Hi all, we are launching a new store and want to give a mini prep kit to all first time customers. We want to make this as smooth as possible - the idea scenario would be a pop up comes up on screen for new customers (like a newsletter sign up) saying First Time Customer? Get a Free Prep Kit and then they click a button which automatically adds the product to their cart. When they put in an email at checkout, the system validates if they are a first time customer and if they are the discount is validated. I am trying to do this without making new time customers login and also have to go to the product page and add it to cart. I have Klaviyo so was wondering if maybe I could find a way through that? Any ideas welcome!
Hi Mesme,
That sounds like a great idea for onboarding first-time customers! Here’s how you could set it up:
1. Pop-up to offer the free kit
– You can definitely do this with Klaviyo forms or a dedicated pop-up app. Klaviyo lets you design a pop-up that shows only once per visitor, with a button that links directly to ?add=PRODUCT_ID so the free kit is automatically added to their cart.
2. Adding the free product
– Shopify supports “direct add-to-cart” links like:
https://yourstore.com/cart/add?id=PRODUCT_VARIANT_ID
You can attach that link to your pop-up button so customers don’t need to visit the product page.
3. Checking if they are a first-time customer
– Shopify’s discounts can be restricted to “first-time purchase only.” You’ll see this in the discount settings under Customer eligibility → First-time purchase.
– This doesn’t require customers to log in; it’s tied to the email entered at checkout.
4. Putting it together
– Pop-up offers the free kit + adds it to the cart.
– Discount automatically applies at checkout if it’s their first order.
Let me know if this helps or you encounter difficulty
Hi @Core_FitFusion this is super helpful thank you so much! I will give it a go and let you know if i have success!
Hi there. I set up the form, using the free product direct to cart link. The pop up pops up, but when I click the button, nothing goes into the cart. The first time purchase discount is also set up. My store is still PW protected - could that affect it?
and one other thing, I will have a 10% off sign-up for our newsletter also running- can they both run together? I have the mini prep pop-up firing when they put their first product in the cart.
Good job getting the form and link set up — that’s the right approach. If the product isn’t being added to the cart, a couple of things to check:
- Correct variant ID – Make sure you’re using the variant ID (not the product ID) in your direct add-to-cart link. You can find this by opening the product in your store, selecting the variant, and looking for the number in the URL (e.g.
...?variant=123456789). Your link should look like:
https://yourstore.com/cart/add?id=123456789
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Password protection – If the store is password protected, it shouldn’t block add-to-cart links, but it can interfere with pop-ups or scripts if they depend on cookies/session handling. It’s worth testing again after launching without the password page.
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Theme/App conflicts – Some themes or cart drawer apps intercept cart actions. If your theme uses an AJAX cart, you may need to adapt the link slightly or use
cart/add.js.
A quick way to test: paste the link directly in your browser (e.g. https://yourstore.com/cart/add?id=123456789) and see if the item shows up in the cart. If it works there but not via the pop-up, then the issue is with how the pop-up is firing the link.
Hi - we don’t have a variant for this product?
I see exactly what you’re aiming for — you want the free prep kit experience to feel smooth and automatic for first-time customers, without forcing them to log in or manually add the product. That’s a smart way to build loyalty from day one, and I can see why you’d want it to happen right at the cart/checkout step.
Here are a few practical ways you could set this up:
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Popup + Auto Add to Cart – Apps like Free Gifts by Secomapp or Gift Box let you trigger a free product automatically when certain rules are met (e.g. first order, order minimum). They can also work with popups so the customer just clicks once to confirm.
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Using Klaviyo – Klaviyo can identify first-time customers via email, but it won’t directly add products to cart or validate discounts. The common setup is: use Klaviyo to flag first-time emails, then sync with a gift app or Shopify Flow (if on Plus) to add the kit automatically.
-
Checkout Discount Validation – If you’re not on Plus, you can still create a discount code (e.g.
FIRSTKIT) that only applies once per customer. Combine this with a popup so they get the code when they submit their email, and the prep kit either auto-adds to the cart (via a cart script/app) or is discounted at checkout.
So the cleanest “no login, no hassle” flow usually looks like: popup → free kit auto-added → discount validates at checkout only for first orders. That way, new customers feel rewarded without having to jump through hoops.
Hi Kathrine - thank you for this. So they would have to put in their email in the pop form? I was hoping not to do that as I will also have a sign up for newsletter pop up which asks for their email. I wanted to have it appear first. and then when they put any items in the cart, the other pop up for the free kit comes up?
I get what you mean now, you don’t want customers to be asked for their email twice since the newsletter popup already covers that. In that case, you can separate the triggers:
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Keep the newsletter popup for email capture when someone first visits.
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Then set the free kit popup to trigger only when a customer adds an item to the cart. That way, the free kit popup just needs a button that adds the product to cart automatically, without asking for email again.
This way you’re not duplicating effort for the customer, and both popups serve a different purpose in the flow.
Even if your product doesn’t have options (like size or color), Shopify still creates one default variant behind the scenes. The direct add-to-cart link always needs the variant ID, not the product ID.
To find it:
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In your Shopify admin, open the product.
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Scroll to the Variants section if there are no options, you’ll still see a single “Default Title” variant.
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Click that variant, and look at the URL in your browser. You’ll see something like:
.../variants/123456789
That number is your variant ID.
Hope this helps
Hi,
To give a free gift (mini prep kit) to new customers, you can set up a Gift offer in a third-party app and use a condition like:
“Total spent in order history = 0” (meaning first-time buyers only), then select your prep kit as the free gift. But to have the data from order history, customer have to login your store.
With this setup, when a customer makes their first purchase, the free gift will be automatically added to their cart, keep the process simple and smooth.
You can try this feature in BOGOS App. Besides gifts for new customers, it also supports other conditions such as Buy X Get Y, Spend X Get Y, Spend more, get more, etc.
