A simple referral experience comprises the following steps:
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A customer (referrer) sees your referral offer
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The referrer shares it with friends (referees)
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The referee registers for your offer and completes their first purchase
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The referrer receives their incentive for introducing the referee.
Here’s a basic overview:
Going through the steps in a bit more detail using Farfetch as an example:
Step 1: A customer (referrer) sees your referral offer
The post-purchase page is the best place to promote a referral offer. By this point, your customer trusts your brand enough to buy something, feels excited about their order, and won’t be interrupted by the promotion.
You can also promote referral in the ‘my account’ area of your site, in e-mails, banners - anywhere your customers might see and engage with your programme.
Step 2: The referrer shares it with friends (referees)
Referrers can share your offer with friends in a number of ways. The most common channels are name sharing, e-mail, and WhatsApp, but there’s plenty of others: unique sharing link, Pinterest, printed vouchers, Vkontakte, Weibo, Line… the list goes on!
Mention Me's unique name sharing feature supports referrals during conversation, as customers can tell friends to use their name at checkout for an exclusive offer.
Step 3: The referee registers for the offer and completes their first purchase
When referees engage with the offer, whether that’s by clicking a link or entering their friend’s name, they’ll be asked to register for the reward. Once they enter their e-mail address, they’ll be given the offer (either immediately or as a promise e.g. a £20 Amazon voucher once they make a purchase).
Whether or not the referees uses their voucher code during purchase, Mention Me will recognise a referral has been completed.
Other support articles you may be interested in:
- [Video] Referral Customer Journey
- Where and why to implement referrer and referee tags
- Overview of core referral metrics
- The Psychology of Sharing
