versions of consumable products
- Starter kits to complete collections
- Standard to deluxe sizes
5. "Complete the Look" Emails
Particularly effective for fashion, home decor, and lifestyle brands. Show the product they bought styled with other products from your store.
"You bought the [product]. Here's how to complete the look."
Include 3-4 items that pair with their purchase, shown together in a styled photo. This is more aspirational than a standard cross-sell. You're not just suggesting products; you're suggesting a lifestyle.
6. Limited-Time Add-On Offers
After someone places an order but before it ships, you have a brief window to offer add-ons.
"Your order is being prepared! Want to add anything before it ships?"
Show 2-3 items that complement their order. Since they're already going through the buying process and shipping hasn't started, adding another item feels low-friction. Some stores offer free shipping on add-ons since they can bundle them in the same package.
7. Tiered Discount Emails
Structure your promotions to reward higher spending:
- Spend $50+, get 10% off
- Spend $100+, get 15% off
- Spend $150+, get 20% off
This naturally pushes customers toward a higher cart value. The more they spend, the better the deal. Email is perfect for communicating these tiers because you have the space to explain the structure clearly.
Measuring AOV Impact
Track these numbers to see if your strategies are working:
Overall AOV trend: Is it going up month over month? Even $1-2 increases are meaningful at scale.
AOV by email source: What's the AOV of customers who came from a cross-sell email vs. a promotional email vs. a direct purchase? This tells you which emails drive the highest-value orders.
Bundle attachment rate: What percentage of orders include a bundle or additional item from a recommendation?
Free shipping threshold impact: What percentage of orders are at or just above your free shipping threshold? A high percentage here means the threshold is working.
Revenue per email: For cross-sell and recommendation emails specifically, how much revenue does each send generate?
Common Mistakes
Recommending irrelevant products. A cross-sell for pet food to someone who bought electronics destroys trust. Keep recommendations closely tied to what the customer actually bought or browsed.
Too many recommendations. Showing 10 products in an email creates choice paralysis. Stick to 2-3 strong recommendations.
Discounting too aggressively. If you're giving away 30% margins to increase AOV by $10, you might not come out ahead. Run the math on your specific margins before setting discount levels.
Ignoring mobile. Product recommendation emails with tiny images and hard-to-tap buttons lose most of their potential on mobile. Make product images large and CTA buttons thumb-friendly.
Getting Started
- Set a free shipping threshold 20-30% above your current AOV. This takes 5 minutes and starts working immediately.
- Add a cross-sell section to your post-purchase emails. Even a simple "you might also like" with 2-3 products helps.
- Create one bundle offer around your bestselling product. Email it to past purchasers of that product.
- Mention the free shipping threshold in your cart abandonment emails.
With Sequenzy, your Shopify purchase data syncs automatically, making it easy to send cross-sell emails based on what customers actually bought. When you know someone purchased running shoes, you can automatically send them a recommendation for running socks 3 weeks later.
Small, consistent AOV improvements compound over time. A $5 increase this month, another $3 from a bundle next month, another $5 from a better free shipping threshold. Before long, your store is generating meaningfully more revenue from the same customer base.