Yes, both Shopify's native discount feature (within the "Buy X get Y" setup) and most third-party apps allow you to specify the products or collections that the "buy" condition applies to and the products or collections that can be received for free.
ECOMMERCE TIPS
Shopify buy 2 get 1: Setup guide and the best apps
by Tide
Are you already picturing the scenario where a customer visits your store planning to buy one t-shirt, but walks away with three - paying for only two? You are ready to dive deep into Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 promotions because you know this strategy works for boosting sales. Stay with us - by the end of this article, you'll be completely ready to master this powerful promotion strategy.
What you will learn from this article:
How Buy 2 Get 1 Free promotions work: Understanding the mechanics and psychology behind them
Complete setup guide: Learn exactly how to do Buy 2 Get 1 free on Shopify using both native and app-based solutions
Top app recommendations: A detailed review of the best Shopify apps that offer advanced Buy 2 Get 1 Free functionalities
Proven best practices: Tips to maximize the effectiveness of your Buy 2 Get 1 Free campaigns
Even if you're not technically inclined, you can launch your Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 promotion in less than 30 minutes. Our clear, step-by-step instructions will make the entire setup process quick and straightforward. Let's get started!
Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 promotion example showing free item deal
1. Overview of Shopify Buy 2 Get 1: definition, use cases, and psychology
A "Buy 2 Get 1 Free" Shopify promotion is a sales strategy where customers purchase two items and receive a third item of equal or lesser value at no cost. They pay the full price for two items, with the third being free. This strategy has proven highly effective - according to a Shopify Plus report, Buy One Get One (BOGO) promotions can boost sales by up to 20% during key campaigns, while a Nielsen study revealed that 66% of global shoppers prefer multi-buy offers like "Buy 2 Get 1 Free" over percentage discounts.
Key use cases for Buy 2 Get 1 promotions:
Moving inventory: Clear excess stock, seasonal items, or products nearing expiration without direct price markdowns that can devalue your brand.
Increasing AOV: By incentivizing customers to buy more, it naturally encourages larger cart sizes and higher spending per order.
Driving sales volume: Create urgency during seasonal sales, holidays, or promotional events to increase transaction volumes
Introducing new products: Offering a new product for free with the purchase of two existing ones can encourage trial.
To maximize the impact of Buy 2 Get 1 Free, merchants can strategically use them in specific situations aligning with the use cases but emphasize the timing and strategic goals.
These promotions work so effectively because they tap into powerful psychological triggers:
Urgency and scarcity: Limited-time offers can create urgency, prompting faster purchases due to the fear of missing out (FOMO).
Perceived value: Customers feel they are getting more for their money, enhancing the perceived value of the purchase.
Reciprocity: Receiving a free item can foster goodwill and a sense of obligation, potentially increasing loyalty.
Simplified decision making: These offers are easy to understand, act on and streamline the buying process compared to complex percentage discounts.
These psychological factors make Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 promotions one of the most effective strategies for increasing both sales volume and customer satisfaction.
2. How to set up Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 using native discount features
Shopify’s built-in discount system offers you creating multiple types of discounts, ones that can be designed to resemble a "Buy X, Get Y" offer. While it may not have a straight “Buy 2 Get 1 Free" option, you can get a similar outcome by creating a Shopify Buy X Get Y discount or a percentage discount on a particular quantity of items.
Setting up Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 promotions using native features is straightforward, though it has some limitations we'll discuss later.
Step 1: Navigate to the Discounts section:
From your Shopify admin dashboard, go to Discounts in the left-hand menu.
Click on the Create discount button.
Step 2: Choose the Discount type:
You can see several options. To create a "Buy 2 Get 1 Free" effect, you can select the option "Buy X get Y".
Step 3: Method (Optional but recommended):
You can choose between requiring a Discount code and having the Shopify Automatic discount. For a Buy 2 Get 1 free Shopify, an Automatic discount might be more seamless for customer experience. Nonetheless, using a code allows you to better track and control. If you choose a code, enter a unique code that customers can apply at their checkout.
Step 4: Define the "Buy X" condition:
In the Customers buy section, specify the conditions that must be met for the discount to apply.
Minimum quantity of items: Set this to 2. It means the customers need to have at least two items in their cart to be eligible.
Specific products or collections (Optional): You can choose to apply this condition to specific products or entire collections if your "Buy 2 Get 1 Free" offer is not store-wide. Use the "Add products" or "Add collections" buttons to select the relevant items.
Step 5: Configure the "Get Y" condition (The free item):
In the Customer gets section, define what the customer receives for free.
Quantity of items: Set this to 1. This ensures the customer only gets one item free for every two they purchase.
At a discounted value: Select Free
Specific products or collections: This is crucial. You need to select the specific product(s) or collection(s) that customers can receive for free.
Set a maximum number of uses per order (Optional but recommended): Limit number of times this discount can be used in total: If you want to limit the overall usage of this promotion, enter a number here.
Step 6: Define Active dates (crucial): Set a start date and an end date for your promotion.
Step 7: Save your discount:
Once you've configured all the settings, scroll down and click Save your Shopify discount at the bottom.
Notice on the limitation of the native approach:
It can not be denied that although Shopify's native discount feature might be designed to achieve a basic "Buy 2 Get 1 Free" effect, it has significant limitations:
Limited automation for item selection: Shopify's native feature can't automatically choose which items to discount. You must pre-select specific products that will be free, and customers can't choose their preferred free item from their cart.
Limited visual presentation on the storefront: You may need to manually create many Buy 2 Get 1 free Shopify banners or product descriptions to clearly communicate the Buy 2 Get 1 Free Shopify promotion, because the native discount does not have dedicated storefront messaging for this specific promotion type.
Complexity for varying product pricing: If you have a wide range of product prices, setting up a Buy 2 Get 1 free that feels fair to the customer across all combinations can be challenging with the native tools. You might wind up creating numerous specific discount rules.
In summary, Shopify’s native discount feature can offer your own basic Buy 2 Get 1 free setup using the "Buy X get Y" option. However, this way has some limitations such as: lacking the flexibility to instantly apply the discount to the cheapest item or help customers to choose their own free item; requiring manual storefront communication; facing complexity for varying product pricing.
3. Using apps for more advanced Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 free promotions
To overcome the limitations of Shopify’s native discount features mentioned above, third-party Shopify apps are ideal for merchants who need more advanced Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 functionality that goes beyond native capabilities such as:
Flexible placement: Show your offer exactly where you want it - on checkout pages or product pages
Inventory protection: Limit how many free items each customer can claim
Customer-friendly options: Let customers adjust quantities in their offer
Smart targeting: Target specific customers based on cart value, location, customer groups, and even more.
Usage control: Set a maximum number of times your promotion can be used
Eye-catching design: Make your offer stand out with promotional widgets such as buy 2 get 1 free pop up in Shopify
Promotion combining: Mix your Buy 2 Get 1 with other discounts or create stepped offers
Performance tracking: See what's working with easy-to-understand reports
There is a large ecosystem of Buy 2 Get 1 free app Shopify solutions that help you set up and manage Buy X Get Y promotions. Here are some Shopify buy 2 get 1 free app options for you to consider.
3.1 Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift
Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift is also a highly recommended app for Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 promotions.
💎Built for Shopify
4.9/5 rating - 614 reviews
Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift offers automatic discounts, working seamlessly with popular promotions like BOGO, Buy X Get Y,... and full customization with its outstanding features:
Increase AOV with Buy X get Y (BOGO), product bundles, free gift with purchase
Upsell anywhere with product page upsell, cart upsell, checkout upsell
Pre-purchase upsell popups with automated discounts
Fully customize embed and pop-up upselling promotions
Real-time analytics to help to track and optimize your sales efficiently
Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift offers a range of pricing plans including:
Free
Basic: $9.99/ month or $95.90/year and save 20%
Grow: $24.99/ month or $239.90/year and save 20%
Advanced: $49.99/ month or $479.90/year and save 20%
Plus: $99.99/ month or $959.9/ year and save 20%
7-day free trial is available
3.2 BOGOS.io Free Gift BOGO Bundle
The BOGOS.io is available on Shopify App Store.
💎Built for Shopify
4.9/5 rating - 614 reviews
BOGOS.io Free Gift BOGO Bundle is easily set up and manages multiple offers with advanced customizations:
Dynamic offer setups: Maximize your store’s conversion with 5 offer main conditions: Cart value condition, cart quantity condition, specific product condition, cart value multiply condition, pack of products condition.
Advanced targeting rules: Target customers by location, purchase history, tags, or even specific page URLs
Powerful bundles: Create powerful bundles that elevate shopping experiences.
Simple adding process: Boost your sales with 3 easy rewarding methods: Visual gift slider, auto add cart, product page display.
Multi offer management: Launch hundreds stable and scalable campaigns at once.
Fully customizable promotions: Align offers visuals with your brand for effective store promotion.
Powerful analytics: Gain insights to optimize offer performance with real-time analytics.
Top notch support: Experience top tier support with our dedicated experts.
Seamless integrations: Built-in integrations with Shopify leaders to elevate your promotion campaigns.
Sales channels compatibility: Work with Headless/Hydrogen, Shopify POS and mobile apps.
Localized promotions: Create promotions in multiple languages.
About pricing plans:
Basic: $29.99/ month or $287.99/year and save 20%
Professional: $49.99/ month or $479.99/year and save 20%
Unlimited: $69.99/ month or $671.99/year and save 20%
Plus: $99.99/ month or $959.99/year and save 20%
7-day free trial is available
3.3 MBC Bundles App | Buy X Get Y
Merchants can use MBC Bundles App | Buy X Get Y directly in Shopify admin.
💎Built for Shopify
4.8/5 rating - 335 reviews
This highly recommended app possesses key features including:
Product bundles: Set % or $ discount, or fixed price for the bundle; Allow customers to select products and change quantity; Create bundle as a widget or as a product page.
Buy X Get Y BOGO Free Gift: Create bundles as a widget or as a product page.
Mix and match, frequently bought together: Let customers choose products in the bundle; Create bundles as a widget or as a product page.
Volume/Quantity discount: Highlight offers; Custom property field to request from a client.
Bundle builder: Let customers build their own combinations with selected products.
Upsell bundles with popup: Focus customers’ attention on your offer only.
Thank you page upsell: AI-driven post-purchase upsell; Customers receive 1-3 tailored product suggestions; Suggestions with popular item combinations.
Stack discounts: Manage discount combinations to allow or limit discount usage.
Integration: subscription apps, cart drawer apps, page builder appRRreview apps and other apps.
Use bundles in Shopify POS: Suggest the same bundle offers to both online and offline customers.
Here are MBC Bundles App | Buy X Get Y pricing plans:
Free
Growth: $9.99/ month
Pro: $29.99/ month
Enterprise: $199.99/ month
7-day free trial is available
3.4 BOGO+ Free Gift & Buy X Get Y
BOGO+ Free Gift & Buy X Get Y helps increase sales by incentivizing customers with unlimited strategic discount & reward campaigns.
Not built for Shopify
4.8/5 rating - 182 reviews
BOGO+ Free Gift & Buy X Get Y supports merchants with flexible setup (rules, gift customization, widgets) with its following features:
Buy 1 get 1 (BOGO 2B), Buy X get Y (BXGY), Buy X get X with customized rules
Free Gift is auto added to cart when customers make a minimum purchase/ product
Progress bar, reward bar, gift customization to allow customers select gift
Eye-catching widgets: Countdown timer, gift pop ups such as a Buy 2 Get 1 free pop up in Shopify, progress bar, sale badge
Advanced setting: Translation, Performance tracking, Customer tags, URL
BOGO+ Free Gift & Buy X Get Y’s pricing plans:
Free
Basic: $17.99/ month
Shopify: $27.99/ month
Advanced: $47.99/ month
3.5 EG Auto Add to Cart Free Gift
EG Auto Add to Cart Free Gift is one of the best apps for setting up Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 promotions that you can try.
💎Built for Shopify
5/5 rating - 670 reviews
EG Auto Add to Cart Free Gift can work seamlessly with any theme to add gifts, deposits and more with its excellent features:
Auto add to cart products when cart has certain products or is over a cart total
Schedule rules for BOGO, Buy X Get Y offers to run them over a certain period
Run targeted rules to give free gifts add on or free products to customers
Add free gift with purchase triggered based on specific products or collections
Add to cart upsells for easy gift
Merchants need to prepare the budget meeting your demands for promotions and EG Auto Add to Cart Free Gift pricing plans:
Standard: $14.99/ month
Unlimited: $29.99/ month
Bonus: To help you visualize better about how to set up a Buy 2 Get 1 free app Shopify, let’s use Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift app as an example with a step-by-step guide:
Step 1: Install the app
Step 2: Access the Manage promotion tab in menu of the app, then select Buy X Get Y promotion:
Qikify Upsell BOGO app interface for Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 promotions
Step 3: Set up your promotion:
- Provide a clear and compelling title and subtitle of your promotion.
- Set up and customize your offer:
Show offer at: Choose to show your offers at Product page (when click on "Add to cart" button) or Checkout page (Shopify Plus only)
Customer buys: Choose how to trigger the offer (All products, Collections, Product Tags, or Specific products).
Customer gets: Select the products or collections that will be discounted
Discount settings: Select either a percentage or fixed amount discount.
Combinations: Choose the combination with other discounts (Product discounts, Order discounts, Shipping discounts)
Advanced settings: Customize your Shopify Buy X Get Y offers such as: Limit the number of offered products buyer can purchase; Allow editing quantity of items in offer; Enable display conditions
Max discount uses: Set a limit on the total number of times the discount can be used.
Step 4: Set Active dates including a start date and an end date for your promotion.
Step 5: Save settings
These step-by-step settings above are generally sufficient, helping you have a specific view and know how to create a Buy 2 Get 1 free with a third-party app. In the next section, we will show you the best practices for effective Buy 2 Get 1 campaigns. Do not miss it!
4. Best practices for effective Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 campaigns
Setting up a Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 promotion is just the beginning. To truly maximize its impact on your sales and business goals, you can not ignore these top tips below:
Clearly communicate the offer: You need to make sure that the Buy 2 Get 1 free Shopify is highly visible on your homepage. You may use the Buy 2 Get 1 free Shopify attractive banner on your homepage, product pages, and even in your cart. It is also important to ensure the terms and conditions are easy to understand.
Highlight the savings: The value proposition should be emphasized. For example, you could say “Get a 33% discount when you buy 3!" instead of just saying “Buy 2 Get 1 Free”. One of the top tips is to clearly show customers their benefits, especially how much they are saving.
Set clear terms and conditions: You should define which products are included in the promotion, any limitations (e.g., one free item per transaction or customer), and the duration of the promotion. Transparency helps build trust and avoids customer confusion.
Attractive images and graphics about your promotion can catch customers’ attention immediately.
- Mobile optimization: Ensure your promotion is clearly visible and easy to understand on mobile devices, as a significant portion of online shopping happens on mobile.
- Create urgency by copy: You can use some phrases like "Limited Time Offer," "Sale Ends Soon," or "While Supplies Last" to encourage immediate action.
- Optimize sales channels: Your Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 promotion needs to be consistent across all your sales channels (your Shopify store, social media, email marketing, etc.).
- Strategic product selection: When planning your Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 campaigns, consider these product selection strategies:
Complementary items: Encourage customers to buy related items. For example, "Buy 2 T-shirts, Get 1 Free Pair of Socks."
Higher margin items: You can make the "free" item one with a slightly lower margin while still being appealing.
Slower-moving inventory: It is an opportunity for you to clear out items that are not selling as quickly by pairing them with popular products.
- Consider customer eligibility and usage limits: As mentioned earlier, decide if the promotion is for all customers or specific segments. Implement usage limits if necessary to control costs and prevent abuse.
- A/B test different approaches: You may experiment with different product pairings, messaging, and durations to see what resonates best with your audience.
By following the best practices that we have recently given, we hope you will have a clear roadmap to build Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 promotions which not only boost your sales but also make your customer valued and happy.
5. Conclusion
Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 Free promotions are a powerful strategy to drive sales, increase average order value, and clear inventory. While Shopify's native discount features provide a basic way to create buy 2 get 1 free shopify offers, third-party apps deliver the advanced functionalities needed for more sophisticated campaigns.
Key takeaways from this guide:
Choose Shopify's native features for basic buy 2 get 1 free shopify setups when you have a limited budget or only need simple promotions - it's an excellent starting point.
Consider buy 2 get 1 free app shopify solutions when you need advanced features like automatic discount application to the cheapest item, flexible offer placement, or detailed performance tracking.
Master how to do buy 2 get 1 free on Shopify using both Shopify's native tools and third-party apps like Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift.
Apply proven best practices including clear communication strategies, strategic product selection, and continuous performance monitoring to optimize your shopify buy 2 get 1 free campaigns.
Are you ready to boost your sale with Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 promotions? Here's your action plan:
Assess your needs (native vs. shopify buy 2 get 1 free app solution)
Plan your offer details and eligible products
Configure your discount using your chosen method
Create clear buy 2 get 1 free Shopify banner messaging for your storefront
Launch your campaign and actively promote it
Monitor results and optimize for better performance
Start setting up your Shopify buy 2 get 1 free promotion today and watch your sales grow! For advanced features and seamless setup, consider trying Qikify Upsell BOGO & Free Gift - it's designed specifically to help merchants create and manage these promotions effectively.
6. Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 FAQs
Tide Dang
Content Creator | Qikify
With over seven years of experience in strategic marketing and content creation, I specialize in helping eCommerce brands craft high-impact campaigns that drive sales and customer engagement. My expertise in content strategy, social media, and data-driven marketing allows me to translate industry trends into actionable insights for Shopify merchants—helping them optimize their marketing efforts, attract the right customers, and boost conversions. My passion lies in empowering online businesses with the strategies they need to stand out and scale successfully in an increasingly competitive digital landscape.
TABLE OF CONTENT
- 1. Overview of Shopify Buy 2 Get 1: definition, use cases, and psychology
- 2. How to set up Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 using native discount features
- 3. Using apps for more advanced Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 free promotions
- 4. Best practices for effective Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 campaigns
- 5. Conclusion
- 6. Shopify Buy 2 Get 1 FAQs
