How to create a Shopify Buy X get Y promotion? [2024] A step by step guide

Shopify buy X get Y is a popular type of promotion many ecommerce merchants use to incentivize their customers. This discount can be created using 2 different methods, including Shopify’s native functionality and third-party discount apps. 

In this article, we explain in detail why this offer matters for increasing sales and its mechanism in different contexts. From there, you can experiment with diverse strategies to see which approach works best for your promotional requirements.

Dive in right now to learn how you can grow your store with this type of discount!

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1. What is Shopify Buy X Get Y?

The Buy X, get Y promotion on Shopify stores is a discount strategy that allows buyers who purchase a qualified product (X) to receive an extra item as a gift (Y). There are 2 basic types of Shopify buy X get Y for new merchants to experiment with:

• Buy X, get Y for free:

When customers buy a specified product (X), they receive another item (Y) for free. This works to clear out slow-moving stock or encourage buyers to purchase specific goods.

Example: Buy 2 T-shirts and get 1 free.

• Buy X, get Y automatic discount:

Customers buy a specific product (X) and earn a discount (either in percentage or monetary value) on the second item (Y). They can choose whether to take advantage of this offer.

It attracts customers by offering a discounted price on complementary products.

Example: Buy a laptop and get 15% off a laptop bag.

Other less popular variations that require more advanced discount rules include:

• Buy a bundle to get Y:

Customers need to buy a pre-configured bundle of products (X) to trigger a special deal on another product (Y), with Y either free or heavily discounted. It promotes higher-order value by bundling multiple items together.

This is an advanced variation of Shopify buy X get Y that Shopify’s native discount cannot support.

Example: Buy a skincare set and get a free hand cream.

• Tiered buy X, get Y:

Customers receive better rewards based on their increasing cart value. As the value of X increases, so does the reward with Y. It entices higher spending through tiered offers.

Example: Buy 2 T-shirts and get 10% off your next purchase; buy 3 T-shirts and get 20% off.

2. How To Create Shopify Buy X Get Y?

Here are the step-by-step guides to help you create and activate Shopify buy X get Y promotions using 2 approaches.

2.1 Create Buy X Get Y promotion with Shopify Native Discount

Shopify Discount is a highly functional internal system that enables store owners to create and monitor their promotional campaigns. However, its most significant disadvantage is that it does not support adding the second item to carts automatically when buyers are qualified.

Thus, if you configure a Shopify discount on the second item with this approach, customers must manually add the second item to their cart.

Step 1: Visit your Shopify admin dashboard > Click Create discount and choose Buy X, get Y.

Step 2:

Select the automatic discount method and name this offer to display in-cart and at checkout.

Regarding Customer buys, decide whether customers need to meet a minimum quantity of items (number) or purchase amount (monetary value) (product X).

Step 3:

Customer gets consist of the conditions for product Y. You can choose between 3 discounted values, including percentage, amount off each, and free.

The maximum number of uses per order restricts the times this discount is applied to each purchase.Other than being available on all sales channels, this Shopify buy X get Y discount can be offered on Point of Sale.

Step 4:

Configure your promotion to combine with other active discounts: product, order, or shipping discounts.

Then, set its active dates, including the start and end times for pre-scheduling. Click Save for later use or Publish to activate the offer instantly.

2.1 Create Buy X Get Y promotion with Shopify app

The best solution to replace Shopify’s native discount regarding its automatic add-to-cart problem is using third-party software.

BOGOS is a widely trusted app that creates Shopify buy X get Y automatic discounts and gift with purchase offers. It is designed to help merchants set up enticing promotions that increase their store revenue and enhance customer experience.

If you are not yet satisfied with Shopify’s native functionalities, BOGOS is the ideal choice for generating, combining, and managing automatic promotions. The platform allows you to set up complex discount rules for more powerful campaigns.

3. How To Create Shopify Buy X Get Y Free For Specific Groups of Customers

Although merchants can set up Shopify buy X get Y promotions using both Shopify’s built-in settings and third-party apps like BOGOS, this platform has certain drawbacks.

For instance, you cannot use Shopify’s internal features to segment shoppers into more specific groups and restrict the deal to a limited number of buyers. While external discount software simplifies and automates this process by targeting shoppers based on their total spending or total order.

In Step 3 of creating the offer with BOGOS, you can see the sub-conditions, including:

• Specific link address: Customers get a gift when they access via special links.
• Customers’ order history: Customers have to meet the order history requirements.
• Customer tags: Customers get equivalent gifts with their tags.
• Customer location: Customers can only receive gifts if they are from specific countries.
• Subscription products: Condition with subscription products.
• Mobile app channel: Condition for customers purchasing from the mobile app channel.

As a result, only these assigned customer segments can view and obtain the promotion. This helps store owners target their audience and personalize the discounts better, increasing their interest and likelihood of making a purchase.

4. How To Combine Shopify Buy X Get Y Discount With Other Discounts

What if you want to combine the Shopify buy X get Y free or automatic discount with other promotions in your store?

First, take a look at how these combinations can benefit your online business.

• Increase sales volume: Having multiple incentives can motivate customers to buy more products to be eligible for the deal and the extra discounts.
• Higher conversion rate: Combining discounts can reduce the cart abandonment rate since it boosts the perceived value, encouraging customers to complete their purchases.
• Enhance perceived value: When customers feel like they are getting better deals than usual, they tend to spread the word or share their great experience with the brand.
• Opportunities for bundling, cross-selling: A Shopify buy X get Y offer alone is already beneficial for bundling products. But when combined with a percentage or flat discount, the bulk offer becomes even more appealing.

Here are 3 main discount options that you can combine your current offer with:

• Product discount: A discount applied to individual products or collections of products, ideal for promoting specific goods or collections in your stores.

Examples: $15 off a specific product.

• Order discount: A discount applied to the total purchase value, regardless of the products.

Examples: 10% off the entire order.

• Shipping discount: A discount is applied to the shipping cost of the order.

Examples: Free shipping for orders over $50 or 50% off delivery costs.

The following table suggests a few examples of possible discount combinations supported by Shopify.

Combination scenario	Supported combination	Example discount	Description
Product discount(s) + Order discount	Yes	20offPants + 10offShirts + Welcome10	Product discounts apply before the subtotal is calculated, and then the order discounts apply to the subtotal.
Product discount + Product discount (applied to different products)	Yes	20offPants + 10offShirts	20offPants and 10offShirts offer discounts to different items in the same cart.
Order discount + Order discount	Yes	Welcome10 + Spend200Get5off	20offPants and 10offShirts offer discounts on different items in the same cart.
Product discount(s) + Free shipping discount	Yes	20offPants + 10offShirts + FreeShip	Product discounts and shipping discounts can apply to the same order.
Order discount + Shipping discount	Yes	Welcome10 + FreeShip	Order discounts and shipping discounts can apply to the same order.
Product discount + Product discount (applied to same products)	No	20offPants + 30offPants	When multiple product discounts apply to the same line item, only the best discount is applied.
Shipping discount + Shipping discount	No	5offShipping + 10offShipping	Multiple shipping discounts can’t apply to the same order.

Nonetheless, there are certain limitations when combining many discounts using Shopify’s default settings, such as:

• Only one discount is applied to the same line item

If you combine multiple automatic discounts on Shopify for one product, the system only applies the largest discount when that item is triggered. Shopify does not support setting up priority levels for your promotions.

• A maximum of 25 automatic and discount codes are activated at a time

There is no limit to the promotion quantity you can create on Shopify, but the maximum number of active discounts allowed at one time is 25.

• Discounts conflict with Shopify buy X get Y offer

Products that are part of a Buy X, get Y offer do not qualify for more product discounts.

If the customer uses a discount code that applies to items in such a discount, then this offer is removed, and Shopify only accepts the entered discount code.

In this situation, a fail-proof solution is to combine your product or order discount powered by Shopify with the free gift with a purchase offer by BOGOS. That way, you can easily stack promotions and provide customers with the best shopping value.

Read more: Shopify Buy X Get Y Not Working? Troubleshooting tips

5. Benefits of “Buy X Get Y” Promotion for Shopify Stores

So, what are the benefits behind buy X get Y Shopify promotion that appeals to many merchants?

5.1. Drive more traffic with higher order value

Buy X get Y promotion effectively motivates people to buy more to qualify for the discounted or free item.

To activate the promotion, their cart must meet specific criteria, such as total price or product number. As buyers spend more to meet the threshold, the average order value and overall sales volume increase.

Plus, this is a powerful marketing material. It helps attract new customers to your Shopify store, increasing traffic.

5.2. Optimize store’s inventory management

Face it – not all available products in your store will sell easily.

The buy X get Y discount Shopify helps clear out your excess inventory more quickly. You would be glad to sell away seasonal goods or items in their life cycle endings.

This is also a good chance to market specific products that might not have been selling well. When promoting this deal, you can highlight its features and benefits.

5.3. Launch new products

There is no better timing to launch new products than during a buy X get Y Shopify campaign.

The promotion brings more exposure to these items, ensuring that a broader audience is aware of them. Did you know that people are more inclined to try new things if they are free or discounted?

Thus, this type of incentivization can easily increase the initial sales volume of your new products.

6. Shopify Buy X Get Y Best Practices

Make the offer clear and attractive

The Shopify buy X get Y offer should have easy-to-understand terms and conditions. Make it simple for all website visitors to know the value they can get from your deals.

It should be communicated straightforwardly with your buyers to avoid confusion, which may cause them to abandon the cart. For example, ensure your promotion is clearly displayed to customers as “Buy 1, get 1 free” or “Buy 2, get 1 for 50% off.”

Then, display your discount prominently across the store. Create banners and pop-ups to highlight it, and place them on the homepage, product pages, and cart.

Group complementary products together

The best way to incentivize customers is to choose complementary products for this buy X, get Y promotion. If they purchase a camera (X), offer a relevant accessory like a backup lens (Y) at a discounted price.

This strategy is helpful for cross-selling, as you pair best-selling items with ones that are less likely to be bought independently. Customers will also appreciate the added value with a complementary Y.

Plus, you can take advantage of the deal for inventory optimization. Use it to move seasonal or overstocked products by offering them as Y to boost their sales.

Set a purchase threshold for X

You should configure a minimum purchase requirement for the X product. Try setting a high threshold for customer eligibility, such as “Buy 2, get 1 free” instead of “Buy 1, get 1 free.” By doing this, you encourage larger orders to raise your AOV.

However, remember to prevent buyers from using low-value products to qualify for higher-value free items. Thus, you should set discount rules like a minimum purchase value or specific products/collections for X.

Discount strategy for Y

The truth is you needn’t always offer the Y product for free if you want to scale your profit first. Consider applying a fixed or percentage discount to these goods, such as “Buy 2 T-shirts, get the third for 50% off.”
This strategy ensures your promotions do not severely impact your profit margins, especially if you use the campaign to upsell higher-value items.

Combine with other discounts

As mentioned above, you can combine the Shopify buy X get Y automatic discount with offers like a sitewide percentage discount or free shipping to enhance their appeal.

Combine discounts created by Shopify’s native functionality and a third-party app like BOGOS to activate this feature.

Another tactic is to bundle your goods to create a buy X, get Y offer, e.g., “Buy 3 items from this bundle, get 1 free.” It motivates customers to purchase complementary goods together, enabling product bundling and cross-selling opportunities.

Set limits and expiration dates

In some cases, you should create limited-time promotions to encourage customers to make quick purchase decisions. If shoppers see an offer being valid for a limited period, they will likely make an order to take advantage of the offer, driving more conversions.

An additional limit is to avoid discount abuse, such as offering the discount for a specific collection or limiting it to 1 use per customer.

7. Conclusion

That wraps up our detailed instructions on how to use Shopify buy X get Y discounts to grow your store more effectively. This type of promotion is one of the basic options available for Shopify stores, yet if initiated properly, it can yield significant results.

The best way to fully utilize its functionality is to combine Shopify’s native settings with a robust third-party app like BOGOS. This combination ensures brand owners can scale their business and branding while enhancing customer satisfaction.

So, what are you waiting for? Set up the offer for your campaign and let’s get to work!

8. FAQ