A purchase sweepstakes, sometimes called a purchase giveaway, rewards customers for shopping. Every eligible order earns entries toward a prize, and bigger orders earn more. It gives shoppers a reason to check out today, add one more item to the cart, or come back for a second order.
Still choosing a tool? Our Shopify giveaway app comparison covers purchase-entry features, pricing, and plan limits before you start setting things up.
On Shopify, the hard part is keeping score, and the Revup Shopify app does that for you. Once your store is connected, eligible orders turn into entries automatically. Shoppers can see what they’ve earned, and entries adjust when an order is refunded or cancelled. This guide walks through the whole setup, from installing the app to drawing a winner. Install Revup on Shopify to follow along.
One rule to know up front
In the US, a sweepstakes generally can’t require a purchase to enter. Purchase sweepstakes must also offer a free method of entry, and Revup includes a free-entry form for it. Step 5 covers the details.
Step 1: Install the Revup Shopify App and Create Your Sweepstakes
Install Revup from the Shopify App Store and connect your store. If you already use Revup, choose “I already have a Revup account” during setup so everything stays in one place. Each Revup account connects to one Shopify store, and each store runs one purchase sweepstakes at a time.
Next, create a promotion and choose Purchase Sweepstakes as the type. Add your prize, your start and end dates, and who’s eligible to enter. The best offers fit in one sentence: what shoppers can win, how they earn entries, and when it ends. For example, “Every $1 you spend earns 1 entry to win a $500 gift card. Ends June 30.”
Step 2: Decide How Many Entries Each Order Earns
In the builder, go to Settings → Entries. Your Base Entries rate is the core of the promotion, such as 1 entry for every $1 spent. Keep it simple enough that shoppers can do the math in their heads.
Want a burst of urgency for a weekend sale or a holiday? Add a Bonus Period. During those dates, a different rate replaces your base rate, so you might offer 2 entries per $1 instead of 1. Bonus Periods can’t overlap, so you can run several at different times.
Step 3: Add Bonuses to Reward What Matters Most
Bonuses are optional, but they let you steer shoppers toward what you want more of. There are three kinds:
- Product bonuses. Give a new launch or best-seller extra entries, or multiply its entries. You can also switch off products that shouldn’t count toward the promotion.
- Order Bonuses. Award extra entries when an order reaches a Minimum order total. This is a simple way to nudge cart size. Only one Order Bonus applies to each order.
- Coupon Bonuses. Award extra entries when a shopper uses a specific discount code. If an order uses more than one bonus code, the bonuses add up.
Order and Coupon Bonuses each have a Frequency setting that limits how many times one person can earn them. Set it to 1 for a once-per-customer reward. Products are chosen one by one; there are no collection-wide or customer-segment rules.
How Entries Are Calculated: A Quick Example
Entries are based on what the shopper pays for eligible products: after discounts, before tax, and not counting shipping. Partial entries are rounded down.
Say your rate is 1 entry per $1, and you’ve added a 25-entry Order Bonus for orders of $75 or more. A shopper spends $87 on eligible products:
- $87 at 1 entry per $1 = 87 entries
- Order Bonus for spending $75 or more = 25 entries
- Total = 112 entries
If that Order Bonus has a Frequency of 1, the same shopper’s next $87 order earns 87 entries, because they’ve already used the bonus.
Before launch, run through a few sample orders: one with a discount, one with a product you switched off, and a repeat purchase. Make sure the totals match what you plan to tell shoppers.
Step 4: Show Entries in Your Shopify Store
Shoppers are more motivated when they can watch their entries add up. Open the Install tab in the builder to add Revup to your Shopify store, then save each placement in Shopify’s editor. You don’t need every placement. Orders still earn entries even if you add none.
| Placement | What shoppers see | What you need |
|---|---|---|
| Product pages and cart | How many entries an item or cart will earn | A supported Online Store theme |
| Checkout | An entry estimate before they pay | Shopify Plus |
| Thank you and Order status pages | Entries earned from the order | Any plan except Starter. Order status needs new customer accounts. |
| Customer account | Entries on their orders and profile | Shopify’s new customer accounts |
| Any storefront page | The free-entry form | A theme section where you can add an app block |
After saving, check each placement on desktop and on a phone. Numbers shown before checkout are estimates; the final count comes from the order itself.
Step 5: Offer a Free Way to Enter
Requiring a purchase to enter can turn a sweepstakes into an illegal lottery, so purchase promotions need a free alternate method of entry (AMOE). Add the Revup promotion app block to a page in your store to show a free-entry form. Anyone can enter without buying. If they buy later, Revup combines their free and purchase entries by matching their email address or phone number.
Decide the details before you launch: who can enter, any limits, and who on your team will look after free entries. Our AMOE guide and no purchase necessary overview explain the options.
Step 6: Write and Review Your Official Rules
Revup creates a starting official rules template from your promotion settings, including a free-entry section for online or mail-in entry. It doesn’t fill in your purchase details, so add your entry rate, bonuses, multipliers, and any excluded products yourself.
Then have the complete rules reviewed for every place you’re running the promotion. Larger prizes can also trigger state filing or bonding requirements, for example in New York and Florida. See our official rules guide and registration and bonding guide before you publish.
Want someone to handle the legal side for you, from drafting the rules to state registration and bonding? See managed sweepstakes administration.
Download: Purchase Sweepstakes Compliance Checklist (PDF)
A three-page checklist covering the real-product test, equal free entry, entry math, purchase-specific rules language, and New York, Florida and Rhode Island filing checks.
No email required.
Step 7: Add Referrals and Bonus Actions (Optional)
Turn on the Revup referral capture app embed to reward word of mouth. When a friend someone referred makes a purchase, the person who referred them earns entries. Self-referrals don’t count.
You can also award entries for quick actions alongside purchases, like sharing the promotion, following you on social media, answering a poll, uploading a file, or entering a passcode. One thing to watch: the Coupon Code action gives shoppers a discount code but doesn’t award entries by itself. To reward shoppers for using a code, add a Coupon Bonus instead.
What Happens After Customers Order
If you’ve added the Thank you or Order status widget, entries appear as soon as the shopper sees that page. Otherwise, Revup checks for new orders about once an hour, so allow a little time before totals update.
Refunds and cancellations are handled automatically. A partial refund recalculates entries from what the shopper kept. If the order drops below an Order Bonus minimum, that bonus goes away. Older refunds are caught in a daily check, so wait a day after the promotion closes before you finalize the participant list.
Step 8: Remove Test Entries and Draw Your Winner
Revup doesn’t automatically ignore Shopify test orders. Before the draw, open Participants, select any test entries, and mark them invalid with Invalidate. Invalid participants are left out of the draw. Shoppers left with zero entries, for example after a full refund, still get one chance, so review them too.
The draw is weighted by entries, so a shopper with 112 entries gets 112 chances. You can also choose up to 25 ranked alternates in case a winner doesn’t respond or isn’t eligible. Winners complete a claim form, and for US winners of prizes worth $2,000 or more, Revup can generate W-9 and affidavit documents. Your team delivers the prize and handles tax reporting. Learn more about winner management.
Measure the Results
When the promotion ends, compare orders and revenue with a normal period, then subtract prize costs, discounts, and refunds. Some of those customers would have bought anyway, so not every sale during the promotion is extra profit. Our sweepstakes ROI guide shows how to tell the difference.
Launch Checklist
Before opening entries
- Store connected, with promotion dates and timezone confirmed
- Entry rate and any Bonus Periods tested with sample orders
- Bonuses checked: one Order Bonus per order, stacking Coupon Bonuses, Frequency limits set
- Free-entry form live, with someone responsible for it
- Official rules updated with your purchase details and reviewed
- Store placements checked on desktop and mobile
- Time allowed after closing for refunds to settle
- Test participants marked invalid before the draw
- Prize delivery, tax paperwork, and a sales baseline planned
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a purchase sweepstakes legal?
Generally, yes, as long as there’s a free way to enter and your official rules are clear. Requirements vary by state and country, so have your rules reviewed before launch. The sweepstakes legal guide covers the basics.
Do I need Shopify Plus?
Only for the checkout estimate. Product and cart badges need a supported Online Store theme, and the Thank you and Order status widgets work on any plan except Starter.
Can I run a purchase sweepstakes without the store widgets?
Yes. Eligible orders still earn entries automatically. Make sure shoppers can easily find the offer, the free-entry form, and your official rules.
How quickly do entries show up?
Instantly on the Thank you and Order status pages if you’ve added the widget. Otherwise, Revup picks up new orders about once an hour.
Do all bonuses stack?
No. Only one Order Bonus applies to each order, while Coupon Bonuses for different codes can stack. A Bonus Period replaces your base rate instead of adding to it.
Does Revup write the official rules?
Revup creates a starting template with a free-entry section. You add your purchase rate, bonuses, and exclusions, then have the complete rules reviewed. If you’d like the legal side handled for you, see managed sweepstakes administration.
Can I use retail receipts or connect several stores?
No. Purchase sweepstakes use Shopify orders, not paper receipts or in-store point-of-sale purchases. Each Revup account connects to one Shopify store. See Purchase Sweepstakes for everything it supports.
