Product bundles can double or triple your average order value while enhancing your customer satisfaction by offering them more value for their money.
With the rise of more Shopify bundling apps, creating and managing product bundles on your e-commerce store has become much easier.
In this article, we’ll cover the essentials of product bundling, the different types, how to create bundles on Shopify, strategies for promoting your bundle offers, and best practices.
Let’s get right into it.
- What is a Product Bundle
- Types of Product Bundles
- How to Create Product Bundles on Shopify without Using a Bundle App.
- How to Create Bundles with a Shopify Bundle App
- Ways to Promote Your Bundle Offer
- Best Practices for Product Bundles
What is A Product Bundle
A Product Bundle is a group of products sold together as a single unit. Instead of selling each item separately, they packed together and sold at a reduced price.
For instance, if you have a pair of shoes that cost $250, a dress that costs $150, and a handbag that costs $80. Instead of selling them individually, you can put them together as a single item and sell for a reduced price of say $420 as against $480.
Product bundling is a pricing strategy you can use to boost your sales and average order volume while making your customers happy. According to a study by Wirecard, 75% of customers say they are likely to make another purchase after receiving an incentive. This shows that rewarding customers with incentives can drive conversions and sales.
Types of Product Bundles
There are different ways to combine your Shopify product bundles for upselling and cross-selling. Frequent types include:
Pure Bundles
Pure bundles are packages containing products that are directly related or complementary to each other. A yoga mat and resistance bands (both used during workouts), a laptop stand, and a mousepad (both computer gadgets). This kind of package is a natural fit, providing customers with a complete solution.
Here is how LOOKFANTASTIC applied the Pure Bundle strategy by offering an LED face mask, wipeout and swipe cloth together as a bundle.
Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) Bundles
BOGO bundles offer customers a free product when they purchase a specific item. This promotion encourages customers to make a purchase by offering them added value.
A BOGO bundle for skincare products could offer a free moisturizer when customers buy a skincare set. This incentivizes customers to buy the serum while receiving a complimentary product.
For example, PETSMART created a buy 3 get one free offer on all dog and cat toys.
Buy X Get X Discount
The Buy X Get X discount is a variation of the BOGO bundling strategy. However, rather than offering a free item when a customer buys a certain number of products, they get a discount.
For instance, you can offer a 15% discount when customers buy up to 4 pieces of a specific product. This offer would likely be presented in the following format; buy 4, get 15% discounts.
Using the Buy X Get X discount strategy encourages customers to make bulk purchases of specific products, leading to more sales.
Below is an example of the Buy X Get X strategy;
Frequently Bought-Together Bundles
When creating frequently bought-together bundles, you lean on the consumer’s purchasing patterns. This implies that you can’t create frequently bought-together product bundles if your store is a new one.
For example, after adding the Curtain rod and coordinating finial set to the cart, Wayfair went ahead to suggest other frequently bought-together items.
Mix and Match Bundles
One way to encourage customers to engage in your product bundles is to allow flexible combinations. You can do this by offering mix-and-match bundles which allow customers to select products from a predefined category to create their own customized bundle.
For instance, you can offer customers a $20 discount when they buy items worth over $100 from specific product collections. For example, a clothing retailer might offer a mix-and-match bundle for t-shirts. Customers choose any three t-shirts from a selection of colors and designs to create their personalized bundle.
We can find another example on Aliexpress. The marketplace has a Choice collection that offers free shipping to customers who buy up to 3 items at once.
How to Create Product Bundles Directly on Shopify Without Using a Bundle App
If you are an e-commerce store owner on a budget, creating product bundles directly on Shopify can help you save some money. Keep in mind that doing this without a bundle app can be time-consuming and would require that you manually update your inventory.
What that said, follow the steps below to create a product bundle directly from your store.
Step 1: “Add Product” as a Bundle
To start creating a bundle, click on the Product at the left corner of your menu and Click on Add Product.
Step 2: Name the Product as a Bundle and Add a Bundle Description
After clicking, Add Product, title it as a Bundle and describe the bundle offer.
Step 3: upload Bundle Images
Upload images of the items you want to include in your bundle offers. You can use existing images on your store or upload images from your device
Step 4: Set Price and Product Variants
Select the variants available for each product and set a collective or individual price for them.
Step 5: Configure Other Necessary Settings
Other settings you need to set up include;
- Setting the variant inventory to zero so customers can’t buy the individual products
- Creating a collection that includes the main product and variants.
Step 6: Publish Your Bundle
After completing the setup, go ahead to save and publish it.
While creating bundles without an app can be done, using an app can make the process easier and offer other advantages, such as better analytics and management.
A Step-by-Step on How to Create Product Bundles on Shopify Using A Bundle App
Step 1: Select A Shopify Bundle App
While there are a thousand and one bundle apps out there, finding the one that meets your business needs can positively impact your campaign performance. To find the best app you should look out for the following criteria:
- Key Features: check out the key features of the app to decide if what the app has to offer is what you need
- Shopify app rating: apps with 4.0 and above ratings in an indicator that delivers on what it promises and customers love it.
- Customer reviews: look out for what customers have to say about the app. This will give you an insight into whether or not the app is what you need.
- Pricing: this factor is also important if you are working with a budget.
To save you the stress of doing this research yourself, we have curated a list of the 8 best Shopify bundle apps with detailed information.
Amongst them all, Adoric Bundle Quantity Breaks tops the list of the best bundle apps. The app is easy to use, has a 5-star rating on Shopify with several positive reviews, and is pocket-friendly. Let’s dive into creating
Step 2: Install the Adoric Bundle Quantity Breaks App
To install the app,
- Go to your Shopify dashboard
- Scroll down and click on App at the bottom left corner of your dashboard
- Search for the Adoric Bundle in Shopify App Store
- This will take you to the install page. Click Install to get started.
Step 3: How to Create a Product Bundle Using the Adoric Bundle App
With the Adoric Quantity Bundle Breaks app, you can create the Buy X Get X discount type of bundle on your Shopify store. Here is how to do so;
Starting a Campaign
- Click on New Campaign
There are two ways to start creating a campaign. You could either click on New Campaign on your dashboard.
Or click on Campaign at the bottom left corner of your page.
- Select the Product page where you want to apply the discount
This could be on All products, specific products, products from collection, products with tags, or excluded products.
If you select the All Product page, this means your discount offering will apply to all the products on your Shopify store.
Customizing Deals
- Continue to the next page to set up Deals.
This is where you will decide the number of products a customer needs to buy to qualify for a discount and the type of discount you want to offer. Whether it is a specific amount or percentage. Note that you can create up to 10 deals.
- Click on the edit icon to customize the bundle offers
If you want to create a Buy 3 get X discount, click on Buy 3 Products to set up.
- Go ahead and customize your deal by selecting a discount and title applicable title options
- After creating your deals, go back and click on Continue to take you to the Design section. Here you can customize the style, font, color, deal corner radius and thickness, add to cart button, and title tags.
Finishing Settings
- Choose the position on your website where you want to display the bundle campaign offer.
In Settings, you decide the position of your campaign on the product page. The system automatically recognizes your product page and places the campaign somewhere within it. However, you can edit it in Themes Settings.
If you have a custom theme, you can use CSS selector to decide where to place your campaign. This could be Inside to the top or Inside to the button.
- Choose an action after customers click on add to cart
After setting up the campaign position, you can decide on the actions shoppers should take after clicking on add to cart. This could either be Show cart or Redirect to checkout.
Also, you can decide to replace the Shopify default add-to-cart button with your own customized button. Simply check the box below.
Once you are done with all the setup, click Finish setup, then Publish to publish your campaign.
There you have it, your offer is ready.
4 Ways to Promote Your Product Bundle Offers
After creating bundle offers, you want customers to be aware of what you are offering. This is where promotion comes in. Here are a couple of ways you can promote your Shopify bundles:
1. Email Marketing
Send targeted email campaigns to your subscribers. Talk about your product bundles in your newsletters; highlight what customers will gain and how much they stand to save. Don’t forget to use specific figures.
A/B test email titles and subject lines to find out what sticks with your audience. You can add visuals to your emails to simplify the point you want them to take away. You don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars hiring a designer. Get on Canva and design quick covers to go with your copies.
2. Social Media Advertising
Social media advertising is another effective method of promoting your bundles. Leverage platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to promote your bundles through paid advertising.
You can create promotional content for your offers and post them on your business social media accounts. Don’t forget to spell out the value proposition of your product bundles. For instance, SMART Workwear shared a video post on their Instagram promoting their bundle offer.
3. Promote on Rakuten
Ratuken is a global website with millions of users that helps connect both shoppers and sellers. The platform focuses on helping shoppers save money while shopping by featuring only discounted items.
If you have a bundle offer you would like to get more eyes on, consider promoting it on Rakuten. You can reach out to the company via its social media handles or official website to discuss terms and conditions. Keep in mind that you may be required to pay a small amount of money to feature your offer.
For example, Ultra Beauty has taken to Rakuten to promote its store discounts, promos, and other offers.
4. Collaborations and Partnerships
Do you have the budget to pay influencers? Then get them on board. Ask them to promote your limited-time offers, your special combos, and your mix-and-match bundles. You should only work with influencers whose branding aligns with the industry in which you operate.
An alternative would be to partner with blogs that rank for a variety of e-commerce or Shopify terms. Collaborative marketing efforts can expand your reach and introduce your bundles to new potential customers.
For example, Haagen-Dazs (an ice cream company), partnered with Strollerinthecity to promote its BOGO ice cream offer.
Best Practices for Product Bundles
Here are some tested and tried strategies for creating effective product bundles in your store.
1. Understand Your Customers’ Preferences
Know what your customers want and need by paying attention to what they buy often and what products go well together. This will help you create bundles that customers find useful and appealing.
According to a 2023 study by Barilliance, 31% of e-commerce revenue comes from product recommendations. A good example is Amazon. The marketplace uses its vast amount of customer data to recommend product bundles that align with users’ previous purchases and browsing history.
For instance, if a customer buys a camera, Amazon might suggest a bundle with a memory card, camera bag, and tripod, often at a discounted rate compared to purchasing each item individually.
To better understand your customers, conduct market research, gather feedback to identify their preferences, and analyze the data you have at hand. The Adoric Bundle app has a built-in analytic tool for understanding your customers’ shopping behavior.
2. Offer a Discounted Price
The idea behind product bundling is getting more for less. This means the bundled items should be cheaper than buying each item separately. Communicate the discount you are offering so customers know exactly what’s in for them.
Doing so will give your customers a good reason to buy the bundle even if it wasn’t in their initial shopping budget. For instance, if the total price of items is $100, offer the bundle for $90.
According to a study by Statista on factors that influence buying decisions in the UK, discounts, competitive pricing, promos, etc, received the highest rating of 4.4 stars. This indicates how impactful discounts can be on sales.
For example, McDonald’s uses product bundling through its “Extra Value Meals,” where customers can buy a burger, fries, and a drink at a lower price than purchasing each item separately. This not only increases sales of individual items but also boosts overall revenue per customer.
3. Create Bundles with High-Value Perception
Ensure that the bundled products offer real value and make sense together. Combining complementary products that naturally go well with each other can significantly improve the bundle’s perceived value.
According to a study from Harvard Business School (HBS), customers are more likely to purchase bundles when the combined products provide enhanced value and functionality.
For example, Apple often bundles its products with services to enhance value. For example, the Apple One bundle includes Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and iCloud storage at a lower combined cost, providing significant value to customers who use multiple Apple services.
4. Offer Personalized Product Bundles
Personalizing product bundles means creating combinations of products that fit the specific tastes and needs of each customer. This makes customers feel special and understood, which can make them more likely to buy from you.
According to research by New Epsilon, 80% of customers are more likely to patronize a brand that offers personalized experiences. While offering personalized products is an effective strategy, you need to know what items go well together. Daasity conducted a data-driven analysis to help you identify products customers are more likely to respond to.
Creating frequently bought-together or mix-and-match bundles is the most common way of offering personalized bundles. We can see this on Amazon, Aliexpress, or other retail stores that display personalized options or allow customers to pick items of their choice to create their own bundles.
5. Highlight Savings
Communicate the savings customers will get by purchasing the bundle. Use labels, tags, or banners to emphasize the discount. Research by Elsevier agrees that highlighting price discounts on bundled items can positively influence buyer decisions.
To do this, show the original price of each item or collectively against the discounted bundle price on product pages. Use visual aids like strikethroughs, percentage-off labels, and total savings to make the discount clear.
For instance, Wayfair highlighted the discount customers will get by shopping their bundle offer.
Wrapping Up
Bundling products is an effective way to constantly clear out your inventory. Buyers can benefit from juicy offers like discounts and gifts that delight their shopping experience. This allows you to position your Shopify store for more sales and higher average order values.
Before you throw items together into a bundle, research, and plan based on your buyers’ potential preferences and proven shopping habits. This will help you make the right decision with your Shopify product bundles.
Ready to start creating bundle offers on your Shopify using the Adoric Bundle Quantity Breaks app?
Click here to get started.
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