On Shopify, you can run a "Buy X Get Y" promotion, where a customer who purchases a specific product (X) receives another product (Y) for free or at a discount. This article explains in detail how to set up "Buy X Get Y" on Shopify and how to make the most of it.
What Is "Buy X Get Y"
"Buy X Get Y" is a promotional technique where a customer who purchases a specific product (X) receives another product (Y) for free or at a discounted price. This can be set up using Shopify's discount feature, and it is widely used as a marketing tactic that gives customers a sense of added value while promoting sales of a particular product or helping clear inventory.
3 Ways to Offer Free Gifts on Shopify
Using the Discount Feature
This method uses Shopify's native discount feature. Since the discount feature is built in, you can use it for free. One downside of using the discount feature is that the discount is only applied if the gift product is also added to the cart.
Using the discount feature, you can run promotions such as the following:
- Purchase product X and get product Y for free
- Purchase product X and get product Y at a discounted price
- Purchase 3 or more of product X and get product Y for free
- Offer a free product Y for purchasing product X to specific customers only
The blog article below explains the different types of discounts and how to use them in detail. Please use it as a reference.
Using Shopify Flow
The next method is to use Shopify Flow. This is recommended when you want to distribute gifts under complex conditions that the discount feature alone cannot handle, or when you want to automatically add a gift product to an order once the conditions for distributing a gift are met.
One downside is that, since the gift is added after the order is placed, customers may not notice that a gift was added.
The blog article below introduces a method for automatically adding a novelty product using Shopify Flow. Please use it as a reference for setting up automatic gift additions.
Using a Shopify App
Finally, there is the option of using a Shopify app. This is recommended when you want to distribute gifts under complex conditions that the discount feature cannot handle, or when you want gifts to be added to the cart automatically once the conditions are met.
The downsides are that some apps charge a usage fee, and some may not support Japanese.
The blog article below introduces apps recommended for distributing gifts. Please use it as a reference.
How to Offer a Free Gift Using the Discount Feature
The Difference Between Coupon Codes and Automatic Discounts
Among Shopify's discount features, we'll use the "Buy X Get Y" discount type to set up a free gift.
When setting up a free gift, you need to choose between "coupon code" and "automatic discount."
There are differences between the two, as shown in the table below. For example, if you want to offer a free gift only to specific members, you need to choose a coupon code.
Understand the differences before choosing the appropriate method.
| Method | Automatic Discount | Coupon Code |
|---|---|---|
| When the discount is applied | Applied automatically once conditions are met | Applied when the customer enters the coupon code at checkout and the conditions are met |
| Available conditions | ・Purchase type ・Purchase amount ・Purchase quantity ・Customer segment ・Specific customers |
・Purchase type ・Purchase amount ・Purchase quantity ・Customer segment ・Specific customers |
| Usage limits | - | ・Total number of uses ・Uses per customer |
| Active period | ・Start date/time ・End date/time |
・Start date/time ・End date/time |
The blog article below explains in detail the difference between coupon codes and automatic discounts, beyond just the "Buy X Get Y" discount type. Please use it as a reference.
How to Offer a Free Gift When Purchasing a Specific Product
This time, we'll create a discount where "adding a specific product and a gift product to the cart makes the gift product free."
⚠️ Note that the discount feature does not have a function to automatically add the gift product to the cart, so the discount will not apply unless both the specific product and the gift product are added to the cart. If you'd like the gift product to be added automatically, consider using a Shopify app.
Step 1: Create a Buy X Get Y Discount
(1) From the Shopify admin, click "Discounts"
(2) On the discounts list page, click "Create discount"
(3) From the popup that appears, select "Buy X Get Y"
(4) For "Method," select "Automatic discount"
(5) Enter any discount name in the title field
* What you enter here will be shown on the checkout page.
(6) In the customer purchase section, select "Minimum quantity of items"
(7) In the input form below, enter the following:
- Quantity: 1
- All these items: Specific products
- Purchase type: One-time purchase
- Search products: Add the specific product for X
(8) In the "Customer gets" section, enter the following:
- Quantity: 1
- All these items: Specific products
- Search products: Add the gift product for X
(9) For the discounted value, select "Free"
(10) Check "Set a maximum number of uses per order"
(11) Enter 1 in the input form below
⚠️ Setting "Set a maximum number of uses per order" prevents the gift product from becoming free every time the condition is met. For example, if a customer adds 2 units of X and 2 units of Y to the cart, setting this limit means only 1 unit of Y will be free. Without this setting, both units of Y would be free.
(12) Set the active period for when you want to run the promotion
(13) Click "Save discount"
Step 2: Testing
Once you've finished setting up the discount, test that it works.
(1) With one unit each of the specific product and the gift product added, proceed to the checkout page
(2) Confirm that the gift product is free
(3) With a product other than the specific product and one unit of the gift product added to the cart, proceed to the checkout page
(4) Confirm that the gift product is not free
Once you've confirmed that the automatic discount works as intended, the setup is complete.
Recommended Shopify Apps for Free Gifts
RuffRuff Order Bonus
RuffRuff Order Bonus is a Shopify app that lets you run a wide variety of promotional campaigns (discounts or gift distribution) under any conditions.
For example, you can run promotions such as the following:
- Free shipping for VIP members only
- Discounts based on membership rank
- Volume discounts
- Discounts when a specific product is included
- Discounts for customers with 10 or more past purchases
- First-come, first-served discounts (20% off for the first 10 customers)
- Gift distribution for members only
- Sample distribution when a specific product is purchased
- Distributing summer samples during a spring-only campaign
- Novelty distribution for orders of ¥10,000 or more
and more.
Since the app was developed by a Japanese company, it offers extensive Japanese-language support, so those who aren't confident in English can use it with peace of mind.
The blog article below introduces a method for distributing novelties using RuffRuff Order Bonus. Please use it as a reference.
Conclusion
"Buy X Get Y" is an effective promotional technique that makes use of Shopify's discount feature. By using this technique, you can give customers a sense of added value while promoting sales of a specific product, clearing inventory, or raising awareness of a new product.
Using Shopify's native discount feature, you can set this up easily at no extra cost. However, keep in mind that the gift product must be added to the cart manually, and there is no automatic-add function. If you want to implement more complex conditions or automatic-add functionality, consider introducing a Shopify app.
Also, when setting up a discount, you can make fine adjustments such as setting a "maximum number of uses per order" to prevent the gift from being applied multiple times each time the condition is met. After setup, always test the discount to confirm it is applied as intended.
Make use of Shopify's discount feature and apps to improve the customer experience while boosting sales and streamlining inventory management.
Finally, the blog article below introduces representative discount strategies you can implement on Shopify. Find the strategy that's the best fit for your store and take the first step toward increasing your sales.
