Referrals

Alright, let’s dive into creating a referral program that excites your customers and keeps them coming back for more! Referral programs are a proven way to grow your customer base while rewarding loyalty. Here’s how we’ll structure this guide:

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What Is a Referral Program?

Imagine this: A loyal customer, let’s call her Sarah, loves your brand. Sarah shares her unique referral link with her friend, Mike. Mike joins using her link, and both Sarah and Mike receive exciting rewards. Sarah feels valued, and Mike gets a warm welcome. It’s a perfect scenario to grow your community and keep everyone engaged.

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How Referral Programs Work

Referral programs are all about rewarding two parties:

• The Referrer (Existing Customer): Rewards can be points, coupons, or both.

• The Referred Friend (New Customer): Typically, the friend gets an enticing incentive, such as a discount coupon or bonus points upon completing their first action (like placing an order).

Here’s the magic: You can customize the rewards for both sides based on your business goals. Let’s explore how!

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Key Features and Endpoints

Your referral program can leverage these two endpoints to make everything work seamlessly:

1. Retrieve Referral Program Configuration Use this to define how referrals are rewarded. Here’s an example response:

   {
       "referralMethod": "CustomerAndFriend",
       "eventName": "place_order",
       "eventMetaData": {
           "name": "number_of_products",
           "operator": "equals",
           "value": "3"
       },
       "customerReward": {
           "extraReward": {
               "forEvery": 3,
               "point": 500
           },
           "point": 200
       },
       "friendReward": {
           "coupon": {
               "couponType": "Percentage",
               "discountValue": 10.0,
               "minOrderValue": 50.0,
               "expiryAfter": "2025-12-31",
               "product": "Any"
           }
       }
   }

   What this means:

   • Referral Method: Both Sarah and Mike get rewards.

   • Customer Reward: Sarah earns 200 points plus 500 points for every 3 referrals completed.

   • Friend Reward: Mike gets a 10% coupon valid for orders over $50.

2. Retrieve Customer Referral History Use this to show customers their referral progress. Example response:

   {
       "referredFriends": [
           {
               "customerId": "cust_12345abc",
               "displayName": "John Doe",
               "email": "[e-mail]",
               "status": "Pending"
           },
           {
               "customerId": "cust_67890xyz",
               "displayName": "Blake Eaton",
               "email": "[e-mail]",
               "status": "Active"
           }
       ],
       "count": 2
   }

   What this means:

   • Sarah can see that Mike (status: Active) has joined and is eligible for rewards, while Jane (status: Pending) has yet to take action.

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Scenarios to Explore

Let’s bring this to life with engaging scenarios:

Scenario 1: Mike Places His First Order

1. Sarah shares her referral link.

2. Mike clicks the link, registers, and places his first order of $60.

3. Based on the configuration:

   • Mike gets a 10% coupon (i.e., $6 off).

   • Sarah earns 200 points for referring Mike.

Scenario 2: Sarah Refers Multiple Friends

Sarah refers Jane and Mike. Here’s how her rewards look over time:

• Day 1: Mike registers and becomes active. Sarah earns 200 points.

• Day 3: Jane registers but hasn’t placed an order yet (status: Pending).

Using the referral history endpoint, Sarah sees this in her dashboard:

{
    "referredFriends": [
        { 
        "displayName": "Mike",
         "status": "Active"
        },
        { 
        "displayName": "Jane",
         "status": "Pending"
        }
    ]
}

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Visual Examples

Here’s how you can visually represent referral progress to your customers:

• Referral Popup (For New Users) A warm welcome with rewards mentioned upfront.

  

• Referral History

  Show pending and active referrals in a neat interface.

  
• Referral Sharing Widget Encourage sharing with a simple copy-and-paste link.

  

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Tips for Success

• Highlight the rewards in your marketing to drive more engagement.

• Use gamification (e.g., referral leaderboards).

• Leverage analytics to track performance and optimize rewards.

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With these tools and ideas, you’re all set to create an engaging referral program that customers will love. Ready to get started? 🚀