Q4 2025 was strong for most Plus merchants — total checkout volume up 12% YoY in our cohort of 200+ stores. But the AOV story was more interesting: merchants running the gift stack (Gift Option Toggle + Gift Note + Free Shipping Bar) saw 18% higher Q4 AOV vs merchants without it.
The stack that worked
Gift Option Toggle at the top of the pay section, conditional Gift Note appearing below when the toggle is ON, Free Shipping Bar at the order-summary level. Most merchants installed all three. The compounding effect was real: gift orders ran 35% higher AOV than non-gift orders in the same store.
What didn't work
Aggressive upsell blocks. Merchants who ran upsells in addition to the gift stack saw lift on the gift orders themselves but a tiny conversion dip on non-gift orders (people who didn't want a gift toggle felt pushed). Solution: conditional upsells that only show when gift toggle is OFF.
The shipping cutoff lesson
The Important Shipping Note block performed predictably for cut-offs — but the merchants who scheduled their cut-off notice to start 7 days before the real cutoff (rather than 2 days) saw 11% fewer support tickets in early January. People plan ahead when you give them runway.
Gift wrap economics
Of merchants offering paid gift wrap ($4-$8 per order), 23% of gift-toggle-on orders added wrap. Of merchants offering free gift wrap, 41% added it but AOV was net lower (no wrap revenue + slightly slower fulfillment). Paid gift wrap wins on contribution margin.
The big lesson from Q4 2025: the gift stack is universally additive but the rest of the checkout needs to know when gift mode is on. Conditional visibility — upsells off, shipping protection emphasized, gift wrap surfaced — is the difference between a 35% AOV lift and a 25% lift.