Whether it is for a dedicated purpose, curious exploration, or a retail therapy session, consumers spend a lot of time shopping online. Research from Statista found that 75% of global consumers shop online at least once per month, and 20% shop at least once per week.
However, this high frequency of shopping does not mean that brands should not be looking to optimize the time where they have a consumer’s attention. A consumer’s time spent on your site is a valuable asset, and brands who capitalize on attention with a quality experience and thoughtfully designed touch points will translate that asset into more sales with a higher average order value.
How To Increase Average Order Value
Average order value, or average cart value, refers to the dollar amount spent by customers on average in a single transaction. Considered as one of the big three metrics for ecommerce optimization, AOV, along with average lifetime value and conversion rate, are commonly used to monitor and evaluate brand performance online. While AOV can vary greatly across product verticals, similar tactics for increasing this value can be deployed across a wide variety of brands.
One of the most common approaches to increasing AOV is cross selling products, showing shoppers products that complement or enhance the items they are already looking to purchase. These may be product add ons or products that function on their own, but they should bring logical and noticeable value to the original product.
For example, if a buyer is configuring a bicycle online, the brand may choose to include accessories within the configurator. These products may also have their own dedicated product pages, but by bringing them into the build experience, their chance of discovery and the explanation of value add becomes a seamless part of the shopping experience. The accessories are not necessarily required for the buyer to enjoy their new bike, but there will likely be many trips where the buyer is happy they added them, and the brand has increased the value of the sale.
Similarly, brands can strategically upsell, showing buyers options that are similar to the product they originally looked at, but may include more or unique features. Let’s go back to the bike example; a buyer may start by looking at a base model bike, thinking that it fits their riding needs and style, but when presented with a higher end option, the additional features and/or capabilities may shift the buyer’s perception and decisioning.
How Can 3D Help with Cross Selling and Upselling?
The key to both cross selling and upselling is demonstrating to the buyer how and why these additional or alternative options are of benefit to them. The benefits may be of functional value, or more personal to the buyer, depending on the addition in question. In either case, the best way to showcase the added value is often to visually display all of the options, allowing the buyer to fully evaluate their purchase.
3D visualization and product configuration turn this showcase into an immersive experience that puts the power in the buyer’s hands and delivers the feeling of a more customized journey.
Humans process visual information much more quickly than any other form of data, and for many people visual cues are easier to digest. For brands looking to effectively communicate the additional benefits generated by an upgrade or a complementary product, a high fidelity interactive visual will drive a more impactful impression on a buyer compared to text or even a static product thumbnail.
This is your newly designed motorcycle - it’s sleek, it’s fast, and it currently has the standard exhaust design. That’s fine, it is still an awesome bike, but what if there was a performance exhaust option?
In a similar fashion, showcasing the options for accessories during the excitement of the initial purchase increases the likelihood of the buyer making those additions to their cart. While these are purchases that can be made later, including them in a visual configurator places them in the front of a buyer’s mind during a time when they are already primed to make a purchase.
When it comes to increasing the value of a buyer’s cart, there are few tools as compelling as placing a high quality visual incarnation of their ideal product in front of them, particularly when you show them something that can make it ever better. 3D visualization and configuration bring the buyer into the design process and allow them to evaluate and discover more about the products they are interested in, increasing the likelihood of purchase and the satisfaction with both the experience and the product.
Ready to see how to increase the average order value of your eCommerce site? Head over to our configuration demos and see what Dopple can create for you.
