brainCloud’s redemption system allows apps to support an inventory of codes that users can redeem to unlock rewards and/or content in the app. brainCloud supports two very different types of redemption codes:
Personal codes are the sort of individualized codes you might find in a Happy Meal or as a gift card. Each code is unique - and can only be redeemed by a single user.
Shared codes [NEW!] - these are sort of a shared coupon code system. The same shared code can be redeemed by multiple people (once each).
Existing Redemption Code APIs work for both older (Personal) and newer (Shared) redemption codes.
We have, however, changed how codes are stored. The actual scan codes are now stored in UPPERCASE format (to better support case-insensitive lookups). To ensure previously generated codes still work, a compatibility flag has been added (and it defaults to enabled for existing apps). The new flag is “[x] Support legacy case-sensitive redemption codes ('personal' scan codes)”
When attempting to Redeem codes without specifying the optional code type (now known as campaign name), the system will assume that codes <= 20 characters are Shared Codes, while codes 25 characters or greater are Personal Codes.
Another common use case is one of “multi-use” codes, where the same promotional code, can be used by multiple customers within a specific timeframe… i.e. “FREESTUFF2023”.
Design
Redemption Codes are highly effective at developing a relationship between the developer and Social Media Influencers. Twitch and YouTube broadcasters will be grateful to have codes with which to do giveaways.
The most effective products to giveaway with Redemption Codes are non-resellable cosmetics OR bundles of hard currency. Doing a giveaway for a non-resellable cosmetic is recommended because:
it will not spoil the demand for hard currency by new players,
it will build the perception of the account's value in the eyes of the account holder
there is no additional value to redeeming multiple copies of the same cosmetic, ensuring codes are not hoarded by a single-player
Hard currency giveaways do not have to be large amounts to be effective. For example, it is better to give away 10 x $5 codes rather than 1 x $50 code.
Implementation
Creating Code Type:
To create a Redemption Code type, go to the dashboard screen:
Click the [New Campaign] button with the plus icon.
Choose the type of codes you wish to generate.
Enter the "Campaign Name" – it should be unique, and Description for the campaign.
Enter the code if it is the Shared Codes campaign, note that the same shared code can be used multiple times, no need to generate a unique code format for it.
Put valid dates for this campaign's codes, it will be optional if it is for Personal Codes type.
Optionally, you may include personalized JSON data for the codes associated with this campaign. This data can be obtained from the RedemptionCode service API.
Optionally, you can link a Fulfillment Script to trigger Cloud Code scripts to award the rewards associated with the code. It will be invoked if a scan code is correctly entered. The script can be Synchronous or Asynchronous, refer to API Reference for further information about the Fulfillment Scripts.
[Save] the Code Campaign/Type.
You are now able to distribute the codes to your end-users. For the Personal Codes campaign. In order to do so, it is necessary to generate unique codes using a selected format.
Manage the code campaign
The code campaign defaulted to active when it was created, you can manage the status of the code campaign after the creation.
Monitoring codes usage
Browser to Global | Marketplace | Redemption Codes page to monitor the usage of the code types at the application level.
Also, the state of the redemption codes at the specific user level.
