What is a bundle expansion?
Some stores sell bundles as a single line item in Shopify. While this simplifies the initial purchase, it can limit how subscribers manage recurring orders, since they cannot swap or remove individual items inside the bundle.
Bundle expansion solves this issue by converting a single bundled product into its individual component products, so subscribers can manage each item independently. Skio supports bundle expansion through Journeys and Bulk Operations.
If you want to offer a customizable bundle that customers build themselves, consider using Build-a-Box. It allows customers to choose products at checkout and manage each item individually in their customer portal after purchase.
When to use Journeys vs. Bulk Operations
Our recommended approach is to run a bulk operation to update existing subscriptions, then activate a Journey to handle all new subscriptions automatically going forward.
See the following table for common scenarios and the recommended approach for each:
Use case | Recommended approach |
|---|---|
Automatically expand bundles for new subscriptions | Journey |
Expand bundles after a specific order or renewal | Journey |
Support an ongoing “bundle first, customize later” strategy | Journey |
Expand bundled products on subscriptions that already exist | Bulk operation |
Migrate legacy bundle subscribers to a new structure | Bulk operation |
Make a one-time structural change to active subscriptions | Bulk operation |
Launch or change a bundle strategy across all subscribers | Bulk operation + Journey |
How do I automatically expand bundled subscriptions using Journeys?
Journeys are used to automatically expand bundles for new subscriptions created after the Journey is activated. This is the recommended approach when you want bundle expansion to occur at a specific point in the subscription lifecycle or if you want to automatically expand bundles for new subscribers.
To create a bundle expansion Journey:
In the Skio Dashboard, go to Retain > Journeys and create a new Journey.
Add an After order trigger and use the Order number filter to control timing.
For example, targeting the initial checkout ensures the first renewal contains individual products, while a higher order number will delay expansion until later cycles.
Add a condition that checks if the customer has the bundled product/SKU in their order. This ensures the Journey only runs on subscriptions that actually include the bundle product.
Add the Bundle expansion action. Select the bundled product/SKU as the product to remove, then add each individual product with the appropriate quantities and pricing. This action removes the bundled product and adds individual component products in its place.
Apply optional follow-up actions if you need to preserve total order value or introduce transitional pricing, apply a discount or pricing adjustment after the expansion runs. You may also add a notification or portal message explaining that the bundle has been expanded depending on your use case.
Save and enable the journey.
Example of a basic bundle expansion journey
How do I break apart bundled subscriptions into individual products in bulk?
Bulk Operations are used to expand a bundled product on subscriptions that already exist. This is typically a one-time change applied to a defined group of active subscriptions.
Refer to How to expand bundles in bulk for step-by-step instructions.