AOV (Average Order Value)

AOV, or average order value, is the average revenue a store earns per order over a period, found by dividing total revenue by the number of orders. Sometimes called basket size, it is one of the most-watched e-commerce metrics because lifting it raises revenue without needing more traffic or buyers.

AOV drives affiliate commission economics directly. Under a RevShare deal, higher order values raise the commission a publisher earns and the GMV the store records, so operators model partner payouts against expected basket size. Under flat CPA, AOV instead tells the operator whether a fixed per-order fee stays profitable.

Because AOV moves margin, operators design programs around it. Tiered commission rates can reward partners who drive larger baskets, and on-site tactics such as an order bump or a cross-sell that pays a cross-sell commission lift the value of each order an affiliate refers.

AOV is also read against customer value over time. A partner that sends low-AOV first orders may still be valuable if those buyers have strong customer lifetime value, so operators weigh basket size alongside repeat behavior rather than optimizing for a single high number.