Buy X get Y Sales campaigns are a tried and tested sales tactic that can be utilized by both single and multi-product stores. When done correctly, this type of discount can work to help you increase your average order quantity and value. In this short-article we’ll show you exactly how to set up a ‘Buy X get Y’ discount in Shopify, as well as give you all the knowledge and tips to help you implement it correctly for your store.
Buy x get y Shopify deals can look like ‘buy 3 yellow t-shirts and get 20% off’ and are a great way to customize promotions based on either a price or percentage basis. Tiered discounts will encourage your customers to spend more by incentivizing bigger sales.
If you’ve read our article about Shopify free gifts, then you’ll be aware of some of the benefits of using an integrated Shopify discount app. Don’t worry if you haven’t yet, we’ll uncover how you can benefit from Quantity Breaks & Discounts to offer buy x get y Shopify discounts.
First, we’re going to explain how to create a buy x get y Shopify sale. There are two ways to do this:
Shopify built-in ‘Discount’ settings: You can apply a buy x get y Shopify discount directly to your Shopify discount settings. You’ll be able to choose the discount type, combinations, and timeframe, but you won’t be able to run any other offers whilst this is active.
Integrated Shopify discount app: There are a number of apps that have been specifically designed to apply discounts throughout your online store. There’s only one extra step than using Shopify’s built-in settings, which is adding the app, then you’ll be able to control the settings all the same from your Shopify dashboard.
We’ll run through how to create a buy x get y Shopify sale using each method, so you can decide what will work best for you and your business.
A Step-By-Step Guide to Buy X Get Y Shopify Sales
Adding buy x get y Shopify sales to your online store can be achieved in a few simple steps:
Part One: Using Shopify Built-In Discounts Settings
In your Shopify admin section, go to ‘Discounts’ in the left-hand menu bar.
Click ‘Create Discount’ and choose ‘Buy X Get Y’ product discount.
You’ll then have the following options to select:
- Method: discount code or automatic discount
- Purchase type: Minimum quantity of items or minimum purchase amount
- Amount & value: How many items the customer must add to their cart to get a percentage discount value or free product
- Customer eligibility: All, specific customer segments, or specific customers
- Maximum discount uses: Limit number of times this discount can be used in total or limit to one use per customer
- Combinations: No combinations, combine with other product discounts, or combine with shipping discounts
- Active days: Set a start and end date
Save the product and your buy x get y Shopify discount will be applied throughout your online store.
Part Two: Using A Shopify Discounts App
Shopify has a number of discount apps available in the Shopify app store.
Follow these steps to set up buy x get y Shopify sales using Quantity Breaks & Discounts:
Go to Apps in the left-hand menu pane of your admin dashboard and you’ll see ‘Quantity Breaks & Discounts’. When you click on the app, you’ll see your discount dashboard.
Click ‘create tier’ and select ‘volume discount’.
You’ll then get the option to choose from a range of options (there are examples of what each one means if you’re unsure):
- Apply volume discounts to: Same products regardless of variants or same variants only
- Discount setting: Apply discount on each product or apply discount on total value
- Tier Conditions: Choose between applying a discount (by % or $) when a certain number of items are added to the cart OR based on the total value of the cart
- Apply the discount to: Specific products/variants, collections, tags, vendors, all available products, or your entire store
- Select products: Select which products are eligible from the product list
- Customize your discount appearance:
- Restrict by: Locations, timeframes
Select ‘create tiered pricing’ and your discounts will be applied throughout your store, with your visual table on display where the discount is eligible.
Benefits of a Shopify Discounts App
You might be wondering why you would bother adding a third-party app to apply a discount when you can do it directly into settings, but a specialized discount app can offer advanced features that can be more advantageous for your business.
For example, the Quantity Breaks & Discounts app includes:
1. 1-Click Upsell
Add a call to action that encourages customers to buy more products to get a discount. 1-Click upsell automatically adds the required number of products to the user’s cart on click and can be fully customized to suit your store.
2. Avoid unexpected double discounts
In order to prevent low-profit sales, using an app will block additional discount codes for already discounted products at the checkout by default.
3. Product tags
You can add a unique product tag to all products that have discounts available. This helps organize your discounts throughout your store and helps them stand out more to customers.
4. 24/7 customer support
On the rare occasion that you face an issue when using the app, the app development team (real humans) will be on hand 24/7 to provide customer support and get it resolved.
5. Fully customizable design
Design how you would like your discount to appear to your customers. You will have access to a template designer that will assist you in creating a discount offer table that matches your company brand. Your table will integrate with most Shopify themes.
Both using Shopify’s built-in settings and using an integrated app will apply the discount to your online store, you just need to decide whether the additional features of a discount app will benefit your business.
Whichever method you choose, you’ll be adding value to your offer and enjoy a number of benefits in return.
Why ‘Buy X get Y’ Sales work
Most effective for stores looking to sell more of their inventory, the success of a ‘Buy X get Y’ sale can largely depend on the type of products you sell. For instance, ‘Buy X Get Y’ sales are better received around products that are a commodity or sold in a set.
Some great examples could be a “Buy Shoes, get the socks free” or “Buy 1 Bottle of Wine, get one 50% off” sale. Why do they work? Perception. To start, one obvious benefit from this type of offer is that the sale is simple to understand. Generally speaking, consumers are more likely to interact with a sale that’s easy to understand. 50% off is the most simple percentage to calculate. What’s more, it feels like a large discount. Another way we could have written this promotion is 25% off per bottle, as you can see this is much less enticing. On top of that, if your gross profit is higher on the free item then you’ll have an added benefit there as well.
Finally, it starts negotiations with a precise number. In a way, every interaction with your customer is a negotiation. Through this offer our buyer will also be more enticed to browse for two bottles, rather than one. While we could dedicate an entire article to ecommerce sales and marketing tactics, these are only a few examples to show you how a ‘Buy X Get Y’ sale can work for your store.
Types of ‘Buy X Get Y’ sales
Buy one, get one (BOGO)
‘Buy one, get one’ offers are generally used to encourage shoppers to browse a specific product or collection to get a deal on a second item. This is best used when offering a percentage or dollar discount on the second item. For example: “Buy X, get 60% off Y”.
Bundle sale
Best used for moving inventory fast on relatively low-cost items, Bundle sales encourage customers to purchase multiple items in a single-order to unlock a deal. For example, buy five items and get the sixth for free.
Gift with purchase
Essentially a ‘Buy X get Y Free’ offer, promoting a free gift with a product further sells the perception that the customer is getting more value and even an ‘exclusive’ item with their purchase. This method can help to highlight new products or get iffy buyers over the line.
Rebate
A great way to promote return customers, a Rebate offer occurs after the initial purchase and is actioned by the shopper (typically by mailing in a coupon). Although the barrier to savings is higher, this works well on higher-ticket items, if the discount is worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Discounts are a great way to:
-Shift old inventory
-Attract new customers & re-engage existing ones
-Persuade customers to buy more
-Drive short-term sales to reach targets during quieter months
-Improve cash flow
-Increase customer satisfaction
It’s no secret that sales increase during holiday periods. This is because festivities tend to put people in a more generous mood, which is why it’s during the holidays that major retailers launch a sale.
That said, offering discounts is beneficial for the business too, not just consumers. If you’re about to launch a new collection but still have a stockroom full of old inventory, consider adding a discount to stubborn inventory to make way for new products.
There’s a useful guide from Business Victoria that sheds light on creating a discount strategy. This will form part of your greater marketing plan and could be a good place to start if you’re unsure about how best to implement discounts to your online store.
If you’re still unsure about whether you should use the built-in discount feature or use a discount app, then you should try out both to see which option you feel more comfortable using.
Quantity Breaks & Discounts offers a 14-day free trial, so you can test out all of the features without committing to long-term usage.
Reviews are also a great way to tell whether an app is worth your time. When you search ‘Quantity Breaks & Discounts’ in Shopify, you’ll be able to see the app rating, how many reviews, and comments. Each rating will also tell you how long the customer has been using the app for, which creates a good understanding of its usability.
