Due to its adaptability, Shopify has been regarded as one of the greatest eCommerce platforms. Shopify offers users more than just a platform for marketing goods and services.
In this article, we will compile a list of the best Shopify referral applications for getting the most out of your Shopify platform regarding referral marketing. Our list allows store owners to conduct referral programs to attract a new and larger audience.
People only believe in businesses that have been driven by others. Therefore, having an appropriate Shopify app will assist in word-of-mouth marketing.
Keep reading to find out now!
9 Best Shopify Referral Apps on the Market
UpPromote
UpPromote is the top-rated affiliate marketing and referral app in the Shopify app store. It’s an excellent option for businesses of all sizes, offering powerful features for recruiting, managing, and paying affiliate marketers through a personalized dashboard.
UpPromote offers a multi-channel approach to referrals. It allows you to integrate social sharing buttons and email marketing, making it easier for potential customers to share your store with their network.
Furthermore, this all-in-one tool allows you to efficiently create and manage professional marketing campaigns. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced user, you can quickly set up complete affiliate programs with various affiliate commission structures. It also provides comprehensive reports to track affiliates’ performance, including orders, clicks, sales, etc.
UpPromote is ideal for store owners who hope to expand their referral reach and engage satisfied customers on various platforms. Its easy-to-use interface and powerful features can help you simply turn customers into affiliates.
Key features:
- Quick setup with detailed guidelines and automated features to save time, like auto-generated affiliate links and coupons.
- Track and manage affiliate performance with real-time tracking.
- Integrate with PayPal to automate affiliate payments easily.
- Assist in recruiting affiliates via the UpPromote marketplace or multi-level marketing.
- Allow customers to refer products to others and earn commissions with customer referral features.
- Reduce risks of affiliate fraud and referral scams.
Pricing: FREE – $199.99 per month
Referral Candy
Referral Candy is one of the most popular choices among Shopify users seeking a referral app. It simplifies the process of creating and managing referral programs for online businesses. Through ReferralCandy, companies can design an affiliate campaign that encourages current customers to refer new ones, boosting sales and expanding their customer base.
The app offers a range of features, including customizable referral programs, real-time analytics, automatic reward distribution, and compatibility with popular email marketing tools. Additionally, ReferralCandy provides various templates and designs to help businesses maintain branding consistency in their referral campaigns.
One of its remarkable strengths is its user-friendly interface, catering to both experienced marketers and newbies to referral strategies. This accessibility makes it suitable for businesses of any size, from startups to established enterprises.
If you are searching for a robust and easy-to-use referral program solution for Shopify, ReferralCandy fits the bill. Its advanced customization options, branding features, and detailed reporting position it as one of the top choices among Shopify referral apps currently available.
Key features:
- Easily connect with your favorite email service providers (EPSs).
- Personalize your landing pages, emails, post-purchase popups, and more.
- Receive alerts when referral codes appear on coupon sites.
- Effortlessly integrate with other marketing apps.
- More options for customization with JavaScript (JS) and API integration.
- Automatically block fraudulent activities.
Pricing: 14-day free trial, $59 – $299 per month (for premium plan and plus plan), up to $24,000 per year for enterprise
ReferrLy Affiliate Marketing
ReferrLy Affiliate Marketing simplifies the process for social media influencers to partner with you and promote your Shopify store, boosting your sales. This powerful tool makes setting up and managing your affiliate marketing program easy.
It helps you track sales generated by referral links and coupons and gives unlimited affiliates their own dashboard to track their performance. You can even ask loyal customers to join as affiliates from your order page. Plus, you can share marketing materials with your affiliates and customize how they sign up.
This app allows you to set different commission rules based on many factors, such as products, affiliates, achievements, and collections. It also automatically generates referral links and coupons and encourages customers to join as affiliates after purchasing. You can easily keep in touch with affiliates through bulk emails, and paying out commissions is seamless, thanks to PayPal integration.
Key features:
- Offer affiliates their own special dashboard.
- Automatically generate referral links and coupons.
- Send bulk emails to communicate with affiliates.
- Keep tabs on sales using referral links and coupons.
- Share marketing materials with affiliates.
- Tailor the signup process and form fields to your needs.
Pricing: $5 – 15$ per month
Automizely Referral&Affiliate
Automizely Referral&Affiliate is a robust tool for affiliate marketing meant to assist businesses like yours in enhancing brand credibility, fostering brand advocates, and boosting revenue.
By harnessing the power of word-of-mouth marketing, you can transform your current customers into brand ambassadors, encouraging them to recommend your brand to others, thereby fueling your business’s expansion.
You can incentivize them for successful referrals and provide discounts to newly referred customers on their next purchase. Moreover, you can engage with influencers, collaborating with them and offering commissions for the new sales they bring to your store.
With additional features like a redeemable coupon code, customizable reward programs, and appealing pop-ups, there are numerous exciting avenues for growth. Automizely’s loyalty program effortlessly converts customers into brand advocates, and the app boasts an easy setup process that doesn’t demand technical expertise.
Key features:
- Set up referral campaigns with unique links and coupons in just one click.
- Automatically send reward emails to supporters with simple codes to use.
- Easily invite influencers via bulk emails and track their progress on a single dashboard.
- Customize the appearance of widgets easily for a consistent look and feel
- Give influencers free gifts as a commission, cutting down on marketing expenses.
- Test different options and track performance conveniently from one dashboard.
Pricing: Free
SC Conjured Referrals
SC Conjured Referrals is a versatile affiliate marketing tool designed to help businesses increase sales and encourage repeat business from customers. It offers customizable referral programs and rewards to foster brand loyalty.
With this app, you can easily create and personalize your own referral program, incentivizing customers to refer their friends and family to your business. The dashboard allows you to manage your referrals efficiently by creating campaigns, tracking results, and ensuring referral links stay active.
You can seamlessly integrate it into your Shopify dashboard for more convenience. Moreover, the app also automates the process of delivering discounts or gift cards to customers, helping you save time. SC Conjured Referrals is simple to install and requires no ongoing maintenance.
Thanks to its focus on rewarding experiences and detailed performance analytics, it is particularly beneficial for businesses aiming to strengthen customer loyalty and attract new customers.
Key features:
- Customize campaigns to match your brand’s style.
- Monitor analytics right from your Shopify dashboard.
- Share referral links easily via email, text, or social media.
- Block any references given to current clients.
- No fees for transactions or commissions.
- Easily select prizes for each campaign.
- Increase sales with a personalized referral marketing plan.
- Create either a single link for all supporters or unique links for each referral.
Pricing: $19 – $149 per month
Smile.io
Smile.io is one of the top Shopify referral apps because of its easy-to-use interface, clean design, and innovative popup feature that allows store owners to keep track of referrals and offer custom rewards. With this app, you can craft personalized messages with attractive visuals and send them to your customers, encouraging them to share and invite friends to your store.
Smile.io operates on a two-way incentive system: existing customers earn points for referring friends, while the referred friends receive a reward after making their first purchase through the referral link. This setup fosters stronger engagement with your customers, encouraging them to participate in your store’s activities actively.
Through this Shopify referral app, you can offer a rewards program for successful referrals, such as percentage discounts, fixed-amount discounts, free shipping, or complimentary products. Smile.io empowers you with full control over how your existing customers share their referral links, making it one of the premier options for managing your store’s referral program effectively.
Key features:
- Create incentives to encourage earning bonus points quickly.
- Distribute links via emails and pop-up notifications.
- Keep track of referral traffic effortlessly.
- Send emails and reminders about reward expirations
- Allow users to claim rewards directly from your website.
- Integrate referrals with a VIP program.
Pricing: 30-day free trial, $49 – $999 per month
LoyaltyLion Rewards & Referral
LoyaltyLion Rewards & Referral is another loyalty program that includes referral features. It offers a comprehensive solution for businesses aiming to build strong customer loyalty and encourage repeat buying. With LoyaltyLion, brands can create customized loyalty programs tailored to their specific customer base, improving the overall shopping experience and building long-term connections.
A significant feature of LoyaltyLion is its smooth integration into your website and the customer’s shopping journey. By adding a dedicated loyalty page directly to your site, customers can easily interact with your loyalty program without interrupting their browsing experience.
The importance of loyalty points and referral rewards in influencing customer behavior cannot be overstated. LoyaltyLion enables businesses to reward customers for various actions, including purchases, referrals, reviews, and social media engagement. By offering tangible rewards for these activities, brands can effectively encourage enrollment in their loyalty program and significantly boost the number of returning customers.
Moreover, by lowering acquisition costs through incentivized referrals and social media engagement, LoyaltyLion allows businesses to allocate resources like loyalty plans or social login more efficiently and concentrate on building meaningful relationships with existing customers.
Key features:
- Get new customers by using the included refer-a-friend feature.
- Customers who leave reviews receive points as a reward.
- Suitable for all types of businesses.
- Reward your Facebook views, Twitter, and Instagram followers.
Pricing: $249 per month
Shopjar – Referral Program
Shopjar – Referral Program app is a top choice for Shopify users looking to set up a referral program with customizable rewards. It’s completely free to use. With this app, both the person referring others and the ones being referred can get rewards. For every successful referral, the referrer earns a reward.
A standout feature of this app is the Referral Landing page, where customers can easily sign up for the referral program and invite friends. To invite someone, customers simply enter their friends’ email addresses. The app also offers a Referral Portal where referrers can see their unique referral URL, rewards, and referral sales.
Furthermore, this app offers an OTP-based guest login option, meaning referrers don’t need to create a Shopify account. They can simply enter their email address and receive a one-time passcode to access the Referral Portal.
Key features:
- Detailed tracking and reporting on a clear dashboard
- Detect fraud automatically
- Personalized rewards for both people referring and being referred
- Setting up referral campaigns quickly with a user-friendly interface
- A popup that shows the referral program on the thank you page
- A built-in affiliate portal to track how well affiliates are doing
- Friends can get their reward right after their first purchase
Pricing: $5 – $29 per month
Rivo: Loyalty & Referrals
Rivo: Loyalty & Referrals is an app designed specifically for Shopify users to boost customer loyalty and encourage referrals. It’s customizable, letting merchants create different types of programs, such as memberships and VIP tiers.
Rewards can range from discounts to free shipping and exclusive perks. The app seamlessly integrates with Shopify’s latest technology, offering a free plan with basic features and paid plans that grow with your business needs.
Users highly appreciate its easy-to-use interface and 24/7 live chat support. With Rivo, businesses can reward customers for their purchases and engagement, fostering repeat sales and attracting new customers through referrals. Moreover, it easily integrates with various services in a merchant’s tech stack, ensuring a smooth loyalty & rewards experience.
Rivo is suitable for businesses that want to build a complete plan to keep customers returning. With its mix of loyalty programs, referrals, and memberships, it offers all the tools to keep existing customers happy and attract new ones.
Key features:
- A loyalty and referrals program that you can personalize completely.
- Designed specifically for direct-to-consumer brands that are expanding quickly.
- Get help anytime with top-notch live chat support available around the clock.
- Easily connects with your existing system without delay.
- Access advanced customization options using the Rivo Developer Toolkit.
Pricing: $49 – $499 per month
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Shopify Referral App
When choosing a Shopify referral app, it is important to assess various elements to ensure that it fits your company objectives and interacts easily with your existing systems. In this part, we will mention some key factors you should consider to select the most suitable Shopify referral app.
Features and Functionality
Customization
A good referral app should let you customize the program to fit your needs. It should allow you to create different referral programs with unique rewards, links, and campaign styles. This way, you can make campaigns that speak directly to your audience and offer rewards that encourage them to join.
You should look for an app that allows you to change things like how people are invited and rewards are given. For example, having customizable referral links can help more people recognize your brand and make it easier for customers to share your products.
Also, having options for different campaigns, like friend referrals or influencer marketing programs, can help you reach more people and cater to different affiliate teams.
Automation
Running a referral program can take up a lot of time, especially as your business gets bigger. That’s why it’s helpful to have automation features. You should choose a referral app that can do things automatically to save time and effort.
Automatic link creation is really important because it means you don’t have to make and send out links manually. Similarly, automatic reward delivery makes sure customers get their rewards quickly, which keeps them happy and makes them want to keep participating.
Moreover, having automatic email updates for customers about their referral progress or new campaigns can help keep your program fresh in their minds and keep them engaged.
Tracking and Analytics
Good tracking and analytics tools are essential for making smart decisions about your referral program. A solid referral app should give you detailed insights into different parts of your program, such as where referrals are coming from, how many are turning into sales, and how the whole program is doing overall.
You should select an app that lets you track referrals in real time so you can see how your campaigns are working and find ways to improve them. Advanced analytics tools like cohort analysis or customer lifetime value calculations can also give you even more insights into how your referral program is affecting your business in the long run.
Integrations
It is important to make sure your referral app works well with your Shopify store and other tools you use for a smooth experience. An app that integrates seamlessly with Shopify ensures everything looks and feels consistent for your customers.
Furthermore, integration with popular email platforms like Klaviyo or Mailchimp can make it easier to communicate with your customers and use your existing email lists for referral campaigns. If the app works with CRM systems like HubSpot or Salesforce, you can also manage and nurture your referral leads more effectively.
Pricing and Value
When selecting a Shopify referral app, it’s vital to check out its pricing and whether it fits your store’s needs and budget. Some affiliate apps follow a freemium model, offering basic features for free and charging for more advanced ones. Others have tiered pricing, where different levels offer more features as you pay more.
You should carefully check what each pricing plan includes and see if it matches your store’s needs. You can think about things like how many referrals you expect, how much customization you need, and whether it works well with other tools you use.
But you don’t just focus only on price. You must consider how easy the app is to use, what kind of support it offers, how well it integrates with other tools, and what people say about it in the Shopify community. A good app should make it easy for customers to refer others, boosting sales.
Ease of Use
When picking out a Shopify referral app, how easy it is to use is also important. A simple and user-friendly interface is key for ensuring you and your customers have a smooth experience. A good app should simplify the referral process so your customers can easily join in and share referral links with their friends and family.
Moreover, the app should be easy to set up and allow you to customize it to fit your business without a hassle. It should come with clear instructions for your referral program so you can quickly get it up and running.
It should be easy for your customers, too. The referral process should be straightforward and simple, making it more likely they will actually refer others. They should be able to easily find and share referral links on social media, email, or messaging apps without any extra fuss.
Customer Support
Examining the customer support that the developer provides is important for you to choose a Shopify referral app. Good customer support is crucial because you may run into technical problems or have questions that need quick answers. Check what support options the app offers, like live chat, email, or phone support, to ensure you can get help from knowledgeable people when needed.
Strong customer support can really help you solve any issues you encounter while using the referral app. You can choose developers who offer different ways to contact them so you can use the one you prefer. Also, check how available the support is, whether it is available 24/7 or only at certain times, and how quickly they respond to make sure you get help fast.
It’s also a good idea to read reviews from other users to learn about the developer’s reputation for customer support. Developers with rich experience in providing great customer service are more likely to give you the help you need, making it easier to get the most out of the referral app and manage your referral program effectively.
Additional Tips for Choosing a Shopify Referral App
When assessing Shopify referral apps, it’s crucial to research them to find the best fit for your business. In this section, we will provide you with some tips for selecting an appropriate referral app.
Read customer reviews and ratings on the Shopify App Store
The Shopify App Store has feedback from merchants who’ve tried the affiliate program apps you’re eyeing. Spend some time going through the customer review and average rating.
You must look out for common praises or complaints, as they give you valuable insights into how well the app works, how easy it is to use, and whether it is reliable. If you see lots of positive reviews from many users, that is usually a good sign that the app is worth considering.
Consider free trials or demos offered by some apps
Some referral app developers offer free trials or demos for their referral apps, allowing you to test them before committing to paying. You can use these opportunities to get hands-on experience with the app and see if it meets your demands.
During the trial period, you should see how well the app integrates with your Shopify store, check out its referral tracking features, and see if it’s easy for you and your customers to use.
Align your app choice with your existing marketing strategy and budget
When picking a Shopify referral app, you should think about how well it fits your marketing strategy and how much you can afford. You should check each app’s features and determine which are most important for reaching your business goals and target audience.
Moreover, you must consider the pricing plans and any extra costs, like transaction fees or premium features. You should choose an app that suits your budget and gives you the tools to run your referral program effectively.
FAQs
- Is there a Shopify referral program?
Yes, Shopify does offer a referral program called the Shopify Affiliate Program. It allows participants to earn commissions by referring new merchants to Shopify. Participants receive a unique referral link to track their referrals, and they earn a commission based on the referred merchant’s subscription plan.
- Is there an affiliate program for Shopify?
Yes, Shopify has an affiliate program known as the Shopify Affiliate Program. It allows affiliates to earn commissions by promoting Shopify’s products and services. Affiliates receive a unique referral link to share, and they earn commissions for each new merchant they refer who signs up for a paid Shopify plan through their link.
- How much does Shopify affiliate pay?
The amount paid by Shopify affiliates varies based on the plan the referred merchant chooses. Affiliates can earn up to 200% of the referred merchant’s monthly subscription fee for the first two months or up to $2,000 USD per referral, whichever is higher.
- What is the best back in stock app for Shopify?
There are several back-in-stock apps available for Shopify, and the best one depends on your specific needs and preferences. Some popular options include Back in Stock, Restocked Alerts, and Out of Stock Alerts. It is recommended that you explore the features and reviews of each app to determine which one best meets your store’s requirements.
Conclusion
Selecting a suitable referral app for your Shopify store can make a big difference in how you attract and keep customers. Each of the nine apps mentioned above offers unique advantages suited to various business requirements. Whether you need customization, referrals across multiple platforms, or a straightforward and budget-friendly option, you’ll find an app here that suits your marketing aims.
By integrating these referral apps into your marketing plan, you can tap into the effectiveness of word-of-mouth advertising and increase your sales. With the appropriate referral program, you can create a loyal customer following that consistently brings in new business, fueling the growth and prosperity of your store.
