Product bundles: Strategy for higher shopping cart values

These products are suitable for product bundling.

Product bundles can consist of goods or services. A combination of both is also possible. Typical examples of product bundling are:

• Cosmetic products that retailers offer as sample packs with complementary components of a product line.
• Food and beverages that combine new flavors with established classics in a combo pack.
• Kitchen utensils such as pans or pots, which are combined in sets of different sizes or together with matching items such as pan lifters, etc.
• Everyday clothing items such as underwear, socks, etc., which are offered in value packs, or fashion items that are complemented by accessories in sets.

In Gepp's online shop, customers can order complete cooking packages consisting of various pasta products, for example.
(Source: Screenshot from gepps.de)

The potential of bundling offers through cross-selling and similar strategies.

Product bundles are ideal as part of your cross-selling strategy, as they allow you to offer your customers related but not necessarily related products at the same time without having to advertise them separately. Product bundling can also be beneficial in the area of upselling, i.e., offering an upgrade in terms of quality, novelty, size, etc. Once you have already drawn your customers' attention to one of your products, it is easier to offer them a more suitable and, at the same time, higher-priced version.

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Product bundling is also relevant for category management, where you group products into individual product categories to make your offering clearer for your customers. You can expand this marketing tool with another touchpoint by creating new product categories through product bundles.

Product bundles as a selling point for shop visitors

Product bundles offer many advantages for customers. When they purchase one item, they receive several products that complement each other and/or are perceived as a coherent whole. When it comes to everyday items or clothing, customers know they will have to buy something again sooner or later – so why not do it now? And if the price of the product bundle is lower than the price of the individual products, customers also save money, even though they spend more overall than they intended.

Carefully curated product bundles reduce the effort involved in searching and ordering, saving valuable time. This in turn has a positive effect on your store's bounce rate and strengthens customer loyalty.

If you use AI technology to analyze individual customer needs, customers also benefit from personalized product recommendationsthat you can use as part of product bundles and that can be included in their composition.

Ex Libris recommends bundles to shop customers in the style of "Frequently bought together," e.g., consisting of two books from the same series.
(Source: Screenshot from exlibris.ch)

Increased sales and lower costs for online retailers

As a seller, you also benefit from product bundling in your online shop: when your shop customers buy more products per session, the value of individual orders increases, and with it your total sales. The simplified sales process offered by product bundles allows you to tap into untapped potential at checkout.

Another advantage concerns your marketing activities, because bundle offers allow you to market several products at once, thereby saving costs. You can also reduce shipping and packaging costs in this way, as you can send more items in a single shipment.

In addition, product bundles ensure rotating inventory, as you can combine unknown or less popular products with more popular ones. This creates space in the warehouse and offers the opportunity to raise awareness of previously slow-selling products or introduce new products.

Product bundles also add value for you as a shop operator in terms of customer loyalty. Because if your customers can order affordable product packages tailored to their needs quickly and easily, they are much more likely to remain loyal to your shop. Putting together product bundles is therefore another important building block in creating a personalized shopping experience. Would you like to find out what other measures you can take to strengthen customer loyalty? Then take a look at our blog article on after-sales measures.

Product bundles as an exception, not the rule

Despite all the euphoria, customers should perceive product bundling as a one-time opportunity or an exception specifically for them, not as an attempt to get rid of slow-moving items. If you offer product bundles too often, your shop visitors will no longer see them as an exclusive offer. Effective one-to-one marketing also allows you to show them only relevant content, increasing the feeling that they are being catered to individually.

When creating subadditive bundles, you should make sure that the selling price of the products in the package is lower than the combined price of the individual products, otherwise potential buyers may feel they are getting a bad deal.

Practical tips for creating product bundles in your online store

Whether subadditive, mixed, or pure bundling—with these practical tips, you can successfully implement your product bundle strategy:

offer options

Customers like to have choices. So give them the option to choose from more than one bundle or even put together their own.

Emphasize the savings aspect

In addition to quality and usefulness, the price of a product is one of the most important deciding factors. Product bundles are perfect for savings offers, which is why you can and should clearly communicate the cost savings.

Display personalized bundle recommendations

By personalizing bundle offers, you can target customers who already have a history with your company and present them with offers tailored to their individual preferences. You can use a recommendation engine to display bundle recommendations. Product bundles are also perfect for encouraging potential customers to place their first order, as they promise lower prices and a wide variety of products to try out.

Place bundle packages in a targeted manner

Strategically leverage your range of product bundles: Suitable touchpoints include the product detail page, the shopping cart layer, or a personalized newsletter.

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Integrate bundle offers into search filters

The easier it is for customers to find product bundles in your shop, the more often they will take advantage of such offers. Create a separate filter category for product bundles and make it easier for customers to find the best deal.

Fackelmann even offers its own "pan sets" category, which customers can navigate to via the menu and discover various sets at a glance.
(Source: Screenshot from fackelmann.de)