Episode 2: How to Stop Chasing Revenue & Increase Profit Per Order

In this episode, I’m digging into a topic that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough in eCommerce: how to increase your profit per order.

A lot of founders think the answer to growth is simply getting more orders. And yes, more revenue can help. But if your margins are too tight, your shipping structure is off, your discounts are too aggressive, or your return rates are eating away at the bottom line, more sales alone won’t fix the problem.

That’s why in this episode, I break down profit per order through the main buckets I look at when I’m helping brands improve profitability. My goal is to help you stop chasing top-line revenue for the sake of it and start focusing on the levers that actually make your business healthier.

Listen to the episode on SoundCloud, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

What I cover in this episode

I walk through the core idea behind profit per order and why it matters so much, especially for product-based businesses with higher costs, premium materials, or more intentional supply chains.

Then I break the conversation into four main buckets:

1. Increasing revenue per order

The first place I look is average order value.

If you can increase what a customer spends in a profitable way, you can improve the economics of every order without having to acquire more customers to grow. In this part of the episode, I talk about ways to increase basket size, including upsells, cross-sells, bundles, kits, sets, and adding higher-ticket products to your assortment.

I also talk about one lever founders often avoid: pricing. If your costs are high and your margins are too tight, pricing may be one of the fastest ways to improve profit per order. I share why looking at competitor pricing can be misleading and why pricing based on your own numbers matters so much more.

I also touch on free shipping thresholds and how raising them can increase average order value while helping you better absorb shipping costs.

2. Reducing variable costs attached to each order

The second bucket is all about reducing what each order costs you.

This includes your shipping subsidies, fulfillment costs, packaging costs, payment processing fees, and discounting strategy. I talk about why I’m generally not a fan of real-time shipping rates for most eCommerce brands, and why a thoughtful flat-rate shipping strategy can often work better for both conversion and profitability.

I also get into some of the less glamorous but important details, like whether your packaging is more expensive than it needs to be, whether your Shopify plan is costing you more in payment fees than necessary, and how much margin you may be giving away through aggressive first-order discounts.

Sometimes improving profit per order is not about selling more. It’s about leaking less.

3. Improving order quality

The third bucket is improving the quality of the orders you’re getting, not just the quantity.

This is where I talk about conversion rate, traffic quality, repeat customers, and product page optimization. Because not all traffic is equal, and not all customers are equally profitable.

If you’re driving a lot of low-intent traffic that doesn’t convert, or you’re spending time on channels that generate visits but not revenue, that can hurt profitability fast. I talk about how to look more closely at where your best-converting traffic is coming from and how to focus more energy there.

I also share why repeat customers can be such a powerful profitability lever, and why creating stronger product pages can help improve conversion by answering objections before someone drops off.

4. Protecting profit after the sale

The last bucket is one that many founders overlook: protecting your profit after the order is placed.

If you’re in a category with returns, this matters a lot. I talk about why returns should absolutely be viewed as part of your cost of delivery, and how things like fit guidance, product education, better communication, and stronger customer support can help reduce them.

I also share why it’s so important to look at products that may appear to be strong sellers on the surface, but actually become much less profitable once you factor in return rates. Sometimes a product can look like a winner in top-line revenue while quietly hurting your bottom line.

If you want healthier growth, stop asking how to get more orders and start asking how to make each order more profitable

Because more revenue does not automatically create a better business. Better margins, stronger economics, and more intentional decision-making do.

A few practical takeaways

By the end of this episode, I want you to walk away with a few action steps you can apply right away:

• Audit your real profit per order by product or by category

• Look at both your revenue levers and your cost levers

• Choose one AOV lever and one cost lever to test

• Review which channels and customer types are bringing in your most profitable orders

• Pay attention to where margin is quietly being lost after the sale

If your business feels like it’s working hard but not keeping enough money, this episode will help you start looking at the numbers differently.

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