Articles on: Kite - Free Gift App

Setting up a Free gift Campaign

Part 1: Common Promotion Settings


Regardless of the free gift offer you choose, the following settings apply across all promotion types in Kite:


1. Threshold Rules You must define what a customer needs to do to unlock the gift. You have two options:

  • Minimum Purchase Amount: (e.g., Spend $100).
  • Quantity of Items: (e.g., Buy 5 products).
  • Targeting: For either threshold, you can specify if the total is calculated from All Products, Specific Products, or Specific Collections.


2. Discount Combinations & Scheduling

  • Combinations: Use the Discount Combination settings to dictate how this free gift offer stacks with other active discounts on your Shopify store.
  • Scheduling: You can set a start and end date for your campaign. Note: Even if the offer is set to "Public," it will only appear on your storefront during the scheduled timeframe.


3. Advanced Settings Refine exactly who can see and claim your offers:

  • Customer Eligibility: Target specific Customer Tags or Segments.
  • Markets: Restrict the offer to specific Shopify Markets.
  • Subscriptions: Define whether the free gift applies to subscription product purchases.


Part 2: Setting Up Your Specific Free Gift Type


To begin any of these setups, go to Create Promotion > Free Gift on Product Page/Cart and give your offer a name (this acts as the discount code visible at checkout).


Type 1: Simple Auto-Add (Single Gift)

Best for: Giving every customer the exact same bonus item when they hit a goal.

  1. Set your preferred threshold (e.g., Spend $100 across All Products).
  2. Select the specific product you want to offer as the free gift.
  3. Ensure the behavior is set to auto-add. Once the customer hits the threshold, the gift automatically drops into their cart.


Type 2: Customer Selection (Choice of Gifts or Variants)

Best for: Offering a product with variants (like apparel sizes) or a choice between completely different items.

  1. Set your threshold.
  2. Select a product with variants, OR select multiple different products.
  3. Change the behavior to Let customer select free gift.
  4. Set your Selection Limit (e.g., choose 1 out of the 3 options). The widget will allow the customer to pick their preferred item/variant and block the rest once the limit is reached.


Type 3: Multiple Free Gifts (Same Threshold)

Best for: High-value carts where you want to reward customers with a bundle of different items or multiples of the same item.

  1. Set your threshold.
  2. Select your free gift product(s).
  3. To give multiples of the same item, increase the quantity selector (e.g., set to 3). To give different items, simply add multiple products to the offer.
  4. Ensure the behavior is set to Automatically add free gift. Customers will receive all configured items when they cross the single threshold.


Type 4: Tiered Free Gifts (Different Thresholds)

Best for: Gamifying the shopping experience to increase Average Order Value (AOV).

  1. Set your Tier 1 threshold (e.g., Spend $100) and select the Tier 1 free gift.
  2. Enable the Multiple Tiers toggle and click Add Rule to create Tier 2 (e.g., Spend $200) and assign its respective gift. Repeat for Tier 3.
  3. Application Rule: Choose whether the customer gets only the highest tier gift they qualify for, or if they accumulate all gifts as they move through the tiers.


Part 3: Publishing & Theme Setup (Crucial Steps)


1. Enable the Theme App Extension For the Kite widget to display on your product and cart pages, the App Embed must be active in your Shopify Theme Settings.

  • After saving your first offer, you will be prompted to enable the extension. Click the button, ensure the toggle is ON in your Shopify theme editor, and hit Save.

2. Testing via Private Link When you first save an offer, Kite generates a Private Preview Link. The discount is not live for everyone. Access your store through this specific link to test the threshold logic and ensure the widget looks correct on your product/cart pages.

3. Going Public Once you have verified the offer works perfectly, go to the Offer Summary in Kite and switch the status from Private to Public. Your promotion is now live for all eligible customers.



Technical Notes & Limitations


⚠️ "Buy Now" & Dynamic Checkout Buttons: > Shopify's dynamic checkout buttons (such as "Buy Now", Apple Pay, or Shop Pay directly on the product page) intentionally bypass the cart. Because Kite utilizes cart transformations to apply the free gift, customers using these quick-checkout buttons will not receive the free gift. Customers must proceed through the standard cart to trigger the offer.


⚠️ $0 Product Pricing: > Free gifts are added to the checkout as a line item with a $0 price. Please be aware that $0 items can occasionally impact shipping rate calculations (depending on your shipping rules) and may require special attention for customs declarations on international orders.



Troubleshooting / Checklist

  • Widget isn't showing up? Double-check that the Kite Theme App Extension is toggled ON and saved in your active Shopify Theme Settings. Ensure your scheduled start time has passed.
  • Gift isn't adding? Ensure you are testing via the Private Preview link (if the offer is private) and verify you haven't used a "Buy Now" button to skip the cart.
  • Need to change how the widget looks? Go to your Storefront Widget Settings in Kite to adjust the text, colors, and design elements.
  • Still stuck? Reach out to us via chat support in the app or book a call. We're happy to help!







Updated on: 11/03/2026

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