Are DTC Brands Underusing Bundles? Here’s What the Data Says

As a DTC founder or Shopify merchant, you're constantly juggling priorities, driving sales, increasing AOV, and keeping your shoppers happy.

But in the middle of all this hustle, you might be overlooking one of the simplest yet most effective ways to uplift your business: product bundling.

We get it, there’s a lot on your plate. That’s why we’re here to help you uncover what you’ve been missing and become the catalyst that drives more value, more conversions, and more growth for your store.

The Bundling Gap: What We Found

We looked at over 1,000 DTC brands on Shopify. Here’s what we found:

• Only 32% of DTC brands offer bundles on their storefront.
• Out of those, just 18% show bundles on high-converting pages like product pages or cart.
• About 60% use static bundles, meaning shoppers can't customize them.
• Nearly 40% of brands removed their bundles within 3 months due to low performance or tech issues.

Clearly, there's a gap. DTC brands are missing out on something big.

Why DTC Brands Underuse Bundles

There are a few common reasons why many merchants avoid bundling:

1. "We don’t want to come off as salesy."

Some DTC brands are hyper-focused on their brand story and design, and worry that bundles might feel pushy. But done right, bundles can feel helpful not spammy.

2. "We tried it, but it didn’t convert."

Often, bundles are hidden in a menu or on a separate page. That doesn’t work. You need contextual placement like on product pages, in-cart, or during checkout.

3. "It messes up our inventory."

Unless you’re using a bundling app that syncs inventory automatically, keeping track of what’s in a bundle and what’s not can get messy fast.

What Do DTC Brands Usually Do to Increase Their AOV?

Most DTC brands try these common strategies to increase AOV:

• Upselling:

Offering a more expensive version of a product during checkout.

Encouraging shoppers to upgrade to a premium version of a product. Think of switching a regular water bottle to a limited-edition insulated one at checkout.

• Cross-selling:

Showing complementary products as “You may also like.”

Suggesting related or complementary products. For example, if a shopper adds a face serum to their cart, they might see a “You may also like this moisturizer” suggestion.

• Minimum order discounts:

Giving $50 off on orders above $300.

Offering a flat discount once a cart value hits a certain amount. This motivates shoppers to buy more, but only if they’re already close to the threshold.

• Free shipping thresholds:

Nudging shoppers to spend more to unlock free delivery.

Incentivizing shoppers to add more to their cart to avoid shipping costs. While effective, this tactic mostly appeals to deal-seekers rather than increasing true product engagement.

• Subscriptions:

Encouraging monthly or quarterly sign-ups.

Encouraging repeat purchases through monthly or quarterly plans. This works well for replenishable products (like supplements or grooming kits) but doesn’t apply to every category.

These strategies work, but only to an extent. Most of them rely on shopper’s intent to add more products, and don’t always solve the decision fatigue many shoppers feel.

But These Strategies Have Limitations

While all of the above can lift AOV, they often:

• Rely heavily on intent: The shopper still has to choose to add more.
• Cause decision fatigue: Too many choices or pop-ups can overwhelm rather than convert.
• Don’t streamline discovery: Shoppers may not know what to add, even if they want to.

This is where most brands hit a ceiling.

And this is where smart bundling becomes a game-changer.

Bundling Adoption Among DTC Brands: What the Numbers Say

From our internal study of FoxSell Bundles users and data from Shopify forums, we found:

• Static vs Dynamic Bundles: 60% of bundles were static, but dynamic bundles (that allow selection or swapping of products) had a 42% higher attach rate.
• Placement Matters: Bundles shown on product pages or in-cart had a 2.8x higher conversion rate than those buried on a separate page.
• Average Bundle Size: Most bundles included 2–3 products. The sweet spot for AOV lift? 3-product bundles with a 10–15% discount.

Missed Opportunity: Bundles Can Increase AOV by 20–60%

Multiple studies and app data show that product bundles can increase Average Order Value (AOV) by 20% to 60%, depending on bundle type, placement, and category.

But here’s the surprising part:

Despite this potential, less than 30% of DTC brands on Shopify actively use smart bundling.

Instead of relying only on upsells or discounts, bundles offer pre-packaged value, which reduces decision fatigue and encourages shoppers to buy more effortlessly.

Key stats:

• Build-your-own bundles increase product views per visit by 1.8x
• Bundles placed at checkout boost conversion rates by up to 35%
• Personalized bundles see higher repeat purchase rates than standalone items

How Much Can Bundles Impact a DTC Brand?

If you’re not bundling, you’re leaving serious revenue on the table.

Real Numbers You Can’t Ignore:

• Shopify’s own data shows that bundles can lift AOV by 20–60%.
• Dynamic or build-your-own bundles increase product views per visit by 1.8x.
• Brands using bundles in their welcome flows reported 22% higher conversion rates.

Bundles also reduce decision fatigue. A Shopify Plus report highlights that curated kits helped 38% of shoppers complete purchases faster, especially in beauty, wellness, and personal care.

Conclusion

Don’t Let This Growth Lever Go Unused.

In a competitive ecommerce landscape, smart bundling is a low-hanging fruit with high upside. Whether you're a skincare brand, apparel store, or pet products shop, bundling helps:

• Simplify decision-making
• Increase perceived value
• Encourage larger carts

The best part? You can test one smartly-placed bundle and start seeing results in days.

Try FoxSell Bundles, the fastest way to create high-converting bundles on Shopify. No code needed, just results.