How Tickets Are Generated After Purchase #
PrizeSuite generates tickets (entries) automatically when a customer purchases the linked WooCommerce product. This page explains the full flow from Add to Cart to Order Paid, including ticket reservation and entry creation.
Overview #
A ticket (also called an entry) represents a unique number assigned to a participant for a specific giveaway campaign. When a customer buys the giveaway product, PrizeSuite assigns ticket numbers and stores them as entries for that campaign.
Step 1 — Customer Adds the Giveaway to Cart #
When the customer clicks Add to Cart on a giveaway product, PrizeSuite prepares ticket assignment for that purchase. Depending on your configuration, tickets may be:
- Reserved for a limited time (to prevent conflicts during checkout)
- Generated automatically (system assigns ticket numbers)
- Chosen by the user (customer selects ticket numbers, if enabled)
Step 2 — Ticket Reservation Window #
If you enabled Time to Reserve the ticket in add to cart, PrizeSuite will temporarily reserve ticket numbers for the customer while they complete checkout.
This prevents two customers from claiming the same ticket number at the same time.
If the customer does not complete the purchase within the reservation time, the reserved tickets are released and become available again.
Step 3 — Checkout and Payment #
Once the customer completes checkout and payment is successful, WooCommerce updates the order status. PrizeSuite waits for a paid order state to ensure entries are only issued for valid purchases.
Common paid states include:
- Processing
- Completed
When the order reaches a paid state, PrizeSuite confirms:
- The product is linked to a giveaway campaign
- The giveaway is Active
- Tickets are still available (has not reached max tickets)
- The user/order limits are respected (max per order / max per user)
Step 4 — Ticket Assignment #
Ticket numbers are assigned using the giveaway configuration:
- Ticket Starting Number — defines the first possible ticket number
- Ticket Numbering Mode — Sequential or Shuffled
- Ticket Generation Settings — Automatic or User choose the ticket
Sequential (default) #
Tickets are assigned in order (example: 1, 2, 3, 4…).
Shuffled (random unused tickets) #
Tickets are assigned randomly from the remaining unused ticket pool. This ensures no duplicates while making assignment unpredictable.
Step 5 — Entry Creation #
After ticket numbers are assigned, PrizeSuite creates entries for the giveaway campaign and links them to:
- The Giveaway / Campaign
- The WooCommerce Order
- The Customer / User
- The assigned Ticket Numbers
These entries will then appear in:
- Giveaway Summary (Entries Sold)
- Entries & Participants admin screens
- Any frontend widgets that display participation (progress bar, recent entries)
What Happens If Payment Fails? #
If the order is not paid, PrizeSuite will not issue tickets. If tickets were reserved during the cart stage, they will be released automatically after the reservation time expires.
Best Practices #
- Always test ticket generation with a real test order before launching a campaign.
- Use a reservation time to reduce ticket conflicts during checkout.
- Set max tickets and user limits to keep participation fair.
- Keep the giveaway status set to Active when the campaign is live.
Related Documentation #
- General Settings (ticket limits, numbering mode, reservation time)
- Managing Entries (viewing and exporting entries)
- Winner Settings (selecting winners after entries are created)
