BOGO (Buy One Get One Free) Promotions

Buy One Get One (BOGO) promotions are one of the most popular promotional strategies in retail. In AccuArk, BOGO promotions let you define a set of qualifying items that a customer must purchase and a reward that the customer receives in return. The reward can be a completely free item, or an item at a reduced price. This guide walks through the full setup process, explains how the discount is applied at the Point of Sale, and covers the important BogoReplacesItemDiscount stacking setting.

How BOGO Works

The core concept is straightforward: the customer buys one or more qualifying items, and in return they receive one or more reward items either free or at a discount. AccuArk evaluates the invoice at the time of sale and automatically applies the BOGO reward when the qualifying conditions are met.

For example, you might configure a promotion that says "Buy 2 T-Shirts, Get 1 T-Shirt Free." When a cashier adds three T-shirts to the invoice, AccuArk detects that two of them satisfy the qualifying requirement and applies a 100% discount to the third.

Setting Up a BOGO Promotion

BOGO promotions are created in the Promotion Editor, which is accessible from Marketing > Promotions. Click New Promotion to open the editor.

Step 1: Basic Information

Fill in the standard promotion fields that apply to all promotion types:

• Promotion Name — A descriptive name such as "Buy 2 Tees Get 1 Free"
• Start Date / End Date — The date range during which the promotion is active
• Start Time / End Time — Optional intra-day time window (leave blank for all-day)
• Location — Which locations the promotion applies to, or All Locations
• Customer Type — Restrict to a specific customer type, or All for everyone

Step 2: Select the Promotion Type

From the Type dropdown, select BOGO. This changes the editor layout to show the BOGO-specific configuration panels: the qualifying items panel and the reward panel.

Step 3: Add Qualifying Items

The qualifying items panel defines what the customer must purchase to trigger the promotion. Click Add Item to search for and select items from your inventory.

• Qualifying Quantity — The number of qualifying items the customer must buy. For a "Buy 2 Get 1" deal, set this to 2.
• Multiple Items — You can add multiple different items as qualifiers. For example, any combination of T-shirts in different colors could all count as qualifying items.

The qualifying items are the "Buy" side of the equation. The customer must have at least the specified quantity of these items on the invoice before the reward activates.

Step 4: Configure the Reward

The reward panel defines what the customer receives. This is the "Get" side of the equation.

• Reward Item — The item the customer receives as the reward. This can be the same item as the qualifier (e.g., a third T-shirt) or a completely different item (e.g., buy 2 entrees, get a dessert free).
• Reward Quantity — How many reward items the customer receives. Typically this is 1.
• Discount on Reward — The percentage discount applied to the reward item. Set this to 100% for a completely free item, or a lower percentage for a partial discount. For example, 50% means the customer gets the reward item at half price.

Step 5: Save and Activate

Click Save to store the promotion. Ensure the promotion's date range covers the period you want it active. The promotion will automatically apply at the POS when the qualifying conditions are met during the active period.

How BOGO Applies at the Point of Sale

When items are added to an invoice at the POS, AccuArk's promotion engine evaluates all active promotions. For BOGO promotions specifically:

1. The engine scans the invoice line items for qualifying items
2. If the qualifying quantity threshold is met, it looks for the reward item on the invoice
3. If the reward item is present, the configured discount is applied to the reward line item
4. The discount appears as a line-item adjustment on the invoice, clearly labeled with the promotion name

If the reward item is not on the invoice, the BOGO does not apply. The cashier may need to add the reward item manually, or you can train staff to remind customers about active BOGO deals.

The BogoReplacesItemDiscount Setting

The BogoReplacesItemDiscount setting controls how the BOGO reward discount interacts with any existing item-level discount that may already be on the reward item. This is a global stacking setting found under Marketing > Promotion Settings.

When BogoReplacesItemDiscount Is ON (Default)

The BOGO discount replaces any existing item-level discount on the reward item. This means:

• If the reward item already has a 10% item-level promotional pricing discount, that discount is removed
• The BOGO reward discount (e.g., 100% for free) is applied instead
• Only the BOGO discount appears on the invoice line

This is the recommended setting for most businesses because it prevents double-discounting. Without this, a reward item that is already on sale could receive both the sale discount and the BOGO discount, resulting in a larger discount than intended.

When BogoReplacesItemDiscount Is OFF

Both discounts apply to the reward item. The existing item-level discount is kept, and the BOGO discount is applied on top of it. This can lead to excessive savings that eat into your margins.

For example, if the reward item has a 20% item-level discount and the BOGO gives it an additional 50% off, the customer effectively receives a 60% discount on that item (20% off first, then 50% off the reduced price). In most cases this is not the intended behavior.

Recommendation: Keep BogoReplacesItemDiscount ON unless you have a specific business reason to allow stacking.

Example: Buy 2 T-Shirts, Get 1 Free

Here is a complete example configuration:

When a customer adds 3 T-shirts to the invoice, AccuArk applies a 100% discount to the lowest-priced T-shirt, making it free.

Tips

• Clearly define qualifying and reward items — Ambiguity in which items qualify and which are the reward can confuse staff. Use descriptive promotion names and ensure the correct items are selected in the editor.
• Test with the Promotion Sandbox — Before going live, use the Promotion Sandbox to simulate an invoice with qualifying and reward items. Verify that the discount applies correctly and that stacking behavior matches your expectations.
• Monitor margin impact — BOGO promotions give away product at reduced or zero cost. Use the Promotion Performance Report to track how much margin you are sacrificing and whether the increased volume offsets it.
• Consider the reward discount percentage — Not every BOGO needs to be 100% off. A "Buy 2, Get 1 at 50% Off" deal still creates a compelling offer while preserving more margin.
• Review BogoReplacesItemDiscount before launch — Check this setting before activating any BOGO promotion, especially if the reward items are also running other item-level discounts.