Product bundling is a powerful upselling tool that's often under-utilized on Shopify stores. Several of the largest online retailers already advertise their product bundles to you. Amazon has a "Frequently bought together" section. Target's bedding section has "Complete the set" to get your pillowcases and new pillows. Zappos has a "Don't forget..." section showcasing socks when you're looking at shoes.
Bundling products makes it easy for your customers to see what products work best together and add them to their cart in one go. Conversion rates on Add-To-Cart options sits at around 10% meaning that you could potentially see one in every ten customers adding something extra to their cart - and that's not even accounting for bundling. As a Shopify merchant, bundling your products is an easy addition for your store that will see you reap the benefits year round.
---
Why bundle?
Customers will often buy more than what they need. So why not make it easy for them? Especially for stores with a large inventory of products, bundling gets your customers to checkout much faster and mitigates the likelihood of decision exhaustion. And regardless of inventory size, you're making the shopping experience seamless for your customers by taking the heavy lifting of decision-making out of their hands.
During the holiday season especially, your customers are more than likely shopping for gifts and may not be knowledgeable about the products they're buying. Bundling allows your less knowledgeable customers see the products that their gift is often purchased with that they may not have thought of like a tripod with a camera, or earrings that match a necklace.
How do you know what should be bundled?
Think of what products naturally go together. If you're on the "Shopify" ($79/mo) plan or above, you can run a report directly within Shopify to gather this data. Head to Analytics > Reports and under the "Behavior" section select "Website cart analysis". What this report does is use cart data from the last 30 days to show products that are often added to the same cart. This is a great place to start.
If you're on the Basic Shopify plan, you can gather this data yourself just by looking at orders placed that contain more than one product. You'll probably have a general idea of this information anyway if you're involved in order fulfillment. Consider your best sellers first - what items are frequently purchased alongside those products? What items do you feel match up best with those products?
What do you do with this information?
The easiest way to get started is using a bundling app. My favorite is the Product Bundles app by Bold. Get this integrated on your product pages and also on your cart. Maybe add a bundle section to your homepage if you want to promote a specific bundle.
When naming your bundles, try using names that solve a customer's problem. Create a "Weight Loss" bundle for supplements. A "Be Game Day Ready" bundle for anything related to sports - whether it's clothing or your favorite tailgating supplies. The opportunities are endless here. Think about what your customers will be using the products for at different times of the year - if they're buying a gift during the holidays for a relative who enjoys cooking, name it "Home Chef Essentials", if it's swimwear and accessories near summertime name it "Summer Vacation 101". The point is to solve a customer's problem rather than just advertise the products.
Another great tip is to follow up with your customers who previously purchased one of the items in the bundle. Let's say you create a bundle with Products A, B, and C. Customer Y purchased Product A two weeks ago. Send a targeted email promoting Products B and C. This way, you're showcasing products that are tailored to that customer's specific interests and purchasing habits rather than a blanket promotional email they might otherwise ignore.
---
With just a bit of time spent configuring your bundling app, you'll have an easy upsetting strategy ready in no time. It's a win-win solution - you'll see increased cart spend and sell more products, and your customers will thank you for making it easier to find products they'll love on your store.