The minimum spend for a free gift should sit a step above your typical order, so most shoppers need one more item to reach it. Find your average order value and your common product prices in Shopify Analytics, set the first minimum about one popular item above the average, then check after two weeks how many carts reach it and move it if needed.
There is no right number for every store, and we won't give you a benchmark. What follows is a method you can run on your own data. For the wider setup, see the complete guide.
Start from your own orders
Pull two things from the last 60 to 90 days, leaving out unusual weeks like a big sale:
- Average order value. In Shopify, under Analytics, the reports include average order value over time.
- How order values spread. Export orders and sort by subtotal. Note where most orders sit: maybe a cluster around one item, another around two.
Then note the price of the items shoppers add most often. That is the "one more item" your minimum will ask for.
Draw the line
Put the first minimum about one popular item above your average order value. If your average order is $42 and your most-added item is $18, a minimum around $55 to $60 asks for one more item from a typical shopper.
- Below your average, most orders already qualify. You pay for a gift without changing what people buy.
- Far above it, the gap is too big to close with one item, and shoppers ignore the offer.
- Round numbers are easier to remember than $57.50. Shoppers read "$60 for a free gift" at a glance.
If you use tiers, the same logic sets the gaps between them: each step about one or two popular items further. More in how to set up tiered gifts.
Check the cost
The gift's cost to you, plus any added packing or shipping, should be less than your margin on the extra spend you expect. With the example above: the extra spend is about one $18 item; multiply by your gross margin and compare with the gift's cost. If the gift costs more, pick a cheaper gift or raise the minimum. Our post on picking the right gift product covers the gift side.
If no line works, because the gift costs too much for the extra spend, a discount may fit your store better. See free gift or discount code.
Decide what counts toward it
Before you set the number, know what it is measured on. In Tidebird Gift Lift, the minimum counts item prices before discounts, leaving out the gift itself and gift cards. In Shopify's native Buy X Get Y discount, it counts only items from the products or collections you pick.
Whatever your setup counts, say it in the offer, so shoppers aren't surprised when a discount code or a gift card doesn't move them closer.
Check it after two weeks
Two weeks is enough for most stores to see whether the line works. Look at:
- How many carts that saw the offer reached it. Very few means the line is too high. Nearly all means it is too low.
- How much extra shoppers spent to reach it. If it is often far above the gap you planned, shoppers may be buying a second full-price item you didn't expect; that's good, but check the gift stock.
- Orders that used the gift, and whether the gift stock is lasting.
Gift Lift's Home page shows these for the last 7 or 30 days: carts that saw the offer, the share that unlocked the gift, gifts added, and the average extra spend to unlock. They are counted in carts on your storefront, not orders, and shoppers who decline analytics are not counted. Offer usage shows how many orders used each offer.
Change one thing at a time, the minimum or the gift, and give each change another two weeks.
Set a minimum per tier and see how many carts reach it, right on the Home page. Free right now.
Questions merchants ask
What is a good minimum spend for a free gift?
One that sits about one popular item above your average order value. Start there and adjust with your own results.
Should the minimum be below my average order value?
Usually not. Most orders would qualify anyway, so the gift costs you without changing what shoppers buy.
How long should I wait before changing it?
About two weeks, unless almost nobody or almost everybody reaches it in the first days.
Do discount codes count toward the minimum?
It depends on the setup. In Tidebird Gift Lift, the minimum counts prices before discounts, so a code doesn't push a cart below it.