Have you ever thought of using gifts as a marketing technique? Have you tried to attract new and loyal customers, and increase average order value by offering something free as a reward for a larger checkout?

This is now possible for OpenCart store owners. The brand new extension from iSenseLabs, TieredGifts allows the creation of different gift tiers, or gift categories that will be available for customers when their order total reaches a predefined value.

The main features of the module are:

• Create infinite gift categories

• Assign multiple gifts to each category

• Strategic positioning of the free gifts on checkout

• Separate page with all the free gifts in one place

• Set teasing messages prompting customers to spend more

Surprise Your Customers With a Free Gift

The extension is particularly useful for increasing the cart order total - the amount of money each customer spends on a single order.

Setting Up and Managing TieredGifts

Control Panel

Module status: Once you enable TieredGifts, you will see the Gift Categories tab appear. You are now ready to start setting up the different gift categories.

Always show the gift page before checkout: This setting allows you to enable or disable the Free Gift page on checkout depending on the relevance of the products in the cart.

Main Menu Link: Select whether you want to add a link to the main menu. This will notify customers that your store is offering free gifts, which sparks more interest in spending more.

Main Menu Link Sort Order: Select a number that will define the position of the free gifts link on the main menu.

Main Menu Text: The text in the link that will lead people to the page with all the free gifts.

Product Image Width and Height: Set the dimensions of the product images appearing on checkout.

Gift Categories

Add New Gift Tier: Use this button to add an unlimited number of gift categories.

Gift Tier 1 status: Each gift category can be enabled or disabled at any time.

Gift Tier 1 name: The text describing what the specific gift category is.

Minimum Cart Value: This is the most important field. Use it to define the minimum amount of money a customer has to spend in order to become eligible for the gift category you are currently configuring.

For instance, the first category might be for small gifts and the Minimum Cart Value can be set at $100.00. If you set a second gift category with better gifts, you can set the Minimum Cart Value to $200.00 and so on.

Products to be Gifted: Start typing the name of the product you want to assign to the current gift tier. This will include it in the Free Gifts page on checkout as well as the Main Menu (if you have enabled it there).

Eligible text: Define the notification text that will let customers know they are eligible to get a free gift from the current gift tier.

Not Eligible text: Define the notification text that will invite customers to spend a bit more to become eligible to get a free gift from the current gift tier.

Don’t forget to set your Order Totals

In order for TieredGifts to work, you need to enable the order totals from Extensions > Order Totals. Choose the version you are running and click Edit.

After that, switch the status to Enabled and give it a Sort Order number.

And now, you’re all done.

A glimpse of how the extension looks like in the front end of the OpenCart Demo Store...

This is how the notification for eligible customers looks like.

As you see, customers will find the different gift categories on their way to the checkout. They will be able to choose a gift from a tier that they are eligible for, or see the next tier that will prompt them to spend some more to become eligible.

Strategies for a Gift Marketing Campaign That Convert

If you are interested in making your customers spend more money, here are a few strategies you can employ:

#1 The default setup of the module

The tactic: Separate the different gift categories with a large gap on a relatively equal pricing range, for example $100, $200, $300, and $400.

The outcome: This way, the customer knows that they can spend a little bit more to get a better gift from the next category.

Also, don’t forget to add texts such as:

“Spend just X More to get a Free Gift from X Category!”

Also, another thing to drive the strategy forward is if you put proper gifts, in terms of quality and value in the gift tiers.

#2 Add 2 gift tiers with low value and one with a very high value

The tactic: Create 3 gift tiers, for example $100, $200 and $800.

The outcome: Add budget gifts in the first two lower value categories and reserve exclusive gifts in the high value section. This works because you are attracting customers with a high spending capability. They will spend more just to get the premium high value gift.

Don’t forget,make sure the gifts in the last tier are worth spending more.

#3 Add gifts starting from high value and one at a really high value

The tactic: Create 3 or more gift categories, for example at $500, $700, and $1500.

The outcome: Customers who want to get a gift will really feel like they get a huge deal in any of these cases, since all the categories are really expensive and they should spend some money. In this example we have a very high priced item which makes the lower ones like an incredibly good deal.

#4 Add gifts with really close values

The tactic: Create 2 or more gift categories with almost matching values, for example $475 and $500.

The outcome: Everyone will be willing to pay something just a bit more when they know that they will be able to get something better. Of course, only you as a store owner know the “Buy Price” and whether it is really better. This way, you can hack customers to spend just a bit more. Guaranteed.

#5 Make a gift with low value and two with slightly higher but similarly priced

The tactic: Create 3 or more gift categories - one with low value, and two with higher but matching value, for example $175, $225, and $230.

The outcome: Again, playing with numbers, but here we get one lower tier, one which is close to it and another tier which is just a little bit more expensive and still has all the allure.

This way, your customers will consider that the $50 difference is not that big and they can spend more just to treat themselves to something special. Once they made this gap, it’s easy to think that $5 is not that much at all if they can get the awesome gifts from this store.

Summary

Receiving something like a gift is usually a special occasion, something that is worthwhile to share with your friends, family and colleagues. People might get interested in a product or service that is quite awesome, but nothing catches a person’s attention more than giving that quality away for free.