How Wishlists and Reviews Work Together to Drive Higher AOV

Most merchants treat reviews and wishlists as separate tools. Reviews are for "social proof," and wishlists are for "saving for later." But when you combine them into a single strategy, you unlock a powerful psychological lever that drives AOV through the roof.

For high-ticket items or complex purchases, customers rarely buy on the first visit. They need to validate their choice (reviews) and save their intent (wishlist). By stacking Hulk Advanced Wishlist with Opinew Reviews, you can build a funnel that doesn't just recover abandoned carts—it actively nurtures higher-value sales by using social proof to close the deal on "saved" items.

Quick Answer

Can you do this on Shopify? Yes. You can display review ratings directly on wishlist pages and use review data in your wishlist reminder emails.

The Main Method: Use Hulk Advanced Wishlist to capture the lead, and Opinew to generate the trust required to convert it.

What it unlocks: Higher confidence for premium purchases, reduced return rates (due to better-informed buyers), and significantly higher AOV.

What is Hulk Advanced Wishlist?

Hulk Advanced Wishlist is a comprehensive Shopify app that empowers customers to save their favorite products for later, even without creating an account. It creates a friction-free "holding area" for purchase intent, allowing merchants to capture leads and re-engage shoppers with automated alerts for price drops and restocks.

What is Opinew Product Reviews?

Opinew is a specialized review app that focuses on visual social proof by collecting and displaying star ratings, photos, and videos. It helps merchants import reviews from marketplaces like Amazon or AliExpress and showcases them in clean, fast-loading widgets that give buyers the confidence they need to check out.

Who needs this?

• Luxury Brands: Jewelry, watches, and handbags where trust is paramount.

• Automotive & Tech: Performance parts or hardware where "fitment" and quality matter.

• High-End Home Goods: Furniture and appliances that require spouse approval.

Why it Drives Higher AOV

• Validates the Upsell: Customers are more likely to buy the premium version of a product if they see 5-star reviews next to it in their wishlist.

• Reduces "Analysis Paralysis": Seeing "100+ happy customers" helps potential buyers stop overthinking and start buying.

• Builds Trust in the background: Automated emails that show reviews of the specific item a customer wished for are incredibly persuasive.

How to Set Up the Combo Stack

Step 1 – Install the Core Apps Install Hulk Advanced Wishlist for the saving functionality and Opinew for gathering photo and video reviews.

Step 2 – Configure Opinew for Visual Proof In Opinew, enable Auto-Import (if you sell on Amazon/eBay) or set up automated review request emails. Crucially, enable the "Photo & Video Reviews" widget. For high AOV items, text isn't enough—customers need to see the product in real life.

Step 3 – Integrate Stars into the Wishlist Page In your Shopify Theme Editor (or via Hulk’s support team), embed the Opinew Star Rating Badge onto your Wishlist page template.

• Goal: When a customer opens their wishlist, every item should show its star rating (e.g., "⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (42)") right under the title.

Step 4 – Create the "Social Proof" Email Flow In your email marketing tool (e.g., Klaviyo), set up a flow triggered by "Added to Wishlist."

• The Logic: Wait 24 hours. If not purchased, send an email: "Still dreaming of this? Here is what Sarah thought about it..." and include a snippet of a top review for that category.

Step 5 – Go Live & Monitor Launch the stack. Monitor your Wishlist Conversion Rate. You should see a lift in users moving items from "Wishlist" to "Cart" because the reviews provide the final nudge of confidence.

How This Stack Increases AOV

Examples and Use Cases

Here are three real-world scenarios where this stack creates massive value:

Recommended Setup / Tools

This stack focuses on Trust + Intent.

Best Practices

• Don't Gate the Wishlist: Always use "Guest Wishlist". Forcing a login to save an item kills the flow before you can even show them reviews.

• Prioritize Photo Reviews: In Opinew, pin reviews with photos to the top. Visual proof is 10x more effective than text for increasing AOV.

• "Review-Based" Sorting: If possible, let customers sort their own wishlist by "Highest Rated." This subtly pushes them toward your best (and often most expensive) products.

• The "Low Stock" Nudge: Combine Hulk’s "Low Stock Alert" with Opinew’s social proof. Email Subject: "Almost Gone! See why 50 people love this..."

• Mobile Optimization: Ensure the star ratings don't clutter the mobile view of the wishlist. They should be small, clean, and clickable.

Summary

Increasing AOV isn't just about raising prices; it's about raising confidence. By stacking Hulk Advanced Wishlist (to save the intent) with Opinew (to provide the proof), you remove the fear of buying expensive items online.

The Strategy:

1) Let guests save items easily.

2) Show them 5-star validation immediately on the wishlist page.

3) Retarget them with review-heavy emails.

If you want to implement this trust-building stack, start by installing Opinew and Hulk Advanced Wishlist today.