This article explains why Mention Me requires all transaction data to fairly reward referrals and prevent misuse of the referral programme. You'll also see clear examples to help you understand how complete transaction data benefits both your business and your customers.
Why does Mention Me need all Transaction Data?
Mention Me relies on receiving all your transaction data for two key reasons:
- When a friend is referred, we need to know if they’ve made a transaction so the referrer can be rewarded.
- We need to keep an up-to-date list of your existing customers. Existing customers shouldn’t receive an introductory reward for being referred, so we need to exclude them.
How It Works: Real-World Examples
Let’s look at two scenarios with our fictional customers, Alice and Bob, to show the impact of providing all transaction data to Mention Me.
Ensuring Everyone Is Rewarded Fairly
Here’s how referral works when you share all transaction data with Mention Me:
- Alice visits your website or app.
- Alice sees the refer-a-friend experience.
- Alice refers her friend Bob by sharing a Mention Me link.
- Bob follows the referral link and receives a coupon code or other reward.
- Bob visits your website.
- Bob makes a purchase (using the coupon code or not).
- Because Mention Me receives all transaction data, we identify Bob as a new customer.
- Mention Me records that Alice referred Bob and that Bob made a purchase, so Alice is awarded her referral reward.
The result: Alice is happy (she’s rewarded for her referral), and Bob is happy (he receives a discount for being introduced to your brand).
An Incorrect Example: Missing Data
Now, here’s what happens if Mention Me receives incomplete transaction data:
- Steps 1–6 are the same as above—Bob makes a purchase after being referred by Alice.
- However, Mention Me doesn’t receive all transaction data, so we never see Bob’s purchase.
- Because we can’t confirm Bob is a new customer who completed a purchase, Alice doesn’t get a referral reward.
The result: Bob is happy (he receives a discount), but Alice is disappointed, as she doesn’t receive the reward she deserves for referring Bob.
Protecting the Programme: Preventing Unfair Reward Claims
Complete transaction data also stops people from claiming rewards they aren’t owed. Let’s use Alice and Bob again:
How Mention Me Blocks Incorrect Claims
- Bob makes his first purchase after finding your brand through an advert, not via Alice’s referral.
- Mention Me records Bob as an existing customer because we have access to all transaction data.
- Later, Alice discovers the referral programme and tells Bob about the £10 reward for both referrer and referee.
- Alice gives Bob a referral link.
- Bob tries to use the link; however, since he’s already an existing customer, Mention Me detects this.
- Bob gets an error message and is not given a referral code. He’s encouraged to refer friends instead.
The result: The reward is protected, and genuine new customers receive the introduction benefit.
An Incorrect Example: Incomplete Data Allows Abuse
- Bob makes a first purchase without being referred, but Mention Me doesn’t see all your transaction data, so we don’t know Bob is a customer.
- Later, Alice refers Bob as above, and Bob uses the referral link.
- Because we don’t know Bob is an existing customer, he’s wrongly given a referral reward.
The result: Rewards go to customers who don’t qualify, undermining the fairness of your referral programme.
Summary
Sharing all transaction data with Mention Me ensures:
- Referrers are always fairly rewarded when their friends buy
- Existing customers can’t unfairly claim introductory rewards
- Your referral programme delivers accurate, trustworthy results