Most conversion optimization wisdom says to get shoppers in and out of the checkout process as fast as possible. But by rushing shoppers to checkout, businesses are missing out on opportunities to increase their average order value. Here are 5 methods to design a user experience that will help online businesses increase their AOV.
While it may seem like elementary advice, there is a lot that goes into making it easy for shoppers to buy more. And it’s something that some businesses miss.
When a shopper adds a product to their cart, pop ups and banners that dominate the web page push that shopper toward the checkout, encouraging them to convert as soon as possible. But you may be missing out on an opportunity to increase the value of that shopper’s basket. While you don’t want to do away with checkout pop ups all together, make sure it’s easy for shoppers to continue browsing.
A big part of making it easy for people to buy more is making it easy for them to find what they are looking for.
Nobody is going to buy something if they can’t find it. Online businesses can help increase their AOV by improving their site navigation, search, and filtering.
Having an intuitive site hierarchy and navigation is a fundamental part of a good user experience. If it takes 4 clicks before a shopper can even see a product, you’ll be missing out on a big chunk of potential sales that left because they couldn’t find what you’re selling.
Site search is another helpful navigation tool, because it lets shoppers search for exactly what they are looking for. What’s great about site search is that it requires fairly little attention on the part of the business, just set and forget.
Product filtering is another excellent technique for helping shoppers find what they are looking for. While the usual filters like for consumers or for businesses are useful, consider how you can push your filtering to the next level. For instance, additional filters like one-time use or subscription, or multi-user plans helps the shoppers find the right option for them.
One of the most difficult parts of shopping online is that you aren’t there to see the product firsthand, to touch it, smell it, try it on, and so on. While beautiful and professional product images are a must, some businesses are seeing even better success by including product videos as well.
A survey of retail brands such as Best Buy, Under Armour, and Newegg found that companies using product videos reported a higher AOV and high conversion rates. In fact, 57% of the retailers in the survey said that their AOV increased at least 50% for customers that watched the video on a product page – of the remaining 43%, not a single one reported a negative impact from videos.
There are a few best practices when it comes to creating product videos:
Have a look at how SOUNDBOKS uses product videos. Below the product images there is a video, which features the reactions from 20-something-year-olds hearing the portable speaker for the first time. (Spoiler: they like it.)
One of the oldest AOV-increasing tricks in the book is to use a free shipping threshold. Let’s say your current average order value is around $150 – setting a free shipping threshold of $200 might give shoppers the motivation to spend a bit more and save on the shipping costs.
But there is a caveat here. Not having free shipping is one of the leading reasons for cart abandonment. So, by setting a shipping threshold you may be increasing AOV at the cost of conversion rate. The solution is to A/B test the change, keeping an eye on not only AOV, but also conversion rate and overall revenue.
Using psychology to increase shopper motivation is a common tactic in ecommerce.
One way you can use psychology to increase AOV is by creating sense of urgency and scarcity around a product or promotion. When something is scarce people tend to value it more highly. Retailers can use scarcity to their advantage by setting limited-time promotions and letting shoppers know how many items are left in stock.
Check out how the sun-glass retailer SUNDAY SOMEWHERE uses scarcity to motivate shoppers. People that make a purchase within the next week receive an exclusive t-shirt while supplies last - scarcity of both time and quantity.
Get in touch with us to learn how Origins Ecommerce can help increase your AOV.
