Bonus promotions

How it works

Overview

Bonus campaigns are a marketing tool that allows you to increase sales through bonuses awarded to users along with their purchase. You can run campaigns on significant dates, such as your project anniversary, or offer bonuses only to players of a certain level. Bonus items are granted to users in the same way as when purchasing items.

Bonus campaigns are a marketing tool that allows you to increase sales through bonuses awarded to users along with their purchase. You can run campaigns on significant dates, such as your project anniversary, or offer bonuses only to players of a certain level. Bonus items are granted to users in the same way as when purchasing items.

Note
Game keys are sent to the user via email or to the entitlement system.

The following items can be used as bonuses:

  • virtual currency packages
  • game keys
  • virtual items
  • bundles

Key features:

  • A user can get an unlimited number of bonuses when purchasing an item.
  • One item can be granted as a bonus in an unlimited number of bonus campaigns.
  • You can set up limits on the number of times a bonus is available to a user.
  • You can set up personalized bonus promotions.
Notice
You can’t apply regional restrictions to bonus promotions.

User flow

The user flow when purchasing an item on the site created with Xsolla site builder:

  1. The user goes to the store.
  2. The user chooses an item with the Bonus label.
  1. In the item card, the user sees bonus items.
  1. The user adds items to the cart or proceeds to purchase a selected item directly.
  2. The user completes the payment.
  3. The items are granted to the user.

Limits logic

If there is a limit set on purchasing a bonus item, and the user has received all available items within that limit, the promotional item won’t be available for purchase.

If a bonus promotion has a usage limit, and the remaining number of promotions available to the user is zero, the promotional item will be displayed in the catalog without the bonus item.

If a bonus promotion has a usage limit, and the remaining number of promotions available to the user is zero, the promotional item will be displayed in the catalog without the bonus item.

Depending on the limits that are set, there are different scenarios for purchasing promotional items with bonuses. For example, when there are limits on purchasing bonus items, the logic will be the following:

  • The Booster item has a purchase limit — no more than 2 times per user.
  • Booster is a bonus item for Empire Lootbox.
  • A user bought Booster 1 time and also bought Empire Lootbox 1 time, receiving Booster as a bonus. When they try to buy Empire Lootbox again, the response to the order creation call will indicate that the user has exceeded the purchase limit for the Booster item. As a result, the user won’t be able to receive Booster in any way.
Other examplesExample of limits on using bonus promotions:

  • The bonus promotion has a usage limit — no more than 1 time per user.

  • Booster is a bonus item for Empire Lootbox.

  • A user bought Empire Lootbox 1 time and received Booster as a bonus.

  • When they try to buy Empire Lootbox again, the bonus item Booster won’t be displayed to the user.

Example of limits on purchasing bonus items and on using bonus promotions:

  • The Booster item has a purchase limit — no more than 1 time per user.

  • Booster is a bonus item for Empire Lootbox.

  • The bonus promotion has a usage limit — no more than 2 times per user.

  • A user bought Empire Lootbox 1 time and received Booster as a bonus.

  • When they try to buy Empire Lootbox again, the response to the order creation call will indicate that the user has exceeded the purchase limit for the Booster item. As a result, the user won’t be able to receive Booster in any way.

Set up campaign with bonuses

Note

To create a promotion with bonus items, you need to first configure these items and then proceed to the promotion setup.

To create items manually in your project in Publisher Account, go to the Items catalog > All items section. Detailed information about this and other methods for creating items is available in the Items catalog documentation section.

To create items manually in your project in the account, go to the Item catalog > All items section. Detailed information about this and other methods for creating items is available in the Items catalog documentation section.

To create items manually in your project in the account, go to the Item catalog > All items section. Detailed information about this and other methods for creating items is available in the Items catalog documentation section.

Configure in Publisher Account

Configure in account

Note
You also can set up the promotion using a canvas.

To create a new campaign with bonuses:

  1. In your project in Publisher Account, go to the LiveOps > Promotions section.
  1. Open your project in the account and go to the LiveOps > Promotions section.
  1. Open your project in the account and go to the LiveOps > Promotions section.
  1. On the Promotions tab, click Create promotion.
  1. Specify the main promotion parameters:
    1. Specify Promotion name.
    2. In the Promotion type drop-down list, select Bonus.
    3. Configure promotional items:
      1. In the Promotional items drop-down list, select an item type for the purchase of which users will get bonus items.
Note

An item type is available for selection only if at least one item of that type has been created in your project.

This also applies to bonus items.

      1. Select the items.
Note

You can select different types of items. To switch between different item types, use the Promotional items field. Information about all selected items is displayed in the List of promotional items area.

To configure different bonus item types, use the Bonus items field.

    1. Configure bonus items:
      1. In the Bonus items drop-down list, select an item type that users will get when purchasing promotional items.
      2. Select the items.
    2. Click Next.
  1. Configure discount limits:
    1. To limit the promotion to a user’s first purchase only, turn on the Trigger promotion only for first-time buyers toggle. When this setting is enabled, you can’t configure other limits.
    2. To limit the number of times a single user can get a bonus, turn on the Limit number of times one user can use promotion toggle and specify the necessary value.
    3. To apply the promotion to users whose attributes match specified conditions, turn on the Trigger promotion only for specific users toggle and define the attribute validation conditions.
    4. Click Next.
  1. Specify the promotion validity period: a time zone, start date, and end date. To create a promotion without an end date, check the No end date box.
Note

To add another promotion validity period, click +. If a promotion has multiple validity periods, each must have an end date. The promotion ends at the last second of the specified minute. For example, if an end time is set to 12:00, the promotion runs until 12:00:59.

  1. Click Next.
  2. Review the promotion settings and click Save and exit.

To make the promotion available to users, you must activate it. To do this:

  1. In your project in Publisher Account, go to the LiveOps > Promotions section.
  1. Open your project in the account and go to the LiveOps > Promotions section.
  1. Open your project in the account and go to the LiveOps > Promotions section.
  1. In the row with a promotion, click ••• and choose Edit promotion in the drop-down list.
  1. In the drop-down list in the upper-right corner, select Activate promotion.

Configure via API

Notice
The list of parameters required when using the API calls for updating promotions doesn’t match the list of parameters returned by the API calls for retrieving promotions. When calling the API methods for updating promotions, you must pass:
  • the required parameters
  • the parameters you want to change
  • all other parameters returned by the promotion retrieval call

To set up and manage bonus campaigns via API, use the following calls:

TaskAPI call
Create a promotion.Create bonus promotion. To apply the promotion to all items in your project, pass “condition”: null.
Activate a promotion.Pass the “is_enabled”: true parameter in the Update bonus promotion call or use the Activate promotion call.
Update a promotion.Update bonus promotion. To apply the changes to all items in your project, pass “condition”: null.
Deactivate a promotion.Deactivate promotion.
Set up promotion validity periods.Create bonus promotion or Update bonus promotion. Pass the promotion_periods field as an array of objects where date_from defines the start, and date_until defines the end date of the validity period.
To make the promotion indefinite, specify only one period and pass “promotion_periods[0].date_until": null.
Delete a promotion.Delete bonus promotion.
Note
If you deactivate or delete an active promotion, it will no longer be available to users.

Display bonus items in store

If you sell items through your own interface, you can retrieve item information by calling client API methods to get an item catalog (calls from the Common > Catalog, Virtual Items and Currency > Catalog, and Bundles > Catalog subsections).

If your site is created using Xsolla site builder, a timer appears on an item’s card 30 days before the end of the promotion to show the remaining time:

  • If the end of the promotion is in more than a week, the timer shows days and hours.
  • If the end of the promotion is in more than one day, the timer shows hours and minutes.
  • If the end of the promotion is in less than a day, the timer shows minutes and seconds.

To change the color of the timer and Bonus label:

  1. In your project in Publisher Account, go to the Storefronts > Websites section.
  2. Select your site and click Open Site Builder.
  1. Open the project in your account and go to the Storefronts > Website section.
  2. Click the pane of your site.
  1. Open the project in your account and go to the Storefronts > Website section.
  2. Click the pane of your site.
  1. Open the project in your account and go to the Storefronts > Website section.
  2. Click the pane of your site.
  1. Open the project in your account and go to the Web Shop section.
  2. Click the pane of your site.
  1. In the side menu, go to the Theme section.
  2. Select a new color in the Secondary field.
  1. To apply changes, publish the website:
    1. In the upper-right corner of the site builder, click Publish.
    2. Check the boxes next to the pages you want to publish.
    3. Click Publish.
Note

If site publication is not available, make sure all the conditions are met:

Bonus promotions are a marketing tool that helps increase sales by offering users bonus items when they purchase an item. A purchase can include multiple bonus items, and a single item can be included in multiple bonus promotions.

Note

If there is a limit set on purchasing a bonus item, and the user has received all available items within that limit, the promotional item will not be available for purchase.

If a bonus promotion has a usage limit, and the remaining number of promotions available to the user is zero, the promotional item will be displayed in the catalog without the bonus item.

Examples

Depending on the restrictions that are set, there are different user scenarios for purchasing promotional items with bonuses.

Example of limits on purchasing bonus items:

In its settings, the Booster item has a purchase restriction — it can be bought by a user no more than 2 times.

Booster is a bonus item when purchasing Empire Lootbox.

User bought Booster 1 time and also bought Empire Lootbox 1 time, receiving Booster as a bonus.

When attempting to buy Empire Lootbox again, the response to the order creation method will indicate that the user has exceeded the purchase limit for the Booster item.

Example of limits on using bonus promotions:

In its settings, the bonus promotion has a usage limits — no more than 1 time per user.

Booster is a bonus item when purchasing Empire Lootbox.

User bought Empire Lootbox 1 time and received Booster as a bonus.

When attempting to buy Empire Lootbox again, the bonus item Booster will not be displayed and delivered to the user.

Example of limits on purchasing bonus items and on using bonus promotions:

In its settings, the Booster item has a purchase restriction — it can be bought by a user no more than 1 time.

Booster is a bonus item when purchasing the Empire Lootbox.

The bonus promotion has a usage limits — no more than 2 times per user.

User bought Empire Lootbox 1 time and received Booster as a bonus.

When attempting to buy Empire Lootbox again, the response to the order creation method will indicate that the user has exceeded the purchase limit for the Booster item.

Create bonus promotion

To create a bonus promotion:

  1. In your project in Publisher Account, go to the LiveOps > Canvas section.
  1. In the project in your account for mobile games, go to the Operation > LiveOps section.
  1. In the project in your account, go to the LiveOps > Canvas section.
  1. In the project in your account, go to the LiveOps > More > Canvas section.
  1. Start creating a promotion in one of the following ways:
    • Option 1:
      1. In the toolbar, click the  icon.
      2. In the promotion list area, click the + icon.
      1. Select Bonus and click Create.
    • Option 2: In the toolbar, click the + icon and select Bonus.
    • Option 3: Open the context menu anywhere on the canvas and select Bonus.
  1. Specify the promotion name.
  2. Select the promotional items:
    1. In the Promotional items field, click Select items.
    2. In the window that opens, check the boxes next to the required items.
    3. Click Add items.
  1. Select the items to be provided as a bonus when purchasing a promotional item:
    1. In the Bonus items field, click Select items.
    2. In the window that opens, check the boxes next to the required items and specify their quantity.
    3. Click Add items.
  1. Click Next.
  2. Add conditions and limitations (optional):
    • To give users a bonus for their first purchase, set the First-time buyer bonuses toggle to active.
    • To set a limit on the number of times a user can redeem the promotion, set the Bonus limits toggle to active and enter the required number.
    • To create a personalized promotion (for example, available only to users above a certain in-game level), set the Custom user bonuses toggle to active and specify the necessary conditions.
Note

To set up a personalized promotion, user attributes must be configured.

You can define one or multiple conditions for a personalized promotion. Keep in mind that while the promotion is active, you can’t modify it.

  1. Click Next.
  2. Specify the promotion period.
  3. Click Next.
  4. Review the promotion settings.
  5. To activate the promotion immediately (optional), set the Create in Active status toggle to active.
  6. Click Create.
  1. To add the created bonus promotion to the site (optional):
    1. Open the site in the builder by clicking Open or Open in Site Builder on the banner in the editing form.
    2. Follow the instructions from the Display bonus items in store section.
Note
Active promotions can’t be edited. To change a promotion’s settings, first deactivate it.

On the canvas, a visual link is shown between the promotion card and the promotional item.

To manage its display, click the or icon to the right of the item card, next to the  icon. If an item is included in multiple promotions, you can display the link for only one promotion at a time.

Note

When setting up a promotion via the canvas, the following options are not available:

  • Setting up a promotion with game keys.
  • Setting up a promotion with no end date.

Advanced options for configuring bonus promotions are available via Publisher Account and API calls.

Note

When setting up a promotion via the canvas, the following options are not available:

  • Setting up a promotion with game keys.
  • Setting up a promotion with no end date.

Advanced options for configuring bonus promotions are available via API calls.

Note

When setting up a promotion via the canvas, the following options are not available:

  • Setting up a promotion with game keys.
  • Setting up a promotion with no end date.

Advanced options for configuring bonus promotions are available in your account and via API calls.

Display bonus items in store

If you sell items through your own interface, you can retrieve item information by calling client API methods to get an item catalog (calls from the Common > Catalog, Virtual Items and Currency > Catalog, and Bundles > Catalog subsections).

If your site is created using Xsolla site builder, a timer appears on an item’s card 30 days before the end of the promotion to show the remaining time:

  • If the end of the promotion is in more than a week, the timer shows days and hours.
  • If the end of the promotion is in more than one day, the timer shows hours and minutes.
  • If the end of the promotion is in less than a day, the timer shows minutes and seconds.

To change the color of the timer and Bonus label:

  1. In your project in Publisher Account, go to the Storefronts > Websites section.
  2. Select your site and click Open Site Builder.
  1. Open the project in your account and go to the Storefronts > Website section.
  2. Click the pane of your site.
  1. Open the project in your account and go to the Storefronts > Website section.
  2. Click the pane of your site.
  1. Open the project in your account and go to the Storefronts > Website section.
  2. Click the pane of your site.
  1. Open the project in your account and go to the Web Shop section.
  2. Click the pane of your site.
  1. In the side menu, go to the Theme section.
  2. Select a new color in the Secondary field.
  1. To apply changes, publish the website:
    1. In the upper-right corner of the site builder, click Publish.
    2. Check the boxes next to the pages you want to publish.
    3. Click Publish.
Note

If site publication is not available, make sure all the conditions are met:

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Last updated: September 7, 2026

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