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Freebie Sync

Admin

Freebie campaigns let you offer free products when customers spend above a certain threshold. Brother POS can sync these campaigns to your WooCommerce store so that the same promotions apply to both in-store and online purchases.

What Are Freebie Campaigns?​

Sale 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, choose a free edible."

In Brother POS, freebie campaigns are created from the Products page dropdown > Sales Campaigns with the freebie campaign type. When synced to WooCommerce, they appear as coupon-style rules that automatically apply at checkout.

How Freebie Sync Works​

Brother POS syncs freebie campaigns to your WooCommerce store through a custom REST API endpoint on your WordPress site.

Sync Flow​

  1. Brother POS collects all active, WooCommerce-syncable freebie campaigns.
  2. Campaign data is formatted into a payload that includes campaign rules, eligible products, and spend thresholds.
  3. The payload is sent to a custom endpoint registered by the Brother POS WooCommerce plugin.
  4. Your WooCommerce store processes the payload and creates or updates the corresponding coupon rules.
  5. Brother POS updates each campaign's sync status and timestamp.
Brother POS WooCommerce Plugin required

Freebie sync requires the Brother POS WooCommerce plugin to be installed on your WordPress site. This plugin provides the custom REST API endpoint that receives freebie campaign data. Without it, freebie sync will not function.

Setting Up Freebie Sync​

Step 1: Install the Brother POS WooCommerce Plugin​

  1. Download the Brother POS WooCommerce plugin from your Brother POS admin panel or contact support.
  2. In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
  3. Upload and activate the plugin.
  4. The plugin registers a custom sync endpoint automatically.

Step 2: Create a Freebie Campaign​

  1. In Brother POS, go to Admin > Marketing > Sale Campaigns.
  2. Click New Campaign.
  3. Set the campaign type to Freebie.
  4. Configure the campaign details:
FieldDescriptionExample
NameCampaign nameSummer Freebie
Spend ThresholdMinimum cart amount to qualify$100.00
Freebie ProductsProducts the customer can choose fromPre-Roll Assortment
Start DateWhen the campaign begins2026-06-01
End DateWhen the campaign ends2026-08-31
Sync to WooCommerceEnable to include in WooCommerce syncChecked
  1. Save the campaign.

Step 3: Trigger the Sync​

Freebie campaigns sync automatically when:

  • A new WooCommerce-syncable freebie campaign is created.
  • An existing synced campaign is updated.
  • The scheduled sync job runs.

You can also trigger a manual sync:

  1. Go to Admin > Marketing > Sale Campaigns.
  2. Click Sync to WooCommerce to push all active campaigns.

What Gets Synced​

Each freebie campaign payload includes:

FieldDescription
Campaign NameDisplay name of the promotion
Spend ThresholdMinimum cart total to qualify
Eligible ProductsList of products that can be selected as the freebie
Date RangeStart and end dates for the campaign
Campaign RulesAny additional conditions or limits
LocationThe store location (default: "Main Store")
Last Sync TimeWhen the campaign was last synced

Sync Status​

Each campaign tracks its WooCommerce sync status:

StatusMeaning
successCampaign synced successfully to WooCommerce
failedSync was attempted but the WooCommerce endpoint returned an error
errorAn exception occurred during sync (network issue, timeout, etc.)
Not syncedCampaign has sync_to_woocommerce disabled

The last_synced_at timestamp shows when the campaign was last successfully pushed to WooCommerce.

Which Campaigns Are Synced?​

Brother POS only syncs campaigns that meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Freebie campaign type -- Only freebie campaigns, not percentage or dollar discounts.
  2. WooCommerce syncable -- The "Sync to WooCommerce" flag is enabled on the campaign.
  3. Currently active -- The campaign is within its start and end date range.

Expired campaigns are not included in the sync payload. When a campaign expires, it will no longer appear in future sync pushes, and the WooCommerce coupon rule should be manually removed or will expire based on its own date settings.

How It Appears in WooCommerce​

Once synced, freebie campaigns appear in your WooCommerce store as automated coupon rules. The exact behavior depends on how your WooCommerce theme and Brother POS plugin handle the display:

  • Cart Page: Customers who meet the spend threshold see a message that they qualify for a free item.
  • Checkout: The freebie is applied automatically or the customer is prompted to select their free product.
  • Product Pages: Some themes can display "Spend $X more to qualify for a freebie" messages.
Customer experience

The specific display of freebie campaigns on your WooCommerce store depends on your theme and the Brother POS WooCommerce plugin settings. Test the customer experience after syncing a new campaign to ensure it displays correctly.

Updating and Removing Campaigns​

Updating a Campaign​

When you modify a freebie campaign in Brother POS and save it:

  1. If "Sync to WooCommerce" is enabled, the updated campaign is included in the next sync.
  2. All active syncable campaigns are pushed together, so the WooCommerce side receives the complete current state.
  3. The sync status and timestamp are updated.

Removing a Campaign from WooCommerce​

To stop a freebie campaign from appearing on your WooCommerce store:

  1. In Brother POS, open the campaign and uncheck Sync to WooCommerce.
  2. Save the campaign.
  3. The campaign will not be included in future syncs.
  4. Remove or deactivate the corresponding coupon rule in WooCommerce manually.
Manual cleanup required

Removing a campaign from Brother POS sync does not automatically delete the coupon rule from WooCommerce. You must manually remove or deactivate the WooCommerce coupon to fully stop the promotion online.

Troubleshooting​

ProblemSolution
Campaigns not syncingEnsure the Brother POS WooCommerce plugin is installed and activated. Check that the campaign has "Sync to WooCommerce" enabled.
Sync status shows failedCheck the Brother POS logs for the error response from WooCommerce. The endpoint may be returning an error.
Sync status shows errorA network error occurred. Verify connectivity to your WooCommerce store.
Freebie not showing on WooCommerceCheck that your WooCommerce theme supports the freebie display. Test the coupon rule directly in WooCommerce.
Expired campaigns still active onlineManually deactivate the coupon rule in WooCommerce. Brother POS does not send delete commands for expired campaigns.

What's Next?​