# Free Gift With Purchase in WooCommerce: Pick the Gift, Set the Amount, Add It Automatically

> A free gift above a spend can cost less than a discount and still move shoppers up. How to choose the gift and the amount, and set it up in WooCommerce.

Source: https://nanflows.com/blog/woocommerce-free-gift-with-purchase
Published: 2026-10-24 · Updated: 2026-10-19
By: Nanflows team
About: Nanflows sliding cart (https://nanflows.com/products/nanflows-sliding-cart)

**In short:** a free gift with purchase (GWP) adds a product to the cart for free once the order reaches an amount, like “free tote bag on orders over $100”. Pick a gift that costs you little but has a clear price, and set the amount 20 to 40% above your average order. WooCommerce coupons can’t add a product by themselves. [Nanflows Sliding Cart Pro](https://nanflows.com/products/nanflows-sliding-cart) adds the gift at $0.00 when the cart reaches the amount, shows progress towards it, and takes the gift out again if the cart drops below.

## Why a gift can beat a discount

A discount costs you its full face value. A gift costs you what you paid for it.

![A 15% discount on a $120 order costs $18; a free gift priced at $12 that costs $4.50 to buy in costs $4.50](https://nanflows.com/img/blog/gift-math.svg)
*Sample numbers. Use your own costs.*

On a $120 order, 15% off is $18 out of your margin. A tea towel you sell for $12 and buy in for $4.50 costs you $4.50, and the shopper still sees a $12 gift. Gifts also feel different: a discount is a smaller number on the receipt, a gift is something in the box.

There are trade-offs. A gift only works if shoppers want it, and it takes stock and shipping weight. Use the gift when you have a product that fits; use a discount when you don’t.

## Choosing the gift

A good gift is:

- **Cheap for you, with a real price.** Shoppers judge it by the price on your site. If it has no price anywhere, it’s worth what they guess.
- **Related to what they buy.** A candle store giving matches, a coffee store giving a scoop, a skin care store giving a travel size. Unrelated gifts look like clearance.
- **Small and light,** so it doesn’t push the parcel into a higher shipping rate.
- **In stock in depth.** Running out halfway through a promotion means some orders get the gift and some don’t.
- **Not your bestseller.** Giving away the product people would buy anyway teaches them to wait for the offer.

Some ideas by store type:

| Store | Gift | Spend |
|---|---|---|
| Coffee | A 4 oz sample bag of a new roast | $60 |
| Candles and home | A matchbox or a mini candle | $75 |
| Skin care | Travel sizes of a second product | $80 |
| Apparel | Socks or a tote bag | $100 |
| Pet supplies | A bag of treats | $50 |
| Stationery | A sticker sheet or a pen | $40 |

## Setting the amount

Start from your average order value. In WooCommerce it is under **Analytics → Orders**. Then:

- **Set the gift amount 20 to 40% above it.** If your average order is $85, try $110 or $120. Far enough to change behavior, close enough that many orders are one item away.
- **Keep it above your free shipping amount,** if you have one. Free shipping first, then the gift, gives shoppers two steps instead of one big jump.
- **Check the gap.** If shoppers need $25 more, you need products around $15 to $30 to fill it.

Run it for a few weeks and look at the average order and the number of orders together. If the average rose and orders held, keep it.

## Setting it up in WooCommerce

WooCommerce on its own can’t add a free product to the cart. A coupon can give a discount, but not a product. You need a plugin.

With Nanflows Sliding Cart Pro, go to **NanCart → Settings → Rewards**, turn on **Enable rewards**, and add a **free gift** milestone with the amount and the gift product.

![A side cart with a free gift unlocked at $120: the gift line costs $0.00](https://nanflows.com/img/blog/gift-cart.svg)
*The gift goes in as a normal cart line at $0.00.*

What happens in the cart:

- **Progress shows at the top of the side cart,** so shoppers see how far they are from the gift.
- **At the amount, the gift is added by itself,** priced at $0.00, quantity 1.
- **If the cart drops below the amount, the gift is taken out.**
- **Shoppers can’t remove it, unless you allow it** with **Let shoppers remove free gifts**. If they remove it, it isn’t added back during that visit.
- **Progress is measured on the cart subtotal,** or on the subtotal after coupons if you choose that, so a coupon doesn’t count towards the gift.
- **Combine it with free shipping and a discount** as milestones on the same bar. Two or three is plenty.

The gift is a real line on the order, so WooCommerce reduces its stock like any product and you can see in your orders how often it went out.

## Write the rules down

Put the rules where shoppers can read them, on the product or a promotions page:

- One gift per order.
- While stocks last, and what happens if they run out.
- What happens on a return. Most stores say: if the return takes the order below the amount, the gift comes back too, or its price is taken off the refund. Pick one and say it.

## Get it

- **Free side cart:** [Nanflows Sliding Cart on WordPress.org](https://wordpress.org/plugins/nanflows-sliding-cart/). The free gift milestone is in Pro.
- **Pro:** rewards (free shipping, discounts and free gifts), upsells and cart analytics on the [Nanflows Sliding Cart page](https://nanflows.com/products/nanflows-sliding-cart), $29 a year for one site or $99 for five.
- **Gift sets instead?** To sell a box of products as a gift, see [custom gift boxes in WooCommerce](https://nanflows.com/blog/woocommerce-gift-box-builder).
- **Related:** [free shipping progress bars](https://nanflows.com/blog/woocommerce-free-shipping-bar) and [how to increase average order value](https://nanflows.com/blog/how-to-increase-average-order-value).

## FAQ

### How do I add a free gift to orders over a certain amount in WooCommerce?

WooCommerce alone can’t add products to the cart. Use a plugin: with Nanflows Sliding Cart Pro, add a free gift milestone under NanCart → Settings → Rewards with the amount and the product. It is added at $0.00 when the cart reaches the amount and removed if the cart drops below it.

### Is a free gift better than a discount?

Often, when you have a gift that costs you little and has a clear price. A 15% discount on a $120 order costs $18; a $12 gift that costs you $4.50 costs $4.50. A discount is better when no product makes a good gift.

### What should the free gift threshold be?

About 20 to 40% above your average order value, and above your free shipping amount if you have one. Make sure you sell products that fill the gap.

### Does the free gift reduce stock in WooCommerce?

Yes. With Nanflows Sliding Cart Pro the gift is a normal order line at $0.00, so WooCommerce reduces its stock and the gift shows on the order.

### Can customers remove the free gift?

Only if you allow it. Nanflows Sliding Cart Pro has a setting for that; once a shopper removes the gift, it isn’t added again during their visit.