Gift-with-Purchase: The Conversion Optimisation Tactic You're Probably Ignoring

Most e-commerce marketers are laser-focused on top-of-funnel metrics such as traffic, ROAS, impressions. But often, the fastest wins come from improving what happens at checkout.

Gift-with-purchase is one of the most overlooked conversion levers. It can lift AOV, boost conversion rates, and make the checkout experience feel more valuable, all without discounting.

In this post, we explore how three brands used gift-with-purchase to improve results, with real data and direct feedback from the people who ran the campaigns.

Why Gift-with-Purchase Works

Gift-with-purchase adds perceived value rather than reducing price. That makes it especially powerful in a market where discount fatigue is real, and margin pressure is rising.

It works because it triggers reciprocity, increases urgency, and gives customers a “better deal” without undermining your pricing strategy. More importantly, when done well, it improves the shopping experience.

Unlike percentage-off promotions that train customers to wait for sales, gift-with-purchase maintains your price integrity whilst creating additional value. It’s psychology in action – customers feel they’re receiving something extra rather than paying less for the same product.

Case Study: Haier – Big-Ticket AOV Gains

Haier, a global appliance brand, used Tyviso’s gift-with-purchase technology to deliver targeted gifts via the basket and checkout pages. Partnering with complementary FMCG brands, the team ran A/B tests to evaluate impact on their high-value product purchases.

Results:

• 177.89% higher basket completion rate
• 18.75% higher average order value
• 5.34% widget CTR

“The gift-with-purchase helped us boost both basket conversion rates and average order value, encouraging customers to complete their purchase and discover more of our range along the way,” said Alex Wall, Performance Manager at Haier.

For Haier, the key was partnering with brands that complemented their appliance purchases. A customer buying a new washing machine might receive a premium laundry detergent sample pack, creating genuine added value whilst maintaining the appliance’s full price point.

Case Study: Hoover – Relevance at Checkout

Hoover implemented dynamic gift-with-purchase offers based on basket contents. For example, a customer purchasing a pet vacuum might see a free trial for a pet food subscription. This contextual pairing improved both perceived value and click-through rates. 

The beauty of their approach lay in the relevance. Rather than generic offers, Hoover’s system recognised purchase intent and served appropriate gifts that enhanced the customer’s intended use case.

Results:

• Customers who selected a gift had a 4.3x higher basket conversion rate than those who didn’t select a gift.
• The increased basket completion resulted in a revenue increase of over £131,000 (in 1 month).

Case Study: Wild – Scalable Testing, Strong Results

Wild, a sustainable deodorant brand, tested gift-with-purchase across 5 million sessions with brand partners like SimplyCook, Gousto, and Audible. A/B testing was used to assess the impact on completion rate and customer satisfaction.

Their approach demonstrated how gift-with-purchase can work for direct-to-consumer brands with lower AOVs. By partnering with subscription services and complementary lifestyle brands, Wild created compelling offers that resonated with their eco-conscious audience.

Results:

• +10% uplift in basket completion rate (gift-with-purchase exposed traffic)
• Strong customer feedback

“Having rigorously tested the impact of gift-with-purchase conversion rate, we were ecstatic to confirm the hypothesis that offering ‘Free Gifts’ to our customers before checkout would increase our basket completion rate.” — Flora Jetha, Partnerships Manager, Wild

What These Brands Got Right

Analysing these successful implementations reveals four critical success factors:

Relevance

Every offer matched the customer journey and product. Haier paired appliances with relevant FMCG items, Hoover matched vacuum types to lifestyle needs, and Wild aligned with their customers’ values around sustainability and wellness.

Placement

Gifts were shown at the moment of intent, in the basket or at checkout. This timing maximises impact when customers are already committed to purchasing but haven’t yet completed the transaction.

Testing

All campaigns were backed by A/B testing, not guesswork. Each brand measured uplift against control groups, ensuring their results were statistically significant and commercially meaningful.

Why Gift-with-Purchase Beats Discounting

Traditional discount strategies create several long-term problems that gift-with-purchase avoids:

• Maintains brand value and price integrity
• Adds perceived value instead of eroding margin
• Enhances the shopping experience
• Easier to personalise and segment

Implementation Considerations

Successful gift-with-purchase campaigns require thoughtful execution. The gift must feel genuinely valuable whilst being cost-effective to fulfil. Partnership opportunities with complementary brands can reduce costs whilst adding authenticity to the offer.

Technical integration matters too. The best gift-with-purchase systems integrate seamlessly with existing checkout flows, require minimal development resources, and provide comprehensive testing capabilities.

Customer communication is equally important. The value proposition must be clear, the redemption process straightforward, and the overall experience aligned with your brand values.

Conclusion

Gift-with-purchase can be a real performance channel. And it’s one that works across industries, from appliances to personal care. If your team is under pressure to prove ROI, reduce discounting, and improve CRO, this tactic should be on your radar.

The data from Haier, Hoover, and Wild demonstrates that when executed thoughtfully, gift-with-purchase can deliver meaningful improvements to key e-commerce metrics without the margin erosion that comes with discounting strategies.

Wondering whether gift-with-purchase could work for your brand? Let’s have a conversation we’re happy to walk you through what’s worked for others and help you test it yourself.