Increasing shopping cart value in the online shop made easy

You already have a working online shop and want to increase the shopping cart value in the online shop? At least you know what you want! To further increase your sales, you should take a look at the average shopping cart value. The shopping cart value (or average shopping cart value) is an important indicator for your online shop. Not only does it tell you how much your customers spend on average per purchase, but a high shopping cart value can also indicate that customers are satisfied with the items and prices offered. Since a higher shopping cart value can also help to increase the sales of your online shop, it is worthwhile to invest time in optimization. Your focus should be on the number of products in the shopping cart, as well as on the price (value) of the ordered products. Both significantly influence how much revenue you generate with an order.

Determine the shopping cart value correctly

The average basket value differs greatly depending on the industry, which is why you should avoid comparing it with other industries. The reason for this is that ordering a couch from a furniture store, for example, costs significantly more than ordering T-shirts or other smaller items. In any case, the average shopping cart value is the total sum of all products purchased in an order transaction. It is also called Average Order Value (AOV). To calculate it, you divide your sales by the number of orders. The result shows you the average shopping cart per order. But not per customer - this is an essential and important difference.

The problem with determining the average shopping basket is that it does not reflect the distribution of shopping baskets. It is therefore possible that a few very high or very low shopping carts distort the average. It therefore makes sense to also look at other key figures such as the median or the standard deviation.

One weakness of the average basket value is that it does not tell you how satisfied or loyal your customers are. They may only order a large shopping cart once, or they may order small shopping carts several times. To draw conclusions about satisfaction, you need other metrics like customer loyalty or customer lifetime value.

10 tips to increase your average shopping cart value

There are many levers you can use to increase the average shopping cart value in your online shop. If you want to increase the average shopping cart value achieved in the online shop, you must first and foremost target those who have already placed something in the shopping cart - in other words, those who are ready to order from your online shop. To achieve the highest possible shopping cart value, you must do one thing above all: Offer customers something that will make them buy even more products. Here are a few tips:

1. Special offers and discounts

Users can be enticed to buy more when they see offers or discounts. Examples include buying multiple items or reaching a certain purchase value. This can make users feel like they're getting a good deal and encourage them to buy more. But be careful not to offer too much discount too often. The frequency and amount depends a lot on your products, your profits and your customers. Above all, try to avoid offering discounts too frequently, otherwise you might get your customers used to the discount cycles.

2. Upselling and cross-selling

‍Upsellingoffers users higher-value products, while cross-selling involves offering supplementary or complementary products. Both strategies can help immensely to increase the average shopping cart value. To effectively implement upselling and cross-selling, you can use the following methods:

Bundle products and offer a small discount for the package.
Use visual aids such as images or videos to showcase the products.
Include complementary services such as insurance or installation.
Convince with arguments in the shopping cart ("other customers have bought these two products together") why the products make sense.

3. Combine products with each other

Make it easy to mix and match items: Users are more likely to buy more when they see how different items can be combined to create a complete outfit or collection. Make sure it's easy to compare and combine items by offering outfit suggestions or product recommendations, for example.

4. Gifts with certain order volume

As an alternative to special offers, discounts, cross- & upselling, gifts are another incentive for increasing the average shopping cart value. For example, customers who always buy the same 3 products for €44 would not infrequently order another small product in addition if there is a small gift on top from €50.

5. Customer recommendations

Recommendations from friends or other customers can help users buy more because they feel that the product is trustworthy and, most importantly, good. Customer referrals are a form of referral marketing where satisfied customers recommend your product or service to others. This has the following advantages for you:

You'll reach new potential customers who might not have noticed you otherwise.
You save costs for advertising and acquisition.
You're increasing your credibility and trust with referral recipients.
You increase your customer satisfaction and retention by thanking them for the referral or offering an incentive.

To benefit from customer referrals, you need to do one thing above all: delight your customers. That means providing them with excellent service, exceeding their expectations, and delivering value. In addition, you can actively ask them for a recommendation after the purchase.

6. Personalized recommendations

Personalized recommendations can help you increase your online shop cart value by inspiring your customers to buy more or higher value products. You can implement personalized recommendations in several ways. For example:

Show similar or complementary items on product pages.
Display personalized emails with products that match previous purchases.
Show recommendations for products in similar colors to the last item ordered.

7. Easily add item to shopping cart

Users are more likely to buy more if the checkout process is simple and straightforward. Make sure it's easy to add items to the shopping cart. You can achieve this by offering direct "add to cart" buttons and making the checkout process as simple as possible.

8. Free shipping

Free shipping is a popular purchase incentive for customers who are put off by high or unclear shipping costs. When you offer free shipping, you can reap multiple benefits:

You increase your conversion rate by making the purchase decision easier and lowering the abandonment rate.
You increase your average order value by setting a minimum order value for free shipping and communicating it clearly.
You improve your customer retention and satisfaction by providing good service and having no hidden costs.

However, you also need to keep in mind that free shipping doesn't always make sense. It depends on your products, your margins and your target audience. For example, if you sell very cheap or very heavy products, free shipping can cut into your profits.

9. Wide range of items

Users are more likely to buy more if they have a wide selection of items to choose from. Make sure that your online shop offers a wide range of items in different price categories and styles.

10. User friendly website

A user-friendly website that is easy to navigate and has a fast loading time can help users stay longer on the page and thus buy more. On the other hand, long loading times, frequent bugs or unnecessarily complicated checkout processes often lead to orders being cancelled.

A good user experience increases sales

The user experience (UX) is of great importance in the context of an online shop, as it influences the user's shopping experience and thus also their buying behavior. A good UX contributes to users staying longer on the website, viewing more items and ultimately buying more. To ensure a good UX in an online shop, there are some factors that should be considered:

Easy navigation: Users should be able to find their way around easily and quickly find the items they are looking for.
Clear product descriptions: Item descriptions should be clear and detailed to help users make a decision.
Fast loading times: Slow loading times can put users off and cause them to leave the online shop.
Secure checkout process: Users should feel safe during the checkout process and be confident that their personal and financial data is protected.
Customer Service: Having an accessible customer service can help users answer questions and resolve issues, which can contribute to a better UX.

For more tips on how to improve your user experience and conversion rates, read our blog "Understanding and sustainably improving bounce rates" and "Increasing online shop sales: 10 tips for you".

Our conclusion

It is quite possible to increase the average shopping cart value by strategically placing incentives. In addition, it is important that your online shop is easy to use for your customers and meets their needs and expectations. User experience is always in the foreground and should not be focused only on selling products. A good user experience is a key factor in keeping users coming back and buying more in the future.

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