The best contest apps for Shopify in 2023

If you’re running a store on Shopify, it’s likely at some point you’re going to consider running a contest. Contests are a great way to introduce your brand to new customers and reward your existing loyal customers.

Setting up and running a contest can take many different forms, depending on your goal for the campaign. In this post, we’re going to take at the best practice of running a contest on Shopify, and the best apps to help you do it.

Why should I run a contest on Shopify?

Running contests on Shopify can be one of the most cost-effective ways of introducing new customers to your store. Below we’re going to break down the biggest reason you should consider making contests an important part of your store’s marketing.

Engage your audience
If you’ve worked hard to grow your audience on your social channels and email list, the next task is to keep those customers engaged and thinking about your brand so you’re at the front of their mind when they next come to order.  

One very effective way of doing this is to engage them in competitions and contests.

If you’ve spent any time on social it’s likely you’ve seen lots of competitions from your favourite brands.  

When you run a contest on Shopify, you can leverage the power of your existing customer base and social media following to drive participation and engagement. 

Whether you're giving away a free product, offering a discount code, or running sweepstakes, contests are an effective way to get people talking about your brand and sharing your message with their own networks.

It’s worth checking how deep the integration with Shopify is when selecting which contest app you’re going to use. Apps that are able to access all the data in your Shopify account can help make setting up your contest much quicker - and get you better results.

Being able to use your existing customer, discount and product data means apps can keep all your data in one place, and reach as many customers as possible.

Grow email & SMS lists

Contests are a great way to grow your existing email lists. When customers share the contest with their friends and they then go on to enter, you’re able to capture their email address and sign them up to your newsletter (with their consent!)

Unlock new audience

Getting your current customer to share your contest with their friends is a great way of introducing your brand to more people who are in you target audience, and it’s extremely cost-effective when compared with advertising.

Contests which offer free product from your own brand’s range perform best at introducing what you do to new customers effectively.

Drive traffic to your store

Contests are a great way to get new traffic to your store, in particular people who’ve never visited it before. Adding links back to your store and even specific product and landing pages is a great way to convert contest entries into views on your site and ultimately sales.

So, which Shopify Contest App is right for your store?

In our breakdown, we’re going to score apps on a few different factors.

• Functionality

• Price

• Integration with Shopify

ViralSweep

If you're looking for a powerful and easy-to-use Shopify contest app, ViralSweep is a great option to consider. With ViralSweep, you can run a variety of different promotions, including sweepstakes, photo and video contests, product giveaways, raffles, waitlists, competitions, and more. These promotions can help you grow your email list, increase engagement with your audience, and generate more sales for your Shopify store. Of all the apps we reviewed, ViralSweep has amongst the richest features in terms of contest functionality, though this may be overkill if you’re looking to run more simple contests.

One of the standout features of ViralSweep is its powerful incentive system. This system allows you to reward entrants for completing social actions, such as sharing your promotion on social media or referring friends to your store. These actions can help you reach new customers and expand your reach on social channels, while also driving more sales for your business.

The app is also deeply integrated with Shopify, offering features such as contest entries for placing an order and showing the number of entries you earned on your order confirmation page.

Where ViralSweep lost some points is on pricing. Pricing is based on the number of orders you want to import to your campaign and starts at $49 for 100 orders, scaling up to $399 for 5,000 orders.

Overall, ViralSweep is a powerful and versatile Shopify contest app that can help you achieve your marketing goals and grow your business. Whether you're looking to build your email list, increase engagement, or generate more sales, this app is definitely worth considering.

Social Boost

If you're looking for a versatile and effective Shopify contest app, Social Boost is a great option to consider. With Social Boost, you can run a variety of different campaigns, including giveaways, contests, sweepstakes, instant win games, refer-a-friend programs, and post-purchase campaigns. Whilst the integration with Shopify isn’t as deep as with ViralSweep, the number of different contest formats can make it a good choice if you’re looking to run a particularly custom campaign.

One of the key features of Social Boost is its pre-defined templates library. This library includes a variety of templates for different types of campaigns, making it easy to set up exciting and engaging promotions for your audience. Whether you're looking to run a holiday-themed campaign or a promotion to boost your email list, there's a template that can help you achieve your goals.

Social Boost also offers a powerful incentive system that allows you to reward entrants for a variety of actions. For example, you can reward customers for making a purchase, subscribing to your email list, following you on social media, completing surveys, sharing your promotion with friends, and more. These rewards can help incentivize customers to engage with your brand and take actions that drive more sales and referrals.

Price-wise, Social Boost has a free plan for up to 50 entries, after that paid plans start at $10/month for 200 entries.

The verdict

In conclusion, running contests on Shopify can be a great way to introduce your brand to new customers, reward your existing loyal customers, and achieve a range of marketing goals. Whether you're looking to grow your email list, increase engagement, or generate more sales, there are several Shopify contest apps that can help you achieve your goals.

After reviewing the features, functionality, and pricing of several Shopify contest apps, we recommend ViralSweep and Social Boost as two great options to consider. ViralSweep offers a wide range of contest formats, a powerful incentive system, and deep integration with Shopify, but may be a bit pricey for those on a tight budget. Social Boost, on the other hand, offers a variety of contest formats and pre-defined templates, as well as a lower price point, but may not offer as deep of an integration with Shopify.

Ultimately, the best Shopify contest app for your business will depend on your specific goals, budget, and preferences. By considering the factors we've outlined and carefully reviewing the features of each app, you can choose the right Shopify contest app to help you achieve your marketing goals and grow your business.