How it works

Follow these 3 simple steps to automatically add a free product to your customers' first subscription orders through Recharge

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Order Created
App connector: Recharge • Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)
Why this matters: This trigger monitors all new orders created in Recharge and starts the workflow whenever a customer places a subscription order, ensuring no first-time orders are missed.

This step automatically detects when any new order is created in your Recharge subscription system. The trigger captures all order details including customer information, products ordered, and order timing. No configuration is needed as it monitors your entire Recharge account for new orders. Once triggered, it passes the complete order data to the filtering step to determine if this is the customer's first subscription order.

Filter by Order Count of Subscription
App connector: Filter • Time to complete: 1 minute
Why this matters: This filter prevents the free product from being added to repeat orders by checking if the customer has reached the specified order threshold (typically their first order).

This step examines the customer's order history to determine how many previous subscription orders they've placed. You'll configure the "How many orders are needed in the customer's subscription in order to receive a free product?" field, with the default set to 1 (meaning their first order). The filter uses the order ID from the trigger to look up the customer's subscription history. If the customer meets the order count criteria, the workflow continues to add the free product; otherwise, it stops here.

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Add Line Item to Order
App connector: Shopify • Time to complete: 2 minutes
Why this matters: This action adds your chosen free product directly to the qualifying order with a 100% discount, automatically fulfilling your promotional promise without manual intervention.

This step adds a specific product variant to the customer's order as a free item. You'll need to configure the "What is the free product that will be added to the order?" field with your product ID and the "What is the variant of the free product?" field with the specific variant ID. The system automatically applies a 100% discount to make the item free, sets the quantity to 1, and processes it without sending additional notifications to the customer. The order continues through your normal fulfillment process with the free item included.

Make it your own

Customize this workflow even further:

Add conditional free products
Set up different free products based on order value, customer tags, or subscription frequency using conditional logic steps.
Include personalized email notifications
Connect email steps to notify customers about their free gift and explain what they're receiving with their order.
Create customer loyalty tracking
Store free product redemptions in MESA tables to track customer engagement and prevent duplicate gifts across subscription cycles.
Set up inventory monitoring
Add inventory checks before applying free products to ensure you don't oversell limited promotional items.

Frequently asked questions

Will this add free products to renewal orders or only the first order?
By default, this workflow only triggers on the customer's very first subscription order (when the order count is 1). Renewal orders won't receive the free product unless you modify the order count filter to a higher number.
What happens if the free product is out of stock when someone places their first order?
The workflow will attempt to add the out-of-stock product to the order, which may cause the order to be placed on hold depending on your Shopify inventory settings. Consider adding inventory checks or having backup free products available.
Can I set different free products for different subscription types or customer segments?
Not with this basic template, but you can extend it by adding conditional steps that check subscription product types, customer tags, or order values to determine which free product to add based on your specific criteria.
What is a template?
MESA templates are fully pre-configured workflows built and vetted by Shopify Experts. Unlike competitor templates that provide basic scaffolds requiring extensive setup, MESA templates come with all data variables properly mapped, required fields configured, and steps ready to activate. You can turn them on immediately and start automating.
Can I customize a template?
Absolutely! While our templates work out-of-the-box, every step can be personalized to match your exact business requirements. Add conditional logic, integrate additional apps, or build more sophisticated workflows. MESA's templates provide a solid foundation that you can expand as needed.
Are templates free?
Yes! Our entire library of expert-built, production-ready templates is free to use. Unlike platforms that charge for premium templates or provide only basic scaffolds, MESA gives you access to hundreds of fully-configured, vetted workflows at no additional cost.

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