Referrals
How to use it
Turn happy customers into a referral channel:
- Turn referrals on and set the friend's welcome offer (e.g. 10% off). (Loyalty → Referrals)
- Set the referrer reward — the points they earn per successful referral. (Loyalty → Referrals)
- Keep the abuse guards on — first-order-only, no self-referral, optional cap. (Loyalty → Referrals → Guards)
- Give customers their link via the storefront widget or a post-purchase email. (Theme / Journeys)
⏱ ~10 min · 💳 Starter+ · 🎯 Referrer rewarded on the friend's first paid order
How the two sides connect
Referrals are off by default. When enabled, the "give" and "get" sides are configured separately: the friend's discount (the give) is a real, spendable Shopify code so there's nothing for them to claim later, and the referrer's reward (the get) is loyalty points, awarded only once the friend's referral actually converts to revenue.
Configuring the give side (friend's offer)
| Setting | Options | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Reward type | Percentage · fixed amount · free shipping | Percentage |
| Reward value | e.g. 10% or a currency amount | 10% |
| Minimum order | Floor subtotal to use the code | None |
Configuring the get side (referrer's reward)
The referrer earns the programme's referral action points (default 100 — see Earning points), awarded when the referred friend's first order is paid.
Anti-abuse guards
Referral programmes attract gaming, so three guards are built in:
| Guard | What it stops |
|---|---|
| No self-referral | A customer can't redeem their own code |
| First-order-only | The friend must be a genuinely new customer for the referrer to earn |
| Max per referrer | Optional cap on how many rewarded referrals one referrer can earn (0 = unlimited) |
What's tracked per code
Each referrer gets one stable referral code (e.g. REF-ABC123). Per code the
programme records the number of referred customers and the revenue attributed
to those referrals — so you can see which advocates actually drive sales, and
feed your best referrers into a VIP or ambassador motion.
This is the customer referral programme (shoppers referring shoppers). It's separate from the platform's own agency/merchant install referral (stores referring the app), which lives in your account settings.
Best practices
✅ Make the give generous and the get meaningful. The friend's discount drives the share; the referrer's points reward drives repeat sharing.
✅ Keep first-order-only on. It's the main defense against a referrer funneling their own repeat orders through their code.
✅ Promote referral to your VIP tiers — your platinum customers are your best advocates and refer the highest-LTV friends.
❌ Don't run referrals without a per-referrer cap during a big push unless you're comfortable with unbounded reward liability.