The viral contests app designed for Shopify

The dashboard gives you a quick view of contest performance, work that needs attention, product releases, and direct access to your contests. Mobile Contests dashboard showing the What's new bell, Needs attention tasks, status filters, and Live, Scheduled, and Paused badges Your first-contest banner When the store has no contests, the dashboard shows Create your first contest with three steps: Choose a template, Add your prizes, and Publish and share. Click Create contest to begin. The storefront setup banner appears after a contest exists and only when neither the popup nor an app block has been configured. Archived contests do not count as an active onboarding contest. Overview metrics The cards at the top show: - Active contests — contests currently activated in the app. - Total entries — entries across all contests. - Entries in the last 30 days — recent acquisition. - Average conversion — entries divided by tracked views for activated contests. What's new Click the bell beside Overview to open recent UserLoop Contests release notes. A red dot means there are unread releases. Opening the panel marks the current releases as seen; choose a release to read it or click View all releases. Needs attention This section appears only when a contest is waiting on you. It can show: - Select winner — the contest has ended, has at least one confirmed entry, and no winner decision has been recorded. - Set up prize delivery — a Pro store has an active winner whose delivery setup is incomplete. - Activate bonus actions — a running Free-plan contest has actions that are paused for entrants. This task links to Upgrade to Pro. - Approve photos — a contest with manual photo approval has submissions waiting before they can appear in the public gallery. Click Review photos to open the moderation queue. Click Review winners for winner and delivery tasks. When Activate bonus actions is the only task, click Upgrade to Pro to open Your Plan. Free stores do not see the prize-delivery task because automated winner delivery is a Pro feature. Grandfathered contests whose actions remain live are not flagged for activation. Finding contests Use the filters above the contest list: - Active — in-progress work, including cards labelled Live, Scheduled, Draft, or Paused. - Ended — contests whose end date has passed or that were ended manually. - Archived — contests hidden from the normal workflow but retained for reference. - All — every contest. Each tab shows its contest count, and the toolbar shows how many rows are currently visible. An activated contest whose end date has passed appears as Ended immediately, even while the stored status is being updated in the background. Each contest card shows its display status, schedule, entries, views, conversion rate, and enabled storefront channels. Photo contests can also report whether their Photo gallery block is installed. Popular templates The dashboard highlights useful templates so you can create a new contest from a proven starting point. Click a template to preview it, then use it as the basis for a fully editable contest. Contest card actions On phones and touch devices, the primary card shortcuts stay visible in a full-width row, so you do not need to hover over the card. Depending on the contest status, a card can provide shortcuts to: - Preview the customer experience. - Edit the contest in the full-screen editor. - Open Entries or Winners in Results. - Activate, Reactivate, or Deactivate the contest. - Duplicate it as a new draft. - Archive it without deleting its data. Click Create contest at the top of the dashboard whenever you want to start from a template or create a blank contest. See Contest Lifecycle for details about Live, Scheduled, Draft, Paused, Ended, and Archived contests. See Bonus Entry Actions for the paused-action workflow. See Photo Contests and Public Voting for the approval queue and gallery workflow.

💳 Billing & Plans

Billing & Plans

UserLoop Contests offers Free and Pro plans. Open Your Plan inside the app to review current limits, usage, subscription status, and the language used by the app and supported merchant emails. During first-time setup, Pick your starting plan offers the same two choices. Continue with Free opens the dashboard. Start with Pro opens Shopify's managed pricing page so you can review and approve the subscription; Pro becomes active after Shopify approves it. Free Free includes one active contest and up to 50 entries per month. You can build, edit, save, and preview bonus actions, but actions on a new Free-plan contest remain paused for entrants. You can select winners with random, manual, or most-votes methods, then contact winners and fulfill prizes yourself. In the winner redemption wizard, choose Handle redemption yourself and I'll contact them. Free does not create a claim form or link, send a winner email, collect an address, or create a Shopify prize order. Pro Pro is $29 per month and includes: - Unlimited active contests and entries. - Live bonus entry actions, including referrals and photo uploads. Upgrading makes paused actions live immediately without relaunching the contest. - CSV entry and winner exports. - Klaviyo, Omnisend, and Campaign Monitor integrations. - Unique per-entrant Shopify discount-code rewards and optional branded delivery emails. - Custom storefront labels, placeholders, validation messages, status notices, and action text. - Automated winner redemption: UserLoop-sent winner emails, secure claim links, address collection, and Shopify draft or automatic-order creation. Mobile winner redemption dialog on the Free plan with automated delivery options marked Pro and manual redemption selected Language Under Your Plan > Language, choose an App & email language and click Save. English, German, Spanish, and French are supported. This preference is separate from each contest's customer-facing language. See Contest Languages and Merchant Email Notifications. Upgrade 1. Open Your Plan. 2. Click Upgrade to Pro. 3. Review Shopify's billing approval screen. 4. Approve the subscription. After Shopify approves the subscription, UserLoop returns to the app, records the selected plan, and shows Pro. Any paused bonus actions become live immediately; a success message reports how many contests were activated. A Downgrade scheduled banner appears only after Pro has been changed to Free, and Pro features remain available until its effective date. After a completed downgrade, existing winner claims already in progress can still be submitted, retried, and completed, and their scheduled reminders continue. Starting a new automated redemption or resending a UserLoop winner email requires Pro. If you see an upgrade prompt in Bonus actions, exports, integrations, Discount code, Custom text, or winner redemption, the current store is on Free or the Pro subscription has not yet been confirmed. On Free, bonus actions stay visible in the editor and preview with Pro or paused labels, but they are hidden from entrants on new contests. Contests that already had bonus actions when plan gating was introduced are grandfathered and keep those actions live. Plan pricing and limits shown in the app are the source of truth for your store. Shopify handles approval and billing for the subscription. See Installing the App for the first-time plan choice. See Sending and Fulfilling Winner Prizes for the Free and Pro redemption workflows. For full action availability and safe editing behavior, see Bonus Entry Actions.

🏆 Entries & Winners

Exporting Data

CSV export is available on the Pro plan for entries and winners. Exports run in the background and the completed file is made available when processing finishes. Export entries 1. Open the contest. 2. Go to Results. 3. Click Export CSV in the entries area. The entries file includes: - Contact and entry details: Email, optional Name and Phone, Entry Date, Source, UTM fields, Customer ID, and Surface. - Contest outcome fields: Total Entries when bonus actions are configured and Winner. - Entry state: Entry Status, which shows whether the entry is confirmed or still pending required actions. - Consent evidence: Email Marketing Consent, Email Marketing Consent At, SMS Marketing Consent, SMS Marketing Consent At, Marketing Consent Source, and Marketing Consent Version. Consent values are Yes only when the entrant opted in. The timestamp records when consent was captured; source and version identify the contest surface and disclosure shown at that time. Export winners Use the winner export action for a file containing: - The winner's contact details, total earned entries when applicable, prize, selection method, selection time, notification and claim timestamps, and notes. - Winner lifecycle fields: Winner Status, Invalidated At, and Invalidation Reason. - Prize redemption fields: Redemption Status, Fulfillment Mode, Claim Submitted At, Declined At, and Shopify Order. - The underlying entry status and the same email/SMS consent evidence included in the entries export. Selection method is recorded as Random draw, Manual selection, or Most votes. Use consent fields before marketing imports Before importing entrants into an email marketing platform, filter the file to rows where Entry Status is confirmed and Email Marketing Consent is Yes. Before importing phone numbers into an SMS platform, filter to rows where Entry Status is confirmed and SMS Marketing Consent is Yes. The exported consent fields help you identify what UserLoop recorded, but you remain responsible for applying the legal and platform requirements that apply to your marketing activity. Other common uses - Prize fulfillment and winner outreach. - Campaign acquisition analysis. - Compliance and internal record keeping. Handle exports securely CSV files contain decrypted personal information. Restrict access, store them securely, avoid unnecessary sharing, and delete them in accordance with your privacy and retention policy. Spreadsheet software can interpret values beginning with formula characters. UserLoop escapes potentially dangerous formula-like fields in generated files, but you should still open untrusted exports cautiously and avoid re-enabling formulas in entrant-supplied data.

🚀 Getting Started

Creating Your First Contest

Create and launch a complete contest from one full-screen editor. You can start from a template or a blank contest, then move through Build, Design, Launch, and Results. On phones and touch devices, these four stages appear along the bottom of the editor. 1. Choose a starting point 1. Open UserLoop Contests in Shopify admin. 2. Click Create contest. 3. Choose a template, or click Create blank contest. Templates pre-fill useful settings, but every part remains editable. 2. Build the contest Build contains the setup steps. On desktop, select a step in the left pane. On mobile, select it under Steps and the editor opens Edit automatically; use Preview to check the customer experience. The Build stage of the UserLoop Contests editor Contest settings - Click the pencil beside the title at the top of the editor to rename the contest. - Choose start and end dates. - Edit the public URL slug. - Add a description. - Choose the storefront language. - Review the generated terms, or replace them with your own rules. Entry form Email is required. For first name and phone number, choose Don't collect, Optional, or Required. You can also allow 1–10 entries per person, change the button text, and control whether prizes, dates, and terms are shown. Prizes Add Shopify products or custom prizes. Click a prize card to edit its quantity. The first prize is the grand prize, and the order determines the draw order in Results. Success and rewards Customize the success message. Pro stores can also issue a unique Shopify discount code to every confirmed entrant and optionally deliver it by email. Bonus actions Add referrals, photo uploads, questions, social visits, secret codes, and other ways to earn extra entries. On Free, you can build and preview these actions, but a new contest keeps them paused for entrants until you upgrade to Pro. 3. Design the experience Open Design to choose a theme, upload a header image and logo, set colors, and review the contest on desktop and mobile. Pro stores can also open Custom text to override translated storefront labels, placeholders, validation messages, status notices, and action text. The Design stage with themes, brand assets, colors, and a live preview Use the preview controls to switch between standalone page, popup, and app block views, and between the entry and success states. 4. Prepare the launch Open Launch to check each distribution channel and complete the go-live checklist. The Launch stage with distribution channels, sharing tools, and go-live checklist You can: - Share the standalone page. - Enable the Contest Popup app embed. - Add the Contest Form section to an Online Store 2.0 theme. - For a photo contest, add the Photo gallery block so customers can view approved submissions and vote. - Copy the link or download a QR code. - Build a tracked link with UTM source, medium, and campaign values. Save your changes, preview the customer experience, then click Activate. A contest accepts entries only while it is active and within its scheduled dates. If Free-plan bonus actions are paused, Launch names them before activation. The contest can still go live; upgrading to Pro activates those actions without a relaunch. 5. Monitor entries and choose winners Open Results to see views, entries, conversion rate, photos, identified voters, referrals, and winners. Photo contests include approval filters and approve/reject controls. On mobile, use Overview, Entries, and Draw winners at the top of Results. Winner selection is available on Free and Pro. When the contest has ended, draw a weighted random winner, choose an entrant manually, or select the most-voted photo. You can also end an active contest early from Results when you are ready to draw. After keeping a winner, click Set up prize delivery: - On Free, choose Handle redemption yourself and I'll contact them. - On Pro, you can also let UserLoop send the winner email, create a secure claim link, collect delivery details, and create a Shopify draft or order. Track an automated redemption through Notified, Claimed, Order, and Fulfilled. For a tour of every editor stage, see Using the Contest Editor. For the full winner workflow, see Sending and Fulfilling Winner Prizes. For plan rules, grandfathered contests, and action-removal warnings, see Bonus Entry Actions. Running a photo campaign? Follow Photo Contests and Public Voting for gallery, voting, consent, and moderation setup.

🎨 Design & Customization

Customizing Your Contest

Use the Design stage to create one consistent appearance across the standalone page, popup, and app block. On mobile, use Design, Preview, and Theme at the top of the stage to switch between visual controls, the live preview, and theme presets. The Design stage of the contest editor Theme presets Start with a preset such as Store brand, Clean light, Bold contrast, Midnight, Forest, Ocean, Sunset, or Berry. A preset changes the visual foundation; you can still customize individual choices afterward. Brand assets Upload a header image and logo. Adjust the logo size until it reads clearly in both desktop and mobile previews. The Shopify Contest Popup and Contest Form blocks show the shared header image by default; turn off Show header image in a block's theme-editor settings when that placement should omit it. See Images & Logo for image guidance. Colors Set the primary, background, and text colors. Keep strong contrast between text and its background and make the primary button easy to identify. Button and core copy Customize the primary call-to-action, entry success heading, and success message. The contest language controls built-in system text, but text you write yourself must be translated manually. Custom text (Pro) Pro stores can expand Custom text · Pro to override the contest's translated storefront text, including: - Entry-page headings and accessibility labels. - First-name, phone, and email labels and placeholders. - Required-field and invalid-email messages. - Entry-count, date, and bonus-action notices. - Success copy and action buttons. Leave an override blank to use the selected contest language. Where the editor shows a variable such as {{date}}, {{start}}, {{end}}, or {{count}}, retain it so live dates and counts still appear. Each custom field supports up to 500 characters. The overrides apply to the standalone page, popup, and form block. A button or success-message override set directly in a Shopify theme block takes precedence for that block. Display options Choose whether to show prizes, dates, and the terms link. The same settings are also available while configuring the Build-stage entry form. Preview modes Use the controls above the preview to check: - Desktop and mobile widths. - Standalone page, popup, and app-block surfaces. - Entry and success states. The preview is the fastest way to catch cropped images, low color contrast, long translations, or a success message that does not fit. Save when you are happy with the result, then run a final customer-facing check. On desktop, use the header Preview action. On mobile, open More actions (…) and choose Preview.

🏆 Entries & Winners

Selecting Winners

Winner selection happens inside the contest's Results stage, beside the entry data and remaining prize quantities. On mobile, open Results and tap Draw winners at the top; use Overview or Entries to return to campaign metrics or entrant data. Random, manual, and most-votes selection are available on both Free and Pro plans. When drawing is available Drawing is locked until the contest ends. If you are ready to stop an active campaign early, click End contest & draw now, review the warning, and confirm. The dashboard also shows Needs attention > Select winner when an ended contest has confirmed entries and no winner decision. Click Review winners to open Results. Choose a prize with remaining quantity, then select a method. Random draw Random draw is weighted by total earned entries. An eligible person with three entries has three chances compared with one chance for a person with one entry. Invalid or unconfirmed entries and people who already won another contest prize are excluded. Gallery visibility and approval status do not remove an otherwise confirmed entrant from the random draw; delete an invalid entry if it must be removed from every winner method. After the reveal, choose Keep, Redraw, or switch to a manual pick. Manual pick Search eligible entrants and choose a specific person. Photo details and vote totals are available for photo contests to help you review the choice. Most votes This method is available when the contest has a photo-upload action. The highest-voted confirmed, visible photo that has not already won is eligible. Hiding a photo excludes it from Most votes. Approval and rejection control public gallery visibility but do not by themselves remove existing votes or most-votes eligibility, so also hide a rejected photo if it must not win by votes. If multiple eligible photos share the highest count, choose among the tied leaders. Vote totals and eligibility are checked again when you confirm. Selecting a winner, or resolving the contest with No winner, closes public voting; the gallery then highlights the winner when one was selected. See Photo Contests and Public Voting for vote collection, gallery setup, and moderation. Multiple prizes and quantities Results shows the remaining quantity for each prize and the total number already drawn. Select winners until the configured quantity is filled. One entrant can win only once within a contest. Set up prize delivery After keeping a winner, click Set up prize delivery. On Free, choose Handle redemption yourself and I'll contact them. Contact and fulfill the prize outside UserLoop; no claim link or automated email is created. On Pro, the wizard also provides: - A fully discounted Shopify draft for review. - An automatic fully discounted Shopify order. - Secure delivery-detail collection without creating an order. - Send with UserLoop and winner email resends. - Secure claim windows of 3, 7, 14, or 30 days. Winner cards track Notified, Claimed, Order, and Fulfilled. Expired claims can be set up again on Pro with a fresh link; a declined winner can be removed so you can draw a replacement. See Sending and Fulfilling Winner Prizes for detailed steps and plan behavior. Other winner actions - Mark notified when you chose to contact the winner yourself. - Remove a winner who is invalid, declined, or unresponsive; the entrant becomes eligible again. - Export winner data on a plan that includes CSV exports. You can also resolve the contest with No winner when no prize should be awarded. This closes winner selection and photo voting without deleting prizes or entries. Use Reopen winner selection if that decision needs to be reversed. Winner actions affect real campaign records. Confirm the contest has ended, the entrant is eligible under your terms, and the correct prize is selected before keeping a result.

The viral contests app designed for Shopify

Getting Started

Contest Setup

Design & Customization

Sharing & Distribution

Bonus Entry Actions

Entries & Winners

Integrations

Billing & Plans

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Dashboard Overview

Billing & Plans

Exporting Data

Creating Your First Contest

Customizing Your Contest

Selecting Winners