For high-growth brands, it’s crucial to stay ahead of consumer attention—the ability to quickly and easily bundle together products can be a game-changer and a great tool for growth.
Ecommerce businesses with a direct-to-consumer (DTC) focus need creative ways to drive sales. Bundling products together is a great way to generate revenue, keep your product mix fresh for new and existing customers, and move slower selling inventory out of stock. Brands that have seasonal demand will benefit from an extra boost in order volume during already peak sales cycles.
Here are some creative ways to generate new versions of product bundles.
What are Virtual Bundles?
There’s a big difference between traditional product bundles and virtual bundles.
Making product bundles used to be a difficult process operationally. It requires pre-kitting all orders before releasing them—this meant a long lead time and extra storage costs. If consumer needs or trends changed after your bundles were assembled, you would be stuck with capital to get tied up in unmoving inventory.
Virtual bundles are programmed through a fulfillment software program and assembled in real-time. This creates flexibility and greater opportunity for order customization. Your team can quickly program new versions of product bundles and fulfill them as requested.
Bundles give consumers a perception of saving and can increase average order value, naturally boosting a brand’s revenue. One of the biggest benefits of virtual bundles is you don’t have to commit to one type of bundle. You can test and iterate which bundles work best for your brand goals.
Creative Ways to Bundle Products for Maximum Customer Satisfaction
Here are some innovative ways for high-growth ecommerce businesses to bundle products.
Make It Seasonal
Seasonality can play a significant role in the success of your virtual bundles. Capitalizing on holidays, events, or changing weather can help you create bundles that relate directly to the customer’s needs within that period.
Themed Bundles
Create an experience for your customers by offering themed bundles. This will vary depending on the type of products you sell—a weekend retreat bundle may focus on items that help rest or relax, a party bundle might be more about brightness, activity, or sharing with friends. These themes can help your customers envision how to use bundled products, which increases the appeal.
Exclusive Bundles
The allure of exclusivity is a powerful tool. Offer virtual bundles with special items not otherwise available in your store. This will make your customers feel privileged and will likely incentivize them to make a purchase. Partner with a sister brand to offer limited-run bundles from two brands instead of one.
Bundles Tailored to Customer Behavior
Utilize data gathered from your customers’ shopping behavior to create bundles that align with their preferences. This type of personal touch can greatly enhance the customer experience and make customers feel understood and catered to, thus increasing their likelihood of making a purchase.
Flash Sales and Limited Time Offers
Nothing drives up sales quite like a sense of urgency. Offering virtual bundles as flash sales or time-limited deals can encourage quick decision-making from customers and drive your sales exponentially.
Targeted Marketing to Reach Niche Audiences
One thing that successful DTC brands know is that your sales are only as good as your marketing strategy. Bundles are a great marketing tool because they have the power to reach specific audiences of high-value customers who are highly likely to be interested in your products.
Just make sure you sync operations and marketing before launching your bundle campaign on social. Here are some points to consider when building your strategy:
Identify your niche. Before you get started with creating target-specific virtual bundles, you need to identify and understand who you want to reach. Pinpoint potential buyers who will be interested in your product but may not already be customers.
Determine the types of products you can bundle. Do you want to sell slow moving inventory? Or generate hype for a new line of products? The type of products you want to push will help determine your marketing approach.
Build your bundles. With virtual bundling capabilities, you can test and iterate bundles as you go. Cater to the audience you want to reach. Different bundles may get you to different goals—higher average order value, versus moving a high volume of products in a short period of time.
Retarget your products. Virtual bundles are an excellent opportunity to reframe your products to a targeted audience. If you’re looking to retain more current customers, you can target there. If you’re looking to gain more new customers, look at the data from abandoned carts, you can create specific bundles that reach customers who have already shown interest in certain items.
Examples of Successful Ecommerce Product Bundles
The most famous product bundles is: “Would you like fries with that?” It’s so obvious now, but the offer of french fries and a soda with your meal wasn’t always there. For ecommerce brands, coming up with their version of “fries” can take some creativity. Here are some other famous examples of product bundles that offering shoppers an irresistible deal, while amplifying sales for the company.
1. Microsoft: Xbox and Game Bundles
Microsoft’s strategy with their Xbox-console-and-game bundles is hard to ignore. By pairing a popular gaming console with some of the best-selling games on the market, they offer customers a high-value package that’s difficult to resist. This also significantly increases the perceived value of the bundle while encouraging larger purchases from gamers.
2. Dollar Shave Club: Grooming Kits
Dollar Shave Club uses subscription box bundles to redefine the shaving experience. Their grooming kits include razors, blades, and other grooming products picked to match the customer’s personal needs. This not only increases the value proposition for customers but also cultivates repeated sales for the company.
3. Sephora: Beauty Sets
The beauty retail giant, Sephora, offers exclusive cosmetic and skin-care bundles. These kits often pair bestsellers with emerging products, allowing customers to try new items at an overall lower price. It’s a win-win for Sephora and consumers alike, cultivating brand loyalty and upselling products simultaneously.
Undeniably, product bundles can serve as a powerful tool for ecommerce businesses aiming for high growth. By studying successful examples and devising creative bundle ideas, brands can enhance the customer experience while boosting their own revenue streams.
This post was written by Maureen Walsh, Marketing Manager at DCL Logistics. A writer and blogging specialist for over 15 years, she helps create quality resources for ecommerce brands looking to optimize their business.
Tags: Articles About Value Added Services, DTC