When it comes to acquiring new customers and boosting product awareness on Shopify, $0 products (sample products) are a highly effective tool. By offering a product for $0 as a sample, you let customers actually experience its quality and feel, which can boost purchase intent and help you gain repeat customers. On the other hand, you also need to be aware of the management considerations and risks unique to $0 products. This article explains how to register and use $0 products on Shopify, along with the points to watch out for.
What Is a $0 Product (Sample Product)?
A $0 product (sample product) is, as the name suggests, a product priced at $0. It's mainly used as a trial item or experience sample, with the benefit of letting customers check the quality and feel of a product before purchasing it.
Companies and shops are also paying attention to $0 products as a marketing tactic that can help acquire new customers and improve repeat-purchase rates.
How to Create One
Creating a $0 product on Shopify can be set up using almost the same steps as registering a regular product.
- From the Shopify admin, click "Products" and add a new product
- Enter the required details, such as the product name, description, and images
- Enter "0" for the price
- Configure inventory and shipping settings as usual, then click "Save" to finish
This publishes the item on your store as a "$0 product (sample product)."
Specifications
Due to Shopify's specifications, a $0 product can be ordered either on its own or together with other products.
When a customer purchases only a $0 product, no payment method is shown. (However, if shipping charges apply, a payment method will be shown.)
As a point of caution, since — as noted above — purchasing a $0 product on its own is possible in principle, an issue could arise where "only samples get ordered in bulk." To avoid this kind of risk, you need to control purchases of $0 products. The next section explains the specific methods for controlling purchases in detail.
How to Prevent a $0 Product (Sample Product) From Being Purchased on Its Own
If you don't want customers to be able to order a $0 product by itself (i.e., you want to require it to be purchased together with other products), you can easily block standalone purchases by using the purchase-restriction app "RuffRuff Order Limits."
The blog article below explains in detail how to use RuffRuff Order Limits to disable single-item purchases. Please use it as a reference.
How to Set a Quantity Limit on a $0 Product (Sample Product)
If you want to restrict "the quantity that can be ordered at one time" to prevent only the $0 product from being ordered in bulk, you can easily do this by using the purchase-restriction app "RuffRuff Order Limits."
The blog article below explains in detail how to use RuffRuff Order Limits to set quantity limits. Please use it as a reference.
How to Automatically Add a $0 Product (Sample Product) to the Cart
If you want to automatically add a $0 product to the cart when a specific condition is met (e.g., bundling a sample with every purchase over a certain amount), you can easily do this on Shopify by using a novelty/gift app.
The blog article below introduces several Shopify novelty apps. Please use it as a reference when choosing a novelty app.
Recommended Shopify Apps for Distributing $0 Products (Sample Products)
RuffRuff Order Bonus
RuffRuff Order Bonus is a Shopify app that can implement all kinds of perk campaigns (discounts and gift distribution) under any condition.
For example, it can run campaigns such as the following.
- Free shipping for VIP members only
- Discounts by membership tier
- Volume discounts
- Discounts when a specific product is included
- Discounts for customers with 10+ 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 trial samples during a spring-only campaign
- Novelty distribution for orders over ¥10,000
And more.
Since it's an app developed by a Japanese company, it offers robust Japanese-language support, so those who aren't comfortable with English can use it with peace of mind.
The blog article below introduces how to use RuffRuff Order Bonus to distribute novelties. Please use it as a reference.
In Conclusion
Offering $0 products on Shopify can be expected to help you reach new customer segments and boost satisfaction among existing customers. However, proper management is also essential — preventing bulk orders of the sample product alone, and only adding it to the cart under specific conditions. By using purchase-restriction apps and novelty apps, you can avoid these risks while running effective marketing tactics. Choose the approach that fits your own objectives and operating style, and be sure to consider making use of $0 products.
