Buy 2 Get 1 Free for Black Friday: How to Set It Up on Shopify

"Buy 2, get 1 free" is one of the easiest Black Friday offers to understand. The shopper sees a clear target and a clear reward. Over BFCM weekend 2025, free-gift bundles in MBC Bundles stores had the highest value per order of any bundle type.

Why "free" works better than "off"

Shoppers react more strongly to getting something for free than to the same amount off. "Get a free candle tin" is easier to picture than "save $16". The offer also sets a goal. To get the gift, the shopper adds a second item, which makes the order bigger.

Keep your margin: choose the free item carefully

"Buy 2, get 1 free" on the same product is a 33% discount. That is more than we recommend for most bundles. The fix is to make the free item a smaller, lower-cost product.

What each offer really costs you:

• Buy 1, get 1 free (same item): Shopper pays for: 1 of 2; Real discount: 50%
• Buy 2, get 1 free (same item): Shopper pays for: 2 of 3; Real discount: 33%
• Buy 3, get 1 free (same item): Shopper pays for: 3 of 4; Real discount: 25%
• Buy 2 candles ($38 + $34), get a $16 tin free: Shopper pays for: $72 of $88; Real discount: 18%

In the last example, the offer still reads as "free", but the real discount is only 18%. Good free items include travel sizes, samples, small accessories, and stock you want to clear before January.

What the shopper sees

With MBC Bundles, the free item is shown inside the bundle on the product page with a FREE badge, and the bundle total shows what the shopper saves.

How to set it up in MBC Bundles

1. Create a bundle and choose the preset. In MBC Bundles, create a new bundle and choose Buy X Get One Free. If the free item should come from a different group of products, choose Buy X Get Y instead.
2. Set the "buy" products and quantity. Choose the products the shopper must buy, for example any two candles. Set the quantity to 2.
3. Set the free item. Choose the free product, for example the travel candle tin. Pick a lower-cost item or stock you want to clear.
4. Turn on Auto-add free gift to cart. The free item goes into the cart on its own, so the shopper does not need an extra click.
5. Schedule the offer. In Bundle active period, set a Start date of November 11 and turn on Set end date and time for December 7.
6. Add a countdown timer. Turn on Show countdown timer and choose Follow end date and time set for bundle. The timer counts down to your end date.
7. Place it on product pages. Show the widget on the product pages of the "buy" products, so shoppers see the offer where they decide.

Five tips for a better free-gift offer

• Name the gift in the title. "Buy 2 candles, get a travel tin free" beats "Buy 2 get 1 free".
• Check stock. Make sure you have enough of the free item for the whole season, November 11 to December 7.
• Do not stack. Do not run another bundle with the same discount type on the same products.
• Show the value. Keep the compare-at price visible so shoppers see what the gift is worth.
• Measure the right number. Track units sold of the free item and your average order value, not only total sales.

Want help setting up your free-gift offer?

Our team will help you choose the products and set up your Buy 2 Get 1 Free bundle. Open MBC Bundles and start a live chat, or email support@mbc-bundles.com.

Methodology and sources

MBC Bundles data: bundle-attributed orders across MBC Bundles stores, converted to USD at the time of order. BFCM weekend = November 28 to December 1, 2025. Where we compare types of stores or bundles, we exclude the three largest stores so that no single store skews the result, or we use the median. Results vary by catalogue, traffic and offer. Free-gift bundles include BOGO, Buy X Get One Free, Buy X Get Y and other free-product bundles.