A gift ladder is a list of tiers. Each tier has a threshold (for example €50) and a gift the customer gets when the cart value reaches it. The gift is added automatically, or the customer chooses one of several gifts. In the cart the customer always sees how much is still missing for the next gift.
Before you start
- products for the gifts: simple or virtual products without required options, enabled, in stock and assigned to the website,
- a decision on thresholds and gifts (example: a sample over €50, a choice of 1 of 3 over €100, a full-size product over €150).
1. Prepare the gift products
Catalog › Products
A gift is an ordinary product with its real price. If you do not sell it on its own, set Visibility to Not Visible Individually. Leave the price as it is: in the cart, the order and the invoice the gift shows its regular price and a 100 % discount, and the customer pays €0.00.
2. Create the ladder
Marketing › Promotions › Tiered gifts
Click Add new ladder. Enter the Ladder name (internal, customers do not see it) and leave Enable ladder on.
Choose the Websites and Customer groups. If wholesale customers should not get gifts, leave their group unselected. From and To limit the dates (empty means no limit).
The general data of a ladder. Fields set to “Use the setting” take the value from the module settings. Priority matters when several ladders would apply at once: the one with the lower number is used. One ladder applies per cart.
Leave When several tiers are reached, Threshold basis and After discounts at Use the setting unless this ladder should behave differently from the others. Their meaning is explained in Tiered gifts: settings.
3. Add the tiers
In the Tiers section click Add tier for each tier.
Threshold: the amount that unlocks the tier, in the base currency of the website. Thresholds must rise from row to row.
How: Automatic adds exactly one gift without a click from the customer. Customer chooses offers two or more gifts and the customer picks one in the cart, the mini cart or at checkout.
If the customer does not choose (choice tiers only): Add nothing means no gift until the customer chooses; Add the first gift adds the first gift of the list until the customer picks another one.
Qty: how many pieces of the gift (usually 1).
Click Choose products, search the gifts by SKU or name, tick them and click Add selected. Products that are not simple or virtual cannot be chosen.
Choosing the gifts of a tier. By default the filter shows enabled simple and virtual products only. Label (optional): a short word under the tier’s point on the progress bar, for example “Sample”. The label is the same in all languages, so pick a word that works everywhere or leave it empty.
4. Save and check the preview
Click Save and continue edit. The Ladder preview describes the ladder in sentences (“Over €100: choose 1 of 3 ...”) and lists problems under Warnings: a gift out of stock, disabled, not assigned to the website, or also given by a cart price rule. Then try the ladder in the cart.
Common problems
The customer does not see the progress towards the gift
Check that the ladder is enabled, that the right website and customer group are selected (guests are NOT LOGGED IN), that the dates are valid and that the ladder does not require a coupon code. The cart progress must be switched on in the settings.
I cannot save a tier
Thresholds must rise, an “Automatic” tier needs exactly one gift and “Customer chooses” at least two. The message on saving tells you which tier is wrong.
The customer gets the gift twice
A cart price rule with the action “Free gift by rule (advanced)” gives the same gift. The ladder preview warns about it; disable the rule or change its gift.