A BOGO offer is a coupon that gives the customer a free or discounted item once they buy a set number of the same item: buy one get one free, buy two get one free, or buy one get the second 40% off. In Stackably it is one of the coupon types available for the register and online checkout, so it is created in the same place as any other coupon code.
This article assumes you already know how to create a basic coupon. If you do not, start with the article Creating a Discount/Coupon Code, then come back here for the BOGO settings.
Where are BOGO offers?
BOGO is a Discount Type inside a coupon. In the left sidebar click Shop+, click Coupons in the top row of tabs, then click the + button next to the search box to open the Create Coupon form.
The BOGO choices only appear once the coupon's Product Type is set to ShopV2 / POS. That is what tells Stackably the coupon is for the register and the online store rather than for memberships, invoices or forms.
How do I create a "buy 2 get 1 free" coupon?
The example below gives one free item for every three of the same item in the cart. Use the same steps for buy one get one free; the only difference is the Buy Quantity.
On the Coupons tab click +. Under Campaign Basics, type a Campaign Name (for example Buy 2 Get 1 Free) and a Coupon Code that staff or customers will enter (for example B2G1FREE), or click Generate for a random code. Set the Start Date and Expiration Date.
Under Applicability, set Product Type to ShopV2 / POS. A new POS Discount Options section appears below it.
Under Discount Structure, type 100 in Percentage (%). The form will not let you save a coupon with this box empty, and the box disappears once you choose a BOGO type in the next step, so fill it in first. The number you type here is not what the customer gets; the free item comes from the BOGO settings below.
Under POS Discount Options, open the Discount Type list and choose Buy One Get One Free.
Type the Buy Quantity (how many the customer must buy, for example 2) and the Get Quantity (how many they get free, for example 1). Type the numbers even if the box already shows the value you want; a value that is only the default is not saved.
Leave Apply to same item only ticked.
Under Distribution & Usage, turn on Unlimited uses or set an Available Quantity to cap how many times the code can be used. Tick Available on public shop if customers should be able to enter the code themselves at online checkout.
Click Save Coupon.
The coupon now appears in the Coupons list with its code, dates and status switch. Turn the switch off to pause the offer without deleting it.
How do I create a "buy one, get the second half off" coupon?
Follow the same steps as above, but in step 4 choose Buy One Get One % Off. An extra Percent Off (%) box appears under Buy Quantity and Get Quantity. Type the percentage the customer gets off the extra item, for example 50 for half off or 40 for 40% off. Type the number even if the box already shows 50; the default is not saved.
How does the BOGO coupon work at checkout?
The coupon is applied like any other coupon code: in the cart, click Have a coupon code?, type the code and click Apply. Stackably then looks at each item in the cart separately and counts how many of that item there are.
The customer must have Buy Quantity + Get Quantity of the same item in the cart. For buy 2 get 1 free that is three of the same item; for buy one get one that is two.
The discount repeats for every full set. With buy 2 get 1 free, six of the same item gives two free; four or five still gives one.
Items are counted separately, so three biscuits and three breakfast sandwiches with a buy 2 get 1 free coupon gives one free biscuit and one free sandwich. Two biscuits and one sandwich does not qualify, because no single item reaches three.
The free item is deducted at its full price, and a % off coupon deducts that percentage of one item per set.
If no item in the cart reaches the required quantity, the cart shows This coupon is not valid for the current cart and nothing is taken off.
Example: three biscuits at $3.00 each with the Buy 2 Get 1 Free coupon.
Example: two coffees at $1.75 each with a buy one get one 40% off coupon. 40% of one coffee, $0.70, comes off.
Example: only two biscuits with the Buy 2 Get 1 Free coupon. The cart needs three, so the code is refused.
Tips
Keep Apply to same item only ticked. The buy and get items must be the same product for the discount to be counted at checkout.
The Coupons list shows a BOGO coupon's Discount column as the percentage you typed in step 3 (for example 100 %), not the BOGO rule. Open the coupon, or check the campaign name, to see what the offer actually is.
A BOGO coupon is a regular coupon in every other way: it has start and end dates, a status switch, a use limit, and it appears in the Discounts report.