Customer referrals
The customer referrals program gives each customer a referral code or link to share with friends. When a friend orders through it, the customer who invited them (the referrer) earns a reward, and you can reward the friend too. Set it up in Marketing > Customer Referrals.
The program is in beta and works in your online store. It needs a plan that includes the loyalty program, the Professional plan and above. Rewards are paid as wallet cashback or loyalty points, so activate the customer wallet or the loyalty program first; Activate stays disabled until one of them is active. Viewing the program needs the staff permission to view loyalty, and changing it needs the permission to manage loyalty.
Activate the referrals program
Go to Marketing > Customer Referrals. Before activation, the page explains the program and its main advantages, with an alert if the loyalty program or wallet cashback still needs activating.
Select Activate. The Activate customer referrals program page opens.
Sample data from a demo store. Fill in the sections described below. Select Preview to show or hide the Summary of your choices.
Select Activate.
Sharing options
Choose how customers share the program. You can turn on both.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Code Prefix | The start of every referral code, such as REF. Required: up to 8 English letters or numbers |
| Referral Code | Each customer gets a unique code, such as REF-870912, that the friend enters at checkout |
| Referral Link | Each customer gets a unique link to your store |
Keep at least one of Referral Code and Referral Link on. Customers don't sign up for the program: codes and links are created automatically after a customer's confirmed purchase or when they open the referrals page in their account, so any registered customer can get one, even without a completed order. After activation, you can also create one manually from the customer's page.
Turn on both if you can. The link suits customers who share in chats: the friend opens it and your store recognizes the referrer without typing anything. The code, such as REF-K7X2M9, suits customers who mention it in a video, an image or a design, or out loud in a group; the friend types it in the discount code field in the cart or at checkout. A code works whatever letter case the friend types it in, so ref-k7x2m9 works too.
The prefix also appears in the link, which has the form your-store/ref/CODE. For example, if your store's link is mystore.zid.store and a code is MYSTORE-K7X2M9, that customer's referral link is mystore.zid.store/ref/MYSTORE-K7X2M9. Using your store's name as the prefix makes the code look familiar to the friend, who knows where it comes from.
Each customer keeps the same code for good, so a code a customer put in their profile bio or an old design keeps working. Changing the Code Prefix later affects only codes created after the change; existing codes keep the old prefix and still work, so you end up with codes starting REF and others with your new prefix. Pick your prefix before you activate.
Customers find their code in two places in your store: on the order confirmation page after a purchase, with a button to copy the link, and on the referrals page of their account, with the code, the link, a share button and their own results.
Your store emails customers on its own at three moments:
Code ready: when the customer's code is created, with their code and link and an invitation to share.
Reward earned: when a reward is credited, worded for loyalty points or cashback.
Reward cancelled: when the friend's order is cancelled or returned before the reward is credited.
Referrer reward
The reward for the customer who shares the code or link. It's required.
Under Reward Type, choose Wallet Cashback or Loyalty Points. Each is available only when that feature is active in your store: cashback needs the customer wallet, and points need the loyalty program.
Wallet Cashback is credit in the customer's wallet that they spend straight away on their next order. It's the easiest for customers to understand.
Loyalty Points join the customer's points balance, and they redeem them with your loyalty program's redemption methods. It gives you more room to design rewards.
Under Reward Value, choose Percentage or Fixed price:
Percentage of Order Value: from 1 to 100. Optionally set a Maximum Amount, which protects you from large orders. For example, with a 5% reward and a 400-riyal order, the referrer earns 20 riyals.
Fixed Amount: an amount greater than 0 for each successful referral.
For Loyalty Points, choose the Points Configuration. The reward is worked out as an amount in riyals first, then converted to points: Use loyalty program settings converts it with your loyalty program's earning rule, and Set a custom value lets you enter Every (amount) and Wins (points, a whole number of 1 or more) for this program only.
Sample data from a demo store. For example, with a 10% points reward, a rule of 5 points for every riyal and a 200-riyal order: 10% of 200 riyals is 20 riyals, and 20 riyals times 5 points is 100 points, which is what the referrer receives.
Under Reward Rules, set the limits that protect you from abuse:
| Rule | What it does |
|---|---|
| First Order Only | Rewards the referrer only on the friend's first order |
| Cap rewards per friend | Limits how many of the same friend's orders earn a reward, from 1 to 50. When off, every reorder earns one |
| Cap total referrals | Limits how many friends one referrer can be rewarded for. When off, there is no limit |
First Order Only suits you when your goal is new customers rather than more orders from existing ones. The two caps limit different things: Cap rewards per friend limits repeats from the same person, and Cap total referrals limits the number of people. For example, with 3 per friend and 10 in total, a referrer earns on at most 3 orders from each friend and on 10 successful referrals in all.
Friend reward
The reward for the friend who uses the code or link. It is optional, but recommended.
A friend reward makes sharing easier for your customer: "use my code and get 20 riyals off" is easier to send than "use my code so I get a reward".
Under Reward Type, choose one. The options differ in when the friend benefits:
| Option | The friend gets | When it helps |
|---|---|---|
| No Reward | Nothing; only the referrer earns | |
| Order Discount | A discount on their order | Right away, off the current order. The strongest push to try your store |
| Wallet Cashback | Cashback in their wallet. Needs the customer wallet | On their next order, which encourages them to come back |
| Loyalty Points | Loyalty points. Needs the loyalty program | When they redeem the points later |
Then set the Reward Value as for the referrer: a Percentage of Order Value from 1 to 100 with an optional Maximum Amount, or a Fixed Amount greater than 0.
At least one reward must be on: the referrer reward, the friend reward or the friend discount.
Settings
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Reward Release Stage | When the reward is earned: When Order Is Created or When Order Is Completed (the default) |
| Cooling Period | Holds the reward this many days before it is credited, to protect you from returns. From 0 to 90 days; off means no wait |
| Reward Expiration | How long a reward stays valid, from 1 to 365 days. Off means 365 days |
| Minimum Order Value | The smallest order that earns a reward. Must be greater than 0. Off means no minimum |
The release stage trades speed for safety. When Order Is Created is fast, and referrers see results quickly, but the order can still be cancelled after the reward is on its way. When Order Is Completed is safer, since you pay only for orders that arrived, but referrers wait longer.
When a referral earns a reward
The friend must be signed in to their account when they order. Orders placed as a guest don't count as referrals.
Customers don't earn a reward for using their own code.
When a friend arrives through more than one referral, the first one gets the credit.
A friend who opens a referral link but doesn't order right away stays linked to that referrer for 30 days; an order in that time counts as the referral.
Referrals don't chain: a referrer earns only for the friends who used their code or link, not for the friends those friends invite.
Percentage of Order Value and Minimum Order Value use the full order total, including shipping, VAT and payment fees, not just the products. For example, an order with 50 riyals of products and 21 riyals of shipping totals 71 riyals, so a 50% reward is 35.5 riyals.
With Loyalty Points, the reward is worked out as an amount first, capped by Maximum Amount, then converted to points. Referral points join the customer's loyalty balance and are redeemed the same way.
The Cooling Period starts when the order is created or when it's delivered, depending on the Reward Release Stage, and covers your return period. For example, with When Order Is Completed and a 10-day cooling period, a friend who receives their order on day 1 earns the referrer a reward on day 11; if they return the order on day 5, the reward is cancelled at no cost to you.
Reward Expiration counts from the day the reward is credited, not from the order date. For example, if a friend orders on day 1 and receives the order on day 4, with a 10-day cooling period the reward is credited on day 14; with a 30-day expiration, the referrer has until the 14th of the next month to use it.
Minimum Order Value is measured on the full order total. For example, with a minimum of 200 riyals, an order with 170 riyals of products, 25 riyals of shipping and 25 riyals of VAT totals 220 riyals and earns the reward.
Each referral goes through these stages:
The friend, signed in, orders with the code or link.
The referral appears in Referral logs as Pending.
The release stage and the cooling period pass.
The reward is credited, the status changes to Rewarded and the customer is emailed.
A Wallet Cashback reward joins the customer's available wallet balance as soon as it's credited, ready to spend.
If the friend's order is cancelled or returned before the reward is credited, the reward is voided and the customer is emailed that it was cancelled. A reward that was already credited stays with the customer, and a partial refund doesn't change it.
Set the Cooling Period to at least your return period, so a returned order cancels its reward before it's credited. With a 7-day return policy, for example, use 7 or 10 days. If your cancellation rate is high or many of your orders are cash on delivery, release rewards When Order Is Completed.
Follow your referrals
Once the program is active, Marketing > Customer Referrals shows:
Four figures: Total referrals, Successful referrals, Conversion rate and Revenue from referred.
Overview: the steps of your program as customers experience it, from sharing the code to the friend's order and each side's reward. It's the quickest way to check that what you set up is what you meant.
A table with two tabs, Referral logs and Customers & links. It fills in once the first referral arrives.
| Figure | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Total referrals | Every visit through a referral link and every referral code entered, including visitors who didn't sign in or order and referrals that were rejected. It's normally much higher than successful referrals. |
| Successful referrals | Referrals whose reward was credited. Orders still in their cooling period aren't included. |
| Conversion rate | Successful referrals divided by total referrals |
| Revenue from referred | The value of the orders whose reward was credited, so recent orders appear only after their cooling period ends. Cancelled and rejected orders aren't included |
Since Total referrals counts attempts rather than customers, a low Conversion rate is normal: 500 referrals with 25 successful ones is 5%. Follow the rate over time rather than the number itself; a sudden drop usually means one of your conditions became hard for customers to meet. Likewise, with a 14-day cooling period, a 400-riyal order placed today shows in Revenue from referred two weeks later.
Under the figures, Overview sums up your settings as steps, with the rewards you chose:
Referral logs lists each referred order. Each row is one order, so a friend who orders twice appears on two rows:
| Column | Shows |
|---|---|
| Referrer | The customer who shared the code or link |
| Referrer reward / Reward type | The referrer's reward and whether it is cashback or loyalty points |
| Referred customer | The friend who ordered |
| Referee reward / Reward type | The friend's reward |
| Order number | The referred order, which you can open from here |
| Reward status | Where the reward stands; see the table below |
| Created date / Creation time | When the referral was recorded |
| Reward status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Waiting for the order to reach the release stage, or for the cooling period to end |
| Released | The order reached the release stage, so the reward is due |
| Rewarded | The reward has been credited |
| Rejected | Not eligible. Hover over the icon to see why |
| Voided | Cancelled. Hover over the icon to see why |
The reasons you can see when you hover over the icon:
Another referral was attributed to the customer first. Each customer has one active referral.
The referral code is invalid, for example mistyped.
The order total is below the program's Minimum Order Value.
It isn't the friend's first order, while First Order Only is on.
The referrer reached Cap total referrals, or Cap rewards per friend for this friend.
The referrer's code was revoked before the order.
The customer used their own referral code.
The reward worked out to zero, or to zero loyalty points.
The program was inactive at the time.
When the same reason keeps coming up, review the rule behind it.
Customers & links lists each customer with a referral code, so you can see who actually brings you customers: Customer name, Code (with an icon that copies the customer's link), Successful referrals, Total rewards, Total sales, Status (Active or Deactivated) and the creation date and time.
Manage one customer's code
To give a customer a code before they order, open their profile and select Generate referral code on the Referral link card. The code and link then appear on the same card, where you can copy them and send them to the customer.
To stop a customer's code, for example after misuse, select Revoke access on the same card. The code stops working for new orders, pending rewards continue, credited rewards stay, and the customer shows as Deactivated on the Customers & links tab.
See Customer profile.
An order that came through a referral shows Referred by with the referrer's name on its order details page, and the Referrer line under Source of order shows the code used.
Edit, pause or resume the program
To change the program, select Edit settings, update the sections and select Save. You don't need to pause the program. Changes apply to new referrals; referrals already in progress keep the rules they started with. For example, if you change the cooling period from 5 to 15 days, an order already in progress still waits 5 days, and only new referrals wait 15.
To pause it, select Deactivate and confirm. Pending rewards keep processing, but new referral links stop working. Customers keep their codes, and credited rewards aren't taken back.
To resume it, select Activate. Each customer gets their same code back.
Tips for the referral program
Before you activate, add up what one referred order costs you: your store's running offers, the friend reward and the referrer reward. Compare the total with your margin, and check the Summary beside the form before you save.
Start with a moderate reward and raise it later. With Percentage of Order Value, always set a Maximum Amount, especially if you sell high-value products.
Start with When Order Is Completed and a cooling period equal to your return period or slightly longer, and set the Minimum Order Value close to your average basket value.
Match Reward Expiration to how often your customers buy. A short period, 15 to 30 days, brings customers back sooner; a long one, 90 days or more, suits products people don't buy every month. Consumables usually need about 30 days, and furniture and appliances 120 to 180 days.
Make the friend reward worth trying, and state it as a number: "use my code and get 20 riyals off" persuades more than a vague offer.
Wallet cashback and loyalty points rewards add up with your store-wide offers. Consider pausing the friend reward while a big sale is running.
Tell customers about the program: a banner on your home page, a line in your thank-you message after an order, a post on your social accounts, and a direct message to your most frequent buyers.
In the first two weeks, check your costs in Referral logs and adjust if needed. Then compare Total rewards with Revenue from referred: if you paid 600 riyals in rewards and referred customers brought 8,000 riyals in sales, the program pays off; if the two are close, lower the reward or raise the minimum order value.
Look after your top referrers, such as the top five on Customers & links. A customer who brought 12 friends and 9,000 riyals in sales sells for you without ads: contact them, thank them and give them an extra reward.
The referral program rewards your own customers with credit or points in your store. Affiliate marketing pays a commission to partners from outside your store, such as influencers. The two can run together.
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