The CommentSold referral program helps you attract new customers by rewarding existing registered shoppers for referring friends, family, and followers. When a new customer uses a shopper’s unique referral code to make their first purchase, they receive a discount, and the referring shopper earns a reward. Configure customer discounts and referral rewards, manage referral codes, and track referral activity from your CommentSold dashboard.
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Shoppers can use referral coupon codes for anything in your shop, with a few exceptions:
- Gift card purchases.
- Orders placed by an existing customer.
- Orders made in which the address matches an existing customer's address.
Additionally, shoppers cannot combine referral coupon codes with other coupon codes.
If the referral program has been disabled, a shopper attempting to redeem a code will see an error message noting that the program is not active.
Set Up the Referral Program
Before registered shoppers can take advantage of your referral program, you'll need to set it up in CommentSold.
- Select Setup in the side menu of your CommentSold dashboard.
- Select Sharing and Referral Program from the options listed at the top of the page.
- In the Sharing Setup section, select your Sharing Destination. This is the destination where you want new shoppers redirected when they select the link included in a referrer's message.
- If you select Mobile App or Webstore, you can customize the referral message customers can copy with their referral code.
- In the Referral Setup section, select the Enable/Disabled toggle so it appears as Enabled.
- In the pop-up, choose your New Customers Reward. This is the reward new customers receive when making their first-ever purchase with your shop using a referral code.
- Percentage for Coupon. Enter a percentage you wish for a new customer to receive off their order. If you want to encourage new shoppers to place a larger order, we recommend offering a percentage reward.
- Flat Price Coupon. Enter a flat amount you wish for a new customer to receive off their order.
- Next, choose your Referral Reward. This is the amount of revenue a referrer receives when a new customer places their first order using the referrer's code.
- Revenue Share. Award referrers a percentage of the new customer sale.
- Flat Fee Per Referral. Award referrers a flat fee (i.e., $5 per referral) for every new customer sale using their code.
- Select Activate.
Once you've enabled your referral program, you’ll be able to view reporting data at the bottom of this page.
Manage Customer Referral Codes
You can manage and make changes to a specific referrer’s code on their customer record. Actions include viewing the referrer's current code, viewing any associated orders, and changing the referrer's code.
If changing a referrer's code, note that the code must end with "REF". Avoid creating coupon codes starting with "REF" as this will cause redemption and reporting issues.
- Select Customers in the side menu of your CommentSold dashboard.
- Locate a specific customer by scrolling or using the Search field in the top-right corner of the table.
- Select the three dots to the right of the customer’s name and select Customer Details.
- Scroll down to the Referral Code section. Here you have the option to:
- View Orders. View orders with this referral code applied.
- Change Code. Create a custom code for the selected customer.
If you are combining shopper accounts, then the referral code for the account you're merging into will be kept unless that account does not have a referral code. If you deleted a shopper from your CommentSold account, then their referral code is no longer valid.
What Your Shopper Experiences
After every purchase using the referrer's code, that shopper will receive a notification email that details the amount of credit they earned from the purchase.
If the shopper selects the View My Account Page button, they'll be taken to their account page where they can view their current account credits.
After you enable your referral program, existing registered shoppers will see a new Refer and Earn Credit link on their account page.
When registered shoppers select this link, they'll see their unique referral code and information about the New Customer Reward and Referrer Reward. They can Copy the entire message or Copy Code Only to share.
FAQs
How does the CommentSold referral program work?
Each registered shopper receives a unique referral code to share with others. When a new customer uses the code for their first purchase, they receive a discount, and the referring shopper earns a reward based on your referral program settings.
What rewards can I offer new customers?
You can offer a percentage discount or a flat-price discount on a new customer's first purchase using a referral code.
How can I reward shoppers who refer new customers?
You can reward referring shoppers with either a percentage of the new customer's sale through revenue sharing or a flat fee for each qualifying referral sale.
Can shoppers use referral codes on any purchase?
Referral codes can be used for eligible purchases, but they cannot be used to purchase gift cards or on orders placed by existing customers. They also cannot be used when the shipping address matches an existing customer's address. Referral codes cannot be combined with other coupon codes.
What happens if I disable the referral program?
Customers attempting to redeem a referral code will see an error message indicating that the referral program is inactive.
Where can I manage a customer's referral code?
Go to Customers in your CommentSold dashboard, open the customer's details, and scroll to the Referral Code section. From there, you can view orders associated with the code or change the code.
Why doesn't a customer have a referral code?
The shopper must log in and view Share & Earn Credit in the mobile app or Refer & Earn Credit on their account page before their referral code appears on their customer record.
What should I know before changing a referral code?
A custom referral code must end with REF. Avoid creating coupon codes that start with REF, as this can cause redemption and reporting issues.
What happens to referral codes when I merge customer accounts?
The referral code belonging to the account you're merging into is retained unless that account doesn't have a referral code. If you delete a shopper from CommentSold, their referral code becomes invalid.
How do shoppers receive their referral rewards?
After a purchase using their referral code, the referring shopper receives an email detailing the credit earned. They can select View My Account Page in the email to view their current account credits.
Does a referral code work if the new shopper's address matches the referrer's address?
On the mobile app, a New Customer Reward may still apply to the new shopper's cart even if their address matches the referrer's. However, the referring shopper won't receive referral credit.