Promo Games
Promo games add gamification to your store by offering customers a chance to win prizes after completing a purchase. Games display on the customer-facing screen or POS after a sale, creating an engaging experience that encourages repeat visits and higher spending.
How Promo Games Work
- An admin creates one or more promo games with configured rewards.
- When a customer completes a qualifying sale, the system evaluates whether a game triggers.
- If triggered, the game animation plays on the customer display or POS screen.
- The customer wins a prize (discount, store credit, loyalty points, or free product) or sees a consolation message.
- Wins generate a reward code that can be redeemed on a future purchase.
Enabling Promo Games
Promo games require feature flags to be enabled:
- Navigate to Settings > Edit Settings.
- Enable Promo Games to activate the system.
- Optionally enable Interactive Promo Games for scratch card and plinko interactivity.
- Optionally enable Buy Spins to allow customers to purchase game plays.
See Feature Flags for details.
Game Types
Brother POS offers four game types, each with a different visual experience:
| Type | Animation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Wheel | Spinning prize wheel | A classic spin-the-wheel with colored sections. The wheel spins and lands on a reward. |
| Scratch | Scratch card reveal | A scratch-off card that reveals the prize underneath. Can be interactive (customer scratches) or auto-reveal. |
| Slot | Slot machine reels | Three spinning reels that align to reveal the prize. |
| Plinko | Ball drop board | A ball drops through a peg board and lands in a prize slot. Can be interactive (customer drops the ball) or auto-play. |
Creating a Game from a Template
The fastest way to set up a game is to use a pre-built template. Templates create a fully configured game with balanced rewards in one click.
Available Templates
| Template | Game Type | Rewards | Customer Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spin to Save | Wheel | Discount-based | No | 5% to 25% off |
| Spin for Credit | Wheel | Store credit | Yes | $2 to $25 credit |
| Scratch & Save | Scratch | Discount-based | No | $2 to $20 off |
| Scratch for Credit | Scratch | Store credit | Yes | $2 to $25 credit |
| Lucky Slots | Slot | Discount-based | No | 5% to 30% off |
| Credit Slots | Slot | Store credit | Yes | $2 to $25 credit |
| Plinko Drop | Plinko | Discount-based | No | 5% to 25% off |
| Plinko Credits | Plinko | Store credit | Yes | $5 to $50 credit |
| Jackpot Wheel | Wheel | Progressive jackpot | Yes | $50 min spend, jackpot pool |
Step-by-Step
- Navigate to Promo Games in the admin panel.
- Click Create from Template.
- Select a template from the list.
- Optionally enter a custom name.
- Click Create. The game and all its rewards are created instantly.
- Review and adjust settings as needed, then activate the game.
Creating a Custom Game
- Click New Game on the promo games page.
- Fill in the game configuration:
Basic Settings
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | Display name for the game (shown on the customer display) |
| Game Type | Yes | Wheel, Scratch, Slot, or Plinko |
| Active | No | Whether the game is currently running |
| Position | No | Sort order when multiple games are available |
Game Mechanics
| Field | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Win Probability | 25% | Chance of winning on each qualifying sale (0-100%) |
| Minimum Spend | $0 | Minimum sale total required to trigger the game |
| Require Customer | No | Whether a customer must be attached to the sale |
| Animation Duration | 5000ms | Length of the game animation in milliseconds |
| Near-Miss Rate | 0% | Chance of showing a "near miss" animation on a loss (creates excitement) |
| Show Consolation | No | Whether to show a consolation message when the customer does not win |
Caps
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Max Wins Per Day | Maximum total wins across all customers per day. Leave blank for unlimited. |
| Max Wins Per Customer Per Day | Maximum wins a single customer can get per day. Leave blank for unlimited. |
Schedule
Games can run on specific days and hours:
- Active Days -- Select which days of the week the game runs (e.g., weekends only).
- Start Hour / End Hour -- Restrict the game to certain hours (e.g., 10 AM to 6 PM). Supports overnight ranges (e.g., 10 PM to 2 AM).
Leave the schedule blank to run the game whenever it is active.
Visual Config
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Consolation Text | Message shown when the customer does not win |
| Sound Enabled | Play sound effects during the animation |
| Sound Volume | Volume level for sound effects |
| Interactive | Allow customer interaction (scratch, drop) vs. auto-play |
| Interactive Timeout | Seconds before auto-playing if the customer does not interact |
- Click Create Game, then add rewards to the game.
Configuring Rewards
Each game needs at least one reward. Rewards are the prizes customers can win.
Adding a Reward
- Open the game's detail page.
- Click Add Reward.
- Configure the reward:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | Internal name (e.g., "5% Off") |
| Display Name | No | Name shown to the customer (defaults to Name if blank) |
| Reward Type | Yes | See reward types below |
| Reward Value | Yes* | The prize amount (not required for free product) |
| Tier | Yes | Rarity tier (affects visual treatment and near-miss targeting) |
| Weight | Yes | How likely this reward is to be selected (higher = more common) |
| Display Color | No | Color of the game section/slot for this reward |
| Expiry Days | No | Days until the reward code expires (blank = never) |
| Max Per Day | No | Daily cap for this specific reward |
| Max Total | No | Lifetime cap for this reward |
Reward Types
| Type | Description | Customer Required |
|---|---|---|
| Discount Percent | Percentage off the next purchase | No |
| Discount Amount | Dollar amount off the next purchase | No |
| Store Credit | Credits added to the customer's balance | Yes |
| Loyalty Points | Points added to the customer's loyalty balance | Yes |
| Free Product | A specific product given free | No |
Store credit and loyalty point rewards require a customer to be attached to the sale. If no customer is present, these rewards are filtered out and the game selects from remaining eligible rewards.
Reward Tiers
Tiers control the visual presentation and rarity:
| Tier | Typical Use | Near-Miss Target |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Small prizes (5% off, $2 credit) | No |
| Uncommon | Medium prizes (10% off, $5 credit) | No |
| Rare | Valuable prizes (20% off, $15 credit) | Yes |
| Legendary | Top prizes (30% off, $25 credit) | Yes |
| Jackpot | Progressive jackpot prize | Yes |
Higher-rarity tiers are targeted by the near-miss system, which shows the game animation landing close to (but not on) a rare reward. This creates excitement even on a loss.
Reward Weights
Weights determine how often each reward is selected when a customer wins. Higher weight = more frequent.
Example:
| Reward | Weight | Approximate Chance |
|---|---|---|
| 5% Off (Common) | 50 | ~63% |
| 10% Off (Uncommon) | 20 | ~25% |
| 20% Off (Rare) | 8 | ~10% |
| 50% Off (Legendary) | 2 | ~2.5% |
Progressive Jackpot
Jackpot games build up a prize pool over time from qualifying sales.
How Jackpots Work
- Enable Jackpot on a game and configure the seed amount and contribution percentage.
- Every qualifying sale (meeting the minimum spend) contributes a percentage of the sale total to the jackpot pool -- even if the customer does not win.
- The jackpot pool grows until someone wins the jackpot-tier reward.
- On a jackpot win, the pool amount is awarded and the pool resets to the seed amount.
- The jackpot pool value is broadcast to the customer display in real time.
Jackpot Settings
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Jackpot Enabled | Turn jackpot mechanics on/off |
| Contribution Percent | Percentage of each qualifying sale added to the pool (e.g., 2%) |
| Seed Amount | Starting pool amount and reset value after a win (e.g., $50) |
Resetting the Jackpot
If you need to manually reset the jackpot pool (e.g., for a promotion restart), click Reset Jackpot on the game's detail page. The pool returns to the seed amount.
Buy-a-Spin
When a spin price is set on a game, customers can purchase game plays as products at the POS.
How It Works
- Set a Spin Price on the game (e.g., $2.00).
- The system automatically creates a product in a "Games" category with SKU
GAME-{id}. - Cashiers can add this product to the cart like any other item.
- Each purchased spin is a guaranteed play (bypasses the win probability gate).
- Multiple spins can be purchased at once.
The spin product is automatically deactivated when the game is deactivated or the spin price is cleared.
The Buy Spins feature flag must be enabled in store settings for this feature to be available.
Win History
The game detail page shows a paginated list of recent wins, including:
- Reward code and prefix (WIN, JP, BNS, BUY)
- Customer name (if attached)
- Reward name and value
- Sale reference (the triggering sale)
- Awarded date and redeemed status
Managing Games
Activating / Deactivating
Toggle a game's active status from the games list with the Toggle Active button. Deactivated games do not trigger at the POS but retain all their configuration and history.
Editing
Click Edit on any game to modify its settings. Changes take effect immediately for future sales.
Deleting
Click Delete to permanently remove a game and all its rewards and win history. This action cannot be undone.
Best Practices
- Start with a template. Templates provide balanced reward configurations. Adjust from there.
- Set reasonable win probabilities. 20-30% is typical. Too high devalues the excitement; too low frustrates customers.
- Use daily caps. Prevent excessive prize payouts by setting per-day limits.
- Require customers for credit rewards. Store credit and loyalty point rewards need a customer attached to apply automatically.
- Test with Preview. Use the Preview button to simulate game results before activating.
- Monitor win history. Review the wins list regularly to verify the game is performing as expected.
What's Next?
- Promo Games at the POS -- How games appear and play at the register.
- Feature Flags -- Enable promo game features.
- Sale Campaigns -- Other promotional campaign types.
- Store Credits Admin -- Managing credits awarded as prizes.