How to create a BYOB (build-your-own-bundle) experience on Shopify using Simple Bundles

✨ View an example on our Demo store: BYOB on Simple Bundles Supply Store

🎨 Need more customizations beyond what's available in the theme editor? See:

• BYOB style customizations
• Translate BYOB bundle builder elements
• BYOB validation rules: control what shoppers can pick in a Build Your Own Bundle
• Or contact us at hello@simplebundles.com. We're happy to review your requirements

Let customers build their own bundle (BYOB). Shoppers pick products from a visual grid and fill their box. No theme code required.

1. How to set up Build Your Own Bundle
   1. Step 1: Create a BYOB bundle on Simple Bundles
   2. Step 2: Add bundle details
   3. Step 3: Add products to the bundle
   4. Step 4a: Organize selections into sections (optional)
   5. Step 4b: Set how many items customers pick from each section
   6. Step 5: Set pricing
   7. Step 6: Create pack sizes and discounts
   8. Step 7: Add BYOB to your theme
   9. Step 8: Preview the bundle
   10. Step 9: Set the bundle to Active
2. How customers find your BYOB
3. How BYOB orders are processed
4. Using subscriptions and selling plans
5. Combining BYOB discounts with Shopify discounts
6. "Powered by Simple Bundles" branding
7. Frequently asked questions
8. Need help or a custom setup?

How to set up Build Your Own Bundle

Build Your Own Bundle lets customers choose products from a set list and receive a discount when they add enough items to their bundle.

Use this guide to create a BYOB bundle in Simple Bundles & Kits.

Step 1: Create a BYOB bundle on Simple Bundles

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps.
2. Open Simple Bundles & Kits.
3. In the left sidebar, select BYOB.
4. Click Create bundle.

Step 2: Add bundle details

1. Enter a Bundle title.

   This is the title customers will see on your storefront.

   Set the bundle Status.

   New BYOB bundles start as Unlisted. Here's what each status means:

   • Active: The bundle is live and visible on your online store. Customers can find it in your collections, menus, and search, and buy it.
   • Unlisted: The bundle can be viewed and bought by anyone with the direct link, but it's hidden from your store's collections, search, and recommendations. This is useful for previewing, testing, or sharing a private link.
   • Draft: The bundle isn't available on your storefront at all, not even by direct link. Use this while you're still setting things up.

   • Archived: The bundle is retired and hidden from your store. Use this for bundles you no longer sell but want to keep.

     You'll switch the bundle to Active in Step 9 once everything is ready.

Step 3: Add products to the bundle

1. In the Products section, click Edit products.
2. Select the products customers can choose from.
3. Click Save.

Customers will only be able to build their bundle using the products you add here.

Note: Products that are themselves bundles can't be used as BYOB components (BYOB uses the Infinite Options engine, which doesn't support nested bundles). Add the individual products instead.

Step 4a: Organize selections into sections (optional)

For larger or more complex BYOB bundles, you can organize your product choices into sections (groups) instead of one flat list. Each section shows under its own heading on the product page. This is useful for setups like "exactly 1 base + 2 toppings," or when one item must be in every bundle.

Once your products are in sections, you can:

• Set how many items customers pick from each section, either an exact number or a minimum and maximum (see Step 4b).
• Make an item required by giving it its own section and setting that section to exactly 1. Customers still tap to add it, but they can't complete the bundle without it.
• Add other limits, like no duplicates or a cap on one product, with BYOB validation rules.

If you don't need this level of control, you can skip this step and continue using a single flat product list as before.

Step 4b: Set how many items customers pick from each section

When your bundle has sections, you can set how many items customers pick from each one directly in Simple Bundles. No metafields or code needed.

1. In your BYOB bundle, find the section you want to limit.
2. Check Set quantity.
3. Enter the number customers must pick in Customers choose exactly. To allow a range instead, turn on Allow a range and enter a Minimum, a Maximum, or both. Leave a field blank for no limit.
4. Repeat for any other sections, then click Save.

On the product page, each section shows what customers need to pick, for example "Pick 3", "Pick between 2 and 3", "Pick at least 2" or "Pick up to 5", with a live counter like "2 of 3 selected". The bundle can't be added to cart until every section is complete.

For limits beyond section quantities, see BYOB validation rules.

Step 5: Set pricing

In the Pricing section, choose one of the following options:

• Based on items selected - Customers pay based on the products they choose. Discounts can still be applied through pack sizes. Use this option when products have different prices.
• Fixed price - Customers pay one set price for the bundle, regardless of which products they choose. Use this option when you want every completed bundle to have the same price.

Step 6: Create pack sizes and discounts

Pack sizes let you offer different discounts based on how many items a customer adds to the bundle. You can now choose between two discount types when setting up a pack size:

• Percentage off - discount the pack by a percentage of its total value.
• Amount off - discount the pack by a flat dollar amount, regardless of the items' total value.

For example:

To create a pack size:

1. In the Pack sizes section, enter a Pack name.
2. Enter the number of Items required.
3. Choose the Discount type: Percentage off or Amount off.
4. Enter the discount value (a percentage or a flat amount depending on the type chosen).
5. Click Add pack to create another pack size, if needed.

Customers will see these pack options on the storefront, and the discount is applied automatically once their selections fill a pack size.

Step 7: Add BYOB to your theme

To display the BYOB experience on your storefront, the BYOB app embed must be enabled in your Shopify theme.

1. In the Add BYOB to theme section, click View in theme.
2. Enable the BYOB app embed.
3. Save your theme changes.

After this is enabled, customers can view the BYOB page, select products, and build their bundle from the storefront.

Step 8: Preview the bundle

Click Preview to check the storefront experience before sharing the bundle with customers.

Step 9: Set the bundle to Active

Preview works while the bundle is Unlisted, so a working preview doesn't mean your bundle is live yet. Customers won't find it on your storefront until you publish it.

1. In the Status section, change the status to Active.
2. Click Save.

Your BYOB bundle is now live on your online store.

How customers find your BYOB

A BYOB bundle lives on its own product page. It doesn't appear on your other product pages and isn't supported in product page (PDP) upsells. This is by design, since the bundle builder needs the full page to work.

To help customers find it, link to the BYOB product from your store:

• Add it to your navigation menu: In Shopify admin, go to Content > Menus, open your main menu, and add a menu item that links to the BYOB product.
• Add it to a collection: Add the BYOB product to a collection that's shown on your store, such as your homepage or a featured collection.

The bundle must be set to Active to show in collections and search.

How BYOB orders are processed

Simple Bundles adds BYOB contents to an order using one of two methods:

• Cart Transform API (default): Used for orders placed through Shopify's Online Store or POS. The bundle is expanded into its component products before the order is created, so only the components appear on the order.
• Order Editing (fallback): Used when Cart Transform isn't supported, such as with selling plans/subscriptions, or orders placed through a sales channel or app that doesn't support Cart Transform. The parent bundle stays on the order at full price, with components added afterward at a 100% discount.

For more details, see: How are bundle contents added to orders?

Note: Even though the parent bundle doesn't appear as a line item when Cart Transform is used, the bundle name still displays to customers in cart, checkout, the order confirmation email. Since Shopify's native sales reports record sales at the component level, in this case use Bundle analytics and reports for bundle-level sales data.

Using subscriptions and selling plans

BYOB now automatically detects selling plans on products and displays them for customer selection in the bundle widget. This allows customers to choose between a one-time purchase and a subscription when building their bundle.

How selling plans work in BYOB

When products in your BYOB have selling plans attached, the widget will display them as selectable options for the customer. The behavior depends on how the selling plan is configured for the product:

• Optional selling plans - customers see both a "One-time purchase" option and the available subscription plans. Selecting "One-time purchase" behaves exactly like a normal BYOB purchase.
• Required selling plans - only subscription options are shown. Customers must choose a selling plan to proceed.

Pricing with selling plans

• For one-time purchases, the compare-at price is shown alongside the default bundle discount, so customers can see the savings.
• For subscription purchases, the subscription discount stacks on top of the bundle price, giving customers an additional saving for subscribing.

Important: Fixed Pricing is required

To use selling plans with BYOB, your bundle must be configured with Fixed Pricing. BYOB bundles set to "Based on items selected" will not display selling plan options; this is by design.

The reason is technical: Shopify automatically disables the Cart Transform API when a selling plan is present in the cart. Since "Based on items selected" pricing relies on Cart Transform to calculate and allocate prices across components, it cannot be used alongside selling plans. With Fixed Pricing, the bundle price is set upfront and doesn't depend on Cart Transform, so it works seamlessly with selling plans.

When a BYOB bundle with a selling plan is purchased, the order is processed using the order editing fallback (since Cart Transform is disabled by Shopify for selling plan orders). This works seamlessly with Fixed Pricing and ensures the bundle components are correctly added to the order. See How to create bundles with a subscription plan for more information.

Combining BYOB Discounts with Shopify Discounts

A Shopify discount can be used on its own (instead of BYOB's built-in discount tiers) or stacked together with them, but this only applies when the discount targets the overall bundle product itself, not an individual BYOB component.

If a Shopify discount is applied to a specific component product within a BYOB bundle (e.g., "Chocolate Protein Shake" as its own discounted product), that discount will not show or apply in the cart or at checkout once that item is selected as part of a BYOB bundle. Only discounts applied at the bundle level are reflected. For more information, refer here: How do Shopify discount codes work with bundle discounts?

"Powered by Simple Bundles" branding

To hide or enable the branding:

1. Go to Simple Bundles > Settings
2. Scroll down to Advanced Settings
3. From the Simple Bundles branding, toggle the Hide "Powered by Simple Bundles" branding.
4. Click Save.

Frequently asked questions

Why isn't my BYOB showing on my storefront?

Check three things: the BYOB app embed is turned on in your published theme, the bundle status is set to Active, and the bundle product is linked from your menu or a collection. Preview works while a bundle is Unlisted, so a working preview doesn't mean the bundle is live.

Can customers pick a set number of items from different categories, like 1 base and 2 toppings?

Yes. Organize your products into sections (Step 4a) and turn on Set quantity for each section to choose an exact number or a range (Step 4b).

Can I make one item required in every bundle?

Yes. Put the item in its own section and set it to exactly 1. Customers still tap to add it, but they can't complete the bundle without it. Items can't be added automatically yet.

Why can't I turn on Set quantity for a section?

The setting needs at least two sections and only one pack size or value tier. If your bundle offers several pack sizes, create a separate BYOB for each size.

Can I stop customers from choosing the same product more than once?

Yes, with a validation rule that limits each product to 1 per bundle. See the "any 3, all different" example in BYOB validation rules.

Why doesn't my cart drawer open or update after adding a BYOB?

BYOB refreshes the cart automatically on most themes, including Dawn and Horizon. If your theme or a cart drawer app (like Upcart) doesn't update, contact us, and we'll help connect it.

Can customers check out without choosing their products?

Quick-add buttons on collection pages can skip the BYOB builder. To block this, go to Settings > Advanced Settings and turn on Cart validation: require bundle option selections at checkout.

Can I show BYOB in upsells or on my other product pages?

No. BYOB lives on its own product page and isn't supported in product page upsells. Link to it from your navigation menu or a collection instead.

Can I add a bundle as one of the BYOB products?

No. Nested bundles aren't supported. Add the individual products instead.

Can I add a whole collection at once, or let customers search and filter?

Not yet. Products are added to BYOB individually, and the builder doesn't have a search or filter option.

Can I change how the BYOB builder looks?

Yes. Adjust colors, fonts, and spacing in the theme editor, and use Custom CSS for more control (see BYOB style customizations). For layout changes beyond that, contact us.

Can I translate the BYOB text?

Some labels are fixed text that Translate & Adapt can't change. Follow Translate BYOB bundle builder elements to update them.

Can pack sizes be a range, or can discounts be based on spend?

No. Each pack size is an exact number of items with a percentage or amount off. Spend-based discounts aren't supported.

Does BYOB work with subscriptions?

Yes, when the bundle uses Fixed price. See Using subscriptions and selling plans.

Need help or a custom setup?

If BYOB isn't working as expected, or you want a layout or feature this guide doesn't cover, email us at hello@simplebundles.com. Include your store URL and what you're trying to do, and our team will take a look.