The Challenge
American Express wanted to drive footfall to small merchants across Singapore while boosting card usage. The programme required a scan-and-win campaign at a national scale.
The core technical challenge: generating and managing 4,550 unique, location-mapped QR codes placed across merchant storefronts, in-store materials, buses and out-of-home placements. Every scan needed to trace back accurately to the right merchant and placement — no misattributions, no orphaned codes.
Preventing misuse was critical. The system needed to filter duplicate scans, flag suspicious patterns and safeguard the reward system — all without degrading the user experience for legitimate participants.
The infrastructure needed to handle a nationwide audience with high-volume traffic spikes during campaign peaks.
Our Solution
We built the Shop Small Singapore Hunt as a web app with robust QR code management and fraud prevention.
First, we built a system to manage 4,550 unique, location-mapped QR codes. Each code was linked to a specific merchant and placement location, ensuring every scan traced back accurately to the right source.
Second, we implemented fraud prevention. The system filtered duplicate scans, flagged suspicious patterns and safeguarded the reward system in real time — protecting both the campaign integrity and the merchants.
Third, we built high-volume infrastructure designed for a nationwide audience. The platform handled traffic spikes during campaign peaks without degradation.
The web app was optimised for broad device compatibility, ensuring the widest possible participation across Singapore.
Results
- ✓4,550 unique, location-mapped QR codes managed across merchant storefronts, buses and OOH placements
- ✓Nationwide scan-and-win campaign driving footfall to small merchants across Singapore
- ✓Fraud prevention: duplicate scan filtering, suspicious pattern detection, reward system safeguards
- ✓High-volume infrastructure handling nationwide campaign traffic without degradation