Date of publication:
16 Mar. 25Which tools will help an online store increase the average check
Average check is one of the key indicators of an online store’s profitability. The more a client spends per purchase, the higher the business’s revenue without the need to attract new buyers. But how to increase this indicator without aggressive selling that could repel clients? The answer lies in the proper use of marketing tools, UX optimization, and offer personalization.
In this article, we will explore how online store owners can increase the average check without excessive expenses and complicated technical setups. And if you want to not just sell, but build an effective business that is profitable, the 6Weeks team will help you create and set up your online store so it works to its full potential. Ready? Then let’s go.
Why Average Order Value is Important for Online Stores
A business can be compared to a bucket: there are always holes through which customers leak. The holes are advertising costs, limited purchasing power, and low customer loyalty. Increasing the average order value is an opportunity to patch these holes and gain more profit without attracting new customers.
How Average Order Value Affects Business Profit
Let’s imagine two scenarios:
- You have 100 customers per month, with an average order value of 500 UAH. The total turnover is 50,000 UAH.
- You don’t increase the number of customers, but you raise the average order value to 750 UAH. The turnover grows to 75,000 UAH.
The conclusion is obvious: working on increasing the average order value is more profitable than endlessly searching for new customers.
Main Challenges of Online Stores and How to Overcome Them
An online store is a powerful tool for business development that allows attracting customers and increasing sales without geographical limitations. However, typical difficulties often arise on the path to success, hindering growth and preventing the business from reaching its full potential. Let’s look at the most common mistakes of online store owners and offer practical solutions to help avoid them.
Here are some of the most common mistakes that impede increasing average order value:
- Lack of thoughtful UX/UI. If a customer cannot quickly find the needed product, they go to the competitors.
- No upselling and cross-selling mechanisms. If the store doesn’t offer additional products, it needs to be configured manually.
- Clients don’t see the benefits of more expensive options. Simply placing two products next to each other is not enough; you need to justify the price wisely.
- Low conversion and high bounce rate. Poor content or inconvenient design reduces conversion rates and drives buyers away from the site.
- Poor SEO optimization. Even a high-quality assortment remains unnoticed without proper promotion in search engines.
- Issues with site speed and stability. Frequent failures or slow loading deter potential clients and reduce conversion.
An online store will become successful if you take care of usability in advance, implement effective upselling and cross-selling techniques, ensure SEO promotion, and provide stable site operation. This will increase conversion, average check size, and overall business profitability.
How to Turn an Online Store into a Profitable Business
Since our team works not with abstract solutions but with specific numbers and experience when developing online stores, we can offer several tips to increase the average check:
Use effective plugins:
- Add upselling — the client sees a better (and more expensive) option directly in the cart.
- Implement cross-selling — the system automatically selects add-ons for the product.
- Use Dynamic Pricing & Discounts to flexibly set up discounts.
Update UX/UI to encourage larger purchases:
- Eliminate unnecessary steps in the checkout process — if the customer has to go through a complicated process, they’ll simply leave.
- Make navigation convenient — customers can quickly find what they need and see advantageous offers.
- Add psychological triggers such as timers, limited stock, or free shipping over a certain amount.
Integrate e-mail marketing and repeat sales:
- Connect automatic trigger emails — if a client viewed something but didn’t purchase, they’ll receive a personalized offer.
- Set up abandoned cart reminders — studies show that 40% of such purchases can be recovered.
- Launch loyalty programs to make customers come back and buy more.
Want the same? Contact us and we’ll create an online store that increases your business’s profit.
Let’s look more closely at some of the elements mentioned above.
Upselling: How to Make a More Expensive Product More Attractive
A customer has already chosen a product and is almost ready to buy it. This is the perfect moment to offer them a better but more expensive option. The problem is that many stores do this incorrectly — they simply show a list of similar products, hoping the customer will sort it out themselves.
To make upselling work, you need to:
- Explain the benefit. How is the more expensive model different? Why is it better? Simply writing ‘Recommended Products’ doesn’t work.
- Don’t make too big a jump in price. If a customer chose a smartphone for $300, they shouldn’t be offered a $1000 model. But an option for $350-400 is a good idea.
- Show upselling at the right moment. The best place is the product page or the cart.
Upselling is not pushy selling, but helping the customer choose the best solution. If the offer seems logical and beneficial, the buyer is more likely to accept it.
Cross-selling: sell more without pressure
Cross-selling works on the same principle as in offline stores. You buy a phone, and you’re offered a case. You take a laptop — you get a recommendation to buy a mouse. It seems logical and, importantly, truly useful for the customer.
But there are a few rules here too:
- Recommended products should complement the main purchase. If a customer chose a TV, offering them a refrigerator is odd. But a bracket or a soundbar is just what is needed.
- Don’t overload with choices. When a customer is offered ten options at once, they may get confused and buy nothing. The optimal is 2-3 supplementary products.
- Show cross-selling in convenient places for the buyer. The best options are the product page, cart, or ‘Cheaper Together’ block.
Upselling and cross-selling are simple yet effective methods that work in any business. They help not only increase revenue but also make shopping more convenient for the customer.
Loyalty Programs: Why Customers Love Accumulating Bonuses
To ensure customers return and buy more, stores implement loyalty programs. This is a proven tactic used by giants like Amazon and Starbucks.
People like the feeling of being valued. That’s why loyalty programs work so well. They create a game-like effect — the more you buy, the more you get in return.
Here are some popular mechanics:
- Points Accumulation. For each purchase, the customer receives bonuses that can be used for discounts.
- Discounts for Regular Customers. After a certain number of purchases or reaching a total order value, exclusive offers are unlocked.
- Gifts for Purchases. A free product or additional bonus upon reaching a certain spending threshold.
If you want people to return to you, create a sense of value. Well-known brands use this approach to boost customer loyalty.
Subscriptions: When a Customer Pays Regularly
Another effective way to increase average order value is to implement a subscription. This model has been used by service companies (Netflix, Spotify) for a long time, but it works great in e-commerce as well.
What can be sold by subscription:
- Cosmetics (monthly boxes).
- Tea, coffee, vitamins.
- Spare parts and accessories (e.g., razor blades).
This format is convenient because the customer pays automatically and doesn’t think about repeat purchases.
Loyalty and subscription programs not only increase the average ticket but also make customers regular.
The Psychology of Pricing: How to Make the Customer Spend More
Have you ever gone into a store for one item and left with a full bag of purchases? It’s not magic — it’s smart pricing strategy. If numbers, product placement, and the illusion of value are chosen correctly, customers will spend more without even thinking about it. The psychology of pricing is not just about ‘ending in 9,’ it’s a comprehensive approach.
How to Work Properly with Prices in an Online Store
Price is not just a number, but an emotion. Here are a few proven methods to make it more attractive to the customer:
- The Magic of Numbers. A price of $9.99 seems significantly less than $10. This is called the left-digit effect: our brain registers the first digit and subconsciously perceives the product as cheaper.
- Benefit Comparison. Show the customer the old price next to the new one. If a product was $120 and is now $89, the visual contrast will do its job.
- Anchor Effect. Place a more expensive option next to the product — it will make the main product seem more beneficial. If a customer is shown three models — $500, $750, and $1500 — most will choose the middle option.
Our advice: experiment with different pricing options and choose the most effective one.
How to make customers see discounts and benefits
Our team, when developing an online store on WordPress, uses many tools that help effectively present prices:
- WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing & Discounts — automatically calculates discounts and promotional offers.
- Smart Sale Badge for WooCommerce — displays vibrant discount tags that attract attention.
- Countdown Timer Ultimate — creates timers for limited promotions that increase purchase urgency.
We are ready to implement any of these tools.
How pricing psychology works in large companies
Brands have long used these techniques to increase the average check:
- Apple always showcases the most expensive product first, making other models seem more advantageous.
- McDonald’s emphasizes upselling: ordering fries without a drink seems “incomplete.”
- Amazon actively uses timers and limited discounts to motivate quick decisions.
The 6Weeks team helps online store owners set up effective pricing strategies. If you want to sell more without increasing advertising costs — contact us, and we will find the perfect solution for your business.
Limited Offers and Creating a Sense of Urgency
People delay a purchase when they are confident they can return to it at any time. ‘Maybe I’ll get it tomorrow,’ ‘I’ll wait for the salary,’ ‘what if the price drops further.’ And now, the potential customer is browsing your site for the fifth time, adding the item to the cart and… ends up buying nothing.
If you don’t create a sense of urgency, the customer will indefinitely postpone the purchase. That’s why limited offers work — they force faster decision-making while there’s a chance to get a discount, bonus, or exclusive item.
Why scarcity stimulates purchases
No one wants to miss out on a good deal. This is a psychological effect — when we know the opportunity is about to disappear, we act faster.
How this is implemented in large companies:
- Booking.com shows that ‘only 2 rooms left at this price.’
- Amazon adds countdown timers to sales promotions.
- Nike releases limited sneaker collections that sell out in minutes.
You can use these principles in your online store.
How to implement urgent offers in an online store
To encourage a customer to purchase, several strategies can be used:
- Countdown timers. Show how much time is left until the end of the promotion.
- Limited quantity of goods. Indicate that ‘only 3 units left’ — this will make the buyer hurry up.
- Exclusive offers. Available only to the first 50 buyers or within 24 hours.
How to Use Email Marketing to Increase Average Purchase Value
Most online store owners underestimate email marketing, considering it ‘old school.’ But let’s face it: people continue to check their email every day, and properly configured emails can bring up to 40% repeat sales.
Which Email Sequences Work Best
Automated email campaigns help not only maintain customer relationships but also increase sales. Here are the most effective types of emails:
Thank You Email + Discount on Next Purchase:
- Sent right after the first purchase.
- Adds a sense of care and motivates the customer to return.
Example: ‘Thank you for your purchase! As a nice bonus, here’s a 10% discount on your next order.’
Personalized Recommendations:
- Analyzes previous purchases and suggests complementary items.
- Acts as hidden upselling and cross-selling.
Example: ‘You bought a coffee maker — here’s a set of fresh coffee at a discount.’
Abandoned Cart Reminder:
- Most shoppers add items to the cart and forget about them.
- An automatic reminder email with an additional bonus can bring them back.
Example: “Did you forget something? Your items are still in the cart, and we offer a -5% discount to complete the purchase.”
Emails with limited-time offers:
- Work on the principle of urgency.
- May contain information about special promotions or sales.
Example: “Only 24 hours! Today only — double bonuses for every purchase.”
Improving UX/UI: why a simple and user-friendly site sells more
Have you ever visited a site where finding the right product is like searching for treasure in a maze? Where the “Buy” button blends into the background, and the cart seems to have a mind of its own? In such cases, you likely just closed the tab.
The problem is that many entrepreneurs invest in advertising, SEO, promotions, but forget the most important thing — the convenience of the store itself. If a user cannot quickly find a product and make a purchase, all efforts go to waste.
How UX/UI affects the average order value
Here are a few important factors that directly affect the average order value:
- Loading speed. If a page takes more than 3 seconds to load — 53% of users will just close it.
- Intuitive navigation. The customer should find the desired product in two clicks, not study the site like a metro map.
- Convenient cart. If at the checkout stage the customer is asked to enter a passport number, tax ID, and their cat’s birth date — they will simply leave.
When a site is clear and user-friendly, buyers not only purchase more but also return more often.
What needs to be changed for the site to sell more
Want to make your site convenient? Here’s what you need to do:
- Optimize loading speed. Use caching and reduce image sizes. Plugins: WP Rocket, Smush.
- Simplify navigation. Add convenient menus and clear product categories. Plugins: Mega Menu for WooCommerce.
- Barrier-free checkout. Minimize the number of fields to fill out, add the option for quick one-click purchasing. Plugins: WooCommerce One Page Checkout.
Website convenience is not just about ‘good design’; it has a real impact on sales. If the client is comfortable, they will not only buy more but also return. We design online stores that not only look good but also sell better.
Why you should order an online store from 6Weeks
If the store is not configured for sales, it will simply exist somewhere in the back alleys of the internet. Our task is to make your business interesting for buyers. We know how to do this and we do the following:
- Implement effective tools. Upselling and cross-selling, automated loyalty programs, E-mail marketing, and trigger emails.
- Optimize UX/UI. Make the interface convenient and understandable, improve site speed and order processing, add elements that increase conversion.
- We analyze and test. We conduct A/B testing, implement changes based on real data, and constantly seek ways to increase revenue.
An online store can generate profit even without huge advertising expenses. The key is to properly set up the sales system so that each customer spends more.
6Weeks knows how to increase the average order value by 27% in two months. Want to achieve such results? Contact our managers.