> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vortexiq.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Channel-Level AOV, BigCommerce > Channel-Level AOV for BigCommerce stores. Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre. How to read it, why it matters, and how to act on it. **Metrics type:** [Supporting Metrics](/nerve-centre/overview#metrics-types-explained) • **Category:** [Ecommerce Platform](/nerve-centre/connectors#connectors-by-type) ## At a glance > Average Order Value broken down by `channel_id` over the trailing 30 days. The single most-useful BC card for understanding why aggregate AOV moves: BigCommerce is channel-native in a way Shopify isn't, your store can sell DTC web + Amazon + eBay + Walmart + B2B portal + POS simultaneously through one BC backend, and each channel has wildly different AOV profiles. This card is essential for separating "I have an AOV problem" from "I have a channel-mix problem". | | | | ------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **What it counts** | `SUM(total_inc_tax) / COUNT(orders) GROUP BY channel_id` over the trailing 30 days. Each channel shows its order count, AOV, and 30D-vs-prior-30D delta. Channels with fewer than 10 orders in the window are excluded by default to avoid small-sample noise. | | **API endpoint** | `GET /stores/{store_hash}/v2/orders` paged with `channel_id` per order. The OpenSearch index materialises per-channel-per-day aggregates. Channel display names come from `GET /v3/channels`. | | **VAT / tax treatment** | Tax-inclusive on each channel. | | **Shipping** | Included. Note that POS channels rarely have shipping fees (walk-out fulfilment) which structurally lowers POS AOV vs web. | | **Discounts** | Deducted. Channel-specific promotions (Amazon discount campaigns, web-only coupons) affect only their respective channels. | | **Refunds** | Not deducted. | | **Cancelled orders** | Excluded. | | **`Incomplete` orders** | Excluded. | | **Currency** | Multi-currency aggregated. Channels with currency-locked behaviour (Amazon UK = GBP, Amazon US = USD) need converted-display for cross-platform comparison; configure under Settings → Currency. | | **Channel coverage** | Web (`channel_id = 1`), POS, Amazon Channel Manager, Facebook Shop, eBay, Walmart, B2B portal, custom Channels API channels. **Each `channel_id` is a separate row.** Marketplaces typically have lower AOV than web (single-item Amazon orders); B2B portal typically has 4-15x higher AOV than web (quote-converted PO orders). | | **B2B Edition behaviour** | The B2B portal appears as its own row; **AOV is structurally higher (4-15x web)** because of the quote / PO workflow. Don't compare B2B AOV against DTC AOV without context. | | **Alert trigger** | `any channel <50% of lead channel`. Fires when one channel's AOV falls below half of the highest-AOV channel. **This is intentionally a relative comparison** because absolute thresholds don't work across web/POS/marketplace/B2B which have different normal AOVs. | | **Sentiment key** | `aov_trend` | | **Time window** | `30D` rolling. | | **Roles** | owner, marketing | ## Calculation Calculated automatically from your BigCommerce data. See the At a glance summary above for what the metric tracks and the worked example below for a typical reading. ## Worked example A US industrial supply distributor on BigCommerce Enterprise with B2B Edition, multi-storefront, and active marketplace channels. Snapshot for 1 Apr to 30 Apr 26. | `channel_id` | Channel | Orders | AOV | vs P30D | | ------------ | --------------------------- | --------- | --------- | ------- | | `1` | Stencil DTC web | 4,820 | \$120 | -3% | | `12000004` | B2B portal (B2B Edition) | 612 | \$2,000 | +2% | | `1019847` | Amazon Channel Manager (US) | 1,140 | \$140 | flat | | `1019850` | Facebook Shop | 380 | \$52 | -8% | | `1020111` | Walmart Marketplace | 220 | \$96 | flat | | `1020114` | POS Terminal A | 380 | \$65 | +5% | | `1020115` | POS Terminal B | 290 | \$58 | flat | | **Headline** | | **7,842** | **\$285** | -3% | What's interesting: 1. \*\*B2B portal at $2,000 vs lead-channel comparison.** The lead channel (highest AOV) is B2B at $2,000; the alert trigger ("any channel \<50% of lead channel") would fire on every other channel, which is structurally meaningless. **For B2B-active stores, exclude the B2B portal from the lead-channel comparison** under Settings → Alerts → Channel exclusions, or run a separate alert against the DTC-channel cohort only. **This is the single most common configuration tweak on BC stores running this card.** 2. \*\*Facebook Shop at $52 (-8%) is the real concern.** With B2B excluded, the lead channel becomes Amazon at $140. Facebook Shop at $52 is 37% of $140, well below the 50% threshold. **Investigate Facebook Shop merchandising**, the channel may be configured to feature only single-product entry-level SKUs. 3. **POS AOV is structurally low and that's correct.** \$58-65 reflects walk-out single-item purchases vs web's bundled basket. The alert engine's auto-tune detects POS as a separate cohort and applies a POS-specific threshold (typically 50% of POS lead, not 50% of all-channels lead). **Configure cohort-based thresholds** under Settings → Alerts → Channel cohort. 4. **Amazon at $140 is healthy and slightly above DTC web at $120.** This is somewhat unusual; most BC stores have DTC web AOV higher than Amazon. The reason here: this merchant restricts Amazon to bundle-only listings (single-item listings disabled to control margin and shipping cost), so every Amazon order is a multi-item basket. 5. **The DTC web -3% is the genuinely concerning trend.** Even though it didn't trigger any alert, a 3% MoM AOV decline on the volume channel is the leading indicator of margin compression. Cross-reference with [BC AOV with/without Discount](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/bigcommerce/aov-with-without-discount) to see if a new promo is dragging it down. Action priority order (when this card moves): 1. **Decompose by channel and exclude structural extremes** (B2B, POS) before reading the alert. 2. **Apply cohort-based thresholds** so DTC channels are compared against DTC channels only. 3. **Pair with [BC Channel Top Products](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/bigcommerce/top-products-by-channel)** to identify the SKUs driving each channel's AOV. 4. **For marketplace channels, audit the listing cohort.** Many BC merchants list a curated subset on Amazon vs full catalogue on web; AOV gaps often reflect listing strategy, not buyer behaviour. 5. **For multi-currency channels, view in converted-display mode** before comparing. ## Sibling cards merchants should reference together | Card | Why pair it with AOV by Channel | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | [Average Order Value](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/bigcommerce/average-order-value) | The headline rollup; this card is the channel decomposition. | | [BC Orders by Channel](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/bigcommerce/bc-orders-by-channel-id) | Volume context; high-AOV channel with low volume is a niche, not a strategy. | | [BC Channel Revenue Trend](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/bigcommerce/channel-revenue-trend) | The over-time view per channel; pair to spot drift before it triggers an alert. | | [BC Channel Conversion Rate](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/bigcommerce/conversion-rate-by-channel) | Conversion context; high-AOV / low-conversion channel needs different optimisation than low-AOV / high-conversion. | | [BC Channel Top Products](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/bigcommerce/top-products-by-channel) | Identifies which SKUs drive each channel's AOV. | | [BC Channel Currency Mix](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/bigcommerce/currency-mix-by-channel) | Multi-currency channels need this to read AOV correctly. | | [BC Channel Refund Rate](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/bigcommerce/refund-rate-by-channel) | Channels with high AOV but high refund rate may be selling premium items that disappoint. | | [BC AOV by Country](/nerve-centre/kpi-cards/bigcommerce/aov-by-country) | Cross-cut by geography; some channels concentrate in specific countries. | ## Reconciling against the vendor's own dashboard **Where to look in BigCommerce Control Panel:** [Analytics → Sales](https://login.bigcommerce.com/deep-links/manage/analytics/in-store-conversion) → "Sales by channel" view (Plus / Pro / Enterprise) shows per-channel revenue and order count; AOV is implicit (revenue / orders) and not natively displayed. [Channel Manager](https://login.bigcommerce.com/deep-links/manage/channel-manager) provides per-channel order lists with totals; manual reconciliation matches this card's per-channel AOV. For B2B Edition specifically: [Channel Manager → B2B Edition → Analytics](https://login.bigcommerce.com/deep-links/manage/channel-manager) shows B2B portal revenue separate from DTC. **Why our channel AOV may differ from BC Sales by channel:** | Reason | Direction | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | | **Channel display naming**. BC's analytics view uses `channel_name`; we use the same with cosmetic normalisation (e.g. "Meta Shop" vs "Facebook Shop" depending on BC version). | Cosmetic only | | **Channel group rollups**. BC's analytics groups some channels (e.g. all POS terminals into one "Point of Sale" row); we surface each terminal separately. | Different denominator structure | | **B2B Edition treatment**. BC's main analytics surface excludes B2B; B2B portal AOV only appears in the B2B-specific surface. We surface it on this card directly. | Vortex IQ surfaces B2B; BC main view does not | | **Multi-storefront aggregation**. BC's per-channel view shows per-storefront; we offer aggregated. | Different denominator | | **POS terminal aggregation**. BC may roll all terminals; we surface each. | Different granularity | | **Cancelled / Incomplete handling**. BC's analytics tile in some plan tiers includes Incompletes; we don't. | Vortex IQ HIGHER AOV (excluding low-value Incompletes) | **Cross-connector reconciliation (when marketplace integrations are connected):** | Card | Expected relationship | What causes legitimate divergence | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [`amazon_sp.amazon_avg_order_value`](/nerve-centre/amazon_sp/amazon_avg_order_value) | Should match the Amazon-channel slice within 1-3% | Amazon SP-API includes some pre-fulfilment fees; our card uses BC's `total_inc_tax` post-fees. | | [`facebook.fb_shop_aov`](/nerve-centre/facebook/fb_shop_aov) | Should match the Facebook-channel slice | Meta's commerce surface includes some fee adjustments not visible to BC. | | [`square.square_aov`](/nerve-centre/square/square_aov) | If POS uses Square integration, should match POS rows | Square's reporting includes off-platform Square sales not in BC. | | [`google_analytics.ga_aov_by_source`](/nerve-centre/google_analytics/ga_aov_by_source) | GA4 source-AOV correlates with channel-AOV but doesn't match exactly | GA4's "source" is traffic source, not BC channel. The two views are related but not identical. | **The per-channel AOV view is BC-aligned with similar cards on Shopify (per `source_name`) and Adobe Commerce (per `store_id`); merchant-facing semantics are equivalent.** ***
Same-metric documentation cross-reference (for agencies running multiple platforms) * [`shopify.aov_by_channel`](/nerve-centre/shopify/aov_by_channel) (planned) * [`adobe_commerce.aov_by_store`](/nerve-centre/adobe_commerce/aov_by_store) (planned)
## Known limitations / merchant FAQs **My B2B portal shows \$2,000 AOV. Should I be alarmed by the alert against other channels?** No, the alert is comparing across channel cohorts that don't compete. B2B and DTC are different businesses; comparing them on a single threshold is meaningless. **Configure cohort-based thresholds** (DTC vs DTC, marketplace vs marketplace, POS vs POS) under Settings → Alerts → Channel cohort. The alert engine ships with sensible defaults; you only need to tune if your channel mix is unusual. **Why does my Amazon channel have higher AOV than my web channel?** Probably you've curated the Amazon listing to bundle / multi-pack SKUs only, while web carries the full catalogue including single-item entry points. This is intentional for many BC merchants because Amazon FBA fees punish low-AOV orders. **A higher-Amazon-AOV pattern is a sign of disciplined multi-channel merchandising, not a data issue.** **My POS channel AOV is so low it's flagging a constant alert. What's wrong?** The alert is comparing POS to web; they shouldn't be compared. POS sales are walk-out single-item; web sales are basket. **Configure POS into its own cohort** under Settings → Alerts → Channel cohort. POS-vs-POS comparison is the right read; alerting on a 50% threshold across all POS terminals is the correct configuration. **What about a brand-new channel that just launched? It shows 5x higher AOV than my established channels but only 12 orders.** Small-sample effect; we exclude channels with fewer than 10 orders, but 12 is right at the boundary. Wait 14-30 days for the channel to accumulate stable sample; meanwhile, ignore the alert. Configure higher minimum-order threshold (50, 100) under Settings → Alerts → Min sample if you launch channels frequently. **My Channel Manager reports Amazon AOV at $145 but this card shows $140. Are they synced?** Within 3-5% match is normal. Channel Manager applies some Amazon-specific fee adjustments (referral fee deducted) before reporting; our card uses BC's `total_inc_tax` which is pre-fee. The 3-5% gap is the Amazon fee. **For comparable cross-tool reads use BC's `total_inc_tax` consistently; don't try to reconcile against Amazon's seller-central numbers, they include FBA and storage costs that aren't visible to BC.** **Why doesn't this card show currency next to each channel's AOV?** By default it shows the merchant's primary currency. For multi-currency stores, configure under Settings → Display → Per-channel currency. Each channel will then show AOV in its native currency (Amazon UK in GBP, Amazon US in USD) which is more accurate but harder to compare across channels. **I just rolled out a new B2B price list that lowers prices 15%. Will this card flag it?** Probably yes; the B2B portal AOV will drop \~15% MoM, well past the alert threshold. **For known one-off pricing changes, manually reset the baseline** under Settings → Alerts → Baseline reset, or temporarily silence the channel for 30 days while the new baseline establishes. **My Facebook Shop AOV reads $52 but my web AOV reads $120. Is Facebook a "low-AOV" channel structurally?** Generally yes. Meta's commerce surface attracts impulse / discovery buyers who add a single item and check out fast. Facebook Shop AOV typically runs 40-65% of web AOV across the BC ecosystem. **A Facebook Shop AOV at 50% of web is the healthy norm, not a problem to fix.** **Can I exclude a channel from the alert without removing it from the report?** Yes, configure under Settings → Alerts → Channel exclusions. We recommend excluding (a) any new channel under 30 days, (b) the B2B portal from DTC alert cohorts, (c) any test / dev channel. **Multi-storefront stores: does this card aggregate across storefronts or per-storefront?** By default per-storefront. Use the storefront selector at the top of the Nerve Centre dashboard to switch. Aggregating across storefronts is rarely useful since storefront-specific themes and assortments produce different AOV profiles by design. *** ### Tracked live in Vortex IQ Nerve Centre *AOV by Channel* is one of hundreds of KPI pulses Vortex IQ tracks across BigCommerce and 70+ other ecommerce connectors. Nerve Centre runs the detection layer; Vortex Mind investigates the cause when something moves; Ask Viq lets you interrogate any number in plain English. [Start for free](https://app.vortexiq.ai/login) or [book a demo](https://www.vortexiq.ai/contact-us) to see this metric running on your own data.