Quick answer
AOV (Average Order Value) is the average value of a delivery order: revenue divided by the number of orders. Raising it is the single most effective lever for making delivery sustainable, because it spreads commission, packaging and prep time over a larger ticket. The levers that work: upselling and cross-selling in the menu, bundles and combos, a free-delivery threshold set just above your current AOV, and high-margin add-ons (drinks, desserts, extras). Always measure per channel and compare against your break-even per order.
What AOV is and why it beats raw revenue
AOV (Average Order Value, also called "average ticket") is the average amount a customer spends in a single order. The formula is simple:
AOV = Delivery revenue / Number of orders
Example: in a month you take 9,000 across 300 orders. Your AOV is 9,000 / 300 = 30.
Why does this matter so much in delivery and not only in the dining room? Because every order carries a block of fixed costs: packaging, prep time, order handling and the slice of commission that hits the fixed part of your structure. If you move from a 20 AOV to a 30 AOV at the same order count, revenue grows 50% but per-order handling costs stay almost identical. Nearly all of the extra margin drops straight to the bottom line.
To set your baseline and track its movement, use the average check calculator: measure before you act, otherwise you won't know whether your moves are working.
AOV and margin: the eye-opening example
Let's compare the same restaurant at two different AOVs on a typical order. Assume a 30% delivery commission, 30% food cost, and a fixed 1.20 packaging cost per order.
| Line | 20 order | 30 order | |---|---|---| | Gross price | 20.00 | 30.00 | | − Commission 30% | −6.00 | −9.00 | | − Food cost 30% | −6.00 | −9.00 | | − Packaging (fixed) | −1.20 | −1.20 | | Residual margin | 6.80 | 10.80 | | Margin in % | 34.0% | 36.0% |
Raising the AOV by 50% (from 20 to 30) grows the absolute margin per order by 59% (from 6.80 to 10.80) and even lifts the percentage, because the fixed packaging weighs less. This is why working on the average order almost always beats chasing more orders.
The levers to increase AOV
There is no single move: AOV rises by combining several techniques. Here are the main ones, in order of operational impact.
1. Upselling and cross-selling in the menu
Upselling offers a richer version of the same product ("want the XL?"), cross-selling offers a complement ("add fries?"). In delivery this happens through automatic suggestions from the platform or your own site. The products to push are those with high margin and low food cost: drinks, desserts, sauces, sides. A canned drink has a 20-25% food cost and lifts the ticket by 2.5-3.5 without loading the kitchen.
2. Bundles and combos
A "burger + fries + drink" combo sold at 12.90 and perceived as a deal raises the average value versus the burger alone at 8. The trick is to build the bundle so it includes at least one high-margin item (the drink) and to keep the final price below the sum of the singles, but above your current AOV.
3. Free-delivery threshold
This is the most powerful weapon when calibrated. Set the threshold just above your current AOV: if it's 22 today, place free delivery at 25. A customer close to the threshold adds an item to avoid paying for delivery. It works because it shifts the decision from "how much am I spending" to "how much do I need to qualify for free."
4. Add-ons and customizations
Extra cheese, double base, premium sauce: micro-additions of 0.50-1.50 that the customer perceives as small and that carry minimal food cost. Across many orders, those cents become percentage points of AOV.
The free-delivery threshold: how to set it
This lever deserves a dedicated calculation because getting it wrong is costly. The practical rule:
Ideal threshold = current AOV × 1.10 to 1.20
With a 22 AOV, the range is 24-26. Here are the scenarios:
| Threshold | Effect | |---|---| | Below AOV (e.g. 18) | You give away delivery without incentivizing anything: margin lost | | Just above (e.g. 25) | Pushes the customer to add an item: the ideal zone | | Too high (e.g. 40) | Perceived as unreachable: no effect or cart abandonment |
Important: free delivery is not actually free. If you use the platform's riders, you absorb the delivery cost or build it into prices. Always work out the net margin after commission before promising free delivery: the delivery commission calculator tells you what you truly keep on each setup.
Measuring and segmenting AOV by channel
A common mistake is to look at AOV as a single number. In reality it varies a lot by channel:
| Channel | Typical AOV | Why | |---|---|---| | Own site/app | Higher | Loyal customer, no commission, controlled upselling | | Glovo / Deliveroo | Medium | Impulsive customer, compares prices | | Just Eat | Variable | Depends on positioning and area |
Segmenting tells you where to act. If the direct channel has the highest AOV and zero commission, every euro spent moving orders there is worth double. Measure AOV per channel every month and compare it against your break-even per order (the minimum value below which an order loses you money).
A practical 30-day roadmap
- Week 1: calculate the current AOV per channel with the average check calculator. Lock in your baseline.
- Week 2: introduce 2-3 high-margin cross-sells (drinks, desserts) as suggestions at checkout.
- Week 3: set the free-delivery threshold just above your AOV. Build a flagship combo.
- Week 4: measure again. If AOV rose, consolidate; if not, adjust the threshold and bundles.
AOV doesn't rise with a single promo, but through continuous micro-adjustments measured every month.
Common mistakes
- Chasing order count instead of AOV: more orders mean more commission and more packaging. Raising the ticket is often the better play.
- A wrong free-delivery threshold: too low gives away margin, too high triggers cart abandonment.
- Pushing low-margin items in bundles: a combo built only on high-food-cost dishes lifts revenue but not margin.
- Not measuring per channel: the average AOV hides huge differences between your own site and the platforms.
- Forgetting commission in the math: raising AOV improves margin, but commission stays a percentage. Always check the net.
- Generic "X% off everything" discounts: they erode margin without pushing the customer to build a bigger order, unlike the free-delivery threshold.
Related resources
- Average check calculator — measure your starting AOV and track its movement month over month
- Delivery commission calculator — check what you truly keep on each order, VAT included