Scratch Card vs Spin Wheel: Which Gamified Popup Fits Your Store?
TL;DR
Spin wheels are the default, but scratch cards are quietly beating them on engagement in our data. Here is how the two compare and how to pick the right one for your store.
The spin wheel is the default gamified popup on Shopify. In PopupBoost alone, there are 385 live wheel campaigns against 29 live scratch cards.
So we expected the wheel to win any comparison. It did not.
Data note: Medians use PopupBoost campaigns with at least 500 impressions. Pooled numbers combine all views. Aggregated, anonymous data from February to November 2026.
The headline numbers
| Spin wheel | Scratch card | |
|---|---|---|
| Campaigns measured | 208 | 8 |
| Median engagement | 7.9% | 17.9% |
| Top quarter engagement | 18.5% | 37.7% |
| Orders per 100 players (pooled) | 4.7 | 6.9 |
On every measure in the table, scratch cards come out ahead. When we look at all scratch card views pooled together, 38% led to a scratch and coupon copies added up to almost half the number of views.
Read the fine print
Before you switch everything to scratch cards, two warnings.
The scratch card sample is small. Eight campaigns with enough traffic is not 208. One unusual store can move the median.
Results vary a lot. The bottom quarter of scratch card campaigns sits at 1.2% engagement, lower than the bottom quarter of wheels. A scratch card is not a guaranteed upgrade. It is a format with a higher ceiling and a wider spread.
So treat this as a strong reason to test, not as a final answer.
Why scratch cards might engage more
Three things probably explain the gap.
The gesture fits phones. Most popup views happen on mobile (80% in a recent sample). Swiping a finger across a card is a natural phone action. Tapping a "spin" button is fine, but less physical.
It is less familiar. Shoppers have seen a hundred spin wheels. A scratch card still feels new to many of them, so it gets a second look.
The reveal is personal. A wheel shows every possible prize up front. A scratch card hides the prize until the shopper uncovers it, which builds a bit more suspense.
Why the wheel is still popular
The wheel has real strengths:
- Shoppers understand it instantly. No instructions needed.
- It shows the full prize range. Seeing "30% off" on the wheel is a hook, even if it is rare.
- It works the same on desktop and mobile.
- It suits big seasonal moments. A themed Black Friday wheel is easy to recognize.
Which one fits your store
| Situation | Better pick |
|---|---|
| Mostly mobile traffic | Scratch card |
| You want to show a big headline prize | Spin wheel |
| Regular visitors who have seen your wheel many times | Scratch card |
| Seasonal campaign with a strong theme | Spin wheel |
| Playful brand, younger audience | Either, test both |
| Premium brand | Scratch card with an elegant design, or an embedded form |
How to test them against each other
- Keep the prizes, odds, trigger and targeting the same.
- Run the wheel and the scratch card as two variants of one campaign, splitting traffic evenly.
- Wait until each variant has at least a few hundred plays.
- Compare engagement, emails collected and orders.
Changing only the game is the only way to know whether the format made the difference. Our guide on A/B testing Shopify popups explains how to read the results.
Other formats worth a look
Scratch cards are not the only alternative. In our data:
- Slot machines: median engagement 15.9% across 10 campaigns
- Dice roll: 4.7% across 12 campaigns
- Mystery box: 3.4% across 8 campaigns
Slot machines are a good choice for playful brands. Mystery boxes and dice work better for short events than as an always-on welcome offer. See all formats in 12 Shopify popup examples.
Your next step
If your wheel engagement is below the 7.9% median, set up a scratch card with the same prizes and test it against the wheel for two weeks. If your wheel is already above 18%, keep it and test the scratch card only on mobile.
To learn more about the wheel itself, read do spin to win popups really increase sales.
Frequently asked questions
Is a scratch card popup better than a spin wheel?
In PopupBoost data, the median scratch card campaign reached 17.9% engagement against 7.9% for spin wheels. The scratch card sample is much smaller and results vary widely, so the safest way to choose is to test both on your own traffic.
Do scratch cards work on desktop?
Yes, shoppers can scratch with the mouse. The gesture feels most natural on touch screens, though, which is why scratch cards are a strong choice for mobile-heavy stores.
Can I use the same prizes on a scratch card and a wheel?
Yes. Both formats use prize slices with win chances, so you can move the same discount, free shipping and gift prizes from one to the other and compare them fairly.
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