Build-Your-Own Bundle AOV
Let shoppers assemble discounted bundles from products they want
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 90%
Replace an expanding list of fixed bundles with a cart rule that lets customers assemble their own eligible combination. Yasmina said shoppers wanted to buy products together for themselves and others, while the brand could not add enough predefined bundles to cover the combinations requested. The store therefore allowed customers to create a bundle as they added products, with the discount applied automatically. This made selection easier for shoppers, reduced incoming questions for the business, and, according to Yasmina, raised order value. The mechanism works by aligning bundle composition with customer intent: rather than forcing shoppers to accept an unwanted item or mismatched total, it rewards the exact combination they were already considering.
Origin
Extracted from The Foundr Podcast
Core principles
- 01Let customers define the useful combination
- 02Apply the bundle discount automatically
- 03Remove mismatches between fixed bundles and shopper intent
- 04Use convenience to support a larger basket
How to run it
- 1
Find combination demand
Review purchases and customer requests for products commonly wanted together. Confirm that fixed bundles are failing to cover meaningful combinations.
Pro tip Include purchases made for siblings, partners, or gifts when reviewing demand.
Watch out Do not add discounts where customers already buy the same basket without one.
- 2
Define eligible bundle rules
Choose the products, minimum quantity, and discount that preserve acceptable economics. Make the rule easy to understand.
Watch out A larger basket can still be unprofitable if the discount is too deep.
- 3
Automate bundle creation
Turn qualifying cart additions into a bundle automatically. Show the discount without requiring shoppers to locate a separate bundle page.
Pro tip Keep the cart feedback immediate so the customer sees the benefit.
Watch out Hidden or delayed discount logic creates support work rather than reducing it.
- 4
Measure basket and support effects
Track adoption, average order value, margin, conversion, and bundle-related support contacts. Keep the system only if the combined effect is positive.
Watch out The episode reports the brand's success but does not provide controlled test results.
In the wild
Customers wanted more combinations than the brand could reasonably publish as fixed bundles. The site began creating a bundle from eligible products added to the cart and applied a discount automatically, allowing each shopper to choose the combination they wanted.
→ Yasmina reported an easier customer experience, fewer related emails, and higher order value.
Common mistakes
Publishing endless fixed bundles
A growing catalogue of predefined combinations becomes difficult to manage and still leaves shoppers unable to assemble the set they want.
Ignoring bundle economics
An order-value increase is not enough if automatic discounts reduce contribution margin too far.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for stores with complementary products and repeated demand for combinations that fixed bundles cannot cover.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when margins cannot absorb discounts or when products have little natural reason to be purchased together.
From the transcript
“we started to create a create your own bundle”
“our order value is always of course went up”
From the episode
684: She Bet Her House Deposit on Hair Gel - and Built an 8-Figure Brand