Is your booth raffle actually building a profitable email list — or just giving away free stuff? Find out.
This free raffle ROI calculator helps convention and craft show vendors determine whether a booth giveaway is actually building a profitable email list. Enter your prize cost per show, the number of email signups you expect to collect, your email-to-purchase conversion rate, average order value, and the number of shows you do per year. The calculator shows your annual return on investment, cost per email lead, and total revenue generated from raffle-collected emails.
A raffle for email signup is one of the highest-ROI marketing moves a vendor can make at a convention — but only if the prize cost is reasonable, the signup flow is frictionless, and you actually follow up with the list after the show. Most vendors skip the follow-up, which is where the real revenue comes from.
For in-person lead capture at events, a cost per email lead between $0.25 and $1.50 is excellent. The industry average for digital email acquisition is $1-$3 per lead, so booth raffles typically outperform online ads significantly. If your raffle prize costs $25 and you collect 50 valid emails, your cost per lead is $0.50 — well below the industry benchmark.
Email-to-purchase conversion rates for craft show raffle lists typically range from 5% to 15% within the first 12 months. The biggest factor is how quickly you send the first follow-up email. Vendors who email within 6 hours of the show ending see open rates of 45-55% and conversion rates at the higher end. Waiting more than 48 hours drops conversion rates by half or more.
The best raffle prizes have high perceived value but low actual cost. Product bundles, mystery bags, and store gift certificates all outperform giving away a single expensive item. Aim for a prize that costs you under $25 but has a perceived retail value of $40-$75. The prize should attract your ideal customer, not just freebie seekers — so make it relevant to what you sell.