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Product Bundle vs Kits in Retail: What’s the Difference and When to Use Each?

December 5, 2025 / 1 minute read / By Zoya Naeem

Retailers often mix up kits and product bundles. Here is a simple guide that explains both and when to use them.

Ever find yourself wondering if you should build a kit or a bundle when you want to package products together? You are not alone. Many retailers mix these two up because they look similar on the sales floor, but behave very differently in the back office.

When kits or product bundles are used the right way, they encourage shoppers to buy more in a single transaction. That means the average amount spent per order goes up, which strengthens overall revenue without needing more store traffic.

In this blog we break down:

What Is a Kit
What Is a Product Bundle
When To Use a Kit vs a Product Bundle
How Kits and Bundles Benefit Your Online Store
Best Practices When Setting Up Kits and Bundles in Stratus Enterprise

What is a Kit in Stratus Enterprise?

A kit is a single sellable item that is made up of several components you already carry. When you look at one in Stratus Enterprise, you will see an area called Ingredients in Kit. That section lists everything that makes up the final product such as the brand, item name, quantity, cost, and retail price. Once a kit is created, your team sells it as one product at the register while Stratus quietly manages the inventory for each ingredient in the background.

If you have Items to be Made turned on, you can also preassemble kits in bulk. Retailers use this when they want ready-to-sell stock on the shelf rather than building kits one at a time at checkout. For example, an outdoor store might preassemble fishing starter kits before a busy weekend or a firearms retailer might bundle cleaning supplies with a popular handgun model as a boxed set.

Kits are helpful when you want accurate inventory tracking for every component without forcing staff to process each piece manually. They also keep pricing consistent since the system calculates the total cost based on the items that make up the kit.

Some common examples of a product kit includes:

A fishing kit with lures, line, swivels, and a small tackle box
A camping essentials kit with a headlamp, fire starter, and water filter
A handgun cleaning kit with brushes, solvent, and patches

Learn More: 3 Ways Drop Shipping Can Increase Sales for Retailers

What Is Product Bundling and How It Differs from Kits?

Product bundling is a way to group items together for a short-term offer or a specific promotion. Instead of creating a single master SKU like you do with a kit, a bundle keeps every item separate in the point of sale. The system rings up each product individually, applies the promotional rules you set, and deducts inventory from each SKU on its own.

This makes bundles perfect for sales events or seasonal offers where you want flexibility. You can turn a bundle on or off, adjust the discount, or swap items without changing your core product catalog. Many retailers use bundles when they want to promote related items together without altering how inventory is managed behind the scenes.

For example:

A camping bundle with a tent, sleeping pad, and lantern at a promotional price
A hunting gear bundle with gloves, a cap, and a bino harness
A firearms accessories bundle with ear protection, safety glasses, and a cleaning mat

Retailers like bundles because they are clean, fast, and easy to test. If a promotion performs well, you can run it again or tweak the mix. If it flops, you can remove it with no impact on your product structure.

Pro Tip:

When building bundles, keep a close eye on the discount logic so your margins stay healthy. Bundles work best when the offer feels meaningful but still protects your bottom line. Review how each product sells on its own and try to pair higher demand items with slower movers. This keeps the promotion attractive for shoppers while quietly improving your overall sell-through.

When to Use a Kit vs a Product Bundle?

Most retailers reach a point where they wonder which setup is the better fit for a specific situation. Kits and bundles can look similar at first glance, but they serve different needs once you drill into inventory, pricing, and how your staff rings things up. A simple way to decide is to think about how tightly the items relate to each other and how long you plan to run the offer.

Kits make sense when the items belong together every time. If the products are always sold as a set or the combination affects how the store tracks inventory, a kit is usually the cleanest option. Retailers use kits for packaged sets, starter builds, repair work that mixes labor and parts, and any situation where the completed item is treated as one product in the system. Stratus Enterprise handles this well because the kit structure keeps the ‘ingredients’ organized and ensures inventory updates correctly with a single checkout scan.

Examples where you want to use a kit:

For a scoped rifle package that always includes the same optic and mounting service
For a fishing combo with a rod, reel, and spool that your team assembles

Bundles are better when you want flexibility. Since a bundle is promotional rather than structural, you can run it for a weekend, a season, or as part of an upsell campaign without affecting your core product setup. Bundles shine during big sale periods, when shoppers can mix and match deals, or when they can choose from multiple variations within the offer. They support higher-order values without forcing everything into one master SKU.

Examples when you want to use a bundle:

For a summer outdoor sale where customers pick any three qualifying items
For a “Buy 2 Get 1” promo during a holiday event

Both tools can help drive sales, but the right choice depends on the goal. Kits solve operational needs. Bundles solve promotional needs. Once your store knows the difference, planning becomes a lot easier.

Pro Tip:

If you are unsure which setup fits your scenario, start by reviewing how often the items are sold together. If the combination repeats consistently with very little variation, a kit usually saves time and reduces errors. If the grouping changes from season to season or depends on shopper preference, a bundle keeps your team agile without locking anything into your catalog.

How Kits and Bundles Benefit Your Online Store

Kits and product bundles do more than simplify in-store selling. They can strengthen the online shopping experience and help retailers boost sales with minimal effort.

Here is how they help your eCommerce store work smarter:

1. Cleaner product presentation
  Kits let you show a complete package as one product on your website. Shoppers see exactly what they are getting in a single place, which removes confusion and helps them make faster decisions.
  
  Bundles work well for promotions because you can highlight a curated mix of items together. This helps shoppers discover products they might not have found on their own.
2. Higher average order value
  When customers see a complete set or bundle at a fair price, they tend to buy more than they originally planned. It feels curated and helpful, not pushy.
  
  This is especially important for retailers selling outdoor gear, footwear, apparel, tactical equipment, or specialty items that naturally pair together.
3. Better merchandising across categories
  Kits and bundles let you spotlight seasonal themes, new products, or top sellers in a structured way. For example, cold weather packages, travel essentials, range gear bundles, or camping starter kits.
  
  This helps shoppers navigate more easily and gives you fresh content for email, social, and in-store signage
4. Easier promotions
  Bundles make it simple to run short-term offers without restructuring products behind the scenes. This keeps your promotions flexible and your inventory clean

Pro Tip:

When creating kits or bundles, look at your recent sales history. Identify the products that shoppers frequently buy together and start there. Real data builds real results and helps you avoid pairing items that do not naturally move as a set.

Best Practices When Setting Up Kits and Bundles in Stratus Enterprise

Once you understand how kits and bundles work, the next step is making sure they’re set up in a way that keeps your team efficient and your reporting clean. These best practices are handy for retailers who use Stratus Enterprise daily and want their product setup to stay simple, accurate, and profitable.

Keep kit ingredient lists clean
If your kit requires ten different components, make sure every item truly belongs there. Too many SKUs can slow down receiving and inflate costs. Kits work best when the recipe is tight and intentional.
Test bundle pricing at the POS before launching
A quick test sale helps confirm that your pricing logic is firing correctly. If the goal is to offer a “buy together and save” experience, you want to verify that the discount is painless for cashiers and easy for customers to understand.
Avoid overcomplicating kits with products that rarely sell
Kits should be built around items that turn consistently. If a component collects dust, it can raise your overall kit cost and skew your sales numbers.
Review sales data every season to retire underperforming bundles
Seasonal bundles do a great job moving inventory, but they shouldn’t live forever. Review your reporting in Stratus to keep only the bundles that still fit your current demand.
Write clear kit descriptions for your staff
If your team has to guess what belongs inside a kit, that’s a problem. Stratus lets you add internal notes that remove confusion and help everyone ring items confidently at checkout.

Ready to Build Smarter Kits and Bundles?

Retailers who package products thoughtfully see stronger margins, smoother operations, and happier customers. Kits simplify complex sales and keep inventory accurate. Bundles help boost the cart value without changing your core product structure. Stratus Enterprise gives you the tools to manage both in a way that fits your business, your staff, and the way you sell across channels.

If you want to see how these workflows look inside Stratus Enterprise or want help deciding when to use a kit and when to use a bundle, our team can walk you through it.

Book a Demo Now!

Product Bundle vs Kits in Retail: What’s the Difference and When to Use Each?

Retailers often mix up kits and product bundles. Here is a simple guide that explains both and when to use them.

What is a Kit in Stratus Enterprise?

What Is Product Bundling and How It Differs from Kits?

Pro Tip:

When to Use a Kit vs a Product Bundle?

Pro Tip:

How Kits and Bundles Benefit Your Online Store

Pro Tip:

Best Practices When Setting Up Kits and Bundles in Stratus Enterprise

Keep kit ingredient lists clean

Test bundle pricing at the POS before launching

Avoid overcomplicating kits with products that rarely sell

Review sales data every season to retire underperforming bundles

Write clear kit descriptions for your staff

Ready to Build Smarter Kits and Bundles?

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