Use Case: Offering a free product on the next order when a user spends a minimum amount

Overview

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Rewarding loyal customers with free products is a great way to boost repeat purchases. With Smart Coupons for WooCommerce, you can set up a promotion where customers unlock a free product on their next order once they spend a minimum amount. This strategy not only drives higher order values but also encourages customers to return for another purchase.

Business Scenario

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You want to run a promotion where customers who spend a minimum amount today can claim a free product during their next order.

Example promotions:

• “Spend $300 today and get a free product on your next order!”
• “Unlock a free surprise gift when you shop for $250 or more.”

This helps you increase average cart value and build long term loyalty.

How it Works with Smart Coupons

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1. Create a 100% discount coupon and link it with the free gift product.
2. Create a placeholder product (e.g., “Free product for your next purchase”) that customers will receive as a coupon linked item.
3. Create another coupon that auto applies when a customer reaches the minimum spend. This coupon will add the free product placeholder to the cart at no cost.
4. Customers then receive this placeholder product, which carries the coupon for the free gift they can redeem on their next purchase.

Steps to set up

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Step 1: Create a Free Product Coupon

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• Go to WooCommerce > Coupons > Add New.
• Set the Discount type to percentage discount and the coupon amount to 0 and enable the “Auto generate?” option.
• In the Usage limits tab, set the usage limit per coupon to 1.
• In the Actions tab, under Add products to cart, search for and select the product(s) you want to offer as a free gift.
• Under each with quantity field, include the number of items you want to provide, as mentioned above.
• Set the discount to 100% in the with discount of field.
• Publish the coupon.

Step 2: Create a Free Product Placeholder

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• Go to Products > Add New and create a product titled “Free product for your next purchase”.
• Set the product price (e.g., $300 or higher).
• Assign the coupon created in Step 1 to this product. You can follow the documentation here on how to assign coupons to products.
• (Optional) Hide this product from shop pages by adjusting Catalog Visibility to Hidden.
  
• Publish the product.

Step 3: Create the Trigger Coupon

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• Go to Coupons > Add New.
• Set Discount type to Fixed cart discount with amount 0.
• Enable Auto apply in the General tab. To auto-apply coupons, you can refer to the documentation here.
• Under Usage restrictions, set the Minimum spend (e.g., $300).
• In the Actions tab, add the “Free product for your next purchase” product from Step 2, and set the discount to 100%.
• Publish the coupon.

Customer Experience

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1. Customer shops on your store and spends the minimum required amount (e.g., $300).
2. At cart/checkout, the system automatically adds the placeholder product “Free product for your next purchase.”
3. With this placeholder, the customer receives a coupon that gives them one free product in their next order.
4. On their future purchase, the customer applies the coupon and gets the product at zero cost.

Conclusion

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With Smart Coupons, you can design clever promotions that encourage customers to shop again. By offering a free product on their next purchase after reaching a minimum spend, you boost order value, build loyalty, and keep customers excited to return to your store.