How to Set Up Profitable Buy 1 Get 1 Free Shopify Offers 2025

Buy 1 Get 1 Free Shopify promotions are powerful conversion rate optimization tools for Shopify merchants looking to increase average order value and enhance the e-commerce shopping experience. This comprehensive guide provides step-by-step instructions for setting up effective Buy One Get One (BOGO) campaigns on your Shopify store, along with practical strategies to maximize performance throughout the customer journey.

Why is Buy 1 Get 1 Free effective?

Research shows BOGO promotional strategies can increase Average Order Value (AOV) by over 22% compared to standard percentage discounts. These promotions are effective for several key reasons within the sales funnel:

• Increased Average Order Value (AOV): Customers purchase more items per transaction.
• Inventory Management: Clear surplus and seasonal items.
• Perceived Value Boost: Enhance customer satisfaction with gifting strategies.
• Competitive Edge: Offers more compelling value than standard discounts.

Free gifts preserve product value perception and encourage larger purchases throughout the shopping experience. Fashion retailers, beauty brands, and consumer goods merchants typically see the strongest conversion results with this promotional model.

Ready to create your first BOGO deal to boost your e-commerce conversion rates? Let’s start with the implementation process.

How to Set Up Buy 1 Get 1 Free on Shopify

You have two primary implementation options for creating BOGO deals on your Shopify store. Choose the free native option if you’re just starting out with a simple approach, or opt for third-party apps if you require more advanced features and customer segmentation capabilities.

Option A – Using Shopify’s Discount Tool

Step 1: Log into Shopify Admin > Click Discounts in the left navigation menu.

Step 2: Click on the Create discount button on the top right screen > Select Buy X Get Y promotion.

Step 3: Set up Buy 1 Get 1 Free on Shopify

• Choose the Automatic discount for a seamless customer experience (No promo code required).
• Create a clear and descriptive campaign name for internal tracking purposes.

In Customer buys section,

• Set minimum quantity to 1.
• Choose specific products or collections to include.
• In Customer gets, set the quantity to 1 for any specific items or collections.

In the Customer gets section:

Set the quantity to 1 for any specific items or collections you want to offer as the free product.

Step 4: Set advanced conditions

• Set a discounted value of “free” or 100% for the percentage discount.
• Set usage limit to 1 per customer to prevent promotion abuse.
• Enable POS integration to synchronize in-store promotions (if applicable).
• Consider combining BOGO with product discounts or shipping incentives to test different promotional strategies.

Step 5: Activate the promotion

Schedule your campaign > Click Save discount.

While Shopify’s native discount tool works effectively for basic promotional campaigns, growing e-commerce stores often require more advanced features such as A/B testing, customer segmentation, and smart product recommendations to optimize conversion rates. Here’s how third-party Shopify apps can enhance your promotional strategy:

Option B – Setting Up Buy 1 Get 1 Free with Third-Party Apps

AOV Free Gift Buy X Get Y BOGO is perfect when you need more than Shopify’s basic BOGO features. The app helps you test different gift strategies (like cart value gifts or Buy 1 Get 1 offers) to see what increases sales. The free version includes everything beginners need, including advanced A/B testing and live support.

General app information

• Rating: 4.9/5 (459 reviews)
• Developer: AOV.ai (by Avada)
• Pricing: Free plan available, $19.99–$49.99/month
• Free plan: Yes

Best for:

• E-commerce stores with diverse product catalogs run multiple promotional campaigns.
• Non-English-speaking merchants or small teams needing an intuitive, multilingual setup (offered in higher-tier plans).
• Experienced merchants seeking advanced features like A/B testing, upsell flows, and sophisticated campaign logic.

Here’s how to create Buy One Get One promotions using this app:

Step 1: Create campaign

• In AOV Free Gift & BXGY dashboard > Click Create campaign.
• Choose Buy X Get Y campaign type, then Create.

Step 2: Set up Buy One Get One Free offer

Name your BOGO campaign clearly (e.g., “Buy One Get One Free”).

In Customer buys, set the purchase condition (X):

• Set the minimum quantity requirement to 1 unit.
• Specify which product(s) or collections to apply this promotional offer to.

In Customer gets, define the reward (Y):

Select which product(s) are a gift.

Pro tip: Turn on Buy X Get X if you want to offer the same gift as what the Customer buys. You can enable A/B tests to evaluate your offers in different conditions to see which one converts better.

Step 3: Set Additional Rules

• Select discount type as “free” for an actual BOGO experience.
• Consider combinations of product, order, and shipping discounts as needed for your strategy.
• Limit the total number of promotional uses to 1 per customer.

Pro tip: As an alternative approach, you can offer customers a “Buy 1, Get 50% off” deal instead of giving products away completely free. This “Buy 1, get 1 50% off” structure means customers can purchase the second item at half price, protecting your margins while still providing value.

Step 4: Select customer segment

• Specify customer segments to include or exclude from this promotional offer.
• For example, you might exclude customers who abandoned checkouts in the last 30 days, or target first-time visitors with special incentives.

Step 5: Save and Activate

Click Save at the top of the screen to implement your changes. Your BOGO offer is now live.

Step 6: Test the Offer

• Add qualifying items to your cart as a test.
• Verify that the discount appears correctly in the cart and checkout process.
• Check mobile responsiveness and display across different devices.

If you’re looking for the perfect app for your specific store needs, explore this curated list of the 10 best free gift apps on Shopify, based on pricing, features, pros, and cons.

Now let’s examine how to optimize your BOGO campaigns with smart rules and conditions to boost conversion rates and drive more sales throughout the customer journey.

4 Tips for Effective Buy 1 Get 1 Free Deals on Shopify

The difference between average and high-performing BOGO campaigns lies in strategic optimization. Here are four proven strategies that consistently boost results and drive higher conversion rates:

1. Choose the right gift

A wrong gift could negatively impact your customer experience, as shoppers may receive items they neither need nor want. Even when offering products at no cost, carefully consider what value each gift brings to your customers and ensure it remains relevant to their interests and purchase patterns.

A clothing retailer noticed they had excess summer t-shirt inventory as fall approached. Instead of discounts (which would reduce profit margins and potentially devalue the brand), they implemented a “Buy Any T-shirt, Get Another Free” promotion to clear seasonal stock while maintaining perceived product value.

2. Clear message

Ensure customers instantly understand your offer and how to redeem it throughout the shopping experience. Shoppers won’t act on promotions they don’t fully comprehend. Clear, simple messaging reduces confusion, improves user experience, and significantly increases conversion rates across all touchpoints.

A prominent pop-up banner stating “Buy One, Get One Free – Add any floral blouse to your cart, get the same style in a different color for free” clearly communicates the value proposition and motivates customers to engage with the promotion.

3. Optimal conditions

Setting strategic conditions, such as limits on usage or restrictions on gift quantities, helps protect profit margins and prevent potential abuse of your promotional offers while maintaining a positive shopping experience.

Configure your campaign so each customer can apply BOGO deals only once per order and select one gift from a curated list per session to prevent excessive usage while still providing value.

4. Create urgency & scarcity

Urgency triggers (e.g., “24 hours only”) and scarcity indicators (e.g., “limited stock”) motivate quicker purchasing decisions, reducing hesitation and increasing conversion rates throughout the sales funnel.

Add a countdown timer on product pages showing “Exclusive offer ends in 24 hours!” or implement inventory notifications like “Only 10 items left in stock – don’t miss out!” to create purchase motivation.

These strategic promotional approaches are essential for maximizing Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO) performance. Now let’s address the most common challenges you might encounter and how to resolve them efficiently.

5 Common Challenges for BOGO Campaigns and How to Fix Them

Shopify merchants often face several technical and strategic challenges when implementing buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) campaigns. Here’s a breakdown of the most common issues and their solutions:

1. App compatibility

Different apps may not always work well together, or they clash with your store’s theme. Before launching your BOGO offer, ensure that your chosen app integrates seamlessly with your store’s design and any upsell features.

Pro tip: Always test new promotional tools in a duplicate theme environment first. Look for apps that offer visual preview modes, such as AOV Free Gift & BXGY, so you can see exactly how the customer experience will appear before implementing changes in your live store.

2. Theme issues

Some BOGO apps come with basic widgets and display elements that may not align with your store’s visual branding. Quality third-party apps enable you to customize design elements, ensuring they integrate seamlessly with your brand identity and provide a cohesive shopping experience.

Pro tip: Select a third-party app that offers extensive customization options for colors, fonts, and placement of promotional elements to maintain brand consistency.

3. Profit margin concerns

Free gift offers can impact profitability if not strategically planned. Use Shopify’s native discount tool or advanced options in third-party apps to set percentage or fixed-amount discounts that protect your bottom line.

Pro tip: Strategically use slow-moving inventory as gift products and implement minimum order value thresholds for qualification. Avoid offering your best-selling items as free gifts to maintain profitability.

4. Offer abuse

Some customers may attempt to use BOGO offers multiple times or combine them with other promotional discounts in ways that weren’t intended.

Pro tip: Configure usage limits of one redemption per customer and implement clear terms and conditions to prevent excessive promotion usage that could impact your margins.

5. Inventory risks

Nothing frustrates customers more than out-of-stock gifts at checkout. You should implement apps that automatically hide unavailable items from your BOGO promotions to maintain a positive user experience.

Pro tip: Utilize inventory tracking features to automatically remove products from promotional campaigns when their stock levels fall below a specified threshold.

Once you handle these common problems, your BOGO deals will drive real results. Time to launch campaigns that boost sales and protect your margins.

Key Takeaways

• Start with Shopify’s built-in features if you’re a first-time Shopify merchant.
• Consider upgrading to apps like AOV Free Gift Buy X Get Y BOGO to unlock more advanced promotional options and enhance the user experience.
• Ensure your promotions are visible and create a sense of urgency for your customers.
• Carefully plan your inventory and profit margins.
• Experiment with various strategies to determine what works best with your audience.

Conclusion

Buy 1 Get 1 Free Shopify deals represent one of the most effective approaches to increase average order value, enhance the customer experience, and drive higher conversion rates across your Shopify store. With the implementation methods and optimization strategies outlined in this guide, you now have all the tools needed to create successful buy 1, get 1 free campaigns that will not only drive sales but also delight your customers and encourage repeat purchases.

FAQs: Buy 1 Get 1 Free on Shopify