How to create a Shopify Buy X get Y promotion in 2025?

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According to Capital One Shopping Research, 91% of American shoppers check for discounts or promotions before making a purchase. This highlights a crucial aspect of promotional strategy for online business success.

Among diverse promotional tactics, “Buy X Get Y” promotion remains the most used approach for Shopify e-commerce merchants to enhance their customer experiences and increase average order value. 

But how can you set up a “Buy X get Y” promotion on Shopify to maximize sales for your store in 2025? In this article, we will uncover everything you need to know.

1. What is Shopify Buy X Get Y?

“Buy X get Y” promotion allows customers to receive an extra item (Y) as a gift when they purchase a specific product (X). This tactic enables merchants to encourage their customers to spend more, leading to a higher average order value and improved sales performance. 

Here are 7 common types of “Buy X Get Y” promotions Shopify merchants use:

• Buy X Get Y For Free – The most straightforward approach where customers purchase a set number of items and receive additional items at no cost.
  For example, “Buy 3 shirts, get 1 free.”
• Buy X Get Y at a Discounted Price – Similar to the free version, but the bonus item comes at a reduced price rather than being free.
  For instance, “Buy 2 pairs of jeans, get the third pair at 50% off.”
• Buy One Get One – The classic BOGO deal, where customers buy one product and get an identical product free or at a discount. This works well for consumable products or items people use regularly.
• Buy a Bundle to Get Y – Customers purchase a product bundle or collection of products to receive a complementary item.
  For example, “Buy our skincare bundle and get a free facial cleansing brush.”
• Spend X Amount to Get Y – This promotion is based on the total order value rather than product quantity. For instance, “Spend $100 and get a free tote bag” or “Spend $50 and get free shipping.”
• Multiplied Buy X Get Y – These promotions scale with purchase volume. For example, “Buy 2 get 1 free, buy 4 get 2 free, buy 6 get 3 free” – encouraging even larger purchases.
• Tiered Buy X Get Y – Offers different rewards at different purchase levels, giving customers an incentive to spend more.
  For example, “Buy 2 items, get 10% off; buy 3 items, get 15% off; buy 4+ items, get 20% off.”

3. 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?

Increase Average Order Value (AOV)

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.

Clear Slow-Moving Inventory

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.

Promote 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.

3. How To Create Shopify Buy X Get Y?

Shopify merchants have two primary methods to implement Buy X Get Y offers: using Shopify’s native discount feature or installing third-party apps. Let’s explore each option to help you decide which is best for your store.

3.1 Create Buy X Get Y promotion with Shopify Native Discount

Shopify’s built-in discount feature is available to all merchants regardless of their plan level. This internal tool allows you to create various promotional offers without additional costs or installations, including “Buy X Get Y” promotion.

Pros

• No additional cost beyond your Shopify subscription.
• Simple setup process within your admin dashboard.
• Seamlessly integrate with any Shopify theme.

Cons

• Limited functionality compared to specialized apps.
• The biggest downfall: Y products (free or discounted items) are not automatically added to the cart. Customers must manually add both the qualifying products (X) and the reward products (Y).

This limitation means customers might miss out on their rewards if they don’t understand they need to add the free product to their cart. To fix this problem with “Buy X Get Y” promotions, merchants often turn to third-party promotion apps that can automate the process.

There are alternative ways merchants can automatically add free gifts to carts on Shopify, which I’ll explain in this article: How to automatically add free gift to cart on Shopify?.

Who is this Best For? Merchants with simple promotion needs, stores on a budget, or businesses testing promotional strategies before investing in more robust solutions.

Step-by-step guide on how to create “Buy X Get Y” promotions with Shopify Native Discount:

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.

3.2 Create Buy X Get Y promotion with Shopify app

If your online store requires complex functions to optimize customer experiences and drive more sales, leveraging Shopify “Buy X Get Y” apps becomes a go-to choice. These third-party apps offer a high level of customization, enabling merchants to tailor their Buy X Get Y promotions to specific needs. 

One such powerful Shopify Buy X Get Y app is BOGOS.io Free Gift & Bundles. This app stays ahead of the Shopify Buy X Get Y app by offering dynamic gifts to win customer satisfaction. DW Tool Shop, one of the largest suppliers for the local farming community in the UK and Ireland, has successfully driven more sales and profitability using BOGOS-powered Buy X Get Y promotions.

“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. As a result, we’ve been able to boost engagement and connect with more customers,”

Michael, DW Tool Shop eCommerce Manager.

BOGOS is designed to help merchants easily create and manage promotions, including advanced targeting, priority settings, and real-time analytics. The app offers a 7-day free trial so you can test all of it function.

To create “Buy X Get Y” promotion on Shopify using BOGOS Free Gift & Bundle, please watch this detailed tutorial video:

💡 You might want to read: 6 Best Buy X Get Y Shopify App in 2025

4. Troubleshooting “Buy X, Get Y” promotion not working on Shopify

Even with careful setup, merchants sometimes find their Buy X Get Y promotions aren’t functioning as expected on your Shopify store.

Here are some of the problem you might interfere why creating “Buy X Get Y” promotions:

• Incorrect discount configuration: Many merchants misconfigured or forgot to fill in one to several steps during the promotion setup
• Product eligibility issues: Selecting the wrong products to be eligible for a buy X get Y discount occurs quite frequently
• Conflict with other discounts: This is one of the most common reasons why the Shopify buy X get Y offer is not working. Shopify may prioritize one promotion over another, resulting in them overlapping or canceling each other. 
• Theme compatibility issues: Although Shopify offers a wide range of themes for online stores, many merchants choose custom options. However, your promotion may not be compatible with such themes, which could cause the discount to not work
• Checkout script errors: Although it is less common for Shopify buy X get Y to not work, your checkout script might be a potential problem. Several script errors are related to syntax or logic; sometimes, they conflict with other scripts or discounts
• Inventory synchronization issues: A rule is that your Shopify buy X get Y offer must sync in real-time with your inventory. If they happen to mismatch, there will not be enough goods for your sales campaigns

>>> If you’re experiencing these issues, turn to our insightful article on Shopify buy X get Y not working for a straightforward and useful guide with practical solutions.

5. How To Use Buy X Get Y Effectively To Boost Sales?

Here are some of our advices to maximize the effectiveness of “Buy X Get Y” promotion for your Shopify Store:

Make the offer clear 

Shopify Buy X Get Y offers should include easy-to-understand terms and conditions. These offers must convey straightforward messages and be displayed prominently across key areas of the store using banners or pop-ups. 

Group complementary products together

The best way to incentivize customers is to choose complementary products for each buy X get Y deal. For example, 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 it pairs best-selling items with ones that are less likely to be purchased independently. Plus, you can also take advantage of this type of promotion to clear out inventory. 

Set a purchase threshold for X

Example of buy X get Y with a 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, which in turn raise your AOV.

Discount strategy for Y

The truth is that you don’t always need to offer the Y product for free if you prioritize scaling your profit. 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.

Combine with other discounts

Another tip is to combine the Shopify’ buy X get Y’ automatic discount with offers like a sitewide percentage discount or free shipping to make them more attractive to customers. Additionally, merchants can try bundling their goods to create a “buy X, get Y” offer. An offer like “Buy 3 items from this bundle, get 1 free.” will motivate customers to purchase complementary goods together, enabling product bundling and cross-selling opportunities.

Set limits and expiration dates

In some cases, creating limited-time promotions can encourage customers to complete their purchase processes more quickly. If shoppers see an offer that is valid for a limited period, they will likely place an order to take advantage of it, driving more conversions.

6. 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 appropriately initiated, 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!

6. FAQ