What is kitting?
Kitting is the process of combining several individual items into one kit that is sold and shipped as a single product. A skincare gift set, a subscription box, a starter kit with a device and refills, or a jewellery piece placed in a branded box with a card are all kits.
In a fulfilment centre, kitting is a value-added service on top of standard pick and pack, usually charged per kit or per hour.
Core principle: A kit is one product made of several components. Kitting decides whether those components are put together before or after the customer orders.
Two ways to kit
Pre-kitting vs kitting on demand
Pre-kitting assembles a batch of kits in advance and stores them as finished products with their own SKU. It is faster to ship and suits high-volume bundles and seasonal gift sets. Kitting on demand assembles each kit when the order arrives, from components stored separately. It avoids tying up stock in kits that may not sell, and suits bundles with many possible combinations.
How kits are set up
- Define the kit: list the components and quantities in a bill of materials, for example one serum, one cream and one gift box.
- Create the kit SKU: set up the bundle in your shop and in the warehouse system, linked to its components.
- Write instructions: photos and step-by-step packing instructions keep every kit identical.
- Manage stock: for kitting on demand, selling a kit reduces stock of each component; for pre-kitting, components are converted into finished kits.
Common kitting services
- Gift sets and seasonal bundles
- Subscription and membership boxes
- Placing products in branded boxes with thank-you cards or leaflets
- Adding samples or promotional items to orders
- Assembling starter kits, for example a device with accessories
- Influencer and PR boxes
What to agree with your fulfilment provider
- Price per kit or per hour, and minimum batch sizes for pre-kitting
- Who supplies boxes, cards and inserts, and how they are stored
- Quality checks, such as photo approval of the first kit
- How to handle returns of kits, especially when only one component is returned
Example: A skincare brand plans a Christmas set with three products and a gift box. It asks its fulfilment centre to pre-kit 2,000 sets in November with their own SKU. Orders for the set ship as one pick, and any unsold sets are taken apart in January and the components returned to stock.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between kitting and bundling?
They are often used interchangeably. Bundling usually refers to selling items together; kitting is the physical work of assembling them.
Is kitting the same as assembly?
Kitting combines finished items into a set. Assembly builds a product from parts, for example attaching components, and is often priced differently.
How is kitting charged?
Usually per kit, depending on the number of components and steps, or per hour for complex work.
How does a kit affect stock levels?
With kitting on demand, each kit sold reduces each component. With pre-kitting, components are converted into a separate kit SKU.
