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Concepts

Offers

Understanding offers and their lifecycle in Stacked

Offer Lifecycle

Every offer in Stacked follows a predictable journey from creation to completion. Understanding this lifecycle helps you design better offers and troubleshoot when users don't see expected content.

Key Point

When an offer is created, it doesn't automatically appear to all users. Each user must first meet the surfacing conditions (level requirements, tags, etc.) before the offer enters their queue or surfaces directly.

Understanding Each Status

Waiting for a slot to open up

The user qualifies for this offer but already has the maximum number of active offers. Once a slot opens (when they complete or an offer expires), the highest priority queued offer will surface.

Active and counting progress

The offer is now active. The expiry countdown begins immediately (if configured) and user actions start counting toward completion - even if they haven't seen it yet. In most cases, surfacing and viewing happen at the same time.

User has seen the offer

The user is now aware of the offer. Their progress continues to be tracked in real-time as they work toward the completion requirements.

Ready to claim rewards

All requirements are complete! The user can claim their rewards whenever they want. Claimable offers never expire - they remain available until claimed.

Rewards distributed

Success! The user claimed their rewards and they've been added to their account. The offer moves to history and any cooldown period begins.

Time limit reached

The offer expired before completion. No rewards can be claimed. The offer may reappear later if a cooldown is configured.

What is an Offer?

An offer is an opportunity for users to complete specific actions in exchange for rewards. Think of offers as mini-contracts: "If you do X, we'll give you Y."

Every offer has three essential parts:

  • The Rules - Who sees it, when it's available, and how often
  • The Action - What users need to do (buy an item, reach a level, spend currency)
  • The Reward - What users receive for completing it (coins, items, premium currency)

Basic Configuration

Every offer needs these fundamental settings:

SettingDescriptionRequired
NameThe title users see (e.g., "Weekend Special", "Starter Bundle")
DescriptionClear explanation of what's included and required
ImageVisual that catches attention and conveys value
Start DateWhen the offer becomes available in your system
End DateWhen the offer is no longer available
Expiry DurationHow long users have to complete after surfacing (e.g., 24 hours)
Cooldown PeriodTime before the same user can see this offer again (e.g., 7 days)
Priority LevelDetermines queue order when multiple offers compete for slots (1 = highest)
CampaignGroup for A/B testing and optimization

Campaigns

Offers can be part of campaigns for A/B testing. Multiple offer variants in a campaign are randomly distributed to users for performance comparison.

Learn more about Campaigns →

Surfacing Conditions

Surfacing conditions determine which users see your offer. These are the gates that users must pass through before an offer enters their queue.

Common conditions include:

  • User level or progression milestones
  • Currency balances (minimum or maximum)
  • Membership status
  • Account age
  • Previous purchase behavior

Learn more about Surfacing Conditions →

Tags & Segmentation

Tags let you segment users into groups for precise targeting. Instead of complex conditions, you can simply tag users and target offers to specific tags.

Examples:

  • "high_spender" - Users who've spent over $100
  • "at_risk" - Users showing signs of churning
  • "inactive" - Users who haven't logged in for 30 days

Learn more about Tags & Segmentation →

Contexts & Real-time Surfacing

Contexts trigger offers at specific moments in the user journey. When users perform certain actions, contextual offers can surface immediately.

Common trigger points:

  • Failing a difficult level
  • Running low on resources
  • Achieving a milestone

Learn more about Contexts & Real-time →

Completion Conditions

Completion conditions define what users must do to earn their rewards. Stacked tracks progress automatically as users play.

Main types:

  • Buy Item - Purchase specific items or bundles
  • Spend Currency - Spend a certain amount of any currency
  • Deposit Currency - Add funds to their account
  • Login - Simply logging in on specific days

Learn more about Completion Conditions →

Rewards

Rewards are what motivate users to complete offers. The right reward at the right time can dramatically increase engagement.

Common reward types:

  • In-game currency
  • Exclusive items
  • Experience points

Learn more about Rewards →