In the world of Amazon selling, most sellers are obsessed with getting more traffic.
But here’s a secret top sellers already know: you don’t always need more shoppers, just better spending ones.
Enter: Average Order Value (AOV). A higher AOV means more revenue per transaction, without the extra cost of acquiring new customers. It’s the most overlooked lever in the Amazon growth playbook, and yet, one of the easiest to optimize.
In this guide, we’ll explain what AOV is, why it matters, and break down 10 actionable strategies—including how to use Amazon’s Virtual Bundles—to help you boost your AOV and grow your business faster.
Average Order Value (AOV) represents the average amount a customer spends each time they make a purchase. It’s calculated by dividing your total revenue by the total number of orders.
Let’s dive into the most effective strategies to raise your AOV without raising your budget.
Virtual Bundles let brand-registered sellers group 2–5 related FBA products into one listing without physically packaging them together.
This taps into natural buying behavior. For example, if someone buys a yoga mat, they’ll likely want blocks or straps. By offering everything together, you boost perceived value and convenience.
How to do it:
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Note: Physical bundles are also a great option, especially if you're working with a tighter budget. Unlike virtual bundles, these are pre-packaged as a single SKU, helping you lower FBA fees, streamline logistics, and deliver a convenient, ready-to-use solution for customers.
Cross-selling recommends complementary items, while upselling encourages higher-end or upgraded versions of a product.
Example: Selling a basic water bottle? Cross-sell a cleaning brush or carry case. Upsell the insulated version.
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Your Amazon Store is a mini-website for your brand. Use it to group and cross-promote products.
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These promotions offer discounts for purchasing multiple units (e.g., “Buy 2, Get 10% Off”) and are highly effective at encouraging customers to stock up, particularly on consumables.
Set this up in Seller Central using:
Defensive PPC (Pay-Per-Click) ads are campaigns that help protect your brand from competitor ads showing up on your own product listings and branded search terms.
When customers search for your brand or land on your listings, Amazon may display rival ads in those spaces—potentially diverting your traffic. Defensive ads prevent that and help boost AOV by guiding shoppers to more of your catalog.
Benefits:
How to set them up:
This means setting prices in a way that motivates customers to spend more without making them feel like they’re overpaying.
One key method is dynamic pricing, where your prices automatically adjust based on demand, competition, and sales trends. Tools like Amazon Automate Pricing makes this easy by letting you set rules (e.g., always stay $1 below the lowest competitor), so your pricing stays competitive in real-time.
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Customers are more likely to spend more when there’s no risk attached. If shipping is free and returns are hassle-free, buyers feel safer adding extra items to their cart knowing they won’t lose money if something doesn’t work out.
How to implement:
This is a subscription program that allows customers to schedule automatic deliveries of your products—weekly, monthly, or at custom intervals—often at a discounted price.
If you sell products that run out regularly, this is a no-brainer. Customers love the convenience of auto-refills, and you get more consistent, predictable sales.
Why it works:
Rich media modules in your product description that include visuals, product comparisons, and cross-links help increase AOV. This is how:
These charts let you show multiple product versions side by side—like Basic, Premium, and Deluxe models. It helps customers see the added value of higher-priced options, encouraging them to upgrade their purchase.
You can use strategic calls-to-action like “Compare all versions” to guide the shopper and increase cart size.
A product grid visually displays related or complementary products in one module. This makes it easier for customers to discover other useful items they might want—and add them to their cart without leaving the page.
You can use strategic calls-to-action like “Complete the set” or “Shop the full collection” to make this even more effective.
You can make product images in these modules clickable, linking directly to other listings in your catalog. This keeps shoppers within your brand ecosystem and increases the chance they’ll buy multiple products in a single session.
Pro Tip: Use A+ Content to fill the entire width of the product page. This not only improves engagement but pushes competitor ads further down, reducing distractions and increasing conversions.
More traffic isn’t always the answer. The key to profitability on Amazon is maximizing the value of every visit.
By increasing your Average Order Value, you can boost revenue without increasing traffic, ultimately making your ad spend work harder and more efficiently.
From simple pricing tweaks and strategic bundles to fully optimized Brand Stores, the tools are all there, you just need to use them. Start small. Test one strategy at a time. Watch your AOV climb.
