If you're an online retailer, you need to pay attention to one metric above all else: Average basket size. Average basket size lets you know how much your customers spend on each visit. It can help you make better decisions about product selection and marketing tactics.
In this post, we’ll explain:
- What is the Average Basket Size?
- Why is it important to know the ABS for an Ecommerce?
- How to Calculate the Average Basket Size?
- 5 Actionable Tips to Increase Average Basket Size
- Tip 1: Upselling and Cross-selling
- Tip 2: Offering discounts and coupons
- Tip 3: Create a sense of urgency
- Tip 4: Loyalty Programs
- Tip 5: Optimize Your Ads Strategy
What is the Average Basket Size?
A basket size (or units per transaction) is the average number of items sold during a single transaction. To get an accurate assessment, you can find this figure by dividing the total number of units sold by the total number of transactions.
Why is it important to know the ABS for an Ecommerce?
The average basket size is a crucial metric that can help you determine whether your business is succeeding or failing.
If you have an online store, it's imperative to keep track of the average number of items purchased per customer visit. This will help you better understand how much money you make on each transaction.
Here are other reasons why you need to assess your average basket size:
- It can help you understand how your business is performing daily.
- It gives you a better idea of what products are selling well in your store.
- You can use the data to determine which items should be promoted or discounted.
- You’ll know how much money your average customer spends per visit.
- It will help you create more compelling offers and promotions that appeal to shoppers.
- You can use it to find out which products are best sellers by looking at the average number of items ordered per customer visit.
- The ABS is an indicator of customer loyalty and satisfaction.
- It tells you whether it’s worth investing in a marketing campaign that boosts sales or focuses on driving more traffic to your website.
If your average basket size is low, it means that most customers are only buying one item. If this happens often enough, it can be a sign that your prices aren’t competitive or there isn’t enough variety in your offer.
How to Calculate the Average Basket Size for an eCommerce store?
There are three critical metrics for any online retail store to calculate your ABS.
- The total number of units sold: To find the total number of units sold, simply add how many products were sold during the period you’re measuring.
- The total number of transactions: To find the total number of transactions, add up the number of orders placed during the time you're measuring.
After you have determined the values of the metrics above, calculate the average basket size using the formula below:
Average basket size = the total number of units sold / total number of transactions.
For example, your online fashion store made 1,000 transactions and sold 2,000 units. Using the formula above, your average basket size will be 2,000 / 1,000 = 2 units per transaction.
There is no perfect average basket size; however, the goal is to increase your average basket size over time. Suppose you're seeing a consistent decrease in your average basket size. In that case, it may be time to reevaluate your strategy and consider adding new products or services.
Check out How to Utilize Average Order Value To Boost Sales
5 Actionable Tips to Increase Average Basket Size
Here are five ways to increase your average basket size over time as an e-commerce store:
Tip 1: Upselling and Cross-selling
One of the easiest ways to increase your average basket size is upselling and cross-selling. Upselling is a sales technique used by store owners to encourage customers to spend more money by offering similar products that cost more than what they’re currently buying.
Cross-selling is similar, except it involves suggesting complementary products that aren’t necessarily more expensive than what you’re selling. For example, if someone visits your store looking for a new laptop computer, you might also offer them laptop bags and accessories.
Upselling and cross-selling are easy ways to increase your average basket size because they encourage customers to purchase more than one item at a time. If you have an eCommerce store, upselling and cross-selling can be done using special offers or sales on related products.
Tip 2: Offering discounts and coupons
Another way to increase your average basket size is by offering customers discounts and coupons. Discounts and coupons can be used to encourage customers to purchase more than one item at a time, or they can be used to get those last few sales before the expiry date.
For example, if you’re running a summer sale on swimwear, you might offer 20% off all other items in your store. This way, customers who are looking for a new pair of sunglasses or flip-flops will see that there is also a discount available on their preferred swimsuit style.
You can offer discounts and coupons in a few ways, such as:
- Offer an instant discount on all items in their shopping cart when they check out (often referred to as ‘Buy one, get one free).
- Offer a percentage discount for spending over a certain amount of money.
- Offer a coupon code that can be used at checkout.
- Use seasonal discounts like reduced prices during the holidays or certain weekdays (such as '50% off all t-shirts').
Tip 3: Create a sense of urgency
Creating a sense of urgency is another way to increase your average basket size. When you tell customers that there is only X number of items left, they will be more likely to purchase them immediately.
You can highlight products in high demand or put them on a unique display at the front of your online store. This will make customers feel they need to buy these items before they sell out.
Here are other ways to create a sense of urgency:
- Offer a limited quantity promotion
- Expire certain products on a certain date (e.g., this weekend only)
- Give customers a limited time to use their coupon code
- Use countdown timers on your website or social media pages
- Put a product in a particular "sale" category
- Launch a new product or line of products that customers will want to buy before it sells out
- Offer free shipping on orders of X amount or more
- Create an offer that expires at midnight (e.g., free shipping with a purchase over $50)
In addition, you can add a sense of exclusivity when you market your product to customers during this period. Being exclusive makes customers feel special and can lead them to buy more than they otherwise would. You can do this by offering VIP programs or cards for repeat customers.
Tip 4: Loyalty Programs
A loyalty program is a great way to keep your customers engaged with your brand and encourage them to return. A loyalty program can be as simple as offering a discount on their next purchase. Still, it can also include things like exclusive products or gift cards.
Offer customers the opportunity to join a loyalty program. This can be done through a simple points-based system or by creating an account for them. If you offer a points-based system, ensure that people are incentivized to spend more money and buy more of your products.
Loyalty programs also help you collect valuable data on your shoppers, including their names and email addresses, so that you can send them special offers in the future.
Tip 5: Optimize Your Ads Strategy
One of the most effective ways to increase your average basket size is by retargeting ads. Retargeting is a form of online advertising that allows you to show ads to people who have visited your website but left without buying anything. You can also use retargeting to get more sales from existing customers.
You can also use marketing automation platforms like ConvertedIn to target specific audiences and create campaigns focusing on building customer loyalty.
For example, suppose you own a pet store. In that case, Convertedin can automatically set up an ad campaign that targets people who like dogs and cats but have no pets at home. These are likely to be people thinking about getting a new pet soon.
ConvertedIn AI technology will also set up retargeting campaigns so customers who visited your website but didn’t complete their purchase. The more targeted your ads, the better they make people buy more units of your product.
Here are 12 Effective Tactics You Should Use To Increase Average Basket Size
Conclusion
There are many ways to increase your average basket size, but the most important thing is to do something. Keep in mind that it can take time for your efforts to pay off, and be patient enough to see them through. If you want customers who spend more money and buy more units in your store, ensure they have a great shopping experience.
