How To Make An Item Free On Woocommerce

How to Give Away the Goods: Making an Item Free on WooCommerce

So, you want to offer something for free on your WooCommerce store? Maybe you’re running a promotion, offering a lead magnet, or just being incredibly generous. Whatever your reason, making an item free in WooCommerce is surprisingly simple. This guide will walk you through a few different ways to achieve this, explaining the pros and cons of each so you can choose the best method for your specific needs.

Why Offer Something for Free?

Before we dive into the “how-to,” let’s quickly touch on the “why.” Offering a free item can be a powerful marketing tool. Think of it as an investment in your business. Here are a few common reasons:

• Lead Generation: Offer a free ebook or a useful template in exchange for an email address. This builds your email list and allows you to nurture potential customers. Imagine offering a “Free Guide to Choosing the Right Paint Color” for your paint store’s website.
• Upselling/Cross-selling: Giving away a small item can incentivize customers to purchase other products. Think of a free bottle of cleaning solution with a purchase of a cleaning machine.
• Building Brand Awareness: A free, high-quality item can create a positive impression of your brand and encourage word-of-mouth marketing. A local bakery might offer free samples of a new pastry to attract new customers.
• Clearing Inventory: Sometimes, you just need to get rid of excess stock. Offering it for free, even with the cost of shipping, can be cheaper than warehousing it.
• Rewarding Loyalty: Offer a free item to your loyal customers as a thank you for their continued support.

Method 1: Setting the Price to Zero

This is the simplest and most straightforward method. You’re literally setting the price of the product to $0.00.

Steps:

1. Log into your WordPress Admin Dashboard.

2. Go to Products > All Products.

3. Find the product you want to make free and click “Edit”.

4. In the “Product data” meta box (usually below the editor), set the “Regular price” to 0.00.

5. (Optional) Set the “Sale price” to 0.00. Although the regular price is already zero, setting the sale price to zero can highlight the “free” aspect on your product page (WooCommerce sometimes displays sale badges even if the regular price is zero).

6. Click “Update” to save the changes.

Example:

Let’s say you sell digital art prints. You’re offering a smaller, less detailed print as a free download to entice people to buy your larger, premium prints. You would simply edit that specific print’s product page and set the price to $0.00.

Reasoning:

This method is the easiest and works directly within WooCommerce’s core functionality. It’s suitable for items you consistently want to offer for free. It doesn’t require any plugins or complicated setups.

Important Considerations:

• Customers still need to “add to cart” and “checkout”, even though the price is zero. This is a standard WooCommerce process.
• You can still collect customer information (like email addresses) during the checkout process.
• If you’re offering a digital product, you’ll want to ensure it’s configured as a “Downloadable” product type within the “Product data” meta box so customers can access it after “purchasing.”

Method 2: Using a Coupon Code

This method allows you to offer a free item under specific conditions, such as applying a coupon code. This gives you more control over who gets the free item and for how long.

Steps:

1. Go to WooCommerce > Coupons.

2. Click “Add Coupon”.

3. Enter a Coupon code (e.g., “FREEITEM”). Make it easy to remember!

4. In the “Coupon data” meta box:

• Under the “General” tab:
• Set “Discount type” to “Fixed product discount”.
• Set “Coupon amount” to the full price of the item you want to be free. For example, if the item’s price is $25, enter 25.
• (Optional) Set “Allow free shipping” to “Yes” if you want to waive shipping costs for the free item.
• Under the “Usage Restriction” tab:
• In the “Products” field, select the specific product you want to be free with the coupon.
• (Optional) Set “Minimum spend” and “Maximum spend” if you want the coupon to only be valid for orders within a specific range.
• Under the “Usage Limits” tab:
• (Optional) Set “Usage limit per coupon” to limit the total number of times the coupon can be used.
• (Optional) Set “Usage limit per user” to limit how many times each customer can use the coupon.

5. Click “Publish” to save the coupon.

Example:

You sell handcrafted soaps. You’re running a promotion where customers get a free travel-sized soap with every order over $50. You’d create a coupon code like “SOAPGIFT”, set the discount amount to the price of the travel-sized soap, and restrict the coupon to orders over $50 that include the travel-sized soap product.

Reasoning:

Coupon codes offer granular control. You can:

• Limit the offer’s duration.
• Restrict it to specific products or order amounts.
• Track coupon usage.

This is ideal for promotions with specific criteria.

Important Considerations:

• Customers need to manually enter the coupon code during checkout. Make sure to clearly communicate the code and instructions.
• This method requires a bit more setup than simply changing the product price.
• Ensure your coupon settings are correct to avoid unintended discounts.

Method 3: Using Plugins (For Advanced Scenarios)

For more complex scenarios, you might consider using a plugin. There are several WooCommerce plugins that offer advanced features like:

• “Buy One Get One Free” (BOGO) offers.
• Free gifts based on cart rules.
• Automatic application of free item discounts.

Examples of Plugins:

• WooCommerce BOGO Deals: Allows you to easily create “Buy One Get One Free” offers.
• Advanced Coupons for WooCommerce: Offers a wide range of coupon options, including automatic application of free product coupons.
• Gift Kit for WooCommerce: Provides features for offering free gifts based on various conditions.

Reasoning:

Plugins provide powerful features that go beyond WooCommerce’s built-in capabilities. They are ideal for complex promotions and automated free item offers.

Important Considerations:

• Plugins can add complexity to your site and potentially slow it down. Choose plugins carefully and ensure they are well-coded and regularly updated.
• Many plugins are premium (paid) plugins.

Choosing the Right Method

Here’s a quick guide to help you decide which method is best for your situation:

• Simplest & Most Consistent: Changing the Price to Zero. Use this when you permanently want to offer the item for free.
• Controlled Promotions: Using Coupon Codes. Use this when you want to offer a free item under specific conditions (minimum order value, specific products purchased, limited time offer).
• Complex Promotions & Automation: Using Plugins. Use this for BOGO deals, free gifts based on complex cart rules, and automated application of free item discounts.

By understanding these methods and their considerations, you can effectively offer free items on your WooCommerce store and use them as a powerful tool to attract customers and grow your business. Remember to clearly communicate your offers to your customers and track their performance to optimize your strategy. Good luck!