Some shoppers know exactly what they want. Others want to choose which products go in the set: this candle and that one, not the three you picked. A fixed bundle makes that choice for them. A mix and match bundle lets them make it and still pay the bundle price.
This guide covers when letting shoppers choose is worth it, what Shopify can do without an app, how to set one up, and how to price a bundle when the products inside it cost different amounts.
What a mix and match bundle is
In a fixed bundle you decide the contents. The serum and the cream, always together, one price. In a mix and match bundle you decide the rules and the shopper fills in the rest. Some examples:
- "Pick any 3 candles, save 15%."
- "Choose a cleanser and a moisturiser, save 10%."
- "Build your snack box: 6 bars, any flavours."
Each open spot in the bundle is a slot. You give each slot a list of products to choose from, and the shopper picks one per slot, right on the product page.
When it beats a fixed bundle
Mix and match works best when the products are close relatives that differ in taste. Candles, coffee, tea, socks, snacks, nail colours. The shopper would happily buy three, but not three of the same one. A fixed set of three named candles loses everyone who wanted a different three.
It also helps with gift sets. "Build a gift box" turns your catalogue into a present, and the person choosing feels they put thought into it.
Stick with a fixed bundle when the products are meant to be used together, like a shampoo and its conditioner, or when you want to move one specific product. Choice adds a step, and a step is a place where some shoppers stop.
What Shopify covers natively
Shopify's free Bundles app is built for fixed bundles and multipacks. You pick the products, and the bundle becomes its own product with its own price. That suits "serum plus cream" well. Shoppers can pick a variant of each product, such as a size or a scent, but the products themselves are fixed. They cannot swap the cream for a different product from a collection.
You can get close with a native discount: an amount off products from a collection, with a minimum quantity of items. "Buy any 3 from Candles, save 15%" works at checkout. But nothing on the product page shows the offer or helps the shopper build the set. They have to know about the deal, find three products one by one, and hope the cart applies it.
Setting it up in Bundlex
In Bundlex Bundles, mix and match is an option on a product bundle. Each row in the bundle is a slot, and you decide how each slot is filled.
- Create a product bundle offer and choose the product pages that should show it. See how to create and lay out a product bundle.
- Add a slot the shopper fills. Choose "Mix & match from your products" for a short list you control, or "Mix & match from a collection" to follow a Shopify collection. New products in that collection join the bundle by themselves.
- Decide how each slot starts. With a preselected product, the bundle shows a complete price from the first second and the shopper can swap it. Without one, Add to cart stays off until the shopper makes a choice.
- Set the discount, either one discount for the whole bundle or a different one per product.
- Publish and test on a real product page. Fill every slot and check that the checkout total matches the widget.
The product the shopper is viewing is already part of the bundle, and each slot adds one more product. For "any 3 candles" shown on a candle page, add two slots that point at your candle collection, then check that the finished offer holds exactly three units. The full walkthrough is in letting customers choose their bundle, and the mix and match feature page has a live demo.
Pricing a bundle with choices
Pricing a mix and match bundle has one problem a fixed bundle does not: the shopper's choices may cost different amounts.
Say your candles sell for $24 and cost you $8 each. Three candles at 15% off:
- Full price for three: $72.
- Bundle price: $61.20.
- Profit: $61.20 minus $24 in cost, so $37.20. One candle at full price earns $16.
Now add a $40 large candle to the same slot. With a fixed bundle price, say "any 3 for $60", every smart shopper picks three large candles, and your discount jumps from 17% to 50%. A percentage discount avoids this. Each choice keeps the same discount rate, whatever the shopper picks. Still check each product's cost on its own, because a premium choice can carry a lower margin even at the same percentage.
If you really want a round headline price, keep the choices in a slot within a narrow price range, or split cheap and premium products into separate bundles.
Mistakes to avoid
- Too many choices in one slot. A slot with 80 products is a catalogue, not a bundle. Five to ten good options sell better than every SKU you own.
- A bundle with no complete starting price. An empty slot leaves its product out of the displayed total. If you want the full price showing from the start, preselect an available product in every slot.
- Out-of-stock choices. Check the live picker after stock changes, especially the preselected product.
- Mixing very different prices under a fixed price. See the pricing section above. Use a percentage, or group by price.
If shoppers mostly want more of the same product, a mix and match bundle is more than you need. Quantity breaks do that job with less setup.
