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The Case for AOV: Why Smart Brands Are Optimizing Revenue per Order and Not Just Conversion Rate

AOV

Shopify pricing

CRO

May 5, 2025

6 min. read

ABConvert Data Team

The Case for AOV: Why Smart Brands Are Optimizing Revenue per Order and Not Just Conversion Rate

There’s a quiet revolution happening in e-commerce.

Behind the scenes, the best operators are shifting their focus from chasing conversion rate (CVR) to maximizing Average Order Value (AOV).

At ABConvert, we see this trend play out every day in the 10,000+ Shopify experiments merchants run on our platform. And the data is clear:

Tests that increase AOV even slightly often outperform CVR-focused experiments in profit per visitor.

In 2024, CVR is no longer the only (or even the best) metric to optimize. Here’s why.

Reason 1: Conversion Rate is Easy to Manipulate — But Not Always Meaningful

You can juice your CVR by slashing prices, offering free shipping, or running flash sales. But at what cost?

  • A 10% increase in CVR paired with a 20% drop in margin isn’t a win
  • A 1-click upsell that adds $12 to the cart without hurting conversion is a massive win

The most common trap we see? Merchants celebrate higher CVR while ignoring the AOV drop that eroded their bottom line.

Better metric:

Profit per visitor = CVR × AOV × Margin

That’s the number that keeps your business alive.

Reason 2: AOV Is Where Real Leverage Lives

Let’s run the math:

  • Store A: 2.5% CVR × €50 AOV = €1.25 revenue per visitor
  • Store B: 2.3% CVR × €66 AOV = €1.52 revenue per visitor
  • Store B wins — even with lower CVR

We recently worked with a merchant selling car batteries (essential, high-trust purchase). They ran a simple price test:

  • Test price: €59
  • Control price: €49
  • Result: AOV increased 36%, conversion rate stayed flat

Their revenue per session jumped by 20% , a margin-unlocking difference at scale.

Reason 3: AOV Testing Is Underutilized and Easier Than You Think

Everyone talks about optimizing their product page.

Fewer talk about testing:

  • Price points
  • Shipping thresholds
  • Bundle logic
  • Upsell placement
  • Cart page layout

These are AOV levers, and they’re often overlooked because:

  1. They're harder to measure without the right tooling
  2. They feel more “permanent,” so people hesitate to change them

But that’s where the upside is. Less competition = more learnings.

What we’ve learned at ABConvert:

  • AOV-focused tests are less volatile
  • You need less traffic to see meaningful financial impact
  • You can pair them with segmentation (e.g., run price test only for returning users)

The Post-iOS14 Landscape Changed the Game

CAC is up. Attribution is broken. Retargeting is throttled.

Merchants can’t rely on traffic arbitrage like they used to.

So the question becomes:

How do you make more from the traffic you already get?

That’s where AOV testing shines.

Because if you make 25% more from every customer, you can reinvest in growth or finally hit sustainable profitability.

TL;DR: CVR Still Matters, But AOV Is the Smarter North Star

Conversion rate optimization has its place. But it’s not the only metric that moves the needle.

  • If you're a DTC brand spending thousands on paid traffic, you owe it to yourself to test AOV levers.
  • If you're a Shopify store selling essentials or high-trust products, you likely have pricing power you're not using.

Ready to Get Started?

With ABConvert, you can test:

  • Price points (e.g., €59 vs €49)
  • Shipping strategies (free threshold vs flat rate)
  • Content & copy (premium vs discount framing)

All without dev time or risking your live theme.

👉 Run your first AOV test with ABConvert

👉 Book a strategy call