How can we make such a bold claim? The answer lies in two key pillars: experience and technology. At Easypromos, we have been working with receipt validation using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology for years. We have processed millions of receipts and are well aware of OCR’s limitations. However, with the extraordinary recent advancements in artificial intelligence, all the shortcomings of OCR have now been resolved. This new technological layer, combined with our experience stemming from thousands of campaigns, has allowed us to design a receipt validation system that, just months ago, would have seemed like science fiction.
With the extraordinary recent advancements in artificial intelligence, all the shortcomings of OCR have now been resolved. This new technological layer, combined with our experience stemming from thousands of campaigns, has allowed us to design a receipt validation system that, just months ago, would have seemed like science fiction.
With Easypromos, you can create promotions where users upload a photo of their purchase receipt, and the system uses AI to analyze the content in real-time. It then applies customized validation rules to determine if the receipt meets the promotion’s requirements. Once validated, the user receives their reward, such as a direct gift, virtual coins, giveaway entries, extra spins on a prize wheel, or Scratch & Win entries.
Key Features of Easypromos AI-Powered Receipt Validation
1. Validation Rules by Product Line
Thanks to AI integration, Easypromos allows automatic validation rules tied to each product line on a receipt. You can set rules such as:
- Quantity-based validation: The receipt qualifies if the user has purchased a minimum number of product X.
- Amount-based validation: The receipt is valid if the user has spent a minimum amount on products from your brand.
A key advantage of this system is its ability to identify and group products on a receipt without depending on the format or structure used by each store. This allows for global promotions, regardless of where the product was purchased.
Most users will receive instant validation results in real-time. However, in cases where a retailer has encoded products incorrectly or in an unforeseen way, the system will detect and flag these receipts for manual review. The system then updates itself to recognize the new product codes, continuously improving accuracy as participation increases.
2. Structured Receipt Analysis
One of the biggest challenges in receipt validation is the variety of formats, layouts, and printing styles by retailers. Easypromos’ AI-powered validation system not only reads receipt content but also intelligently interprets and structures the data.
When a user uploads a receipt photo, the system extracts key elements and organizes them in a structured format for easy processing. The extracted data includes:
- Retailer name and location: Enables segmentation based on the store or geographic area of the purchase.
- Transaction date and time: Ensures receipts are valid within the promotional period.
- Purchased product lines: Extracts and groups each product on the receipt, regardless of description or format.
- Line totals and overall receipt amount: Facilitates validation based on minimum spend per product or total purchase.
The extracted data can be sent via API, CSV, or Webhook, ensuring seamless integration with CRM systems, loyalty platforms, or data analysis tools.
The Easypromos AI-powered validation system not only reads the information in the receipt, but also interprets and structures it.
3. Fraud Prevention Controls
A major challenge in receipt-based promotions is preventing fraud and ensuring every entry is legitimate. Easypromos’ AI-powered validation system incorporates multiple layers of control to detect attempts at receipt reuse or manipulation, ensuring maximum integrity in every validation.
Key security measures include:
- Unique receipt identification: The system generates a unique ID for each receipt based on internal characteristics, preventing duplicate submissions even if altered.
- Duplicate submission detection: If a user tries to upload the same image twice, the system automatically detects and blocks the duplicate entry.
- Protection against different-angle photos: AI can recognize receipts even if submitted from different angles, blocking fraudulent attempts.
- Handling long receipts: Optimized processing of long receipts ensures no data is lost, even for large purchases.
These advanced fraud controls give brands confidence that every entry is valid and meets the promotion’s criteria.
4. Prizes and Rewards Based on Receipts
The AI-powered receipt validation system integrates with Easypromos’ entire prize management system. Since receipt information is structured, rewards can be granted based on receipt characteristics. Examples include:
- Random sweepstakes:
- All users with a valid receipt enter a final prize draw.
- Users receive extra entries based on the number of receipts submitted.
- Users receive extra entries based on the amount spent on one or several receipts.
- Users receive extra entries based on specific product purchases in one or more receipts.
- Instant rewards:
- Users receive specific coupons based on the store.
- Users receive specific coupons based on a product and the amount spent.
- Users receive specific coupons based on the amount of units of one or several products purchased.
- Points or virtual coins
- Award X points for every Y dollars in the receipt total.
- Award X points for every Y dollars spent on a specific product.
- Prize Wheel spins or Scratch & Win chances:
- For every X dollars of total spend, users get Y spins of the wheel.
- For every X dollars spent on a specific product, users get Y scratches.
Common Use Cases for AI-Powered Receipt Validation
We have come up with three possible scenarios:
Promotions on a Brand’s Product(s)
Easypromos’ AI-powered validation allows the identification of individual products on a receipt. Brands can set automatic validation rules, such as:
- A minimum quantity of product X purchased
- A minimum spend on product X.
- A minimum quantity or spend across multiple products.
- A minimum amount of a set of products.
AI eliminates concerns about receipt format, enabling promotions across all retailers selling the brand‘s products. A tagging system creates product dictionaries, ensuring accurate detection of various product descriptions and SKUs.
The ability to run promotions without relying on specific receipt formats has significant implications for brands and manufacturers.
Promotions can be launched without the need to modify product packaging. Before AI, this type of promotion would have required placing a unique code inside each product, resulting in significant additional costs and a higher entry barrier.
- Promotions can also be run independently of distributors, allowing brands to collect both contact information and insights into the purchasing habits of their end customers.
Retail Chain Promotions
Designed for stores, supermarkets, cafes, or any retail chain, this promotion type uses AI to identify receipts issued at any location, regardless of receipt format or billing system.
AI also detects store locations, enabling geo-targeted promotions, such as:
- Exclusive promotions in specific cities or regions.
- Campaigns limited to particular stores within a chain.
- Time-based promotions linked to store locations.
For example: “Buy 3 units of product X in any Madrid store and receive a discount coupon for your next purchase.”
Rules can also combine product, store, and location criteria: “For each product X purchased at store Y in city Z, you get an instant reward.“
Shopping Mall Promotions
AI-powered receipt validation also supports shopping mall-wide promotions. The system detects where purchases were made and applies customized validation rules based on spend, products, or number of transactions within the mall.
Additionally, this technology enables the creation of cross-store promotions that encourage purchases across multiple retailers without requiring manual coordination between them. Possible strategies include:
- Spend-based rewards: “Spend over €20 in any mall store and spin the prize wheel.”
- Cumulative purchase bonuses: “Accumulate over €50 in mall purchases and win a direct gift.”
- Multi-store incentives: “Shop in at least 3 different stores and receive an exclusive reward.”
- Category-based rewards: “Buy fashion and tech items on the same day and get a free movie ticket.”
- Promotions can also be limited to specific hours or days to drive traffic during off-peak times.
Additionally, shopping malls can use collected data for customer insights and campaign optimization via API, CSV, or Webhooks integration.
Conclusion
Easypromos’ AI-powered receipt validation represents a major leap in managing receipt-based promotions. By reading, analyzing, and structuring receipt data in real-time, brands can create more flexible, personalized, and secure campaigns, without worrying about receipt formats or purchase locations.
In addition to validating user participation, the system automatically extracts and organizes all relevant ticket data, including the store, date, purchased product lines, and total amount. This information can be seamlessly integrated with CRM tools, loyalty platforms, or data analysis systems via API, CSV, or Webhook, providing brands with a detailed view of customer purchasing habits and helping optimize future promotional strategies.
The system ensures maximum security and transparency, preventing fraud while providing a seamless user experience. Participants receive instant rewards, while brands gain valuable insights into customer purchase behavior.
To explore how this technology can boost your promotional campaigns, try Easypromos’ AI-powered receipt validation, available in White Label and Corporate plans.
Contact our team or visit our support center for more details.
