Overview
Bundles in Nosto let you group products together and show them to shoppers in a structured way. You can use them for “buy together” sets, cross-sells, and curated combinations.
When you create or edit a Bundle, one of the first decisions you make is its Bundle type. This choice controls how the bundle appears to shoppers: either reacting to the shopper’s context (Triggered Bundle) or static without specific context required (Generic Bundle).
This article explains both bundle types, how their triggers and product selection work, and gives you practical guidance on when to use each.
Bundle Types in Nosto
When you create a new Bundle, the Bundle type is the first setting in the “Bundle type” section. When you edit an existing Bundle, the type appears as the second setting in that section. You can choose between:
Triggered Bundle
Use Triggered Bundle when:
You want the bundle to react to shopper context (what they are viewing or what is in the cart).
You want flexible, contextual behavior across multiple pages.
Generic Bundle
Use Generic Bundle when:
You want to display a fixed group of items in a specific placement, regardless of the currently viewed product or cart content.
You want a curated, always-on bundle, where showing/not showing does not depend on context.
When to Use Triggered Bundles
Triggered Bundles are best when the bundle should appear because of a specific product. Typical use cases:
Cross-sell accessories or “Complete the look” sets on a product detail page.
Cart-based upsells on any page, when a certain product is currently in your customers cart.
Trigger Modes in Triggered Bundles
For a Triggered Bundle, you choose what context should be used to trigger your Bundle:
Viewed product
The bundle appears when the shopper is viewing a product that matches your bundle trigger.
Ideal for product page bundles and complementary items.
Works only on the Product Page.
Product in the cart
The bundle appears when the shopper has added one of the bundle’s trigger products to their cart.
If several cart items could trigger the bundle, the most expensive item is used as the trigger.
Works on any page where you place the bundle as long as the page can get the context of the cart.
Dynamic
The bundle appears contextually, combining the logic of “Viewed product” and “Product in the cart”.
For pages where both could apply at the same time, Viewed product takes priority over cart. This would typically be on a product page.
If the “Viewed product” context is not not given, Nosto will check the highest priced item in customers carts, and trigger products based on that.
Use Dynamic if you want one bundle that works across different pages without manually choosing one trigger type.
How Trigger Logic Works
You select one trigger mode per bundle: Viewed product, Product in the cart, or Dynamic.
Within that mode, you can add multiple trigger products (at least one trigger product is required)
With Dynamic, Nosto looks at both contexts and:
Uses the current viewed product if it matches a trigger.
Otherwise use the most expensive product in the cart..
When to Use Generic Bundles
Generic Bundles do not have triggers. They are meant to be attached to a specific placement and then always follow that placement’s logic.
Use Generic Bundles when:
You want a manually curated bundle in a specific slot (for example, a “Staff picks” bundle on the homepage).
You do not want the bundle to change depending on the current product or cart.
You want a bundle that does not require any customer-signal.
Selecting Products for Generic Bundles
Generic Bundles use the same product selection options as Triggered Bundles:
Add fixed products.
Add attribute-based rules.
Combine both.
Static products can also be marked with “Use for relations” so they act as the relation source for attribute-based items in that bundle.
Where Bundles Can Appear
There are no placement restrictions tied to the bundle type. In general:
Both Triggered and Generic Bundles can appear in any Nosto placement you configure (for example product pages, cart, category pages, home page, etc.).
The difference is how they decide whether to show:
Triggered Bundles rely on the selected trigger mode and matching products. Usually a wide selection of Bundles would be applied to the same Recommendation & Placement, and which ones appear depends on the context.
Generic Bundles rely entirely on whether the placement is active and includes that bundle.
How to Choose the Right Bundle Type
Use this simple decision flow when defining a new bundle:
Step 1 – Decide if the bundle should react to context
If you need the bundle to appear only when certain products are viewed or in the cart, choose a Triggered Bundle.
If you want a bundle that is always visible in a given slot and does not care about context, choose a Generic Bundle.
Step 2 – Decide where in the journey the bundle should appear
For product page cross-sells, use a Triggered Bundle with:
Trigger mode = Viewed product, or
Trigger mode = Dynamic (if you also want to reuse the bundle elsewhere).
For cart-based upsells, use a Triggered Bundle with:
Trigger mode = Product in the cart, or
Dynamic, if you also want product page behavior.
For a curated Bundle with no Trigger, use a Generic Bundle in a dedicated placement.
Step 3 – Decide how products should be selected
If you need full control over the exact items, use only static products.
If you want the bundle to stay fresh and follow your catalog changes, use attribute-based selection (e.g. Category = “Accessories”).
If you want a fixed hero item plus flexible companions, use a combination and:
Mark the hero product with “Use for relations” so attribute-based items stay relevant.
Info: You can add more rules for what to show for attribute-based products using Recommendation-Filters.