For ecommerce brands, driving growth isn’t just about attracting more traffic- it’s about getting more value out of the customer. Here at Heur, our team is seeing product bundling become more than just an add-on but a way of increasing AOV and a great way of increasing returning customer rates. We’re going to talk you through what you can achieve with product bundling and the different ways it can be implemented across a variety of brands.
Choosing the right approach
Price Bundling or Discount Bundling: So you’re running a professional hair product business and you’re selling shampoo and conditioner separately - it makes sense to bundle them into one product while offering a slight discount, which in turn provides a better shopping experience for the customer if they can find both in one place. This is likely to see a higher AOV and increased repeat customers when they can rebuy this product bundle but be wary not to offer too high of a discount as this will eat into your margins.
Customized or Build-Your-Own: We’re seeing more of this across the board with brands offering a more customised approach to bundling where you let the customer choose from a list of products and offer a discount at checkout. For the customer, this is great- they’re in control of what they get from the bundles while still accessing the discount. This will drive customer satisfaction and is a good way of shifting unsold inventory. One thing to be considered is starting small with this type of offering otherwise operationally this could cause headaches the larger the pool of products is.
Personalised/Seasonal Bundling: Season by season, this could be a great way of appealing emotionally with your customer base. It could be as simple as offering gift sets For Him or Her, or being more themed with your approach to Valentines Day or Christmas. This approach is pretty easy to market and can appeal to many customers - the only downside to this approach is that it can be quite time sensitive.
OUAI is a brand that does bundling very well. They have a good mix of making the customer in control of what they get in their bundle while fixing the discount too, with the added bonus of a free gift. Customers are allowed to select exactly what goes into their bundle with quite an intuitive and interactive process tracking the discount as items are added.
Some brands take a slightly different and more direct approach to bundling. Sealions offer a large range of bundled products where they look to cater for a variety of needs but are limiting the customer to pre-defined bundles, limiting the flexibility around what the customer gets. Giving customers the chance to choose their bundle items is more likely to see returning revenue rather than limiting their options.
Key things to consider
There’s no real winner or loser in this situation, it’s about your brand’s approach to the bundle. So here are a few things to consider when creating your bundle strategies:
- Data Analysis - Look at the data you have and see what your customers are buying together while looking for opportunities to bundle
- Inventory Management - Bundling is a great way to shift excess stock but don’t be too quick to include stock that sells well.
- Profit Margins - Try to avoid over-discounting. Too much of a discount will soon slice your profits
- Brand Positioning - Bundles shouldn’t be seen to cheapen your brand, but to reinforce it but only if done correctly.
Bundling, done well, isn’t just a clever upsell tactic; it’s a way of deepening customer relationships while quietly driving profitability. The right approach will feel less like a sales ploy and more like an extension of your brand promise. The trick is making sure the bundle reinforces, rather than dilutes, what makes your brand desirable in the first place. Get that balance right and you’ll find bundles don’t just lift order value - they turn small baskets into long-term loyalty.
