Selling two products together: how to create a bundle that fits in one box
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
7 min reading time
Bundling increases your average order value, but only if the package is right. Here's how to choose a combination that fits your existing box and how to price it fairly.
You sell two items that naturally go together. A belt and a wallet, a candle and a holder, a bottle and a glass. You combine them in an offer, immediately sell more of them—and then the bundle doesn't fit in the box you normally use. You grab a larger size, the package becomes heavier and wider, and the profit you made on the second sale is eaten up by shipping costs and extra padding.
Bundling is one of the cheapest ways to increase your average order value, but only if the packaging aspect is right. The order: first measure, then combine, then price.
Start with the box you already have, not with the idea
Most webshops operate with two or three box sizes. Fewer sizes mean less inventory, faster packing, and less indecision at the packing table. Coming up with a bundle and then looking for a box breaks that system. The other way around works better: see how much space you have left in your existing boxes, and find a second product to fit. Lay your most used box open on the table, put your bestseller in it, and measure what's left — a 2-meter mini tape measure (€4.95) is enough for that.
With letterbox shipments, you're limited by thickness, not length or width. Two products, each one and a half centimeters thick, theoretically fit into a 28-millimeter box — in practice, they don't, because you still need cardboard, padding, and a little wiggle room. For letterbox size, count on about 80 percent of the inner height as usable space.
Which combinations work (and which don't)
Not every pair makes a good bundle. Three types of combinations usually work well:
Product plus consumable. The device and its refill, the holder and the filler. The customer needs the second item anyway, and it's usually small and light.
Two sizes of the same thing. A large size for home and a small size for on the go. Stacks well because the shapes are identical.
Product plus packaging. If you sell something that's often given as a gift, adding a small box is an easy second sale. A white packaging box with magnetic closure, 9.5 x 9 x 10 cm (€5.00) is sturdy enough to serve as both inner and gift packaging.
What usually goes wrong: a heavy product with a fragile product, or two items with very different shapes. An elongated item next to a square item leaves voids that you have to fill with padding, and that padding costs you both money and height.
Place them next to each other, not on top of each other
Two products lying on top of each other will press against each other as soon as someone pushes on the package. Next to each other, with a divider in between, is almost always better. Cut a strip of bubble wrap from the 500 mm x 500 m roll (€12.95) as a divider; from one roll of that width, you can cut both dividers and wrapping, which reduces the number of types you keep in stock.
Calculate the bundle before putting it online
A bundle is only interesting if, after packaging and shipping, it yields more than two separate sales. Therefore, calculate four things, in this order:
Purchase of both products. Obvious, but note it separately so you can see later which half carries the margin.
Shipping class. This is the item most often forgotten. A bundle that just exceeds letterbox thickness jumps to parcel rates. That difference is greater than anything you save on the box.
Extra handling time. Picking, checking, and separating two products takes more time than one. Count on half to a full minute extra per order.
If you end up with a bundle that only pays off at parcel rates, consider whether it would be better to offer a second product as an upsell that is shipped separately, instead of bundling. Not every combination belongs in one box.
A rule of thumb that often holds true: if the bundle requires a box more than twice the size of the one for the single product, then the combination is not right.
Preparation at the packing table
A well-calculated bundle can still run into problems at the table if you're not set up for it. Three things that help:
Prepare the bundle in advance. For a popular bundle, assemble 20 or 30 sets ahead of time, in a metallic bubble wrap envelope of 33 x 23 cm (€0.80) or simply with a strip of foil around them. When an order comes in, you grab one pre-assembled set instead of two loose items.
Label what you pre-assemble. Otherwise, in three weeks, you won't remember which combination is in which stack. A price gun MX-5500 with 5500 stickers and 2 ink rolls (€24.95) is oversized for this but fast; a sticker with a code on it will suffice.
As the order value increases, the package becomes more attractive to open. For bundles starting from a few tens of euros, a security seal sticker VOID, 60 pieces (€9.95) is a cheap way to see afterward if a package has been opened in transit. This is especially helpful in discussions about whether two products were indeed included.
What you should do in the coming weeks
Autumn is the time to try this out, because in November and December you want to know what works rather than still testing. A workable sequence:
Week
Action
This week
Measure your two most used boxes and note the remaining space for your bestseller
Next week
Choose two candidate bundles and calculate them up to and including shipping class
After that
Put one bundle online, pre-assemble 20 sets, and measure for two weeks
If successful
Order boxes and tape in bundle packaging, not loose items
Also, measure not only the revenue but also your packing time. A bundle that generates ten percent more revenue but makes your packing twice as slow is the wrong choice during busy weeks.
Get started yourself
Boxes, letterbox packaging, tape, and void fill material can be found together in Packaging & Shipping, Letterbox Packaging, and Tape. If you're going to use larger quantities of the same size, also check out Wholesale Packaging for Webshops. If you're unsure which box size suits your bundle, or if you want to know if a certain size is available in a bundle? Send the dimensions of your two products to info@verpakkingdeals.nl, and we'll help you figure it out.
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