When an ecommerce brand wants to grow, the conversation often turns to acquiring more customers: testing new creative, reaching new audiences and increasing campaign budgets.
There’s another opportunity worth exploring alongside that work: giving the customers already shopping with you a reason to spend more.
Someone who has chosen a product may also find a complementary item useful. A clear spending incentive can give them another reason to consider adding it.
That’s the thinking behind ShopXR’s Spend & Win approach. Customers see a spending target while shopping, earn game credits through a qualifying purchase, then play after checkout for a chance to win prizes.
For Shopify brands, it connects a familiar growth goal, increasing average order value, with an experience customers can look forward to.
What is average order value on Shopify?
Average order value, or AOV, measures the average sales value of an order over a given period.
Shopify calculates it using this formula:
Average order value = (gross sales − discounts) ÷ number of orders
For example, $13,000 in gross sales after discounts across 200 orders gives you an AOV of $65. Shopify’s calculation excludes post-order adjustments, so use the same reporting definition when comparing periods. See Shopify’s analytics reference.
AOV helps you understand how much customers typically spend per transaction. It also gives your team a starting point for exploring what might encourage a larger purchase.
Why increasing AOV matters for performance marketers
Your acquisition campaigns bring people to the store. The shopping experience helps turn that interest into purchases. The value of those purchases contributes to the revenue your traffic generates.
That makes AOV relevant to both the ecommerce team and the people managing paid media.
Consider this illustrative scenario, with completed order volume held constant:
| Metric | Starting scenario | Higher-AOV scenario |
|---|---|---|
| Completed orders | 200 | 200 |
| Average order value | $65 | $80 |
| Sales value | $13,000 | $16,000 |
The higher-AOV scenario generates $3,000 more in sales value from the same number of orders.
To estimate potential growth using your brand’s own figures, explore our revenue growth calculator.
For a Shopify growth team, the useful takeaway is that increasing order value creates another opportunity to generate revenue from existing traffic.
Alongside asking which campaign will bring in the next customer, ask what could make the next customer’s order more valuable.
How does Spend & Win gamification work?
Spend & Win gamification connects qualifying spending with an opportunity to play for prizes.
With ShopXR, shoppers discover the spending target and reward opportunity before checkout. A qualifying purchase earns game credits, which they use after checkout to play for a chance to win.
The experience has a clear sequence:
See the opportunity → Reach the target through a purchase → Play after checkout
The link to AOV begins with the first step.
When customers understand what their spending could unlock, they can consider that incentive while choosing their products. The anticipation gives them another reason to look at a relevant add-on or reach the qualifying amount.
That’s how ShopXR’s post-purchase gamification fits into a strategy to increase cart value: the spending decision happens while shopping, and the game follows the completed purchase.
Example: turning a $65 cart into an $80 purchase
Imagine a customer has selected $65 of products and is reviewing their cart.
They see this campaign message:
“Spend $80 to earn one game credit. Play after purchase for a chance to win prizes.”
The customer is $15 away from qualifying. Your range includes a useful $15 accessory that complements their chosen product.
That makes the next step easy to understand. Adding the accessory gives them a more complete purchase and takes their order to the campaign target.
If they choose to add it and complete checkout, their $80 purchase earns the game credit. They can then use it to play after purchase.
| Part of the example campaign | Amount |
|---|---|
| Original cart | $65 |
| Complementary accessory | $15 |
| Qualifying purchase | $80 |
The opportunity comes from bringing product relevance and a spending incentive together.
A customer considering the accessory can see both why it belongs in their order and what reaching the target could unlock.
This example describes one possible purchase journey. Storewide AOV reflects the average across all completed orders; an $80 campaign target is a qualifying amount to work towards.
How to build a Spend & Win campaign around higher order value
A useful campaign gives shoppers three things: a product worth adding, a target they can understand and a reward opportunity they find appealing.
Start with how your customers already shop, then build the incentive around a natural next purchase.
1. Identify complementary products customers would find useful
Look for products that help customers get more from their original choice.
Socks can complement shoes. A protective case can complement earbuds. An applicator can complement a skincare product.
For ecommerce managers, this is a merchandising decision as much as a promotional one. Review the products customers buy together and consider which combinations are easy to explain.
A strong pairing gives the shopper a practical reason to increase their cart value. Spend & Win adds an incentive connected to that decision.
2. Set a spending target that fits common orders
Review your current AOV, common order values and the prices of relevant add-ons.
If many customers spend around $65 and useful accessories are priced at $15, an $80 target gives your team a specific campaign idea to explore.
The customer can reach it through a purchase that makes sense.
This is more useful than choosing a threshold in isolation. You can connect the target to real products and a clear customer action.
Treat the threshold as a starting point to test, then use completed order data to understand how shoppers respond.
3. Make the opportunity clear before checkout
Customers need to discover the incentive while they are still deciding what to buy.
Your campaign message should make the qualifying amount, game credits and chance to win easy to understand. It should also explain that play happens after purchase.
For example:
“Spend $80 to earn one game credit. Complete your purchase, then play for a chance to win.”
This gives shoppers a concrete target and explains the experience that follows.
Keep the message consistent wherever you communicate the campaign, so the connection between spending and participation stays clear.
4. Show shoppers a straightforward next step
Once the customer understands the offer, help them connect it to their current purchase.
For someone with $65 in their cart, the next step is another $15. A relevant product at that price gives them a simple option to consider.
The combination matters: the target explains how to qualify, and the complementary product gives them a useful way to get there.
The easier that connection is to understand, the easier it is for a shopper to decide whether to add more.
How to measure whether your AOV campaign is working
Start with the outcome you want to understand: are completed orders becoming more valuable?
Review AOV alongside the product and order patterns behind it. Useful questions include:
- Are more customers adding the complementary products featured in the campaign?
- Are more completed orders reaching the qualifying amount?
- How do order values compare with those from a similar period or customer group?
For performance marketers and ecommerce managers, this creates a shared way to review the campaign. The marketing team can examine the traffic arriving at the store, while the ecommerce team looks at what those shoppers purchase.
Use comparable traffic sources, product ranges and promotional conditions wherever possible. If you can run a controlled comparison, it will help you understand the campaign’s contribution more clearly.
The aim is to learn which combination of products, spending target and reward opportunity encourages customers to increase their order value.
Frequently asked questions about Shopify AOV and Spend & Win
Can I increase AOV without increasing my advertising budget?
You can test ways to increase order value among the shoppers your existing campaigns already bring to the store. Relevant add-ons and a clear spending incentive give those customers more reasons to consider a larger purchase. Actual results depend on how shoppers respond.
How is Spend & Win different from cross-selling?
Cross-selling recommends a complementary product. Spend & Win connects qualifying spending with game credits and a chance to win after purchase. They can work together: a useful cross-sell can help a shopper reach the campaign’s spending target.
How should I choose a spending threshold for my Shopify store?
Start with current AOV, common order values and the prices of complementary products. Look for a target customers can reach through a relevant addition. Then review completed orders to see whether the campaign is encouraging the behaviour you intended.
When do customers play ShopXR games?
Customers play after checkout, using credits earned through a qualifying purchase. They discover the spending incentive beforehand, so it can inform their shopping decisions. The game offers a chance to win prizes.
Give shoppers a reason to increase their next order
Your customers already have a reason to buy the product they came for. A useful complementary item and an appealing spending incentive can give them another reason to add more.
That is the opportunity ShopXR is built around.
Spend & Win connects a visible target while shopping with game credits earned through a qualifying purchase, followed by play after checkout for a chance to win prizes.
For Shopify brands looking to increase average order value, it gives the team a practical idea to explore: make the next relevant purchase more rewarding.
About ShopXR
Built by founders who have managed ecommerce brands.
ShopXR was created by a team with experience managing campaigns for ecommerce brands, with a simple goal: help Shopify brands get more revenue and profitability from every customer they acquire.
Increase average order value (AOV) now
Turn qualifying purchases into a fun Spend & Win experience.
Encourage repeat purchases
Rewards give customers a reason to come back.
Grow revenue profitability
Get more revenue from the customers you already acquire.
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See what a 15% increase in AOV could mean for your store.
Use our free growth calculator to estimate your revenue uplift, or start with ShopXR for just $1.