Boost Sales with Buy X Get Y Shopify Promotion – Step-by-Step Guide

In this article, we will show you how to create a “Buy X get Y Shopify” promotion. This popular promotion can boost your eCommerce sales and encourage customers to purchase higher-stock or slow-turnover products. Typically, these promotions are applied to products that are often bought together or are complementary, but you can tailor them to fit your specific sales strategy.

1. What Is “Buy X Get Y Shopify” Promotion?

Buy X get Y Shopify is a type of Shopify free gift with purchase in which customers receive a discount when they make a purchase on a specific product. There are some common methods to receive this offer on Shopify:

• Automatic discount: The system automatically adds product Y when X is purchased for eligible buyers to the cart.
• Discount code: Customers enter a customized code at checkout to earn free incentives or discounts.
• Gift slider: The system offers a list of 3-4 gift items and lets buyers select one or a few for free.

Such a deal looks like “buy 3 T-shirts and get a pant for 15% off”, which is a great approach to customize promotions.

Merchants can easily set up this feature from within their store settings. You can also choose a third-party app on the Shopify App Store to help streamline the process.

Then, advertise this offer to your audience and encourage them to take advantage of the deal. Eventually, this strategy will increase your store’s average order value and quantity.

2. Common types of Buy X Get Y promotions on Shopify

Buy X Get Y For Free Shopify

When customers buy one item, they receive another product for free (e.g.: buy 1 get 1, buy 2 get 1, … ).

This offer encourages buyers to purchase more to take advantage of the free products. It is usually assisted by the auto add-to-cart feature.

Read more: How to set up Shopify Buy 2 get 1 free automatic discount?

Buy X Get Y Automatic Discount Shopify

Customers enjoy a discount when buying a specific quantity of products (X) and receiving another (Y) at a discounted price. They can choose whether to obtain this offer.

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?

3.1. 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.

3.2. 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.

3.3. 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.

4. Setting Up “Buy X, Get Y” Promotion on Shopify With And Without The App

Shopify provides brand owners integrated tools to set up the buy X get Y promotion. You can also create this offer using an external Shopify discount app.

Here is how to do it with both methods.

4.1. How to set up Buy X Get Y promotion using Shopify discount feature.

Step 1: Login to your Shopify store account > Access the Control Panel > Click the Discounts section in the left-hand menu.

Step 2: Click Create discount > Choose the type of discount you want to apply: Buy X get Y.

Next, set the discount method. Select between discount code or automatic discount.

If you choose “discount code,” fill in the blank space with your personalized code, which should be less than 225 characters. You can also type any text in and hit “Generate” to create a random one.

The customer must apply this code for the discount to appear on the screen.

On the other hand, the “automatic discount” method automatically applies a discount to customers’ carts once the gift is in their cart. The problem with Shopify’s “automatic discount” built-in feature is that the gift will not be automatically added to the customer’s cart even though the condition has been met.

Step 3: The discount rule configures how much or what your customers must buy for this deal.

To obtain the benefit, they must qualify for the minimum purchase amount or buy a minimum number of items, such as buying a number of products or spending a specific amount of money.

After choosing the condition to apply this discount, decide on the benefit.

For example, if you buy at least $100 in products from the Home Garden collection, you receive a 25% discount on any goods from the Accessories collection.

Step 4: The next step is to select customer eligibility from three options: All customers, Specific customer segments, or Specific customers.

Step 5: Choose the maximum discount uses (or not).

For example, limit 100 uses if you want to provide discounts for the first 100 orders.

Step 6: Set the discount duration before saving and completing the setup.

4.2. Why you should use an app to create a Shopify promotion

As you can see, the Shopify platform allows merchants to set up the offer manually. However, third-party apps offer a few advantages that can leverage your marketing efforts with buy X get Y Shopify campaign.

Take these benefits into account:

Save time and increase efficiency

A third-party app automates the process of creating and managing promotions. It saves you precious time and reduces manual work.

Furthermore, many software applications have pre-made templates to help you set up discount deals faster and more easily.

Multi-channel integrations

Since this app is built to support Shopify merchants, it integrates seamlessly with your store. Thus, all of your promotional aspects, such as emails, banners, and discounts, will function smoothly together.

Not to mention the multi-channel support. You can easily market these offers across many channels: email, social media, and SMS – all from one dashboard. 

Built-in advanced features

These apps offer a high level of customization. Third party app often has advanced customization options, allowing users to tailor deals to specific customer segments.

Additionally, it consists of integrated analytics tools to gain insights into your marketing performance. As a result, it helps you refine future buy X get Y Shopify promotion campaigns.

Dedicated support and quick updates

Most apps provide dedicated customer support to help troubleshoot your problems and respond to your inquiries. It can be in various forms, including live chat, email, FAQs, and relevant documentation.

Also, with the regular system updates for new features and improvements, you needn’t worry about falling behind competitors.

4.3. Recommended Shopify app to set up Buy X Get Y Promotion

BOGOS.io: FREE Gift & Buy X Get Y

If you own a high-performing Shopify shop with considerable sales revenue, you need a premium discount app to leverage the brand.

BOGOS.io should be your go-to choice Shopify buy X get Y app for crafting sales-boosting promotions.

The best part about BOGOS is how the app lets merchants decide on the promotion rules. You can set it up to set minimum purchase requirements, specify eligible products, and define the promotion duration.

Moreover, it works with different offers, including Buy X Get Y Shopify promotions. The software handles smoothly whether it is a subscription product or running gift deals alongside Shopify discounts.

Some of its advanced functions include:

• Create and run multiple offers simultaneously: buy one, get one; tiered value offers, gift with purchase, buy x get y…
• Generate special discount link offers for email campaigns to boost conversion.
• Reward unique gifts for specific customer segments to gain better retention and satisfaction.

Shopify rating: 4.9/5

Customer support: Documentation, FAQs, live chat, email, video call

Pricing: $23.99 – $79.99 per month

7 days free trial

Qikify Cart Upsell & Free Gift

The Qikify app works best for owners of Shopify SME (small to medium enterprises). It provides streamlined solutions to support your eCommerce journey and has everything an industry beginner needs.

The user-friendly interface enables ease of use and enhanced user experience. Its quick view and sticky add-to-cart elements improve navigation, creating an enjoyable shopping experience.

Plus, you can activate announcement bars and banners to notify customers of promotional and free shipping deals. They will notice these offers in time and take advantage of them.

The built-in contact form builder effectively collects prospective leads. This feature boosts conversion rates, turning these leads into buying customers.

The good news is that this Shopify discount app has a mobile design, ensuring consistent user experience across multiple platforms.

Shopify rating: 4.9/5

Customer support: Documentation, FAQs, and direct chat

Pricing: $6.99 – $69.99 per month

A free plan is available

5. Common Challenges and Solutions

Buy X get Y Shopify is beneficial for business owners and a bargain for buyers. However, every sales tactic has downsides, which you need to know before utilizing it.

Consider the following problems you might encounter with this method.

5.1. Difficulties in setting up

Despite having detailed instructions and automated support, setting up buy X get Y Shopify promotions can still be challenging for some.

This happens more often if your shop has a wide range of products. It is tough to configure which product is for “X” and “Y,” especially with multiple categories. 

See if you have ever been in these situations during setup:

• Limited native support and customization from Shopify.
• Fail to manage real-time inventory levels.
• Conflict in stacking multiple discount conditions.

Try some of our advice to handle them smoothly:

• Use external software specifically built for complex promotions, like BOGOS or Qikify.
• Sync inventory levels with another app or set purchase limits on promotional goods.
• Set promotion priorities to determine the application order of discounts or make some of them exclusive.

5.2. Popular technical issues

You may also run into several technical problems with the system during your campaign.

Many merchants have to deal with system errors as below:

• Discounts are not applied consistently or correctly.
• Miscalculation of cart value at checkout.
• Slow page performance that affects user experience.

Follow these steps to address and solve unwanted operational defects:

• Make sure your Shopify theme and third-party apps are up-to-date and compatible.
• Test the discount logic before going live, ensuring discount rules are accurately configured.
• Minimize using heavy scripts on the site and regularly test its responsiveness.

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

5.3 Shortage in product stock

As much as buy X get Y free Shopify helps with inventory optimization, you should also consider its drawbacks. The stock might sometimes be insufficient since you are giving away free products for these purchases.

Check out these common mistakes in poor inventory management:

• Fail to forecast demand, especially during seasonal promotions.
• Supplier and warehouse issues, such as delays in order fulfillment.
• Fail to plan promotions for adequate stock.

Here are your solutions to avoid misestimating stock requirements:

• Plan inventory ahead using historical sales data and consider bulk ordering during promotions.
• Adjust the deal by offering alternative choices or providing future discounts.
• Enable real-time inventory tracking with timely updates and alerts.
• Communicate with customers by displaying stock levels on product pages or via email.

6. Tips To Optimize Your Campaign

Now that you know how to create a buy X get Y Shopify promotion let’s learn some tips for optimizing it for the best results.

6.1. Product selection

Ensuring stock availability is one thing. Merchants must also focus on selecting the right products for effective promotion.

Consider some of these options:

• Complementary products that naturally complement each other or are usually bought together to encourage customers to buy both items.
• Popular, high-margin items to make the promotion more interesting.
• New or featured products to create excitement for buyers to try out the latest stuff in your shop.
• Slow-moving inventory that has been in the warehouse for a while to free up space for new goods.
• Exclusive or limited editions to generate the feeling of exclusivity and urgency.
• Bundle packs that are custom for the promotion to bring value-driven deals.

6.2. Create time-limited deals

A buy X get Y Shopify campaign must convey a sense of urgency. When your audience learns about a time-limited deal, they will likely take action before it expires.

You should set a duration for the promotion with clear start and end dates. Make sure that the offer is highly visible on your website.

Highlight the importance of acting fast since the product stock is limited. For instance, “First 30 customers only” or “Limited products available – Shop now!”.

Also, you can try to incentivize loyal buyers and subscribers with exclusive deals or early access. They get to enjoy the promotion before it goes live to the general audience.

This makes the promotion seem more exclusive and motivates repeat purchases.

6.3. Optimize on-site visibility

The campaign will hardly succeed if merchants fail to boost its presence on their website. After all, what is the meaning of buy X get Y Shopify without distributing it to as many viewers as possible?

Create constant reminders for website visitors of your promotion. There are 2 popular marketing practices to improve its visibility:

• Use countdown timers: Incorporate a timer on your website to highlight the remaining time left. Place it prominently on your homepage, product pages, and cart page.
• Displayed time-limited messages: Use pop-ups, announcement bars, and banners across your site. Include intriguing messages encouraging immediate action, such as “Sale ends soon” or “Limited time offer”.

For example, the BOGOS Shopify Free gift app runs a “today offer widget” that displays your ongoing deals across all pages. That way, customers will be enticed to grab the most attractive bargain.

6.4 Performance tracking and monitoring

Last but not least, you should always monitor the performance of the buy X get Y Shopify discount offer.

Tracking how it performs helps you gauge your promotion effectiveness and make timely adjustments to improve your campaign.

These metrics are essential in Shopify performance tracking:

• Click-through rate (CTR): This shows your media’s effectiveness in compelling visitors to grab the deal.
• Conversion rate: Measures the percentage of audiences taking the desired action after interacting with your offer.
• Sales revenue: Counts the number of sales generated from the promotion.
• Organic and paid traffic: Counts the number of organic and paid traffic generated from multiple channels during the campaign.
• Return on investment (ROI): Quantifies how a marketing campaign profits by comparing your gains and costs while running it.

Shopify offers integrated analytics tools, but you can consider more premium features from third-party software.

7. Conclusion

Offering potential customers an attractive deal is the fastest way to capture their attention. Buy X get Y Shopify promotion is your secret weapon to win their hearts and increase sales revenue at the same time.

Besides utilizing Shopify’s built-in tools, you can try a third-party app with advanced features to leverage your efforts. All you need to do is select a platform that caters to your business requirements. 

Let such software automate the operation process and streamline your workflow. Soon, you will see more quality traffic and sales generated by smart, customized functions.

8. FAQ