Dose #149: Why Subscription Bundles Are So Hard to Get Right (And How to Fix Them)

Matt here with your weekly Subscription Prescription 💊

I keep getting questions about bundles and bulk options, so this week’s dose is a breakdown of how to approach three different scenarios: bulk options, bundles, and build-your-own-bundle. All three can be easier to manage than you think when approached correctly.

This week’s dose is also a podcast episode, so listen in or watch on your favorite platform:

Landing Page Template Designed for Subscriptions

Many of our clients use Replo to scale up their offer testing.

You can quickly iterate through different tests and options without completely overhauling the design of your site.

The Replo team created a custom template just for me that incorporates all of our learnings on what will drive higher conversions, higher AOV, and better retention with bulk subscription options.

This is what it looks like:

Easy to swap out content and immediately start improving how you offer subscriptions! You can use the template through Replo and immediately start offering those bulk options I keep talking about.

You’re Probably Doing Bundles Wrong — Here’s the Better Play

Let’s talk about bundles.

This is one of those topics that sounds straightforward, but once you get into it, you realize how many people (from brands doing under $1M to $30M+) are tying themselves in knots trying to make bundles work the wrong way.

The good news? Bundles don’t need to be complicated. But you need to understand the difference between bundling and bulk purchasing—because most of the time, the solution you need isn’t a bundle.

Here’s what I’ve been helping brands with lately and how you can make your life much easier. I recorded a 2-minute breakdown too if you’d prefer to watch:

1. Bulk ≠ Bundles (Stop Using Bundle Apps for Quantity Options)

This is where most brands trip up.

Let’s say you’re selling a bag of protein powder. You want to offer a 1-bag, 2-bag, and 3-bag option—maybe with progressively better pricing. I keep seeing teams try to solve this by using a bundle app to build out those quantity options.

See an example of this layout from Switch Supplements:

You do not need a bundles app to make this happen!

In fact, most subscription apps struggle when you try to create a bundle with multiple quantities of the same SKU. It introduces all sorts of complexity regarding subscription management, updates, and analytics.

Instead, create separate SKUs for each quantity (e.g., “Protein-A-1”, “Protein-A-2”, “Protein-A-3”). Then, tell your fulfillment partner how to interpret each one. Even if the SKU has a lot of variants, duplicating them will still keep your overall SKU count low.

You unlock simpler management, cleaner data, and better subscription logic—plus way more flexibility in assigning discounts, selling plans, and customer upgrade paths.

2. Use Bundle Apps When You Combine Different SKUs

If you’re selling different items together, then you need to use a bundle app. Check out this example from Drink Brez:

They’re offering different product options together. The only way to do this effectively is with a bundle app.

If you use the bulk approach above—with separate SKUs—then you need to create many different options based on the flavor, size, and options for each one! Bundle apps keep this simple for you.

I always recommend checking with your subscription app which bundle apps they work well with so you can save yourself the headache of ensuring they’ll work together.

An excellent bundle experience will allow subscribers to adjust or edit the bundle after the fact from the subscriber portal. Make sure it’s easy to keep adjusting flavors or other options after the fact to keep subscribers happy!

3. Use Your Subscription App’s Bundle Builder for Custom Configurations

Now if you're doing something like “Build Your Own Box” or offering customers the ability to mix and match multiple flavors or SKUs—then yes, you do need a real bundle experience.

But here’s the key: Don’t reach for a Shopify bundle app first.

Instead, go straight to your subscription platform!

Apps like Skio, Loop, Stay, Recharge, and Awtomic have built-in bundle builders that work with their own subscription logic on the backend.

So whether you’re offering customizable kits (like soaps, meals, or wig styles), or fixed-size builds with product swaps, use the subscription app’s native functionality. It’s the only way to guarantee the post-purchase experience works the way it should—especially if customers want to edit their order, pause, or swap items later.

So here’s the play:

• Use separate SKUs for bulk purchasing options (1-pack, 2-pack, 3-pack)

• Use a bundle app for multiple SKUs together

• Use your subscription platform’s bundle builder for mix-and-match experiences

And if you’re still not sure how to set this up? Shoot me a message, and I’ll point you in the right direction.

Until next Tuesday, that’s your Subscription Prescription. 💊

 - Matt Holman 🩺

The Subscription Doc