Last Updated on by Dan S
Originally Published May 31, 2023.

Steps to Run a Giveaway on Shopify

As a Shopify merchant, you know that giveaways are an effective tool to attract new customers, boost engagement, and reward your current customers. To make sure your giveaway is successful, below are the steps you’ll need to take in order to launch a giveaway on Shopify.

Set Clear Goals for Your Giveaway

Before you can get started, you’ll need to decide on the goals of your giveaway. Do you want to increase your brand awareness, collect customer data, reward loyal customers, or increase engagement? It’s important to know why you’re running the giveaway before you move forward.

Giveaways that leverage your sales funnel are more optimal than giveaways open to anyone for example. If your giveaway requires a purchase, e.g Any order between 5th May and 17th May is entered into a $1000 gift card giveaway” then entries will be lower than a general giveaway however your conversion rate may see an increase. People are more likely to order if they get an entry into a great contest.

Decide On Prizes

Once you’ve set clear goals for your giveaway, it’s time to decide on prizes. Consider what kind of prizes will be attractive to the customers you’re trying to reach. Are they likely to be most interested in discounts, free products, or something else?

Your own brands stock or gift credit is usually the best solution for both merchant and customer. This means you can leverage your wholesale cost to offer a prize worth say $100 that costs you $40 in reality.

You can use honeypot prizes as well. These are prizes you simply purchase to giveaway and can include popular items such as Bluetooth Headphones, Games Consoles, Designer fashion and more.

Set Up a Giveaway Page

Now you’ll need to set up a dedicated page on your website for your giveaway. This page should include a clear description of the giveaway, the rules and regulations, and a field for customers to submit their entries. Make sure to include a separate form for collecting customer information. This will make it easier for you to follow up with them after the giveaway is over.

You can use a contact form with the subject field pre-populated with the word “giveaway” for example and simply require a name and email.

Another tip is to offer an opt-in box for marketing purposes. This allows you to market to them in the future.

Promote Your Giveaway

To ensure your giveaway is successful, it’s essential to create a promotion plan. You should promote your giveaway on your website, social media, emails, and other marketing channels. Consider offering bonus entries for participants who share the giveaway with their friends to increase the reach. This allows you to leverage your participants to gain a minor edge if they help in boosting the giveaway.

Make sure to set a clear deadline as well as any terms and conditions surrounding the giveaway.

Select a Winner

Once the giveaway is over, it’s time to select a winner. You can use special software to randomly select a winner from the entries. Another simple method is to put the entries into a spreadsheet and see how many rows you fill. They you take that range to a random number generator and generate a random number.

If you’re collecting customer information on the form, you can use this to contact the winner. If you created an opt-in for marketing, you’ll be able to target this audience in future campaigns.

Engage With Winners and Participants

Once you’ve chosen a winner, it’s important to thank everyone who participated in the giveaway. You can do this by sending a personalized email thanking them for taking part. Now is also a great time to offer exclusive discounts and promotions to those who didn’t win.

This will show them that you appreciate their involvement and might encourage future participation in your giveaways as well as sales from your store.

Conclusion

Giving away free prizes is a great way to attract new customers, boost engagement, and reward your current customers. By following the steps outlined above, you’ll be well on your way to creating successful giveaways on Shopify. Good luck and happy giving away!