Giveaway use cases
Run giveaways that grow the thing you care about
Giveaway Ninja is a Shopify app for running giveaways and sweepstakes on your own store. Pick what you want the campaign to do, and this page shows you how to set it up.
How one entrant adds up
Example values. You set the entries for each action.
Start with the goal
Twelve ways brands use giveaways
Every giveaway on Giveaway Ninja starts with a free entry and stacks actions on top. The goal decides which actions you add.
Grow your audience
Instagram and social engagementFollowers you can email Email and SMS subscribersA list you own Referrals and word of mouthEntrants bring friends Customer researchAnswers from real shoppersBefore you pick a use case
Six rules behind every giveaway that works
Pick a prize that filters for buyers
The prize decides who shows up. Coffee Bros. gives away espresso machines, which pulls in coffee drinkers, not prize hunters.
Keep a free way in
In many places a purchase can't be required to enter. Every new giveaway starts with a free Signup Bonus Entry.
Stack entry actions
Start with email, then add referrals, social actions and purchases. Each action asks a bit more and rewards a bit more.
Show it where people shop
Put entries on product pages, collection cards, the cart and the thank-you page, not only in a pop-up.
Measure orders, not only entrants
Tie entries to Shopify orders so you can see which purchases happened during the campaign.
Plan the follow-up
Send entrants into your Klaviyo or Omnisend flows the day they join, so the list keeps working after the draw.
Grow your audience
Turn attention into an audience you own
Increase engagement on Instagram and social media
A like-and-tag post builds buzz, but the entrants stay on Instagram. Run the giveaway on your store and use social actions as bonus entries. Every follower who joins also leaves an email you own.
- Announce the giveaway on Instagram and TikTok and link to the giveaway on your store.
- Give bonus entries for following, liking, commenting and sharing.
- Turn on refer-a-friend so each entrant gets a personal link to post in stories and DMs.
- Running a comment giveaway in a post too? Pick the winner with our free Instagram and TikTok draw.
Collect email addresses and SMS subscribers
A giveaway is one of the fastest ways to grow a list you own. Every entrant joins with an email, and you can ask for a phone number too.
Bathorium
added 6,000 new subscribers in under three weeks with a $15,000 sweepstakes.
Read the Bathorium case study- Keep the free Signup Bonus Entry so an email alone gets someone in.
- Ask for a phone number to grow your SMS list at the same time.
- Turn on email validation and confirmation so only real addresses reach your list.
- Connect Klaviyo, Omnisend, Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign so new entrants start your welcome flow right away.
Grow through referrals and word of mouth
Your entrants already know people who'd like your products. Refer-a-friend gives each one a personal link and bonus entries when a friend joins through it.
- Add the refer-a-friend action and set the bonus. Three to five entries per referral is a good start.
- Show entrants their link right after they enter, while they're still excited.
- Pick a prize worth talking about. People share prizes their friends would want.
- Check Bot Advisor before the draw to remove referral abuse.
Learn what your customers want
Entrants answer a question in exchange for an extra entry. You get first-party answers from people who chose to tell you.
- Add a poll or survey question as an entry action.
- Ask one thing you'd act on: the next flavor, a favorite product, how they found you.
- Use the answers to plan your next launch, prize or campaign.
Drive revenue
Make the giveaway a reason to buy
Drive sales you can measure
Most giveaway tools stop at entries and emails. Giveaway Ninja ties entries to Shopify orders, so the giveaway gives people a reason to buy, not only a reason to sign up.
Rogue Meat Company
ran one giveaway as a multi-channel growth engine and saw higher AOV, conversion and reach.
Read the Rogue Meat Company case study- Add purchase entries, such as one entry per $1 spent.
- Keep the free entry path open for everyone else.
- Run a date-range multiplier to bring orders into the campaign window.
- Check the sales the giveaway generated in your dashboard.
Incentivize bundles and bigger orders
Entries give shoppers a reason to add one more item. Cerberus Collective built shop-to-win offers with multipliers and bundles.
Bathorium
gave 5 bonus entries for its Discovery Set, a custom bonus that pointed shoppers to one product.
Read the Bathorium case study- Set bundle entries for the product combinations you want to move.
- Use spend-based entries so bigger orders earn more.
- Offer an AOV booster at checkout so shoppers can buy a 2X or 3X entry multiplier.
- Show the entries an order earns in the cart and on the thank-you page.
Launch a new product or collection
A launch giveaway puts the new product in front of shoppers and rewards the first people who buy it. Open it a week or two before the drop so your list is warm on launch day.
- Open the giveaway with email and referral entries before launch to build a waitlist.
- Add product or collection entries so the new items earn extra entries.
- Run a date-range booster during launch week, while demand peaks.
- Add the entries badge to product pages so shoppers see what each item earns.
Stand out during BFCM and peak seasons
During peak weeks every brand runs a discount. A giveaway gives shoppers a different reason to buy from you, and it works alongside your discounts and bundles.
- Start collecting entries before Black Friday to warm up your list.
- Turn on a date-range booster for your peak days.
- Show entries on collection cards so every product page sells the giveaway.
- After the draw, send everyone who didn't win an offer to come back.
Keep customers
Give customers a reason to come back
Increase loyalty and repeat purchases
A one-off giveaway brings a spike. A continuous one gives customers a reason to return between promotions, because every order counts toward the next draw.
Coffee Bros.
collected 44,000+ entrants with a free-entry espresso machine giveaway that runs every month as an always-on channel.
Read the Coffee Bros. case study- Run a monthly or always-on giveaway, as Coffee Bros. does.
- Give VIP bonus entries to customers with a VIP tag in Shopify, at sign-up and on every order.
- Add the Your Purchase Entries block to the account page so customers can track their entries.
- Send a "You earned entries" email through Klaviyo after each purchase.
Award merch and power your drops
Branded merch makes a prize that attracts fans of your brand, not people chasing any free item. For merch and apparel brands, a giveaway also turns each new drop into an event.
Cerberus Collective
built its apparel brand around giveaways, where every purchase is an entry and headline prizes include full-size trucks.
Read the Cerberus Collective case study- Use a merch bundle or a limited piece as the prize, or as runner-up prizes for more winners.
- Add product entries to the new drop so buying it earns extra chances.
- Give VIP bonus entries to your most loyal fans.
- Add a submission action so fans can send photos of themselves in your merch.
Connect in-store and online sales
Customers who buy in person can join the same giveaway. With Shopify POS, in-store orders earn entries automatically, just like online orders, so one campaign runs at your counter and on your website.
- Set the Order Source of the Make a Purchase action to Online Store + POS, so both channels earn entries.
- Put a QR code at the counter that links to the giveaway.
- Running more than one shop? Route POS orders by location so each shop gets its own giveaway and its own winner.
- Not on Shopify POS? Add in-store buyers and their entries from the dashboard.
Run partner giveaways with other brands
One brand provides the prize and the other shares the giveaway with its audience. The prize brand reaches new customers, and the partner gives its followers something worth entering.
- Find a partner that sells to the same customer with a different product.
- Agree who provides the prize and who promotes the giveaway.
- Give bonus entries for following both brands on social.
- Have the partner share the giveaway link on its social channels, newsletter and community.
Giveaway & sweepstakes for ecommerce brands
Your giveaways can do more than engagement
A comment giveaway ends when the post does. Run it with Giveaway Ninja and every entrant leaves an email, earns entries for following and sharing, and can buy for more chances.
Running a comment-only giveaway right now? Draw the winner with our free tools.
Run it fair
Fake entries waste your prize budget. We block them.
Keep a free entry path open in every campaign, and pair it with official rules from the rules generator.
reCAPTCHA
Stops bots from submitting the entry form. Set it up
Email confirmation
Counts an entry only once the address is real and confirmed.
Bot Advisor
Finds referral abuse so you can disqualify it before the draw.
Terms and GDPR
Entrants accept your rules and privacy terms before they join.
Pick a goal. Launch your first giveaway in about five minutes.
Install on Shopify or Wix, follow the Academy's setup guide, and reach 24/7 support whenever you need it.
FAQ
Questions about running giveaways
What Shopify brands ask before they launch a giveaway with Giveaway Ninja.
About Giveaway Ninja
What is Giveaway Ninja?
Giveaway Ninja is a Shopify app that merchants use to run giveaways, sweepstakes and contests on their own store. Entries connect to Shopify orders, so one campaign can grow your email list and drive sales you can measure.
Is it a site for entering giveaways or software for running them?
It's B2B software for brands that run giveaways. Shoppers enter on your store, under your brand. Giveaway Ninja isn't a sweepstakes directory or a consumer prize site.
How is a Shopify-native giveaway app different from a generic contest tool?
A generic contest tool usually lives on a separate landing page and can't see your orders. A Shopify-native app sits on your storefront and reads order data, so purchases, products, collections and bundles can all earn entries.
Is it an email capture tool or a sales tool?
Both. Every entrant joins your email or SMS list, and purchase entries tie the giveaway to your Shopify orders.
How is it different from Gleam?
Gleam is a contest builder that runs on any website. Giveaway Ninja is built for Shopify, so entries can come from orders, products, collections and bundles. See the comparison
Running effective giveaways
What is a purchase-powered giveaway?
Shoppers earn entries when they buy, such as one entry per $1 spent, alongside a free way to enter. The giveaway becomes a reason to purchase, not only a reason to sign up.
Should I run an open-entry or a purchase-based giveaway?
Open entry suits reach and list growth. Purchase entries reward buyers and drive orders. Most brands combine both: a free path for everyone, plus bonus entries for buying.
How do brands turn giveaways into sales instead of only email signups?
They reward purchases with entries, show those entries on product pages and in the cart, and run a multiplier on peak days. Then they compare the sales the giveaway generated with a normal week.
Can people enter without buying?
Yes. Email, social actions, referrals, polls and custom actions all earn entries, and every giveaway starts with a free Signup Bonus Entry. A free entry path keeps your campaign compliant in places where a purchase can't be required.
How do I stop fake entries and bots?
Turn on reCAPTCHA, email validation and email confirmation, then use Bot Advisor to find referral abuse before you draw. reCAPTCHA is on every paid plan. Set up reCAPTCHA
Features and setup
How do I see which orders and revenue came from a giveaway?
Orders earn entries automatically, and the app shows the sales the giveaway generated. How sales attribution works
Can customers earn extra entries for spending more or buying specific products?
Yes. Set entries per dollar spent, bonus entries for specific products, collections or bundles, and VIP bonus entries for tagged customers. Shoppers can also buy a 2X or 3X AOV booster at checkout. Purchase entry rules
Can in-store purchases earn entries?
Yes. With Shopify POS, in-store orders earn entries automatically when the giveaway counts POS orders, and you can run one giveaway per shop. Buyers from other tills can be added with their entries from the dashboard. Run giveaways for your retail shops
Does it support refer-a-friend?
Yes. Each entrant gets a personal link and earns bonus entries when a friend enters through it. How referrals work
Can I collect survey or poll answers as part of an entry?
Yes. Add a poll or survey question as an entry action, and entrants earn an extra entry for answering.
Can I run the giveaway on my store or on a landing page?
Both. Use a popup, an embedded widget, native app blocks on product pages and the cart, or a direct giveaway URL.
Does it work with Klaviyo and other email platforms?
Yes. New entrants go to your Klaviyo audience and into your email and SMS flows. Omnisend, Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign and Zapier work too.
Does it offer an API for custom workflows?
Yes. An API and webhooks sit alongside the no-code editor for custom entry workflows. API docs
Will it slow down my store?
No. The widget and app blocks load asynchronously, so the giveaway never blocks your theme from rendering.
Can I use it without Shopify?
Yes, on Wix and custom websites, with email, social, referral and custom actions. Shopify stores also get purchase, product and bundle entries.
How much does Giveaway Ninja cost?
The free plan includes all entry actions, unlimited purchase tracking and unlimited campaigns, for up to 50 entrants a month. Paid plans raise the monthly entrant limit. Compare plans