In this article:
Today, I am honored to have a great conversation with Liz Pham, Product Manager at Qikify. Liz leads Qikify's top rated solutions, trusted by 80,000+ merchants from startups to Shopify Plus, and builds solutions to enhance store performance, optimize shopping experiences, and boost conversions.
In this interview, Liz has shared her views in detail about:
- The top pain points that Shopify bundle apps tackle
- The common pitfalls in product bundling
- Best practices for using features like Quantity Break, BOGO, and Mix & Match Bundles.
- She also highlighted a few successful case studies that really illustrate these points.
So let's read along and discover the best practices for product bundling in Shopify.
What are the top pain points that Shopify bundle apps solve for store owners?
The ultimate goal of Shopify app developers like Qikify is to simplify eCommerce. That's why we strive to put ourselves in our customers' shoes to truly understand the challenges they face. From our experience with thousands of clients, current Shopify bundle apps on the market address the following key pain points for merchants:
First: Low Average Order Value (AOV)
Low Average Order Value (AOV) is a common challenge for Shopify stores. A low AOV indicates that customers are not spending as much on each purchase as they could be, which can negatively impact overall revenue and profits.
While customers typically purchase single items, bundle apps encourage shoppers to buy more, whether through multiple products, larger quantities, or upgraded variants at discounted rates. This helps boost the AOV for merchants.
Second: Managing Slow-Selling or Excess Inventory
The second pain point for e-commerce businesses is effectively managing and selling slow-moving or excess inventory. Some products end up gathering dust in warehouses, tying up valuable capital. This can lead to increased storage costs, reduced profitability, and potential losses from obsolete stock.
Bundling these slow-moving items with popular products helps clear inventory faster.
Third (slightly more technical but equally important): Time-Consuming Manual Bundle Creation
Creating product bundles manually (like "Buy X Get Y") can be tough and often needs some coding knowledge or tedious workarounds. Plus, Shopify's built-in discount system has its limitations, like no mixed product discounts. Our research shows that custom bundles might not even look right on mobile or certain themes.
In contrast, Shopify bundle apps are designed to be responsive and work well with different themes. They simplify the process with easy drag-and-drop interfaces, saving a lot of time. You can create dynamic discounts like "3 for $50" without dealing with complex codes, providing a better experience for everyone.
I believe that successfully addressing these pain points is exactly why Shopify bundle apps are becoming increasingly popular among merchants.
BOGO, Mix & Match Bundles, and Quantity Breaks can boost Average Order Value (AOV). As a new Shopify seller, when and how should each of these be used to support store growth?
BOGO, Mix & Match Bundles, and Quantity Breaks can be effective solutions to boost sales if implemented correctly. Based on my experience supporting merchants, here are some suggestions on when and how to deploy these campaigns to grow your store.
BOGO (Buy One Get One)
When to use:
- Introducing new products, samples, or clearing excess inventory.
- Best applied to products with healthy profit margins, as they essentially offer a 50% discount (e.g., Buy 1 Get 1 Free, Buy 2 Get 1 Free). This model is most effective when the “free” item incentivizes bulk purchases without eroding profitability.
- Suitable for short-term promotional campaigns (e.g., flash sales, holiday deals).
How to use:
- Upsells can be applied across multiple pages, but data from Qikify shows they perform best on the Product and Cart page, where customers are most engaged in the purchasing process.
- Promote the offer via pop-ups or banners.
- Apply to complementary products (e.g., buy shoes, get socks free; buy a shirt, get pants free).
Mix & Match Bundles
When to use:
- When your store has multiple similar products or complementary products (e.g., phone charger + case + screen protector).
- To encourage customers to buy more items at a better price.
How to use:
- Create product groups with matching themes.
- Use upsells on product pages.
- Clearly display savings to drive purchasing decisions (e.g., "Save $20 when you buy 3").
Quantity Breaks
When to use:
- To incentivize customers to purchase in larger quantities.
- One-product stores or key promotional items
- Ideal for low-cost, high-usage products (e.g., socks, cosmetics).
How to use:
- Show tiered pricing (e.g., 1 for $10, 3 for $27, 5 for $40).
- Display discounts directly on product pages for transparency.
In conclusion, I have some usage notes as follows: BOGO is used for quick promotions and inventory reduction, Mix & Match applies to increase multi-product revenue, while Quantity Breaks is the solution when you want to sell in large quantities.
What are the biggest challenges Shopify store owners face when creating product bundles without using third-party apps like Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift?
As mentioned earlier, manually creating product bundles is notoriously time-consuming and often involves complicated processes. This has created a significant barrier for many Shopify store owners, especially during peak selling seasons such as Black Friday. In contrast, with third-party bundle apps, the process becomes much simpler. Store owners just need a few simple drag-and-drop actions to create the bundles they want.
Additionally, deciding which strategy and continuously optimizing it for growth can be challenging. Especially when balancing competing business priorities. That’s why Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift is designed based on real merchant needs, incorporating proven features and best practices to simplify decision-making.
Beyond the app’s intuitive tools, our support team provides strategic guidance, helping merchants select high-impact tactics, structure compelling deals, and refine their approach over time - all to maximize conversions without the trial-and-error hassle.
What common mistakes do Shopify sellers make when creating product bundling?
Creating product bundles may seem simple at first glance, but in reality, it requires a well-thought-out strategy to boost sales as expected effectively.
During our research and while supporting merchants, we’ve noticed some common mistakes Shopify sellers often make when creating product bundles, such as:
- Creating illogical product pairings: Many merchants bundle items based solely on inventory levels or sales targets rather than customer needs.
For example, offering a 50% discount on the 2nd bed when customers buy a bed - sounds generous but makes no practical sense (who needs two beds at once?). - Failing to highlight cost/value benefits: Even well-paired bundles often neglect to clearly show the economic advantage versus buying items separately. Without visible savings (e.g., Save 20%), customers lack the incentive to purchase the bundle.
- Poor bundle visibility in shopping flow: Some stores do a great job strategizing and creating logical bundles, but don’t integrate them into the standard shopping flow for customers to see immediately. Instead, they create a separate section, forcing customers to "search for a needle in a haystack," making it easy for them to miss out.
Can you provide a brief overview of how Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift works technically?
Technically, Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift operates with the following flow:
Merchants configure offers in the app portal, then Qikify injects scripts/liquid into the storefront and checkout. When customers add products to their cart, the scripts detect the triggering rules. At this point, the UI displays the offers for customers to view; gifts are added either automatically or via a click. Discounts are then applied accordingly. Data collected from the campaign is recorded for analysis.
In simple terms: Set up offers in Qikify and enable the app in your store’s theme > They automatically appear in your store > Customers interact > You monitor performance.
This flow is continuously monitored and optimized by Qikify to ensure smooth app performance, delivering the best experience for both merchants and buyers.
What types of bundles does Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift support, and on which pages (like product details, cart, thank you page, etc.) should they be used for best results?
Currently, Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift supports 5 types of bundles, including:
- Volume discounts: Offer discounts based on the quantity purchased.
- Gift with product: Provide a free gift when customers buy specific products.
- Cart upsell: Suggest related products when buyers click "Checkout".
- Upsurge (Upgrade): Encourage customers to upgrade to a premium version.
- Reward bar: Display multi-tier rewards (order discount, shipping discount, gift with purchase) to incentivize purchases.
For these bundles to maximize their upsell potential, they need to be placed on the most suitable pages. Qikify provides pre-configured options to help merchants easily set them up and optimize store revenue. Specifically:
- For Volume discount, merchants can choose to display the bundle on the Product page or Checkout.
- For Gift with product, testing has shown that it performs best on the Product page.
- Similarly, Cart upsell works most effectively in the Cart, right after the customer clicks "Checkout."
- Upsurge, a premium feature, can significantly boost revenue when placed on the Product page or Cart.
- For the Reward bar, the Cart is the ideal placement to create urgency and prompt faster purchasing decisions.
Please share three examples of successful Shopify stores using Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift and what made their bundling effective.
Many merchants have successfully boosted their revenue using Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift. Here are three standout examples: Ickle Bubba, Moztech, and Blooming Good.
Ickle Bubba
Founded in 2013, Ickle Bubba is a brand dedicated to offering stylish, high-quality baby products at fair prices without compromising on design or functionality.
Like many retailers, Ickle Bubba embraced e-commerce as an essential growth strategy. However, they faced persistent challenges that hindered their potential—low items per order, limited product discovery, and stagnant average order value (AOV).
To address this, they urgently needed strategic upsell campaigns. Yet, manual product bundling on Shopify proved difficult and ineffective. Even when bundles were created, the results fell short of expectations. After evaluating third-party bundling apps, Ickle Bubba chose Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift. They implemented nearly all supported campaign types to identify the most effective approach. According to their team, Qikify revolutionized their bundling strategy by offering granular customization and segmentation, allowing tailored promotions for different customer groups. Setup was intuitive, and whenever questions arose, Qikify’s support team provided prompt assistance.
The impact? During the November sales season, Ickle Bubba generated €4,000 to €7,000 in additional revenue directly from the app. Beyond seasonal spikes, the app contributed to strong year-round ROI, healthier margins, and improved product discovery.
Moztech
Moztech is an innovative tech brand focused on elevating well-being through smart, forward-thinking products.
Despite strong brand recognition, Moztech struggled with low customer engagement, retaining existing buyers, and expanding its customer base. To tackle these challenges, Moztech leveraged Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift to launch a tiered loyalty program. Customers were segmented into Regular, Silver, Black, and Diamond tiers, each unlocking exclusive perks like cashback, gifts, and tailored discounts.
This campaign was a masterstroke. It turned shopping into a competitive yet rewarding experience, fostering loyalty while driving upsell opportunities. The result? Higher retention, increased order values, and a more engaged community.
Blooming Good
Born from a mission to reduce the environmental impact of fresh flowers, Blooming Good, founded by sustainability advocates Dane ten Berge and Job Smits van Waesberghe. They specialize in luxurious, eco-friendly artificial flowers made partly from recycled materials.
Like many e-commerce merchants, Blooming Good sought a scalable, time-efficient upsell solution. After testing multiple apps, they adopted Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift to power their revenue growth campaigns. Focusing on Upsell and Cross-sell bundles, Blooming Good crafted irresistible offers that resonated with customers. The outcome? A 31% increase in AOV, a testament to the app’s effectiveness.
What practical tips can you give to help Shopify sellers choose the right bundle app?
Merchants can easily find numerous bundle apps on the Shopify App Store. However, selecting the right one is crucial, as it significantly impacts both user experience and the effectiveness of future campaigns. Below are key considerations for Shopify sellers:
Define your bundle goals
As mentioned earlier, different bundle types serve different purposes. For example:
- To increase AOV, prioritize "Buy more, save more" incentives.
- For cross-selling, look for "Frequently bought together" features. If you're still unsure how to create bundles that align with your business goals, Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift can help. We don't just simplify the technical setup; we'll also work with you to develop the right strategy to achieve your objectives.
Ensure compatibility
Verify that the app works seamlessly with your store’s theme, Shopify version, and other technical requirements.
Prioritize user experience
Since you’ll be the one customizing bundles, opt for an intuitive app to save time. Also, confirm mobile responsiveness. Many apps overlook this critical feature.
With countless bundling apps available, overpaying is unnecessary. Choose a solution with flexible pricing tiers to accommodate future scaling needs, especially if you plan to expand customization down the road.