How to raise your average order value with bundles
Quantity breaks, mix & match and free gifts: the offers that get shoppers to add more to their cart, and how to price them.
Read articleKey takeaways
- Discounts are simple and universal, but train customers to wait for the next sale.
- Free gifts protect your price and often feel more generous than they cost.
- Progressive gifts reward each step up, so shoppers aim for the bigger bundle.
- Pick gifts that are useful with the main product, not leftover stock.
The case for discounts
Everyone understands "20% off". Discounts are easy to communicate, easy to compare and work for almost any product. They are a great tool for clearing stock or running a short sale.
The downside: they lower the price your customers expect to pay. Run them too often and full-price sales slow down.
The case for free gifts
A gift keeps your price intact. It also tends to feel more generous than a discount of the same cost, because customers value it at its retail price, not at what it costs you.
| Discount | Free gift | |
|---|---|---|
| Easy to understand | Very | Very, if the gift is shown |
| Protects your price | No | Yes |
| Cost to you | The full discount | The cost of the gift |
| Best for | Sales, clearance | Premium brands, launches, sampling |
Progressive gifts: the best of both
Instead of one gift, set several milestones: a sample at 2 units, a full-size product at 3. Each step gives the shopper a concrete reason to move up, and the bigger bundle starts to feel like the obvious choice.
Show the gift with a photo. "Free gift" is abstract; a picture of the product makes it real.
Choose the right gift
- It should be useful with the main product.
- It should be cheap for you but valuable to the customer.
- It can introduce another product you want them to buy later.
Set it up in Amose
In Amose Bundle, enable gifts on any offer, or use progressive gifts to unlock a different gift at each step. Gifts are added to the cart automatically, so make sure the gift products are active and in stock.
