Boom Boom Shot

• Designed and launched a sweepstakes tool with animated, real-time draws
• Used analytics and interviews to guide customization, imports, and other new features
• Helped grow the user base by 300% to nearly 8,000 active users by 2023

Overview

Boom Boom Shot started as a birthday party problem: we couldn't find a digital sweepstakes tool that looked good or felt fun to use. A small team of friends and I decided to build one.

Problem

A sweepstakes tool sounds simple, but existing options were visually flat and clunky to run live. We set three goals:

• A quick, simple way for participants to enter.
• A real-time raffle experience with clear, engaging animations.
• Fair, verifiably random winner selection.

Launch

We launched a free version in 2021. SEO brought in early users, and the tool found an audience at retail promotions, corporate events, and bars across North America and Europe.

Approach

We combined Amplitude analytics, Hotjar recordings, and user interviews to understand where people struggled and which features they needed next.

That research led to a specific set of features:

• Full customization: logos, backgrounds, rewards, and participant avatars.
• Participant data exports for marketing.
• Bulk participant imports.
• Automatic winner notifications by email.
• Options like single-entry restrictions and embedded YouTube or Spotify players.

Outcome

By 2023, the user base had grown by 300% to nearly 8,000 active users, with 37,000 site visits that year. We introduced a paid subscription through Stripe in late 2022 while keeping a free tier. Subscription revenue helped make the project sustainable.

A tool we built for a birthday party had found a place in businesses and events across two continents.

Reflection

Boom Boom Shot showed me what a small team can build and sustain without outside funding, and how far consistent, data-driven iteration can take a simple idea.