Buy One Get One (BOGO) offers are proven sales drivers that increase average order value while making customers feel they’re getting excellent deals. With Smart Coupons, you can create sophisticated BOGO promotions that automatically apply at checkout – no manual coupon codes needed.
What You’ll Learn
↑ Back to topThis guide covers five types of BOGO offers you can create:
- Classic BOGO – Buy one product, get the same product free
- Cross-Product BOGO – Buy one product, get a different product free or discounted
- Bundle Deals – Buy one item, get multiple complementary items added automatically
- Quantity-Based Offers – Buy X, get Y free (like “Buy 3, Get 1 Free”)
- Gift a Product via Coupon – Buy any product, gift 1.
1. Classic BOGO: Buy One Get One Free (Same Product)
↑ Back to topUse Case:
↑ Back to topBuy one red T-shirt (size Large), get another identical red T-shirt (size Large) free.
Setup Steps
↑ Back to topStep 1: Create the Coupon
↑ Back to top- Go to Marketing > Coupons > Add coupon
- Give it a descriptive name like “free-gap-tshirt” (customers won’t see this unless you share the code)
Step 2: Configure General Settings
↑ Back to top- Under the General tab:
- Discount type: Select “Fixed cart discount”
- Coupon amount: Enter 0
- Auto Apply?: Enable this to automatically apply the coupon
Why zero? You’re not discounting the first (paid) product. The discount happens on the second (free) product, which you’ll configure in the Actions tab.
Step 3: Set Product Restrictions
↑ Back to top- Under the Usage Restriction tab, scroll to Products
- Search and select the product: “Red T-shirt – Large”
What this does: This tells the coupon to “only auto-apply when this specific product is in the cart.”
Step 4: Configure the Free Product
↑ Back to top- Under the Actions tab, scroll to Add products to cart
- Search and select the same product: “Red T-shirt – Large”
- Set each with quantity: 1
Set with discount of: 100 (this means 100% off = free)
What this does: When the qualifying product is added, Smart Coupons automatically adds 1 additional unit at a 100% discount (free).
Step 5: Set Usage Limits (Recommended) Under the Usage limits tab:
↑ Back to top- Usage limit per coupon: Leave blank for unlimited, or set a cap
- Usage limit per user: Set to 1 to prevent abuse (one BOGO per customer)
- Individual use only: Check this box if you don’t want this stacked with other coupons
Step 6: Publish Click Publish to activate your BOGO offer.
How It Looks to Customers
↑ Back to topWhen a customer adds the Red T-shirt (Large) to their cart:
- Cart automatically updates to show 2 Red T-shirts
- One at full price, one marked as free/discounted
- Total reflects the discount
2. Cross-Product BOGO: Buy One Get Another Free
↑ Back to topUse Cases:
↑ Back to top- Buy a shampoo, get a conditioner free
- Buy a designer purse, get a travel-size perfume free
- Buy a black T-shirt, get a white T-shirt 50% off
Setup Steps
↑ Back to topFollow the same steps as Section 1 (Classic BOGO), with one key difference:
In Step 4 (Actions tab): Instead of selecting the same product, select a different product for the free/discounted item.
Example Configuration:
↑ Back to top- Usage Restriction > Products: “Luxury Shampoo 500ml”
- Actions > Add products to cart: “Luxury Conditioner 500ml”
- each with quantity: 1
- with discount of: 100 (for free) or 50 (for 50% off)
Partial Discount Example
↑ Back to topTo offer “Buy one black T-shirt, get white T-shirt 50% off”:
- Usage Restriction > Products: “Black T-shirt”
- Actions > Add products to cart: “White T-shirt”
- with discount of: 50 (this is 50%, not $50)
The white T-shirt will be added at half its regular price.
Pro Tip: Related Product Strategy
BOGO cross-product offers work best when:
- Products are complementary (shampoo + conditioner)
- Free item is lower-value than purchased item (maintains margin)
- Free item encourages repeat purchase (sample size of a product line)
3. Bundle Deals: Buy One Get Multiple Items
↑ Back to topUse Case:
↑ Back to topBuy a high-end smartphone, get a protective case + Bluetooth earbuds at 30% off.
This mimics Amazon’s “Frequently Bought Together” but with automatic cart additions and discounts.
Setup Steps
↑ Back to topStep 1-3: Same as Classic BOGO (create coupon, set to Fixed cart discount $0, restrict to main product)
Step 4: Add Multiple Products
- Under Actions > Add products to cart:
- Search and add “Protective Phone Case”
- Search and add “Bluetooth Earbuds”
- Set each with quantity: 1 (applies to both items)
Set with discount of: 30 (both items at 30% off)
How It Works
↑ Back to topWhen customer adds the smartphone:
- Cart automatically includes protective case + earbuds
- Both accessory items show 30% discount
- Customer can remove accessories if they don’t want them
Different Discounts for Different Items
Limitation: Smart Coupons applies the same discount percentage to all items added via one coupon.
Workaround: Create two separate BOGO coupons:
- Coupon A: Buy smartphone, get case 50% off
- Coupon B: Buy smartphone, get earbuds free (100% off)
Both can stack if you don’t check “Individual use only.”
4. Quantity-Based BOGO: Buy X Get Y Free
↑ Back to topUse Cases:
↑ Back to top- Buy 3, Get 1 Free
- Buy 2, Get 1 at 50% off
- Buy 5, Get 1 Free
For these offers, you’ll use Smart Coupons’ quantity-based restrictions. See the full guide: How to restrict coupon by product quantity in cart
Quick Setup Example: “Buy 3 Get 1 Free”
↑ Back to top- Create coupon as in Classic BOGO
- Usage Restriction > Products: Select your product
- Usage Restriction > Smart Coupons Restrictions > Valid quantity of > Minimum quantity of products: 3
- Actions > Add products to cart: Same product, quantity 1, discount 100%
Result: Customer must add at least 3 units to cart. When they do, a 4th unit is added free.
5. Gift Product via Coupon
↑ Back to topUse Case:
↑ Back to topCustomer enters a coupon code and receives a free sample/gift added to cart, no purchase required.
This isn’t technically BOGO, but uses the same “Add products to cart” feature.
Setup Steps
↑ Back to top- Create coupon (e.g., “FREESAMPLE”)
- General tab: Discount type = “Fixed cart discount”, Amount = 0
- Usage Restriction: Leave product restrictions empty (applies to any cart)
- Actions > Add products to cart: Select your free gift, quantity 1, discount 100%
- Usage limits: Set “Usage limit per user” to 1
Result: Anyone who enters code “FREESAMPLE” gets the gift added to their cart for free, regardless of what else they’re buying.Full details: How to gift a product via coupon
Promoting Your BOGO Offer
↑ Back to topSmart Coupons creates the discount logic, but you need to tell customers about it:
Display Options:
- Add a banner to product page: “Buy one, get one free – automatically applied at checkout!”
- Use WooCommerce shortcode on product description
- Create a promotional page listing all BOGO deals
- Email announcement to your customer list
- Social media promotion
Choosing the Right BOGO Type
↑ Back to top| Business Goal | Best BOGO Type | Example |
| Clear slow-moving inventory | Same-product BOGO | Buy 1 red shirt, get 1 red shirt free |
| Introduce new product | Cross-product BOGO | Buy bestseller, get new product free |
| Increase order value | Bundle deal | Buy laptop, get accessories discounted |
| Reward bulk buyers | Quantity-based | Buy 5, get 1 free |
| Customer acquisition | Gift via coupon | Enter code, get free sample |
