Many of us have purchased some form of bundle; the Wendy’s 4-for-4, the double bag box of cereal, or even buy three get the fourth free tire deals. But why does bundling appeal to us as consumers, and how as businesses do we appeal to consumers with a bundle?
Types of Bundling
Bundling appeals to us as consumers because it makes us feel like we're getting a deal. There are two main types of bundling: mixed bundling and pure bundling. Mixed bundling is when you offer both the bundle of products and the products individually. This allows you to give the consumers a reference price for the items in your bundle, which helps reinforce the benefits of the bundle and shows that they're getting a better deal. It also eliminates the buyer's reference model, which we’ll talk about later. Pure bundling is when you offer only the bundled option, removing the immediate reference pricing from the consumer. This can be risky if your consumers don’t know the real price of your products and they may think that the bundle is overpriced. This last fact is why mixed bundling is more successful; it allows consumers to know they’re getting a better deal immediately.
The Benefits of Bundling
So why bundle? Is it really that beneficial if consumers are already purchasing your products individually? It can be, if used properly. Bundling generates more sales because it draws customers in with the hope of saving money. Consumers want to feel like they’re getting more "bang for their buck" and will be more drawn to a bundle than they will be to individual product offerings. As a company, it's nice to save some extra money too, and bundling does that for you, not just the consumer. Because the products are all in one box, you eliminate the need to package each item individually or the need to market them individually too. And who doesn’t love a simplified experience? Bundling provides that for your consumers. Everything is in one easy-to-see box that looks nice and allows you to showcase the product easily.
Consumer Perception
There’s nothing worse than your consumer misunderstanding you and deciding to no longer do business with you, so here are some things to keep in mind from the consumer's perspective. One of the biggest things you want to avoid is brand switching. This is when consumers go from one brand to another brand due to something not meeting their needs. You can avoid this by making sure that your bundles make sense to the consumer and are things that they want. Always pay attention to consumer feedback. Another thing to be aware of is the buyer's reference model, which is how much a consumer feels they should pay for each item. If the cost of the bundle is greater than the total they feel they should pay, then they won't purchase the bundle.
Tips
If you’re going to do bundling, then you might as well be the best at it, right? So here are some tips on how you can bundle better. Variety is always a great option as a way to get consumers' attention. You don’t want to limit them to just one bundle. Doing multiple bundles allows consumers to pick the one that fits them best and meets their needs. Just make sure to pay attention to consumer behavior as you offer multiple bundles. If you offer too many, then consumers will be intimidated by the options and purchase from someone else. When offering these bundles, emphasize the savings aspect of them. You should unbundle gains and bundle pains (losses) for the consumer. Consumers will register a loss more than they will a gain, so it's important to show all the "gains" of the bundle and make the "losses" of the bundle feel as minimal as possible. As your consumers approach the checkout stage of shopping with you, this is one of the best places to push bundle options. "Since you’re getting this, do you want to bundle it with this too?" And if you’re a brick-and-mortar store, put your bundled products on display in an appealing way that encourages the consumers to interact with them and creates some ownership.
