A barbecue set customers take apart as they like.
Tongs, a cover and charcoal belong with a gas barbecue. Except: almost everyone already owns tongs, and whoever orders in summer has no use for a cover. A fixed set would drive those customers away. So you let them strike out what they do not need — and the price follows along immediately.
Four line items, three of them optional.
| Component | Role | Qty | Unit price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gas barbecue | Main product, locked | 1 | €349.00 |
| Barbecue tongs | optional | 1 | €19.00 |
| Protective cover | optional | 1 | €45.00 |
| Charcoal, 3 kg | optional | 2 | €13.00 |
Both figures drop: the comparison price and the package price. The advertised advantage therefore stays an honest statement about what is currently in the package.
Not every discount type survives being deselected.
This is where selectable packages go wrong in practice. The three types behave completely differently the moment a customer takes something out.
Percentage discount
Every remaining article gives up the same percentage. The reduction shrinks with the selection automatically.
It limits itself. The only type where nothing can tip over.
Absolute discount
The amount stays at its full value, no matter how little is left in the package.
No lower limit in the code. Deselect enough and the price runs towards zero. Work out the smallest possible selection first.
Fixed price
The fixed price ignores the selection. If the remaining sum falls below it, the package is invalid.
It drops out of the cart, with a message to the customer. For fixed prices, a fixed bundle is the right choice.
A single difference to the fixed bundle.
Components and discount are set up exactly the same way. Only on the Options tab the value reads Selectable bundle instead of the full one — that is the whole switch.
- The main product locks itself, its checkbox is not displayed. You do not have to do anything for that.
- Starting state is yours to pick: the detail list starts collapsed or expanded, depending on whether the choice should be noticed.
- Variants come along, the customer picks size or colour inside the package.
Selectable bundleBelow the imageExpanded (visible)For selectable packages, expanded is worth it: the customer should see that there is something to decide.
What is a selectable bundle?
A package from which the customer removes individual components with a checkbox. The price recalculates immediately and deselected parts are greyed out. In the administration this is the value "Selectable bundle" on the Options tab.
Can the customer deselect the main product as well?
No. The product whose page carries the package always stays in — otherwise it would no longer be a package for that article. Its checkbox is locked and is not even displayed. At least one further component has to stay selected, otherwise there is no package and the customer simply buys the main product.
Does the struck-through price drop as well when something is deselected?
Yes, and that matters for credibility. Anyone removing the cover no longer sees the old comparison sum but the one for the remaining articles. The advertised advantage therefore stays an honest statement about what is currently in the package.
Which discount type suits a selectable bundle?
The percentage discount, because it limits itself: every remaining article gives up the same percentage, so the reduction shrinks along with the selection. With an absolute discount the amount stays at its full value even when little is left in the package. With a fixed price the selection is not taken into account for the discount at all.
What happens with an absolute discount when a lot is deselected?
The discount amount stays unchanged. If a customer removes so much that the remaining sum falls below the reduction, the package price runs towards zero and mathematically below it. There is no lower limit for this in the code. If you want to discount by a fixed amount, work out beforehand what is left with the smallest possible selection — or use a fixed bundle.
What happens with a fixed package price when something is deselected?
The fixed price ignores the selection. If the sum of the remaining articles falls below that price, the package is invalid and is removed from the cart with a message. For selectable packages the fixed price is therefore the riskiest choice.
The customer deselects two of three add-ons. What is in the cart then?
The package with the main product and the one remaining component, plus the discount line for the correspondingly smaller amount. The deselected articles appear nowhere, neither as a line item nor as a note. If the customer removes the last component too, there is no package any more and they buy the main product at its regular price.
Can a component be a variant?
Yes. If you add a variant product with its main article to the package, a selection field with the variants and their prices appears there, and the customer decides on size or colour. As long as a choice is still open, the button does not add the package to the cart but opens the detail list with a note.
Other ways to put a package together.
Fixed bundle
Every component is set. The customer takes the package as you put it together, or not at all.
Read on → Skincare set for 99 eurosFixed package price
The package costs a round figure, no matter what the individual items add up to.
Read on → Order 10042Bundles in your ERP
Flat order line items with real product numbers, discount optionally as a standard voucher.
Read on →In the demo shop you can deselect and watch.
The price recalculates live, exactly as described here.