Are you looking to increase the sales of your products but do not know how to do it? Free gift product promotion strategies are one of the most common and attractive marketing methods for online stores. By offering free gifts, you can regularly advertise the products in your online shop and attract more customers to order them. 

In this guide, we discuss six free gift promotion strategies that have a great impact on increasing the online sales of your products. Finally, we introduce the free gift for WooCommerce plugin, with the help of which you can easily implement all the different methods for offering giveaways in your WooCommerce store.

What is a free gift with purchase?

Free gift promotion strategy is one of the effective marketing methods to attract customers and increase brand awareness. In this way, online stores encourage customers to buy more from their stores and boost their sales.

The best gift for promotion is often special and restricted. Store managers usually run a gift-with-purchase promotion for a short time and with a limited number that emphasize the promotion’s exclusivity and urgency and eager customers to use these offers as soon as possible.

Top 6 free gift product promotion strategies 

As we mentioned earlier, you can use different free gift promotion strategies in your online store to grab the attention of potential customers. However, choosing the best strategy that will both improve your brand value and increase your profits can be difficult. To help you make a better decision, in the following, we will introduce the most effective strategies that you can use to increase your sales:

Strategy 1: Offer free gifts for purchasing any product to increase the whole sales of your online store 

The easiest strategy to increase the sales of your products is to offer customers a gift on the purchase of all products. Using the simple method, you can specify one of the products as a gift so that when customers place an order on your site, they can add a gift to their cart.

With this strategy, new customers are encouraged to visit your store to receive the gift and place their first order.

On the other hand, if you send this offer to your old and loyal customers, you will also encourage them to return to your store and place their purchase order.

Strategy 2: Offer free gifts on x subtotal amount of orders to encourage customers to buy more from your site 

One of the top free gift promotion strategies that can encourage customers to buy more is to offer a gift product for purchases of more than a subtotal amount. In this way, when the total amount of the customer’s carts exceeds the specified amount, a gift product will be added to their cart, or they can add one from a list of gifts to their card.

The advantage of offering a gift in this way is that if the total amount of the buyer’s order is a little far from the minimum amount to receive the gift, they are encouraged to buy one or more products from your store to increase their order amount and receive the gift.

Strategy 3: Use buy x get x method to boost the sales of new products

The buy x get x method is one of the most popular gift promotion strategies. You have probably observed the buy 1 get 1 or BOGO discount in many online stores. The main purpose of this offer is to make an effect on the customer’s mind. In fact, you offer them a 50% discount on a certain product, and they conclude that by paying for one product, they will get 2 of it. So, this purchase is beneficial for them and has economic benefits.

This method is perfect when you add new products for sale to your store, especially for variable products that have multiple colors or sizes.

For example, if your new product has different colors, but the purple color is sold less than others, you can offer the customers that if they order the purple color of that product, they can get one of the same products as a gift. 

Of course, this strategy is not limited to the BOGO offer, and you can offer multiple gifts of the same product to the customer for purchasing any number of products.

Strategy 4: Use the Buy x Get y method to increase the sales of any product from category x

Many online stores have different products in a wide variety of categories. If you are in the same situation and sell several products in different categories in your online store, you can use the buy x get y strategy to increase the sales of products in the x category.

In this strategy, you offer customers that if they buy a certain number of products from a special category, they will receive a specific number of other products for free.

The advantage of the buy x get y method is that you can offer a lower-value product to customers for free in exchange for purchasing products from a certain category. Your proposed free gift must be affordable. You can offer one of the cheapest products in your store as a gift or even buy cheaper products and add them to the customer’s cart for free.

Strategy 5: Encourage your loyal customers to repeatedly purchase from your site by offering free gifts for placing more than x orders

An interesting fact about online marketing is that it costs 6-7 times more to attract a new customer than to keep a loyal customer.

Loyal customers who have bought from you before are completely engaged with your brand and trust you. So you can better understand their buying behavior. Also, you can easily manage to convert them into real customers.

Therefore, if you spend all your time marketing to new customers, you will lose valuable opportunities to keep loyal customers.

By using different free gift promotion strategies like offering a gift product per x orders, you can encourage loyal customers to return to your store and complete their number of orders to receive a gift.

To better implement this strategy, you need to look at the purchasing behavior of your top buyers over the past five years. Then, send them targeted offers.

For example, if most of them have placed 5 orders on your site, send them a promotional offer for placing the sixth order on your online shop.

Strategy 6: Boosting the sales of your products on special occasions by offering free gift

There is no better time to suggest a gift than the holidays and special occasions. Usually, on occasions like Christmas or Valentine’s Day, people tend to buy gifts for their loved ones. For your business to have high sales during the holidays, you must use a special strategy.

You can use different strategies to offer gifts in a limited time. For example, if you add products to your site for Christmas, you can advertise a giveaway promotion for placing at least one order during November.

In this strategy, you should specifically define the list of products for which the customer will receive a gift, then create a series of offers, for example, BOGO, buy x get Y, subtotal amount, etc. Now, you have to limit your offer to a certain period, for example, a week or a month.

The goal of this gift offer strategy is to increase customer traffic, increase sales of specific products, and earn more revenue.

You have to be very careful when using free gift product promotion strategies for a limited time. If you always use this strategy, your profits may decrease, and customers will probably not understand the value and importance of receiving gifts because if your audience recognizes that you are giving them free gifts all the time, they will no longer feel the urgency for placing their orders.

Strategy 7: Offer gift cards and vouchers

You may use the next method to encourage users to buy or get free vouchers in WooCommerce for themselves or someone else. This strategy can engage visitors when they don’t know what to buy or would like to give free products. A store owner, on the other hand, may get more sales or build an email list.

Caption: Gift cards and vouchers are using WooCommerce coupons

After a purchase the buyer gets an email with the PDF voucher. The gift card method can work as a nice promotion for products. The store gets the money upfront, voucher recipients can choose products up to the coupon’s value.

What’s more, the plugin allows setting a lower or no price for a gift card. For example, a voucher worth $10 can cost $1 or nothing (in pro).

You may also read “How to add PDF gift cards in WooCommerce”, to learn more about using the Flexible PDF Coupons – Gift Cards & Vouchers for WooCommerce plugin.

Strategy 8: Bundle-style free gifts

This “Buy X, Get Y Free” bundle strategy increases average order value while providing perceived savings to customers. By pairing complementary products in this free gift promotion strategy, you:

• Increase sales of related items.
• Clear inventory of slower-moving products.
• Enhance customer experience with complete solutions.
• Boost perceived value without heavy discounting.

The psychology works because customers feel they’re getting “something extra” rather than just a price reduction. 

For maximum impact:

• Choose logically paired items that customers would naturally use together
• Ensure the free product has good perceived value but low cost to you
• Highlight the retail value of the free item (“Get $15 conditioner FREE!”)

This free gift promotion strategy also encourages customers to purchase more by offering a free product when they meet a certain condition, such as buying a specific quantity (e.g., “Buy 2, Get 1 Free”).

It increases average order value (AOV), clears excess inventory, and enhances customer satisfaction by making shoppers feel rewarded. 

The key is to choose a free gift that complements the main purchase, ensuring perceived value without hurting profit margins.

How to offer this free gift promotion strategy in WooCommerce 

You can set up a “Buy X, Get Free Gift” promotion in the Free Gifts for WooCommerce plugin using these steps:

Step 1: Add a new rule

Go to WordPress Dashboard > iThemeland > Free Gift 

In the main page, click on the Add Rule button to open the Rule Form and fill in the following fields: 

1. Method: Open the Method list and choose Buy X Get X (If you want to offer the purchased item as gift) or Buy X Get Y (If the free gift is different from the purchased products)

2. In the Quantities & Settings section, you need to specify the Buy and Get numbers. 

For Example, You can set 3 and 1 for Buy and Get fields which means when customers buy 3 items, they will receive 1 for free.

3. In the Product Buy section, you need to add the products that customers should order to deserve the gift.
4. In the Product Get section, specify the product which is offered as free gift to customers. 

By pressing Save Settings, the customers will receive the gift when the conditions are met:

There are many flexible options that you can set to customize this free gift promotion strategy, including:

• Auto add to cart: You can mark this option to instruct the plugin to add free gifts automatically to the customer carts.
• Apply Rule on specific categories or tags: You can add one or more categories in the Product Buy section to boost all product sales belong to that specific category.
• Offer products in a specific category as free gifts: You can add one or more categories in the Product Get section to let customers choose their favorite item from a list of products as gift.

Strategy 9: Free Gift with Subscription/Sign-Up

This free gift promotion strategy incentivizes customers to join your email list, download your app, or register for a loyalty program by offering a free gift in return. It helps grow your subscriber base, boosts customer engagement, and increases the chances of repeat purchases since you can nurture leads through email marketing. The free gift (e.g., a sample, discount, or digital download) should provide immediate value to encourage sign-ups while keeping costs manageable.

This approach works especially well for eCommerce brands looking to build long-term customer relationships.

How to offer this free gift promotion strategy in WooCommerce 

So, you need to follow the below steps:

• Go to WordPress Dashboard > iThemeland > Free Gift.
• Click the Add Rule button to create your free gift offer.
• Choose Simple from the list of Method.

• In the Quantities & Settings > Get field write 1 and mark Auto add gift to cart.
• Under the Product Get section, add Cap to the Include Product field to offer as free gift.
• Finally, add a Condition and set the fields as below to limit receiving this free gift to the customers that sign up or subscribed and placed their orders for the first time:
  • Choose Customer > is logged in from the first box and Yes from the second box list.
  • Choose Customer Value > order Count, all time, at least, and write 0 in the condition fields, respectively.

So, all newly registered customers will receive their gift as shown below:

Strategy 10: Free shipping 

Offering free shipping is a powerful incentive that reduces cart abandonment and increases average order value (AOV). Studies show that 90% of online shoppers are more likely to buy if free shipping is included. 

You can implement it as:

5. Unconditional free shipping (e.g., “Always free shipping”)
6. Threshold-based free shipping (e.g., “Free shipping on orders over $50”)
7. Limited-time free shipping (e.g., “Free shipping this weekend only!”)

This free gift promotion strategy works because shoppers dislike unexpected costs at checkout. By absorbing shipping fees (or increasing product prices slightly to compensate), you create a smoother buying experience.

Strategy 11: Free gift tiers (spend more, get more gifts)

This spend more, get more gifts approach incentivizes customers to increase their order value by offering progressively more valuable free gifts at higher spending thresholds (e.g., “Spend $50 to 100=Get 1 gift ∣ Spend 101 to 1000 = Get 2 gift). 

It boosts average order value (AOV) while rewarding loyal shoppers with more items. 

How to offer tiered free gifts in WooCommerce 

• Go to WordPress Dashboard > iThemeland > Free Gift.
• Click the Add Rule button to create your free gift offer.
• Choose Tiered Quantity or Tired Pricing from the Method field.
• Set quantities in the Buy and Get fields of Quantities & Settings section.
• Add the products to apply rule on in the Product Buy section.
• Specify the free gift in the Product Get section.
• Press Save Settings to setup tiered gift rules.

Strategy 12: Mystery gifts (adding excitement to free gift offers)

This surprise gift-with-purchase tactic leverages curiosity and excitement to incentivize purchases. By offering an unknown free item (e.g., “Spend $30+ and get a mystery gift!”), you can:

• Create urgent FOMO (fear of missing out).
• Increase average order value as customers spend to qualify.
• Boost unboxing excitement (perfect for social sharing).
• Clear slow-moving inventory by including varied gifts.

The key is to:

• Make the mystery gift valuable enough to drive action.
• Set clear qualification rules (minimum spend/category).
• Tease potential gifts (“Mystery gift worth $15+!”) without revealing specifics.

Strategy 13: Free samples with orders

Including free samples with orders is a low-cost, high-impact way to introduce customers to new products and encourage future purchases. By offering trial-size versions (e.g., “Every order gets a free sample!”), you:

• Increase product discovery: Customers try items they might not have bought otherwise
• Boost repeat purchases: 60% of consumers will buy a product they previously sampled (Source: Invesp).
• Enhance unboxing experience: Adds perceived value without significant cost.
• Gather valuable feedback: Customers may review sampled products.

Keys to success:

• Choose complementary products (e.g., shampoo samples with conditioner purchases).
• Use small but meaningful quantities – Enough for 2-3 uses.
• Rotate samples seasonally to maintain excitement.

How to offer free samples to buyers  

• Create a Sample Products Category in WordPress and assign sample products to it.
• Open the Free gift for WooCommerce plugin main page.
• Create a new rule by clicking on the Add Rule button. 
• Choose Simple method.
• Set the number of gifts in the Get field under the Quantities & Settings section.
• Under the Product Get section, locate Include Category and add Sample products category 

So, when customers order any product, a list of samples will be displayed to them on the checkout page and they can add them to their carts for free.

Why free gift product promotion strategies are important?

Increasing sales is the main concern of all managers who have an online store.

Marketing and advertising techniques will help you win the trust of the customers, establish a two-way relationship with them, and ultimately sell more.

Among the many digital marketing methods, offering free gift products not only makes your customers happy but also increases the number of orders.

If you choose the right strategy for your business, amazing results will await you. But if you have an inappropriate strategy, you may not get the desired result.

Providing free gift product promotion strategies attracts the attention of customers and quickly increases the traffic of your site. The promotional plan is a two-way deal. Buyers will be more satisfied with their purchase, and sellers will get more sales.

The other benefits of the free gift promotion strategies are as follows:

• Encouraging loyal customers to buy more.
• Attracting new customers to place orders.
• Boosting sales of new products or in-stoke products.
• Increasing the brand recognition. 

How do we offer free gift products in WooCommerce stores?

If you have used WooCommerce to set up your store, you can use the free gifts for WooCommerce plugin to offer giveaways with different rules and conditions.

Using this plugin, you can create all the methods of the free gift product offer and add various conditions to it. This plugin has a very simple user interface that allows you to:

• Choose the method you want from among many rules, including buy x get x, buy x get y, subtotal, etc.
• Select the products or categories you want to apply the selected rule to.
• Choose the products or categories that you want to offer as free gifts to the customer.
• Set different conditions, such as a limited-time offer, promoting an offer based on user role or the number of registered orders, etc.
• Instruct the plugin to add the gift to the customer’s cart automatically.

This plugin also allows you to apply an offer to a specific product, set a promotional period, or a list of gifts that allows customers to choose their gifts from a list.

Free Gift For WooCommerce Plugin

The easy way to free gift product promotion strategies in WooCommerce

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6 professional tips to improve gifting methods? 

Free gift promotion strategy is a great way to attract customers and increase sales. The following 6 professional tips help you to use this strategy for marketing effectively. These tips allow you to successfully implement the free gift with purchase marketing campaign and achieve the desired result.

1. Choose gifts for promotion smartly

The most important point that you should pay attention to is choosing the free product smartly and purposefully. You have to offer high-quality products as free gifts to make customers trust you. Functional and high-quality gifts increase the motivation of customers to return to your online store and order your products again.

2. Choose relevant gift products before running a gift-with-purchase promotion

The first goal of any marketing campaign is to increase brand awareness. To be sure, gift with purchase marketing is effective for this purpose, the free gift should be relevant to your products or services. Successful online stores always offer one of the most valuable products for free which is related to the items purchased by the customer.

3. Take free advertising gifts into account

Free gift with purchase marketing can be effective in increasing your sales if you inform your customers about them with free gift advertising.

One of the most cost-effective and beneficial free gifts advertising examples is sending emails or advertising on social media.

4. Make sure free gift promotion is clear for customers.

If you want the gift with purchase promotions to have a great result in increasing your sales, you must inform the buyer about how to use it in detail. You need to attract buyers’ attention to your offer and encourage them to buy, so your offer must be clear. Make sure that you provide all the details that buyers need, such as the terms and conditions for receiving the free gift.

5. Run a gift-with-purchase promotion for a limited time.

Gift with purchase sales promotion can be launched at any time of the year and on different occasions. However, it is very important to present your offer within a limited time, such as a week or a day, to be more effective.

6. Don’t overuse free gift promotion

The number of free gifts advertising campaigns is very important. If you constantly repeat the same ads, your customers will be able to anticipate your next marketing, which will only have a negative effect on your sales. Try to be innovative and get help from other marketing methods. This will excite your customers and make them visit your online store more often.

Conclusion

Online businesses need an effective way to attract customers. The cheapest and best technique to attract a large number of new users and encourage loyal customers to buy more is to use free gift product promotion strategies. This method is so efficient that even the biggest companies in the world use this strategy to attract customers.

Don’t forget that your customers used to buy from your site only when you offered a free gift; you may lose your credibility. Executing this marketing strategy incorrectly can also hurt your profit because you lose the opportunity to sell your products at regular prices. So, you need to choose the best free gift promotion strategies that work for your online store wisely.

In this post, we introduced you to the best free gift offer strategies, and we also introduced the free gift for WooCommerce plugin to you, which is a helpful plugin for creating any rule or setting different conditions.