Three kinds of bundle
Most Shopify bundles are one of three kinds. Decide which you are selling before you choose a tool.
| Bundle | Who chooses the items | Typical example |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed bundle | You | A gift set, a starter kit, a sock three-pack |
| Build-a-box bundle (build your own bundle) | The shopper, slot by slot | A coffee sampler of six origins, a candle discovery box |
| Mix and match bundle | The shopper, from a collection | Any three candles at 15% off |
A gift with purchase is not a bundle, but it often sits beside one: free shipping, money off or a free gift once the cart reaches a threshold.
Without a bundle app
Shopify Bundles
Shopify's own Bundles app is free and made by Shopify. Its help centre page describes it as an app to create fixed product bundles and multipacks from the Shopify admin. Points worth knowing before you rely on it:
- It is for bundles you define. The shopper does not choose the items, so build-a-box and mix and match bundles are out of its scope.
- A bundle's price does not follow its products: when a product's price changes, you update the bundle's price yourself.
- Stock is tracked across the bundle's products overall, not by location.
- A product or collection discount must include the bundle's own product to apply to it; selecting only the products inside it is not enough.
If every bundle you sell is fixed, Shopify Bundles may be all you need.
A discount on its own
You can also skip the bundle product and let a discount do the work: an automatic discount such as "buy any three from Candles, get 15% off". It costs nothing and needs no app. The trade-off is that nothing on the page builds the set: shoppers add items one by one, and they see the saving only in the cart or at checkout.
With a bundle app
A bundle app earns its place when the shopper chooses: a build-a-box builder on a product page, Add to set on a collection page, a tray that shows the set and its saving as it fills. Before choosing one, check four things.
- Who changes the price. A price changed only in the theme's JavaScript can disagree with checkout. Apps built on Shopify Functions price the bundle on Shopify's side, where checkout charges it. See Bundle discount not applying at checkout.
- Where stock comes from. The order should take stock from the products inside the bundle, not from a separate bundle product you have to count by hand.
- What your warehouse sees. If an ERP or 3PL imports your orders, each item should arrive as its own line with its own SKU. See Bundle sets in your ERP or 3PL.
- What happens on uninstall. Every product should stay purchasable, and your theme's code should be left as it was.
Step by step with Luxe
Luxe sells all three kinds as bundle sets: a Build-your-own set for build-a-box bundles, a Collection set for mix and match on your collection page, and a Fixed set for fixed bundles, gift sets and kits. One pricing engine prices the builder, the cart and Shopify checkout.
- Install Luxe from the Shopify App Store. Luxe Starter is free, with one active bundle set and 50 Luxe orders a month.
- In Settings, turn on the app embed in the theme editor and save. Luxe never edits your theme's code.
- Open Bundle sets and select Create bundle set. Start from a template, such as Build a box, Buy X get Y free or Fixed set.
- Choose the set product, where the picks come from (a collection, a list of variants or a tag) and the price.
- Check Preview: it shows what checkout will charge, the value, and the price for shoppers who buy without choosing.
- Set the bundle set Active, then use Go live > Add to theme to place the Bundle set builder block on the set's product page, and save.
The full walkthrough, with each screen, is in Your first bundle set, start to finish.
Check the price at checkout
Whatever tool you use, test one bundle end to end before you announce it.
- Open the bundle's page in a private window and add it to the cart.
- Note the bundle's price in the cart.
- Go to checkout without a discount code and compare the total for the bundle.
- Add your usual discount code and check that it combines the way you expect.
If the checkout total differs from the cart, this guide lists the usual causes and how to find yours.
