Bundles & build-your-own

Selling several things as one line: fixed packages the merchant assembles (bundles) vs. let-the-customer-choose (build-your-own / composites). When to use each and how each is priced.

Sometimes one cart line is really several things together. There are two ways to do that, and they answer different questions:

A bundle is a fixed package you assemble — a combo meal, a gift set, a starter kit. You decide the contents.
A build-your-own (a composite) is a selection the customer assembles from groups of options — a salad, a custom pizza, a build-a-box. They decide the contents, within your rules.

Decide by who chooses the contents. You → bundle. The customer → build-your-own.

Bundles (fixed packages)

A bundle is a product of type Bundle whose contents are a fixed list of other products, each with a quantity and an optional pinned variant.

Its price is one of:

Pricing	What it means
Fixed	The bundle has its own flat price, regardless of what the parts cost.
Percentage off	Sum of the parts, minus a percentage.
Amount off	Sum of the parts, minus a flat amount.

A bundled component can pin a specific variant, or let the customer choose the variant at checkout. Use bundles for combo meals, gift sets, "frequently bought together", and kits.

Bundle: "Lunch Combo"   (fixed price 12.00)
├── Burger ×1   (variant: Classic)
├── Fries  ×1   (customer picks size)
└── Soda   ×1   (customer picks flavour)

Build-your-own (composites)

A build-your-own is a product of type Composite made of groups, each with selection rules. The customer's choices are the product — a poke bowl, a custom pizza, a gift hamper, a cocktail.

Each group has:

a minimum / maximum number of selections (min 0 makes the group optional),
optional repeats — pick the same option more than once, up to a per-option cap ("max 3 shots"),
a pricing rule: each adds its price, first N free, one flat fee if anything is chosen, or all at the highest chosen price.

Each option in a group can come from a catalogue product, a raw inventory ingredient, an existing add-on, or be a plain modifier with no stock. It carries its own price, optional nutrition, and availability.

The whole product's pricing mode ties it together:

Mode	Total is
Additive	base price + everything selected
Highest per group	base + only the dearest pick in each group
Highest overall	base + the single dearest option chosen
Tiered	a set price based on how many items were chosen (1–2 = one price, 3–5 = another)

Composite: "Build Your Bowl"   (base 8.00, additive)
├── Base     pick 1            (Rice, Quinoa…)
├── Protein  pick 1–2          (Chicken +2, Tofu +1)
└── Toppings pick 0–6          (each +0.50, first 3 free)

Because options can pull straight from raw inventory, a build-your-own food item deducts the right ingredients as the customer builds it — the recipe bridge working inside a composite.

Choosing the right tool

The situation	Use
Fixed contents, one set price	Bundle (fixed)
Fixed contents, priced as a discount on the parts	Bundle (percentage or amount off)
Customer picks from groups with rules	Build-your-own
Customer just tweaks one main item ("no onions, extra cheese")	Neither — add-ons on a normal product
Two unrelated products a shopper compares	Neither — separate products, maybe in a collection

Worked examples

Meal deal. Burger + side + drink at one price → bundle (fixed). Let the customer pick the side size and drink flavour.

Gift hamper, customer-built. Pick 3 from "Treats", 2 from "Drinks", optional card → build-your-own with per-group min/max.

Pizza shop. Menu pizzas are normal food products with a Size axis. "Create your own" is a build-your-own with Base/Sauce/Cheese/Toppings groups and a "first 3 toppings free" rule.

Spa package. Three treatments sold together at a set price → bundle of services.

Mistakes to avoid

A combo as a variant. It's a bundle.
Build-your-own as a wall of add-ons. Use a composite; it has the group min/max and pricing rules you need.
Summing a composite's price yourself. Set the pricing mode and group rules; the total is computed.

Common questions

Can a bundle contain a service? Yes — a bundle can package services (a spa package), goods, or a mix.

Does a bundle's stock deduct from each part? Yes — selling the bundle consumes each component (and each component's recipe, if it's a food item).

Can a build-your-own enforce "exactly one base, up to five toppings"? Yes — that's per-group min/max (Base min 1 max 1; Toppings min 0 max 5).

I'm an agent. Bundle or composite? If the contents are fixed at author time → bundle. If the customer selects from groups at order time → composite. If they only modify a single base item → add-ons, not either.

Next: Organizing your catalogue so customers can find all of this.