Definition
Average order value, or AOV, is the average amount a customer spends per transaction. In email marketing, it is often measured specifically for purchases that originate from an email campaign or click. It is a key indicator of how effectively email drives revenue.
AOV helps email marketers understand whether their campaigns are attracting high-value customers or only low-value buyers. A campaign with a high click rate but low AOV may be generating traffic but not meaningful revenue. A campaign with lower volume but higher AOV may be more valuable to the business.
Email can influence AOV through product recommendations, bundling, cross-sells, upsells, free shipping thresholds, limited-time offers and personalised suggestions based on purchase history.
Formula
Average Order Value = Total Revenue from Email / Number of Orders from Email
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Revenue from Email | Revenue attributed to purchases from email-driven traffic |
| Number of Orders from Email | Total number of transactions from email-driven traffic |
Best Practices
- Use product recommendations to increase order size.
- Promote bundles or free shipping thresholds to encourage larger purchases.
- Segment high-AOV customers with exclusive offers or early access.
- Test cross-sell and upsell messaging in post-purchase and cart emails.
- Track AOV alongside conversion rate and revenue per email for a complete picture.
Related Glossary Terms
A/B Testing
A/B testing in email marketing is the practice of sending two variations of an email to a small sample of your list to determine which version performs better before sending the winner to the remaining subscribers.
Abandoned Cart Email
An abandoned cart email is a triggered message sent to online shoppers who added items to their cart but did not complete the purchase.
Abandoned Cart Email
An abandoned cart email is an automated message sent to customers who added items to their online shopping cart but left without completing the purchase. It is one of the highest-converting email types in ecommerce.
Abuse Complaint
An abuse complaint is a report from a recipient who marks an email as spam, which negatively affects sender reputation and deliverability.
ARPU (Average Revenue Per User)
ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) is a metric that measures the average revenue generated per email subscriber over a specific period, used to evaluate list value and campaign effectiveness.
Attention Rate
Attention rate is the percentage of email opens that last longer than 5 seconds, distinguishing genuine reads from passive opens, preview-pane views, or Apple MPP auto-loads.
Frequently Asked Questions
AOV is the average transaction value. Revenue per email divides total revenue by the number of emails sent or delivered.
Yes. Through bundling, cross-sells, upsells, personalised recommendations and free shipping thresholds, email can raise AOV.
It depends on the industry and product. Compare your email AOV to your overall AOV and monitor trends over time.
Both matter. A high AOV with low conversion may indicate a niche audience. A high conversion with low AOV may mean you are attracting bargain hunters.
Use unique UTM parameters, last-click attribution, or multi-touch attribution through your analytics or ecommerce platform.