The scratch card popup is one of Visisto's highest-converting capture widgets and the one most likely to be overlooked in favour of its more famous sibling, the spin wheel. On desktop, the two are nearly identical in conversion performance. On mobile, the scratch card wins. For Shopify stores where 60 to 75% of traffic is mobile, the scratch card is the correct default choice. This guide explains why, and how to set one up.
Why the scratch gesture works on mobile
The scratch card works for the same psychological reasons as the spin wheel: variable reward, game mechanics, and reciprocity. But on mobile it adds a fourth advantage: the gesture is native. Touchscreen users swipe, tap, and drag all day. The scratch motion is instinctive on a phone in a way that spinning a wheel is not. The physical analogy to a lottery scratch card also triggers a deeply familiar emotional response, anticipation, followed by reveal.
- Variable reward: The subscriber doesn't know what prize is under the scratch zone, which creates curiosity.
- Completion drive: Once a scratch is started, the brain treats it as an incomplete task. The Zeigarnik effect drives completion.
- Reciprocity: Receiving a "won" prize creates felt obligation to reciprocate with an email address.
- Native touch interaction: The scratch gesture is already in muscle memory for smartphone users.
Scratch card vs spin wheel: the performance data
Across Visisto's platform, here is how the two widget types compare by device:
- Desktop capture rate: Spin wheel 8.3% vs Scratch card 7.8%
- Mobile capture rate: Spin wheel 7.8% vs Scratch card 8.9%
- Tablet capture rate: Spin wheel 8.1% vs Scratch card 8.5%
- Overall (60% mobile traffic mix): Spin wheel 8.0% vs Scratch card 8.4%
For stores with a standard 60 to 70% mobile traffic mix, the scratch card produces a higher overall capture rate. The difference compounds over time: on 10,000 monthly visitors, 0.4 percentage points is 40 additional subscribers per month, or 480 per year.
Prize strategy for scratch cards
Scratch cards reveal one prize rather than showing multiple options like a spin wheel. This changes the optimal prize strategy. When a subscriber can see all possible prizes on a wheel, named discounts ("10% off", "Free shipping") are compelling because they can compare options. On a scratch card where the prize is hidden, curiosity-triggering prizes outperform because the unknown creates more anticipation than the known.
- Best performing scratch card prizes: Mystery gift (highest), Free shipping (second), 15% off (third), Surprise reward (fourth)
- Worst performing on scratch cards: Specific, predictable discounts ("5% off") because they feel like small wins once revealed
- Optimal pool: Rotate 4 to 5 prize types randomly so that no visitor knows what's coming
We switched from a spin wheel to a scratch card on mobile only (served by device) and our mobile capture rate went from 7.2% to 9.1% in two weeks. Our overall list growth went up 18%.
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Setting up a scratch card popup on Visisto
Creating a scratch card popup in Visisto takes under 10 minutes and requires no code. The widget is available on the free plan.
- Open Visisto dashboard, go to Widgets, click Create Widget, select Scratch Card.
- Choose your reveal zone design (single scratch area covering the prize) and background style.
- Set your prize pool: add 4 to 6 prize types with the rotation weightings (e.g., mystery gift 30%, free shipping 30%, 15% off 25%, 10% off 15%).
- Set your trigger: exit intent for desktop, scroll depth 40% for mobile, or both using device-specific trigger rules.
- Connect to your welcome automation so the revealed prize is delivered within 5 minutes of signup.
- Set frequency cap: once per visitor per 14 days.
- Publish. Monitor capture rate in the widget analytics dashboard after 7 days.
Use device targeting in Visisto to serve the scratch card on mobile and the spin wheel on desktop simultaneously. This delivers the highest-converting widget to each device type without running two separate tests.
Connecting the scratch card to your email automation
The scratch card is only as valuable as the automation that follows it. A subscriber who scratches and reveals a mystery gift, then receives no email for 24 hours, has a dramatically lower activation rate than one who receives their prize confirmation within 5 minutes. Visisto's direct widget-to-automation connection means the prize email fires the moment the form submits, with the specific prize the subscriber revealed pre-populated in the email.
After the prize delivery email, the subscriber enters your welcome email series automatically. The 7-email welcome sequence then runs over the following 14 days, converting the initial engagement into a first purchase.
The bottom line
The scratch card popup is the highest-converting email capture widget for mobile-dominant Shopify stores, averaging 8.9% on touchscreen devices. The scratch gesture is native, the mystery prize drives curiosity, and the completion drive ensures most visitors who start scratching finish the interaction. Available on Visisto's free plan, with the full welcome automation included.
Written by Venu Vivek Cheruku
Founder, Visisto
