Freebie Sync
Use this page to show your "spend $X, get a free item" campaigns on your WooCommerce website, so online shoppers see the same offer as in-store.
Quick steps
- Make sure the Brother POS plugin is installed and connected on your website — see Plugin Sync.
- Go to Products, click More Actions, then Sales Campaigns. Click Create Campaign.
- Set Campaign Type to Freebie Threshold. Fill in the Name, Minimum Spend Amount, Free Product and Quantity of Free Item.
- Under Sync to WooCommerce, tick Display this freebie deal on WooCommerce site.
- Click Create Campaign. It's sent to your website straight away.
Common questions
How do I take a freebie offer off my website? Untick Sync to WooCommerce on the campaign and save, pause it, or delete it. The website gets the new list straight away.
I changed the campaign's dates but the website didn't update. Only some changes send by themselves. Click the Sync to WooCommerce icon on the campaign's card to send it now.
Which products can be the free item? Any active product. Products with Don't sync to WooCommerce ticked (giveaway items) are listed first.
More detail: what freebie campaigns are and how sync works
Freebie campaigns give a customer a free product when they spend above a certain amount. Brother POS can send these campaigns to your WooCommerce store so online shoppers see the same offer you run in-store.
What Are Freebie Campaigns?
A freebie campaign is a promotional rule where a customer receives a free item when they meet a spending condition. For example:
- "Spend $100 or more, get a free pre-roll."
- "Spend $150 or more, get 2 free edibles."
In Brother POS, freebie campaigns are created on the Sales Campaigns page with the Freebie Threshold campaign type. Once synced, your website shows shoppers messages about the offer — what they qualify for, and how much more they need to spend.
How Freebie Sync Works
Brother POS sends freebie campaigns to your WordPress site, where the Brother POS WooCommerce plugin receives them.
Sync Flow
- Brother POS collects every freebie campaign that has Sync to WooCommerce turned on and is running right now.
- It sends that list to your website: each campaign's name, description, spend amount, free product and quantity, display message, and start and end dates.
- The plugin replaces the list of freebie campaigns it had before with this new list.
- Brother POS records the sync result and time on each campaign.
Freebie sync requires the Brother POS WooCommerce plugin to be installed on your WordPress site. The plugin receives the campaign details from Brother POS; without it, freebie sync will not work.
Brother POS's regular WooCommerce sync also sends your synced campaigns, including any product you took off a campaign (from the product's Specials tab). With version 1.7.19 or newer of the plugin, your website leaves that product out of the campaign too, the same as the register. See Taking a Product Off One Campaign.
More detail: setting up freebie sync, every field, and when it syncs
Setting Up Freebie Sync
Step 1: Install the Brother POS WooCommerce Plugin
Install and connect the Brother POS WooCommerce plugin on your WordPress site. For the full install walkthrough and connecting the plugin, see Plugin Sync (Firewall-Proof).
Step 2: Create a Freebie Campaign
- In Brother POS, go to Products, click More Actions, then click Sales Campaigns.
- Click Create Campaign.
- Set Campaign Type to Freebie Threshold.
- Configure the campaign details:
| Field | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Campaign name | Summer Freebie |
| Minimum Spend Amount | How much the customer must spend to qualify | $100.00 |
| Free Product | The product given away. Any active product can be chosen; products with Don't sync to WooCommerce ticked (giveaway items) are listed first. | Pre-Roll (Freebie) |
| Quantity of Free Item | How many of that product to give | 1 |
| Start Date & Time | When the campaign begins (leave blank to start immediately) | 2026-06-01 |
| End Date & Time | When the campaign ends (leave blank for no end) | 2026-08-31 |
| Sync to WooCommerce | Check Display this freebie deal on WooCommerce site | Checked |
| Custom Display Message | The message shoppers see. Leave blank for the default "Spend $X and get Y FREE Product!" (or "Y FREE Product with every purchase!" when the deal has no spend minimum) | — |
- Click Create Campaign.
Step 3: When the Sync Happens
Freebie campaigns are sent to your website automatically when you save a freebie campaign and you have:
- created it with Sync to WooCommerce checked, or
- ticked or unticked Sync to WooCommerce, or
- switched a synced campaign on or off, or
- changed a synced campaign's minimum spend, free product, quantity or display message.
Deleting a synced freebie campaign sends the update too.
You can also send them by hand:
- Go to Products > More Actions > Sales Campaigns.
- Click the Sync to WooCommerce icon on a freebie campaign's card. The icon only appears on freebie campaigns with sync turned on.
Every sync sends all running, synced freebie campaigns together, so your website always receives the full current list.
At the register, only the single best automatic promotion applies to a sale, so a freebie campaign doesn't stack with other automatic promotions.
More detail: what gets synced, sync status and which campaigns qualify
What Gets Synced
Each freebie campaign sends:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Campaign Name | Display name of the promotion |
| Description | The campaign description, if you added one |
| Spend Threshold | Minimum cart total to qualify |
| Free Product and Quantity | The product given away and how many |
| Display Message | Your custom message, or the default one |
| Date Range | Start and end dates for the campaign |
Sync Status
When you edit a campaign that has Sync to WooCommerce turned on, the bottom of the WooCommerce section shows when it last synced and how it went:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Success | The campaign reached your WooCommerce site |
| Failed | Your website received the sync but returned an error |
| Error | The sync couldn't be completed (for example, the website couldn't be reached) |
| Not yet synced to WooCommerce | The campaign hasn't been synced yet |
Which Campaigns Are Synced?
Brother POS only syncs campaigns that meet all of the following criteria:
- Freebie Threshold campaign type — not discounts, BOGO or other types.
- Sync to WooCommerce is checked on the campaign.
- Running right now — the campaign is switched on, inside its start and end dates, and (if it has them) on one of its active days and inside its time window.
Your website also checks each campaign's dates itself, so an offer stops showing online once its end date passes.
More detail: how it appears on your website, and updating or removing campaigns
How It Appears in WooCommerce
The plugin shows freebie messages in these places on your website:
- Shop and product pages: a notice such as "Spend $40.00 more to get 1 FREE Pre-Roll!", or that the shopper already qualifies.
- Cart page: a notice when the cart qualifies ("Congratulations! Your order qualifies for...") or how much more to add, plus a progress line in the cart totals.
- Checkout: a freebie notice above the checkout form.
Your theme affects how these notices look. Test the customer experience after syncing a new campaign to make sure it displays correctly.
Updating and Removing Campaigns
Updating a Campaign
When you change a synced freebie campaign's on/off switch, minimum spend, free product, quantity or display message and save it, Brother POS sends the updated list to your website automatically. For other changes (such as the name or dates), click the Sync to WooCommerce icon on the campaign's card to send them.
Removing a Campaign from WooCommerce
Each sync replaces the whole list on your website, so a campaign drops off the site once it is no longer included. Any of these removes it and sends the new list to your website straight away:
- Uncheck Sync to WooCommerce on the campaign and save.
- Pause the campaign, or uncheck its active switch and save.
- Delete the campaign.
This works even if it was your only synced freebie campaign.
More detail: troubleshooting
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Campaigns not syncing | Ensure the Brother POS WooCommerce plugin is installed and activated. Check that the campaign has Sync to WooCommerce checked and is running right now. |
| Free product missing from the campaign form | Only active products are listed, and variable products (the parent of a product with variations) can't be chosen. Check the product is active. |
| Sync status shows Failed | Your website returned an error. Check the plugin is up to date and connected, then contact Brother POS support if it keeps failing. |
| Sync status shows Error | The website couldn't be reached. Check your site is online, then sync again. |
| Freebie not showing on WooCommerce | Check the campaign is running and synced, and that your theme displays WooCommerce notices. |
| A removed campaign still shows online | Check your website is online and the plugin is connected, then click the Sync to WooCommerce icon on any synced freebie campaign to resend the list (see Removing a Campaign from WooCommerce). |
What's Next?
- Health Monitor — Monitor all WooCommerce sync activity in one place.
- Product Sync — Understand how products sync between systems.
- WooCommerce Setup — Review your integration configuration.