Mix and Match Bundles on Shopify: How to Set Them Up

A mix and match bundle lets your customers build a set by picking one product from each group you define, then gives them a discount for buying the set. On Shopify, you need a bundle app for this, or a custom build on Shopify Plus. The free Shopify Bundles app only makes fixed bundles and multipacks.

This guide covers when mix and match fits your store, how to plan the groups and price the discount, and how to set it up step by step. For a wider view of every bundle type, start with our product bundles guide.

What is a mix and match bundle?

Shopify defines it as “a bundle made of interchangeable products”, where “your customer composes the bundle by choosing from the products and associated variants” (Shopify Help Center).

In practice, you set the structure and the shopper fills it in. For example, a “Weekend Outfit” bundle might have three groups: pick a top, pick shorts, pick socks. The shopper chooses one product from each group, plus its size or color, and pays less than buying the three items alone.

How is it different from other bundle types?

The key line is between mix and match and a bundle builder. Mix and match keeps the shape of the set fixed, so every bundle has one of each. A bundle builder lets the shopper add any mix of items, and the discount steps up as the box gets bigger.

Can you create mix and match bundles on Shopify without an app?

Not with Shopify’s own bundles app. Shopify’s help center says it plainly: “The Shopify Bundles app doesn’t support mix-and-match bundles.” It lists two other routes:

• A third-party bundle app. This is the route most stores take.
• The Bundles APIs on Shopify Plus. Shopify says “if your store is on the Shopify Plus plan, then you can build a custom bundle offering with Bundles APIs.” That means hiring a developer or building it yourself.

There is one more catch for custom builds. Shopify notes that “the Cart Transform API’s update operation isn’t available on Shopify Plus trial stores”, and that only development stores or stores on a full Plus plan can use apps with update operations.

If you are still deciding between native tools and an app in general, our Shopify bundles app vs native comparison walks through what each one covers.

When does a mix and match bundle make sense?

Mix and match works when customers want a complete set but not the same set as everyone else. Look for these signs in your orders:

1. Customers already buy across categories. Tops with bottoms, a bag with a wallet, a cleanser with a moisturizer.
2. One fixed set would not fit most buyers. Sizes, scents, colors or flavors differ from person to person.
3. You have a clear “complete the look” story. The groups make sense together without explanation.

Some examples of how stores might set up their groups:

If shoppers mostly want “more of the same”, quantity breaks fit better. If they want “any few things from this collection”, use a bundle builder. Our product bundling strategy guide helps you match the bundle type to your goal.

How do you plan the options in a mix and match bundle?

Good planning keeps the widget simple and protects your margin. Work through these before you open any app.

Keep the number of groups small

Start with two or three groups. Each group is one more choice on the product page, and one more product that can sell out. You can add a group later once you see how the first version performs.

Put products at similar prices in the same group

If one group holds a $15 item and a $45 item, the bundle total swings a lot by choice. That makes the saving hard to explain, and an amount-off discount can eat most of your margin on the cheapest combination. Group items that cost about the same.

Pick a clear default

Order matters. In Sam Bundles, the widget opens with the first product of each group already selected. Put your best seller, or the item with the most stock, first in each group.

Check stock for every product

A bundle is only as available as its scarcest item. Before you launch, check stock for each product in each group, and plan what you will do if one sells out, such as removing it from the group or restocking.

How should you price a mix and match bundle?

You have two common choices: a percentage off the total, or a fixed amount off. Here is how they compare on a hypothetical bag-and-accessory bundle.

• Percentage off gives every combination the same rate. It suits groups where prices vary, but the final prices are often odd numbers.
• Amount off gives every combination the same dollar saving. It reads well in a badge, but the rate shrinks as the shopper picks pricier items.

Set the discount from your margin, not from what competitors show. Our bundle pricing strategy guide shows how to work out a safe discount from product cost.

Be careful with compare-at prices too. If the saving is shown against a compare-at price, that price should be one you really charged. A made-up “was” price misleads customers.

How do you set up a mix and match bundle with Sam Bundles?

Here is the setup with Sam Bundles, our bundle app. Other apps follow similar steps, so check their docs.

Step 1: Turn on the app embed

Install Sam Bundles and open the Setup guide. Open Enable app embed, click Active app embed, switch on Sam Bundles under App embeds in the theme editor, then save. The install guide shows each screen.

Step 2: Start a Mix & Match offer

On the app home, scroll to Offers and click Create new offer. Pick a Brand color, then under Other bundle types, click Choose on Mix & Match.

Step 3: Add the bundle options

Each Bundle option is one group in the bundle:

1. Name the option, such as “Pick a bag”.
2. Click Select product and add the products shoppers can choose from.
3. Click Add bundle option for each extra group. Duplicate copies an option if the next group is similar.

Step 4: Set the pricing

Under Pricing, choose Percentage off or Amount off and enter the discount. Tick Use the product’s compare-at price only if you want the discount taken from the compare-at price. The Preview shows the bundle as shoppers will see it.

Step 5: Write the texts and match your theme

Under Settings, write the widget title, description and labels. Use Style to match colors and fonts to your store.

Step 6: Set placement, schedule and rules

These cards work the same in every offer (offer settings guide):

• Placement: turn on Show on included products page to promote the bundle on the product pages of the items it contains. Choose where shoppers go after Add to cart: the current page, the cart or checkout.
• Schedule: set a start date and time, and an optional end date for a limited-time set.
• Advanced: tick which Product discounts, Order discounts and Shipping discounts can combine with the bundle, and choose which customers can use it.

Step 7: Save to publish

Click Save. New offers stay Unpublished until you do. To put the widget at a specific spot on the page, add the Mix & Match app block in the theme editor. The full walkthrough is in the mix and match user guide.

What happens in the cart and at checkout?

On the product page, the shopper opens each option, picks a product and its variant, and sees the total and the saving update. Then they add the whole set to the cart with one click.

With Sam Bundles, the bundle goes through Shopify’s Cart Transform. It splits the bundle into its products at their bundle prices, so customers don’t need a code. Your order lists every product as its own line, so your team picks and packs exactly what they see.

This also shapes your return rule. A simple policy is to refund what the customer paid for that item at its bundle price, not its regular price.

What should you check before you launch?

Run a test order through this list:

1. Try several combinations. Pick the cheapest and the most expensive items in each group, and check the total and saving.
2. Change variants. Switch size or color in each group and confirm the cart gets the right one.
3. Check on a phone. Every option should be easy to open and read on a small screen.
4. Add a discount code on top. Make sure it combines, or doesn’t, as you planned.
5. Check the order in your admin. Confirm each item appears with the price you expect.
6. Match any urgency to reality. If the bundle has an end date, any timer on the page should show that real date. Our countdown timer guide covers honest timers.

What mistakes should you avoid?

• Too many groups. Five choices to make before checkout is a lot. Start small.
• Wide price gaps in one group. They make an amount-off discount unpredictable for your margin.
• Forgetting the app embed. No embed means no widget.
• Stacking every discount. A bundle plus a sitewide code can go deeper than you meant. Set combinations on purpose.
• Launching many bundles at once. Start with one set built around a best seller, so you can tell what works.

For the other ways to sell bundles, from fixed sets to BOGO, see how to create bundles on Shopify.