Shopify Hack: Making Products Add-On Only (Like Veggie Box Eggs!)

Controlling Your Shopify Cart: Add-On Products Only

Ever wanted to set up your Shopify store so some products can only be bought as add-ons? Like, you sell a veggie box, and customers can only add eggs if they've already got that box in their cart? It's a cool way to encourage bigger orders and manage your inventory. We saw FF_Jo ask about this in the Shopify Community recently, and there were some great responses. Let's dive in!

The Veggie Box Dilemma: How to Restrict Purchases

FF_Jo's original question was pretty straightforward: "I am setting up my shop and have around 10 products that I only want customers to be able to add to their orders, if they have ordered a core product e.g. can only order eggs if they have bought a veg box. I don’t want these products to be orderable on their own. Can you recommend how I do this please?"

It's a common need, and thankfully, there are a few ways to tackle it. Anmolkumar jumped in with some excellent suggestions, and they really covered the spectrum of options.

Option 1: Bundle Apps - The Easiest Route

Anmolkumar suggested that the easiest option is to use a bundle app. The basic idea is that you create a "bundle" product. Think of it like this:

Veg Box + Optional Add-Ons (Eggs, etc.)

The beauty of these apps is that many let you specify:

• A required base product (the Veg Box, in our example)
• Optional add-ons (like those delicious farm-fresh eggs)
• And crucially, the ability to prevent those add-ons from being purchased on their own.

This is probably the cleanest and most user-friendly approach, especially if you're not comfortable diving into code.

Option 2: Cart Validation Apps - The Enforcer

Another approach is to use a cart validation app. These apps work by:

• Checking what's in the customer's cart.
• And then, if they try to checkout with an "add-on only" product without the required core product, the app blocks the checkout.

This keeps your products separate in your catalog, which some people might prefer. But it enforces the rule at the checkout, preventing those standalone egg purchases.

Option 3: Custom Code - For the Technically Inclined (or Shopify Plus Users)

Now, if you're feeling adventurous (or you're on Shopify Plus), you could roll your own solution with custom code. Anmolkumar suggested a couple of ways to go about this:

• Hiding add-on products: You could use some fancy JavaScript (AJAX and cart scripts) to hide the "add-on only" products from your store unless the Veg Box is already in the cart.
• Blocking checkout with Shopify Functions: If you're on Shopify Plus, you can use Shopify Functions to create custom rules that block checkout if the conditions aren't met.

Obviously, this requires some coding skills (or hiring a developer), but it gives you the most control over the whole process.

Which Option Is Right for You?

Honestly, it depends on your comfort level and the complexity of your needs. If you just want a simple, straightforward solution, a bundle app is probably the way to go. If you want to keep your products separate but still enforce the rule, a cart validation app could work. And if you're a coding whiz (or have access to one), custom code gives you ultimate flexibility.

FF_Jo seemed happy with the suggestions, replying, "Thank you very much, this is super helpful, I am off to look at the suggestions." Hopefully, this breakdown helps you too! Remember to test thoroughly, no matter which method you choose, to make sure everything works smoothly for your customers.