How to encourage users to make first purchase

Use the features of the In-Game Store to encourage users to make their first purchase:

You can offer new users unique items that can be obtained a limited number of times and/or within a certain time period.

You can also create a discount or bonus promotion with a usage limit.

Limiting the availability of the items gives users an extra incentive to make a purchase.

It’s important to provide users with information about the value of the items and their impact on the game’s outcome(s).

Notice
If a user takes part into a promotion for first-time buyers and then refund the purchase, they will no longer be able to get such a promotion.
Note

Limiting number of items available for purchase or the use of a promotion allows you to provide special conditions for the first purchase of a specific item only.

If you are creating a first-purchase offer that involves multiple items, use personalization.

Example:

The store displays 4 virtual currency packages with a bonus. The bonus is a virtual currency package identical to the one purchased.

The user purchases 1 of 4 packages and receives a bonus.

When setting up using limitations

You create 4 bonus promotions with a usage limitation: x1.

After purchasing 1 package, the user sees the purchased package without a bonus, and 3 remaining packages with a bonus.

When setting up using personalization

You create 4 bonus promotions and set up personalization for each promotion. The display condition for the promotion: only users who have not made any purchases yet.

After purchasing 1 package, the user sees all 4 packages without bonuses.

Creating a welcome bundle

You can create a welcome bundle with valuable items that are only available for purchase once per user or for users who have not made any purchases yet. You can also limit the time period during which the bundle is available for purchase.

A welcome bundle can:

  • cost less than items sold separately
  • contain exclusive items
  • provide access to content that would otherwise take longer to obtain during gameplay

User flow

  1. The user enters the store.
  2. The user sees a bundle that is only available for purchase once.
  3. The user buys the bundle.
  4. The bundle no longer shows up on the storefront for the user.

How to set it up

Via limiting the number of bundles available for purchase

You can limit the number of times a user can purchase of a welcome bundle to one.

To do this:

  1. Create items what will be included in the bundle.
  2. Create a bundle with a purchase limit.
  3. Implement the display of available quantity of the bundle using information from the Catalog subsection of the Bundles API methods (optional).

Note
When creating a store using the Site Builder, the number of available items is automatically displayed on the item card.

Via personalization

With personalization, you can set a condition where the welcome bundle is only displayed to users who have not made any purchases yet.

To do this:

  1. Create items what are included in the bundle.
  2. Create a bundle.
  3. Configure personalization for the bundle. To do this:
    1. Create a user attribute that contains information about the number of purchases or whether the user has any purchases (e.g., true - there are purchases, false - there are no purchases yet).
    2. Configure the transfer of user attributes to the data store.
    3. Set a rule to display the welcome bundle in the catalog only to users who have not made any purchases yet.

Detailed instructions are provided in the Personalization section.

Creating a discount for the first purchase

You can create a discount for the first purchase that allows you to:

  • attract new users
  • increase the likelihood of repeat purchases
  • draw users’ attention to promotional items in the store

Note
If you are using the Web Shop solution, the price of the item in the in-game store on the website should not be lower than the price on game publishing platforms. However, you can motivate users by providing them with bonuses for making a purchase.

User flow

  1. The user enters the store.
  2. The user sees a discount that is only available to use once.
  3. The user purchases the discounted item.
  4. After the purchase, the discount no longer shows up for the user.

How to set it up

Via limiting the number of uses for a discount promotion

You can limit the number of times a user can purchase an item with a discount to one.

To do this:

  1. Create promotional item.
  2. Create a discount promotion with a usage limit.
  3. Implement the display of the available quantity of the items with discount using information from the Catalog subsection of the Virtual Items & Currency or Bundles API methods (optional).

Note
When you use Site Builder to create a store, the number of available items with a discount is automatically displayed on the item card.
Note
If several promotions are valid for an item at the time of purchase, discounts are applied to the item one by one. The order in which discounts are applied does not matter. For more information, see the Discount promotions section.

Via personalization

With personalization, you can set a condition where the item with a discount is only displayed to users who have not made any purchases yet.

To do this:

  1. Create promotional item.
  2. Create a discount promotion.
  3. Configure personalization for the discount promotion. To do this:
    1. Create a user attribute that contains information about the number of purchases or whether the user has any purchases (e.g., true - there are purchases, false - there are no purchases yet).
    2. Configure the transfer of user attributes to the data store.
    3. Set the condition to display the item with discount only to users who have not made any purchases yet.

Detailed instructions are provided in the Personalization section.

Creating a bonus for the first purchase

You can offer users a bonus for their first purchase, such as free access to premium content, exclusive in-game items and currency, or a combination of these. Providing a significant or unique bonus for the first purchase can:

  • encourage users to make a purchase
  • increase the likelihood of repeat purchases
  • draw users’ attention to promotional items in the store

User flow

  1. The user enters the store.
  2. The user sees a bonus that is only available once or only for their first purchase.
  3. The user buys the promotional item with bonus.
  4. The bonus no longer shows up on the storefront for the user.

How to set it up

Via limiting the number of uses for a bonus promotion

You can limit the number of times a user can purchase an item with a bonus to one.

To do this:

  1. Create promotional and bonus items.
  2. Create a bonus promotion with a usage limit.
  3. Implement the display of the available quantity of the items with bonus using information from the Catalog subsection of the Virtual Items & Currency or Bundles API methods (optional).

Note
When you use Site Builder to create a store, the number of available items with a bonus is automatically displayed on the item card.
Note
If the remaining number of bonus promotion usage available to the user is zero, the promotional item is displayed in the catalog without the bonus item. For more information, see the Bonus promotions section.

Via personalization

With personalization, you can set a condition where the bonus item is only displayed to users who have not made any purchases yet.

To do this:

  1. Create promotional and bonus item.
  2. Create a bonus promotion.
  3. Configure personalization for the bonus promotion. To do this:
    1. Create a user attribute that contains information about the number of purchases or whether the user has any purchases (e.g., true - there are purchases, false - there are no purchases yet).
    2. Configure the transfer of user attributes to the data store.
    3. Set the condition to display the item with discount only to users who have not made any purchases yet.

Detailed instructions are provided in the Personalization section.

Creating promotion for first-time buyers

Set up via Publisher Account

You can grant a bonus or discount for users who make their first purchase. For this:

  • You must have created and configured the products that will be included in the first purchase promotion.
  • You must have the Login product configured.

When creating a promotional campaign with bonuses or discounts, set the Trigger promotion only for first-time buyers toggle to On. Settings for specific users and limitations will be automatically created.

Set up via API calls

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"attribute_conditions": [
{
"attribute": "has_purchase",
"operator": "eq",
"value": "0",
"type": "number"
}
],
"limits": {
"per_user": 1
}
After the purchase Xsolla will change parameter has_purchase on Store side and user would not be able to apply promotion to their next purchase. If you want to make an existing promotion as a first purchase promo, it should provide the same parameters in the Update promotion methods for bonuses or discounts.
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Last updated: January 22, 2024

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