views
A long time before online shopping became what it is today, mix and match bundles were already a common sales strategy in physical retail stores. You would walk into a store and see offers like “Pick any 5 items for $20” or “Build your own gift basket.” Customers loved the idea because it gave them control. Instead of buying a fixed bundle, they could choose what they actually wanted. Store owners liked it too because it helped move more products and increased the average order value.
When e-commerce started growing, this concept was missing at first. Online stores mostly sold single products or fixed bundles, and customers did not have the flexibility to build their own boxes. Over time, store owners started looking for ways to offer customizable bundles online as well. You can utilize the features of the WooCommerce custom product boxes for this very scenario. Today, mix and match bundles are used in gift stores, food stores, cosmetics stores, clothing stores, subscription boxes, and even wholesale product packages.
Now the question is: how do you actually create mix and match bundles in WooCommerce?
Can Mix and Match Bundles Be Created Without a Plugin?
Technically, yes. But it is not practical for most store owners. Creating mix and match bundles using custom code would involve:
- Creating custom product types
- Writing pricing logic for bundles
- Managing stock for bundled items
- Building a frontend interface for selecting products
- Handling partially filled bundles
- Managing discounts and bundle limits
This requires development knowledge and ongoing maintenance. Even a small change would require code edits. Because of this, most WooCommerce store owners prefer using a plugin that already provides all these features in an easy interface.
This is where the plugin solution becomes the most realistic and efficient approach.
Creating Mix and Match Product Bundles Using a Plugin
There are several plugins that allow you to create product boxes and bundles, but the Mix and Match Products WooCommerce by Extendons is one of the most complete solutions because it allows both pre-filled boxes and fully customizable boxes along with pricing, limits, layouts, and discounts.
Below is the step-by-step process to create WooCommerce custom product boxes using this plugin.
Step-by-Step: Create WooCommerce Mix and Match Product Bundles
Step 1: Install the Plugin
First, you need to install the plugin in WordPress.
- Download the plugin .zip file from your WooCommerce dashboard
- Go to WordPress Admin Panel
- Navigate to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
- Upload the .zip file
- Click Install Now
- Click Activate Plugin
Once activated, the plugin settings will appear in WooCommerce settings.
Step 2: Access Custom Product Boxes Settings
After installation:
- Go to WooCommerce → Settings
- Open the Custom Boxes tab
- Go to General Settings
Here you can configure the global settings for product boxes such as:
- Layout style (Detailed or Compressed)
- Grid or List view
- Add to Cart text
- Heading label
- Out of stock message
- Box success message
- Form width
- Background color
- Primary color
- Price label color
- Image placeholder for empty box
These settings control how your product boxes will appear on the frontend.
Step 3: Create a New Mix and Match Product Box
Now you can create your first product box.
- Go to WooCommerce → Products → Add New
- Enter product name
- In Product Data, select Custom Product Boxes
- A new tab called Product Boxes will appear
Inside this section you will configure the bundle.
Step 4: Configure General Box Settings
Inside the Product Boxes settings, you can configure:
- Enable or disable product boxes
- Select pricing type:
- Fixed Pricing
- Per Item Price with Base Price
- Per Item Price Without Base Price
- Sort products by date
- Enable gift message
- Hide out of stock products
These settings define how your bundle pricing and product availability will work.
Step 5: Set Bundle Item Limits
You can control how many products go inside a box.
- Set Box Quantity
- Enable Per Product Limit
- Set quantity cap per product
- Apply limits per box or per order
- Allow Partially Filled Boxes
- Set the minimum quantity required
This is very useful for gift boxes, subscription boxes, and wholesale bundles.
Step 6: Choose Bundle Layout Design
You can control how the product box looks on the product page.
Layout options include:
- Compressed
- Detailed
- Product Layout
View styles:
- Grid
- List
You can also enable product descriptions if using a detailed layout.
Step 7: Allow Multiple Boxes
You can allow customers to create multiple boxes in one order.
- Enable Add New Box
- Set new box limit
- Restrict adding new boxes based on minimum quantity rules
This is useful when customers want multiple bundles in one purchase.
Step 8: Add Products to the Box
Now select which products will appear in the bundle.
- Go to Bundle Items
- Select products or categories
- Add them to the product box
Step 9: Add Prefilled Items
You can also create pre-filled boxes.
- Enable Pre-Filled Box
- Add products as pre-filled
- Make items optional or mandatory
- Allow pre-filled items in each new box
This is very useful for recommended bundles or starter kits.
Step 10: Configure Discounts (Optional)
You can apply discounts to bundle items.
- Enable Box Discount
- Show discount widget
- Select products
- Choose discount type (Fixed or Percentage)
- Set discount amount
Discounts appear when per-item pricing is used.
Features of Extendons Mix and Match Product Boxes Plugin
Below are the main features and what they actually help you achieve.
Key Features
- Create pre-filled product boxes
- Allow fully customizable product boxes
- Fixed or dynamic pricing options
- Grid and list layout styles
- Allow partially filled box checkout
- Limit product quantities per box
- Allow multiple boxes per order
- Hide out-of-stock products
- Add gift messages
- Add featured products
- User role restrictions
- Bundle item discounts
- Custom layout styling and colors
What These Features Mean for Store Owners
Pre-Filled Boxes
You can create ready-made bundles that customers can buy instantly or modify slightly.
Custom Boxes
Customers can build their own bundles from available products.
Flexible Pricing
You can charge a fixed price, a base price + item price, or an item-only price.
Partial Checkout
Customers don’t have to fill the entire box to purchase.
Product Limits
You can control how many of each product can be added.
Multiple Boxes
Customers can create multiple bundles in one order.
Discounts on Bundle Items
Encourage customers to add more items to get discounts.
User Role Restrictions
Show specific bundles only to wholesalers or members.
Benefits of Using WooCommerce Custom Product Boxes
Adding mix and match bundles to your store provides several benefits:
- Increases average order value
- Improves customer shopping experience
- Allows personalized product bundles
- Helps sell slow-moving products
- Great for gift boxes and subscription bundles
- Encourages bulk purchases
- Reduces product browsing time
- Makes your store more interactive
- Allows targeted bundles for wholesale customers
- Creates promotional bundle offers easily
Many stores use mix and match boxes for:
- Gift shops
- Food and snack bundles
- Cosmetics bundles
- Clothing bundles
- Subscription boxes
- Wholesale product packs
- Build-your-own kits
Final Thoughts
Mix and match bundles were popular in physical retail long before e-commerce existed, and now they have become just as important for online stores. Customers like flexibility, and when they are allowed to build their own bundles instead of buying fixed packages, they are more likely to purchase and often end up buying more items than they originally planned.
While it is technically possible to create bundle systems using custom development, it is not practical for most store owners. Using a plugin like Custom Mix & Match Product Boxes & Bundles for WooCommerce by Extendons makes the entire process much easier, from creating boxes and setting pricing to managing limits, layouts, and discounts.
If you want to offer personalized bundles, gift boxes, subscription kits, or wholesale product packs, adding WooCommerce custom product boxes functionality is one of the most effective ways to improve customer experience and increase sales at the same time. And with the mix and match products WooCommerce plugin approach, setting everything up is far simpler than most store owners expect.
Comments
0 comment