Marketing Manager
Over the past few years, I’ve seen Buy X Get Y turn from a nice-to-have promo into a core growth lever for serious Shopify brands. But not all BXGYs are created equal.
As CMO of BOGOS, I’ve worked behind the scenes on hundreds of these campaigns, and I’ve picked up what works and what doesn’t. This blog post will cover the essentials: how BXGY works, what formats drive results, and how to set it up correctly from day one to one day. Let’s see what I bring to you!
A Buy X Get Y promotion (or BXGY for short) is a type of deal where a customer gets something extra (the Y) after buying something specific (the X).
“X” is the condition the customer needs to meet. You can define it based on:
“Y” is the reward the customer receives. This is just as flexible and should feel valuable, but still work within your margins. Common Y formats include:
There are two main formats you’ll see most often: quantity-based and spend-based. Here’s how they work:
| Type | How It Works | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Quantity-Based | The customer earns a reward after buying a specific number of items. Works well for products typically bought in multiples. | – Buy 2, Get 1 Free – Buy 3, Get 50% Off the 4th – Buy 4, Get the cheapest one free |
| Spend-Based | The customer unlocks the reward by reaching a minimum spend. Great for raising average order value. | – Spend $60, Get a Free Gift – Spend $100, Get 20% Off One Item |
Over the years, I’ve worked with hundreds of Shopify merchants trying to make sense of promotions – how to run them, when to launch them, how to avoid confusing the customer. And if there’s one strategy I keep coming back to, it’s Buy X Get Y.
It’s not because it’s trendy or flashy. It’s because it works, especially when it’s done with intention.
Take DW Tool Shop, a family-run business that supplies tools to farming communities in the UK and Ireland, as an example. When they first started using BOGOS, they didn’t go overboard. Their team just wanted a promotion that was clean, simple, and easy for customers to redeem, especially during peak sales events like Black Friday.
Their approach is to offer two free Kress batteries with every Kress Tool Kit. No codes, no clicking around. The gift was added to the cart automatically once the customer qualified.
The result was surprising. The DW Tool Shop team saw a clear lift in conversions and smoother checkout experiences. As Michael, their eCommerce Manager, put it:
BOGOS has helped us drive more sales and profitability by using features like free gift promotions to attract customers to our online store and encourage them to complete their purchases.
Michael – DW Tool Shop eCommerce Manager
They also noticed something interesting: the more they leaned into this simple BXGY format, the more momentum they built. Repeat campaigns were easier to launch thanks to templates, and the automation freed up their team to focus on bigger-picture strategy.
Buy X Get Y (BXGY) promotions come in many shapes, and the best format depends on your products, goals, and customers. Below are five tried-and-true structures we often see merchants use successfully on Shopify.
This is the classic version of BXGY and still one of the most effective. It works best when you want to increase units per order without overcomplicating the offer. You’re essentially giving shoppers a reason to add more, especially when the free item is perceived as valuable.
A typical example is: Buy 2 T-shirts, Get 1 Free.
This strategy is great when you want to drive more sales but still protect your margins. It also works well for slightly higher-ticket items. An example is: Buy a pair of sneakers, get the second one at 30% off.
This Buy X Get Y promotion lets customers unlock a specific product for a fixed price once they buy something else, usually from a certain category. It’s great when you want to spotlight a new item or clear targeted inventory without heavily discounting it. For example, “Buy any top, get this cardigan for $10” feels like a reward and still preserves perceived value.
This structure encourages bigger carts by offering more rewards at higher spending or quantity thresholds. It’s effective for upselling and perfect for gift seasons or sales events. For example: Spend $50, Get 1 Gift – Spend $100, Get 2.
This Buy X Get Y version targets offers based on customer groups, like first-time buyers, VIPs, or newsletter subscribers. It’s great for building loyalty or incentivizing return visits. For instance: Buy any skincare set, get a travel-size free — only for email subscribers.
👉 If you own a Shopify store, Buy X Get Y can be a smart move to boost your store’s performance. In this guide, we will break down everything you need to know about how to implement the BXGY promotion for your Shopify store: How to Create a “Buy X Get Y” promotion on Shopify in 2025?
After working with over 50,000 Shopify merchants — from scrappy startups to global brands — I’ve seen Buy X Get Y campaigns do both incredible things and completely fall flat.
That’s why I started mapping out a simple, proven process that helps merchants get it right the first time. You can follow it step by step, and if it feels right for your business, make it your playbook.
Before thinking about discounts or gifts, step back and ask yourself what success looks like. Are you trying to clear seasonal stock? Push higher-margin items? Encourage multi-unit purchases? I’ve seen merchants struggle simply because their BXGY offer didn’t serve a real goal. The clearer your objective, the easier the rest becomes.
Every gift should serve a purpose; otherwise, you’re just handing out free stuff.
A mistake I see often: merchants give something random and off-brand, thinking the offer alone will excite people. It rarely does. The gift must be a natural part of customers’ purchases.
Your offer should be easy for the customer to understand, but strategically set up to protect your business.
One merchant we worked with created a BXGY that was too generous — Buy 1, Get 3 — and didn’t set product limits. They lost nearly $6,000 in margin before adjusting the conditions. Now they use a tiered setup with controls.
You’ve got several options here, each with trade-offs.
We’ve seen brands switch from native discounts to BOGOS.io and see a 20–30% lift in redemption rates, just from better visibility and cleaner logic.
Here’s where most BXGY campaigns fail. If customers don’t see the offer or understand it fast, they’ll miss it.
BXGY is not a “set it and forget it” type of promo. It’s a living campaign that needs tuning.
One thing I always remind merchants: BXGY works best when it’s data-backed and shaped by feedback. The merchants who consider it like a sales funnel, not a static discount, tend to see long-term success.
Best practices will make your campaign stronger and last longer. A good one should feel timely, exciting, and worth acting on. Below are some key strategies I’ve seen top-performing brands use to get real results.
If customers don’t recognize the gift as something valuable, they’ll ignore the offer entirely. That’s why you should present it with the same care and attention you’d give to a new product launch. Here are practices:
Scarcity triggers action. If customers think the gift will always be there, they’ll put off buying, or never bother at all. That’s why you should:
Recommended tools: Use Countdown Timer Bars: Essential or GA for urgency widgets. Shopify Flow (Plus only) can auto-expire discounts after stock runs low.
A firm offer needs to reach. If you only mention it on your homepage, you’re missing 80% of potential conversions. So you can:
Pro tip: Add UTM tags to your BXGY links so you can track which channels actually drive redemptions. Shopify Analytics or Triple Whale can help with this.
Most people don’t check out the first time, even if they’re tempted. That’s where your reminder flow matters.
Recommended tools: Klaviyo, Omnisend, or Postscript (for SMS) all support abandoned flows with personalized gift messaging.
I hope this post gave you a clear path to launching a successful Buy X Get Y campaign on Shopify. If you’re serious about increasing AOV and turning browsers into buyers, don’t waste time wrestling with limited discount tools. Install the BOGOS app and build your first high-converting offer today. The setup takes minutes, but the impact can last for months.
Traditional discount codes usually offer a percentage or fixed-price reduction. Buy X Get Y deals, on the other hand, reward specific behaviors, like buying a particular product or spending a certain amount, with a bonus item. They’re more engaging and often increase cart size more effectively than flat discounts.
– Use a sticky bar or cart popup on your site
– Highlight the offer on product pages and in cart drawers
– Send targeted emails or SMS
– Consider using urgency tools like countdown bars or progress meters
– Relevant to the item being purchased
– Perceived as valuable (but still cost-effective)
– Exclusive or limited (to drive urgency)
Examples include full-size products, travel versions, seasonal accessories, or bestsellers you want to push further.
– Redemption rate (how often the offer was triggered)
– Average order value (before vs after the promo)
– Attach rate (how many customers go on to buy the gift product later)
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