Social Gifting Engine: virality, graph intelligence and retail conversion
The Client
Tienda Inglesa is one of the most established and recognized retail brands in its market, operating a broad network of physical stores alongside a rapidly growing e-commerce and digital ecosystem. With a long history of customer service excellence and continuous innovation, the company consistently invests in technology to enhance engagement and elevate seasonal retail experiences.
The Challenge
The goal was to launch a fully digital Secret Santa platform capable of scaling quickly, supporting organic virality, and delivering a smooth mobile-first experience. It uses WhatsApp authentication—no passwords or SMS codes—and allows users to create groups, set budgets, deadlines, and exclusion rules, plus send invitations via shareable links optimized for WhatsApp.
Assignments are generated reliably, with automatic retries only when necessary. Each participant has access to a personal dashboard displaying their assignment and optional clues, while a recommendation engine suggests gifts based on Tienda Inglesa’s catalog. The team also has an operational dashboard with metrics and graph-based visualizations to analyze virality.
The platform handles high traffic spikes and was developed end-to-end by Solcre in a short timeframe.
The Solution
Solcre designed and built a mobile-first web platform centered around WhatsApp as the main entry point, ensuring maximum reach and minimal friction.
WhatsApp-Based Onboarding
Users join the platform by interacting with the official WhatsApp entry point. The system validates the interaction and seamlessly creates the user session. This eliminates passwords and SMS codes, dramatically speeding up adoption.
Group Creation and Invitations
Organizers can create groups, set spending limits and key dates, and invite friends, family or coworkers through personalized WhatsApp invite links.
This approach quickly became the engine of viral growth, as users shared invitations through channels they naturally use.
Simple and Reliable Assignments
The platform includes an assignment module that handles Secret Santa pairings while respecting basic constraints (e.g., avoiding self-assignment or specific exclusions). In case of an invalid configuration, the system can retry automatically, keeping the experience smooth and enjoyable.
Participant Experience
Each participant has access to a personal dashboard where they can:
See who they need to give a gift to
Share or receive gift hints
Follow the timeline of the group
The interface is optimized for mobile use and short interactions.
Gift Recommendation Engine
A built-in recommender suggests items from Tienda Inglesa’s catalog based on:
The budget defined for the group
Participant preferences
Optional hints
These recommendations can be opened directly in the online store, helping shorten the path from intention to purchase.
Operational Dashboard & Graph Intelligence
Solcre implemented a lightweight analytics dashboard showing:
1,000+ new users per day since launch
100+ groups created daily
Invitation → registration conversion
Engagement across key features
Interactive graph visualizations showing how users invite each other, how groups cluster and how virality unfolds across the network
This gave Tienda Inglesa real-time visibility into traction, organic growth and participant behavior.
Scalability & Performance
The backend and frontend were architected to handle the short but intense seasonal peaks characteristic of holiday campaigns.
Autoscaling, caching and efficient session handling ensured smooth performance during rush hours.
See it in action
Impact
Testimonials
"First-class experience"
“The speed with which Solcre approaches and executes projects, combined with surgical attention to detail, a real commitment to quality, and a constant focus on the user experience, makes working with Solcre a first-class experience for any technological development project.”
Key Differentiators
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