How to Improve the Average Cart Value of Your E-commerce Site?

Let’s quickly recall the definition of average basket value (translation of the term average basket): it’s the average amount spent by a customer on your site. The calculation of the average basket corresponds to the following formula: your turnover divided by the number of customers, over a day, a week, a month…

Improving the average basket value of your e-commerce site is therefore a way to increase your turnover without having to seek new customers. It is often more profitable to increase the average basket value rather than spending on customer acquisition marketing campaigns.

Driven by the health crisis, the average basket value rose to 61 euros in 2020 (compared to 59 euros in 2019), according to the latest figures from Fevad. While the pandemic has accelerated the sale of products online (+32%), the number of e-commerce sites has also increased significantly. To stand out in the face of this increased competition, increasing the average basket value is a key lever.

But do you know the factors that influence the average basket value of your e-commerce site? Mastering these elements will allow you to increase your average basket value and therefore your turnover.

In this article, we share with you 6 proven techniques to improve the average basket value of your online store.

1 – Consolidate Your Online Marketing Technique for a Solid Foundation

Before diving into the heart of the matter, make sure the foundations are well laid with an effective conversion funnel.

Your conversion funnel should allow you to attract qualified customers to your online store with a smooth purchasing journey.

Check the following key elements that can lead to cart abandonment:

• Payment methods: do you offer enough different payment methods compared to your competitors? Is the payment secure?
• Delivery methods: Are your delivery times shorter than those of your competitors? Do you offer delivery tracking? Do you have multiple delivery options to allow the customer to choose the one they want?
• Return conditions: are returns paid? Are the conditions restrictive? Do you cover shipping costs?

Once these basics are consolidated, you can focus on the commercial techniques that allow you to increase the average cart value.

2 – Implement a Cross-sell or Product Suggestion Strategy

The principle of cross-selling is to offer the customer a product complementary to the one they are purchasing. This product should truly complement the one already in the cart to encourage them to buy it as well. For example, if the customer has just added a day cream to their cart, you can offer them the base cream to apply under the day cream to perfect their beauty routine.

Similarly, you can use the principle of product suggestion. This involves highlighting popular products or those frequently bought together by customers, based on the product the user is viewing. You can also adjust suggestions based on your commercial priorities and product stocks. However, make sure it remains coherent: you don’t offer a coat to someone who has just put a swimsuit in their cart, but rather a beach towel. These product additions should occur at the right moment in the purchasing journey; ideally on the product page or on the cart page of your online store.

Product suggestions are very effective because they encourage purchases through the principle of social proof: “customers who bought this product also like… / also bought…”

3 – Leverage the Social Proof Phenomenon with Customer Reviews

An internet user will be more inclined to make a purchase if the product has customer reviews. For this, we can only advise you to “integrate an ambassador program on your e-commerce site to generate UGC (User Generated Content) and obtain maximum customer reviews. Comments generate an 18% increase in sales and, by placing them on key pages, they can increase conversions by up” to 50% (source: e-commerce nation).

Make sure to include only authentic customer reviews. For this, Trustt has developed a module that integrates with your online store and allows you to easily obtain verified reviews.

4 – Implement an Up-Sell or Upgrade Strategy

Increase customer spending by building trust in your brand and products. Thanks to the trust generated by customer reviews, you can engage in an up-selling or upgrade strategy. Unlike cross-selling, you’re not offering a complementary product but a higher-end product than the one initially targeted by the user. Customers buy more expensive items through up-selling, so it’s necessary to have previously gained their trust via authentic reviews. These reviews should particularly highlight the comparative advantages with the lower-end product and evoke emotion, as up-sell purchases are often impulse buys.

5 – Create Offers, an Effective Technique

The Free Shipping Argument

Free shipping above a certain amount is a good way to improve the average basket value. Be judicious, set this amount just above the current average basket amount. This way, you will encourage consumers to buy one more item, or a higher-end product (up-selling) to benefit from free shipping.

Offer a Discount from a Certain Purchase Amount

“10% off for purchases of €50 or more.” This type of incentive message encourages customers to spend more, thus mechanically increasing the average basket value. It can be a percentage discount or a free product from a certain purchase amount. Again, consider promotional offers based on the buying habits of your personas and your stock levels.

Group Products to Create Bundles

To encourage customers to spend more on your store, you can create bundled offers where the unit price of each item is lower than the usual price on your site. The customer will be encouraged to buy the bundle rather than the single product to benefit from the discount and will at the same time discover a complementary product that they would not have put in their cart without the bundled offer. It’s a virtuous circle since on their next visit, they will tend to buy both items again (provided satisfaction is met) rather than just one. To do this, create bundles of complementary products.

6 – Create an Attractive Loyalty Program

Loyalty programs are part of the customer retention strategy but can also help you improve the average basket value of your e-commerce site. Indeed, satisfied customers, attracted by loyalty benefits (purchase vouchers, free products, promotions), won’t hesitate to spend more during their next visit to your online store.

Let’s quickly recall the definition of average basket value (translation of the term average basket): it’s the average amount spent by a customer on your site. The calculation of the average basket corresponds to the following formula: your turnover divided by the number of customers, over a day, a week, a month…

Improving the average basket value of your e-commerce site is therefore a way to increase your turnover without having to seek new customers. It is often more profitable to increase the average basket value rather than spending on customer acquisition marketing campaigns.

Driven by the health crisis, the average basket value rose to 61 euros in 2020 (compared to 59 euros in 2019), according to the latest figures from Fevad. While the pandemic has accelerated the sale of products online (+32%), the number of e-commerce sites has also increased significantly. To stand out in the face of this increased competition, increasing the average basket value is a key lever.

But do you know the factors that influence the average basket value of your e-commerce site? Mastering these elements will allow you to increase your average basket value and therefore your turnover.

In this article, we share with you 6 proven techniques to improve the average basket value of your online store.