What is Sweepstaker?
Sweepstaker is an app built exclusively for Shopify and Shopify Plus. When installed on a store, Sweepstaker empowers Shopify merchants to effortlessly organize raffles, sweepstakes, and competitions. This user-friendly platform provides merchants with the tools they need to set up exciting prize-based raffles. Customers can participate in these raffles by purchasing a ticket or by taking advantage of the Free Entry Route, ensuring inclusivity for all customers.
In addition to its user-friendly nature, Sweepstaker offers a seamless experience for both merchants and raffle participants. By simplifying the process of creating and managing engaging raffles, this app enhances the overall customer experience. This, in turn, contributes to a more positive interaction between the merchants and their clientele. Ultimately, Sweepstaker serves as a valuable asset for Shopify merchants seeking to boost customer engagement and drive sales through interactive and rewarding initiatives.
What is a Raffle?
A raffle is represented in a Shopify store as a product. Merchants must define the number of tickets available in the raffle, as well as an end date to ensure that the raffle has a chance to end. This customisable product on the store is assigned an inventory quantity that directly correlates with the number of tickets available in the raffle. When the raffle is underway, customers obtain tickets by purchasing the product generated by Sweepstaker. When an order is placed containing the raffle product, Sweepstaker allocates an equivalent number of tickets to the customer based on their order quantity.
The raffle will end when either all tickets have been assigned to customers, or when the end date is reached. If configured, when the raffle ends the winners can be drawn automatically, and can also have their prizes automatically delivered to them.
Prizes
As merchants configure a raffle, they must define a subset of prizes. These prizes are then assigned to each winning ticket once the raffle has ended and has been drawn. This ensures transparency and fairness in the prize allocation process. After a winning ticket has been assigned to a prize, the customer is notified via any merchant-integrated platforms. It’s then down to the merchant how they decide to deliver the prize to the winner. Additionally, the same prize can be won by multiple ticket holders by changing its quantity, allowing for multiple winners to enjoy the same reward.
Product Prizes
Merchants have the option to choose a specific product from their Shopify store to offer as a prize in their raffle. When a Product Prize is delivered to a winner, a Shopify draft order will be created for the customer, and an invoice will be sent to them. The customer must complete their order information to claim their prize.
Discount Prizes
Merchants can offer a specific discount code from their Shopify store to offer as a prize. When a Discount Prize is delivered to the customer with the appropriate winning ticket, the customer will be notified by a platform that the merchant has integrated with Sweepstaker.
Gift Card Prizes (Shopify Plus only)
Merchants can offer a native Shopify gift card to be generated with a predefined value as a prize. When a Gift Card prize is delivered to the customer with the appropriate winning ticket, the customer will be notified by a platform that the merchant has integrated with Sweepstaker. The generated gift card can optionally be tied to the winning customer’s account.
Webhook Prizes
Merchants can perform an infinite number of actions with an external system by offering a webhook prize. Displayed in the merchant’s store as a “Prize”, a webhook prize is configured with a predefined HTTP request which is fired to any external service. In their HTTP request, merchants can implement dynamic metadata related to the ticket , customer , raffle , order or line_item associated with the prize.
Free Entry Routes
Free entry routes are predetermined methods for customers to gain access to a discount code. This code is generated and delivered to the customer upon approval of their free entry by the merchant. In order to ensure compliance with the Shopify App Store terms of service and to prevent the offer of gambling activities, it is necessary to ensure legal compliance by providing at least one free entry route for every raffle. Free entry routes are defined by merchants as individual profiles and can be assigned to any number of raffles. A free entry route cannot be deleted if it is currently associated with an existing raffle.
Each free entry route must also contain a skill-based question that the customer must answer correctly in order to have their entry manually approved by the merchant.
In-Person Routes
Merchants can define an address, as well as a list of time blocks that can be positioned on the raffle page in the merchant’s store. This will allow customers to visit the merchant in-person to answer their skill-based question and obtain a free entry.
Email Routes
Merchants can define an email address, and subject-line structure for customers to follow when sending a free entry email submission. The merchant can optionally configure a forwarding filter to a Sweepstaker-offered email address to have these entries available to quickly approve/reject within the Sweepstaker app.
Postal Entries
Merchants can define a postal address that they are expected to send a piece of mail to. Merchants can configure a PDF that is available to publicly download on the raffle page in the merchant’s Shopify store. Merchants must manually approve/reject postal entries.
On Purchase Entries
Merchants can configure an automated mechanism that is triggered when an order is created in their Shopify store. When the on-purchase free entry route is configured, the merchant can configure filters against specific products, variants, tags, order types, and more which will allow them to specify which orders will be eligible for a free entry. On Purchase entries are not subject to the skill-based question and are automatically approved and delivered to the customer.
Read more about free entry routes and compliance
High-level Raffle Diagram