Free Gift With Purchase for Shopify Stores
Use a free gift with purchase to lift cart value on Shopify: when it fits, how the Spend X, get a gift template builds it, and what to check first.
A free gift with purchase gives every shopper who reaches a set cart value a product they did not pay for. It is the use case to pick when you want bigger baskets without cutting the price of what people already buy: the shopper sees a reward just beyond their cart and adds one more item to reach it.
When it fits
- You have a low-cost item with a high perceived value, such as a sample, a tote or a travel size.
- Your average order sits a little below the spend line you would set, so a small add-on gets shoppers over it.
- You would rather protect the price of your main products than run a percentage sale.
It fits less well when the gift costs you close to what the shopper adds to the cart, or when most of your orders already clear the line. Free gift threshold: pick a spend level shows how to read your order history before you choose the line.
How the template builds it
The app's Spend X, get a gift template is described as "Shoppers who reach a cart value get a gift added automatically." Its example is a free tote for a cart over a set amount. Automatic matters because Shopify's Help Center says of its own Buy X get Y discount that customers must add all items to their cart manually, so a gift the shopper has to find and add is a gift many never claim.
You choose the cart value, the gift and the dates. If you want more than one step, the same family has Gift tiers, and a gift for every order regardless of spend is covered by the "Free sample with purchase" template.
Check the math first
A free gift is not free to you. Run the numbers on the gift's landed cost against the margin on the extra spend before you launch:
- Free gift margin math walks through the cost of the gift against the order it needs to win.
- Free gift vs discount compares the offer with a straight price cut.
- Free gift with purchase on Shopify: setup covers the native Shopify route and where it stops.
Say it plainly
The FTC's Guide concerning use of the word "Free" says the terms of a free offer should be set out clearly at the outset. State the spend line, the gift and the end date wherever you show the offer.
Related
Limits that hold
Set a limit per order and a limit per customer. If a gift sells out, a fallback gift takes its place.
Sources
- Shopify Help Center: Buy X get Y discounts (accessed October 11, 2026)
- eCFR: 16 CFR Part 251, Guide concerning use of the word "Free" and similar representations (accessed October 11, 2026)