An e-commerce where everything is a gift

National Postcode Loterij conducts its draws among postal codes across the country, VriendenLoterij rewards based on phone number endings, and BankGiro Loterij focuses on the last digits of bank account numbers. We designed unconventional e-commerce platforms for these lotteries.

The Project

We created unconventional e-commerce platforms. Lottery Shops needed platforms for distributing rewards earned through the lottery. So, we designed an e-commerce solution to meet this need.

When we talk about GDL, we are not dealing with conventional lotteries but rather charitable lotteries, as at least 40% of the profits go to charitable and cultural causes. Another detail that sets these lotteries apart is that, in addition to distributing monetary prizes, they also reward winners with gifts. In each draw, the winners receive a code that they can redeem in the corresponding e-commerce platform.

The Challenge

An e-commerce platform that is not a typical e-commerce. The key differences with Lottery Shops include disabling the payment option for products and requiring users to log in with a promotional code upon accessing the website. Once logged in, Lottery Shops retrieves all user data provided during the subscription payment process. Each profile is linked to a specific number of credits that can be redeemed for gifts.

The primary challenge in implementing Lottery Shops was that it wasn't a traditional e-commerce platform (e.g., there is no standard payment gateway). This required our developers to adapt to the unique characteristics of their platform.

The Process

Let’s dive into the technical side. Lottery Shops entrusted Incentro to create all its e-commerce platforms. Currently, there are over 30 active online stores offering various products from their catalogue. The unique aspect of Lottery Shops is the versatility of the suite—it is not a typical e-commerce platform. Its sole purpose is to distribute rewards and prizes earned through the lottery.

From the outset, this project was treated as scalable and iterative. Improvements were delivered incrementally, either due to business needs or suggestions from both Incentro and Lottery Shops. For instance, in the summer of 2019, the platform underwent a complete redesign of its look and feel, which included changes to the front-end and adjustments to back-end behaviours.

Another example of enhancements made for Lottery Shops is the development of a new API. This API directly manages product creation, updates, and maintenance within the application, eliminating the need for third-party imports. As a result, Lottery Shops gained greater control over the maintenance of their stores.