How To Create A Buy 2 Get 1 Free Deal In WooCommerce (Easy Guide)

Want to run a buy 2 get 1 free deal in WooCommerce? While WooCommerce includes built-in coupons, it doesn’t include a native BOGO coupon type for this kind of offer.

With Advanced Coupons Premium, you can create a buy 2 get 1 free promotion using the Buy X Get X Deal (BOGO) discount type, then fine-tune how it works with cart conditions and scheduling.

In this guide, you’ll learn what a buy 2 get 1 free deal means, why stores use it, and how to set one up step by step in WooCommerce.

What Is The Meaning Of Buy 2 Get 1 Free?

“Buy 2 Get 1 Free” is an enticing offer that allows customers to receive a free item when they purchase two others at full price. Essentially, they get three items for the price of two, making them feel like they’re getting a great deal! It’s also a win for your business, as you can increase average order values and boost sales. 

Example: If you sell $20 t-shirts, with the deal, customers can get three for $40 instead of $60. 

The Buy Two Get One Free deal is a versatile deal that you can apply to almost any product category, whether you’re selling accessories, beauty products, clothing, or groceries. It’s a compelling promotion to run during special events and periods, helping you clear our inventory faster. 

Benefits Of Offering Buy Two Get One Free Deals

Let’s take a closer look at why you should consider running this type of deal in your e-commerce store: 

1. It makes your offerings more enticing

You know this.. shoppers are always on the hunt for a great deal! The “Buy Two Get One Free” increases the perceived value of your offerings, encouraging them to complete their purchase to take advantage of the offer. 

This type of deal is even more compelling when paired with a limited-time offer. By offering this deal only for a certain period, you can create a sense of urgency. Customers are motivated to act quickly so they won’t miss out on the chance to get the best value for their money. 

Lastly, it’s a great way to nudge customers on the fence about making a purchase. The allure of a free item can tip the scales, reassuring customers that they’re making a smart buying decision. 

2. Helps you increase average order values

Average Order Value (AOV) measures the average dollar amount customers spend when they make a purchase from your store. Every e-commerce store aims to increase its average order values–it’s a powerful metric that can help you drive growth for your business. One way to do this is by offering Buy Two Get One Free deals. 

When customers know they’ll get an item for free by purchasing two, they are more likely to add additional items to their cart. For instance, a customer planning to just buy one bottle of lotion may decide to purchase two more to get the third item for free. This increases their total spend, which is good news for your bottom line. 

💡 Tip: This type of deal can be more effective when applied to complementary items. If you’re selling gourmet coffee, you can offer a free bag of coffee beans when shoppers purchase two different blends. It’s also a great way to introduce them to your other offerings. 

3. Moves inventory faster

Overstocked items can be a headache for store owners–they take up storage space and tie up your resources. Offering a “Buy Two Get One Free” deal is one way you can move inventory faster, ensuring that products don’t sit on shelves for too long, or become obsolete over time. 

💡Tip: Consider pairing your best-selling items with slow-moving inventory to increase sales across the board. For example, if you sell skin care products, you can offer a free, less purchased product when customers buy two popular moisturizers. This can also introduce your buyers to products they might not have considered buying before.

How To Create A Buy 2 Get 1 Free Deal In WooCommerce (5 Steps)

WooCommerce’s built-in coupons cover basic discount types, but a buy 2 get 1 free promotion needs more advanced rules. Advanced Coupons Premium adds the BOGO deal type, along with cart conditions and scheduling tools that help you control exactly how the offer works.

Before you begin, make sure WooCommerce is installed and active on your site, you have products published, and Advanced Coupons Premium is installed.

Once that’s ready, you can create your buy 2 get 1 free coupon in five steps.

Step 1: Add a new BOGO deal

As mentioned, Advanced Coupons extends your basic WooCommerce features. Once this is activated, you’ll have access to advanced coupon features that will make your promotions more effective.

So, to get started, simply start by navigating to your WordPress dashboard and selecting “Coupons” > “Add New”. Here, you can enter a unique coupon code and description for your promotion:

Then, in the “Coupon Data” section, select “Buy X Get X Deal (BOGO)” as the discount type:

This will enable you to set up your Buy 2 Get 1 Free deal.

Step 2: Set the trigger for your coupon

After selecting your discount type, another section containing the triggers will appear.

So first configure the “Customer Buys” section, where you can define the trigger for your Buy 2 Get 1 Free coupon. This determines what items a customer needs to purchase to activate the coupon:

You have several options for the trigger:

• Specific Products: Choose individual items from your store that the deal will apply to.
• Any Combination: Allow customers to purchase any two products to qualify for the free item.
• Product Categories: Apply the deal to all items within a specific category.
• Any Products: Let customers choose any products, and the cheapest one will be discounted.

For a Buy 2 Get 1 Free deal, select the “Any Combination of Products” option. This allows customers to purchase any two items to qualify for the free item:

Step 3: Specify the free item

Next, in the “Customer Gets” section, you can specify the item that customers will receive for free when they meet the trigger criteria.

Since we’re aiming for them to receive any free item, you can simply choose the same options for the “Customer Gets” section as you did for the “Customer Buys” section.

So, for example, if you selected “Any Combination of Products” as the trigger, choose the same option for the “Customer Gets” section:

Set the quantity of the free item to 1 and the price to $0. This ensures that customers receive the free item without any additional charges.

Step 4: Configure additional settings

Moreover, don’t forget to configure the “Additional Settings” section. This allows you to specify extra rules or specification options for your Buy 2 Get 1 Free coupon.

One important setting is the “Repeatedly” option. If you enable this, the coupon will apply the discount to every third item in the cart:

So, let’s say a customer buys six items. If this setting is enabled, they will receive two items for free.

You can also customize the customer notification message, button text and URL, and notice type to guide shoppers and alert them to your deal.

Step 5: Set up the cart condition.

Finally, to ensure that the Buy 2 Get 1 Free coupon is applied correctly, you need to set up cart conditions that match the trigger you defined earlier.

In the “Cart Conditions” section, choose the condition that matches your trigger. For example, if you chose a specific product, select the “Product Quantities Exists In Cart” condition and specify that same product.

Now, once you have configured all the settings for your Buy 2 Get 1 Free coupon, click on the “Save BOGO Deals” and “Save Cart Conditions” buttons.

Then, publish your coupon to make it available to your customers!

Tips For Running A Successful Buy 2 Get 1 Free Promotion

Creating the coupon is only part of the job. A few small decisions can make your promotion easier to understand and more effective for shoppers.

Set clear start and end dates

A time-limited offer gives shoppers a clearer reason to act now. If you do not want the deal to run indefinitely, schedule your coupon in advance so it starts and ends when you want it to.

Promote the deal where shoppers will see it

If your buy 2 get 1 free promotion is hard to spot, fewer customers will use it. Add it to relevant product pages, sales banners, email campaigns, or other places where shoppers are already deciding what to buy.

Test a few cart scenarios before launch

Before publishing the coupon, run through a few quick tests to make sure the setup behaves the way you expect.

• Add exactly 2 qualifying items and check that the reward works correctly
• Add only 1 item and confirm the promotion does not trigger early
• Test larger quantities if you enabled repeated application
• Try non-qualifying products to confirm the restrictions are working

Monitor how the promotion performs

After launch, keep an eye on order size, conversions, and the products customers are using with the offer. If the deal is too broad or cuts too deeply into margins, you can tighten the qualifying products or shorten the promotion window.

For more ideas on how these offers work, you can also explore our guide to BOGO promotions.

Common Mistakes To Avoid With Buy 2 Get 1 Free Deals

Buy 2 get 1 free promotions can work really well, but a few setup mistakes can make them less effective or harder to control.

• Leaving the deal too broad: If you do not limit the qualifying products or categories, shoppers may use the offer on items you did not intend to include.
• Skipping cart tests: A coupon can look correct in the editor but still behave differently in the cart. Always test the promotion before making it live.
• Letting it stack with other coupons unintentionally: If you want this to run as a standalone offer, review your coupon settings carefully so the final discount stays within the range you intended.
• Not promoting the offer clearly: Even a strong deal can underperform if shoppers do not notice it. Make sure the promotion appears in places where it is easy to understand and act on.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

A buy 2 get 1 free deal can help you increase order size, move more products per transaction, and create a stronger reason for shoppers to buy now. The key is setting the offer up clearly and testing it before you launch it.

With Advanced Coupons Premium, you can create this kind of BOGO promotion in WooCommerce using flexible trigger settings, cart conditions, and scheduling tools.

Ready to build your own buy 2 get 1 free offer? Get Advanced Coupons Premium and start creating smarter WooCommerce promotions.