Glossary / AOV

AOV(Average Order Value)

Average order value (AOV) is the average dollar amount of an order in a given period. It is calculated as total revenue divided by total orders. AOV measures how much customers spend per transaction; raising AOV is one of the highest-leverage growth levers for an e-commerce or retail business because it lifts revenue without acquiring new customers.

Formula

AOV = Total revenue / Total orders

Example

If an online store generated $50,000 in revenue from 1,000 orders last month, AOV is $50. If next month revenue grows to $60,000 on 1,100 orders, AOV grows to $54.55 — both volume and per-order spend went up.

Why it matters

AOV is one of the three levers behind every revenue change: more customers, more orders per customer, or higher AOV. Raising AOV via bundling, free-shipping thresholds, or upsells is often cheaper than acquiring more customers.

Frequently asked

Should I track AOV gross or net of refunds?

Both. Gross AOV measures the order-builder strength of your store; net AOV (after refunds) measures actual realized revenue. DashViz reports both by default.

Is AOV the same as average revenue per customer?

No. AOV is per order; average revenue per customer is per buyer. A customer who places 3 orders at $50 each contributes $150 to revenue per customer but only $50 to AOV.

Related terms

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