RewardsWP offers a range of reward options to incentivize both members and their referred friends. These rewards can be tailored to suit your business goals, and you have full flexibility to edit or adjust them anytime.
This guide covers the available reward types, how to set them up, and specific instructions for configuring free shipping rewards in WooCommerce.
Overview of Reward Types
Rewards are the driving force behind your referral program, encouraging participation and boosting engagement. RewardsWP allows you to offer:
- Fixed Amount Discounts: A specific dollar amount deducted from a future purchase.
- Percentage Discounts: A percentage reduction applied to the total purchase amount.
- Free Shipping: A reward that removes shipping costs for eligible orders (available only for WooCommerce stores).
- Free Product: A specific product from your store, given at no cost. Available for both Advocate and Friend rewards.
- Points: Points added directly to an advocate’s points balance. Available only when the Points program is enabled.
- Birthday reward: Bonus points added to a member’s balance on their birthday each year. This is a way to earn points rather than a referral reward, so it’s set up on the Points tab.
Not all reward types are available in every context. The reward options shown depend on whether you’re configuring an Advocate reward or a Friend reward.
Advocate reward types
Advocate rewards are issued to existing customers who successfully refer a friend. When adding an Advocate reward, you can choose from the following options:
Amount discount
Amount discounts issue a coupon with a fixed monetary value, such as $10 off. This is one of the most common and predictable reward types. Amount discounts work well when you want a clear and easily communicated incentive that customers immediately understand.
Percentage discount
Percentage discounts apply a percentage reduction to the order total, such as 20% off. This reward type scales with order value, making it especially effective for stores with a wide range of product prices or higher average order values. Because percentage discounts can become very generous on large orders, they’re best used with sensible minimum order requirements.
Free shipping
Free shipping rewards remove shipping costs from an order using a coupon. This reward type is available only for WooCommerce stores and requires a properly configured free shipping method in WooCommerce. Free shipping is particularly effective at reducing checkout friction and increasing conversion rates, especially for mobile shoppers.
Free product
Free product rewards give the advocate a specific product from your store at no cost. You choose the product when you add the reward. When the advocate is ready to use it, they apply the reward from the rewards widget, and RewardsWP adds the product to their cart with the coupon already applied. You can also set a minimum spend, which is calculated from the rest of the cart, so the free product never counts toward it.
Free product rewards require a Pro license and work with WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads. On WooCommerce, if the advocate’s reward product goes out of stock, RewardsWP turns the referral program off until the product is back in stock. For setup steps and what customers see, read Free Product Reward. Members can also spend points on a free product, which is covered in Free Product Reward for points.
Points
Points rewards add points directly to the advocate’s points balance instead of issuing a coupon. Points can be redeemed later through the Points program and can be combined with other earning actions such as purchases, reviews, and bonuses.
Points are only available for Advocate rewards and require the Points program to be enabled. Friends cannot receive points as referral rewards.
Friend reward types
Friend rewards are issued to new customers on their first qualifying order after arriving through a referral link. When adding a Friend reward, you can choose from the following options:
Amount discount
A fixed dollar discount applied to the friend’s first order. This is the most straightforward way to encourage first time purchases.
Percentage discount
A percentage off the friend’s first order. This option works well when you want the reward value to scale with cart size.
Free shipping
A free shipping coupon applied to the friend’s first order. This option is available only for WooCommerce and requires a free shipping method to be configured.
Free product
A specific product the friend gets free on their first order. The friend claims it from the rewards widget, then adds the product to their cart with the coupon applied. This option requires a Pro license and works with WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads. Setup matches the advocate version, covered in Free Product Reward.
Birthday reward
The birthday reward adds bonus points to a member’s balance on their birthday each year. It isn’t tied to a referral: members add their birthday (month and day) in the rewards widget, and RewardsWP awards the points automatically on that date.
To turn it on, go to RewardsWP » Settings, open the Points tab, and click Add ways to earn. Choose Birthday bonus, switch on Status, set the Points to award, and save your changes.
The birthday reward requires a Pro license. A member has to add their birthday at least 30 days before it for the points to count that year. Otherwise, their first award comes the following year. For the member experience, the birthday email, and what happens if a member needs to change their date, read Birthday reward.
Setting up free shipping in WooCommerce
Free shipping is a reward that eliminates shipping costs, making it highly attractive to both members and friends. This option requires configuration in WooCommerce to work correctly.
When to Use:
Free shipping is ideal for removing friction during checkout, encouraging purchases, and boosting referral engagement.
Free shipping is a great reward to encourage referrals by eliminating shipping costs for eligible orders. To set it up in WooCommerce and enable it as a reward in RewardsWP, follow these steps:
- Navigate to WooCommerce > Settings > Shipping in your WordPress dashboard.
- Click on Add Shipping Zone to create a new zone.
- Name the zone (e.g., “Free Shipping Zone”).
- Select the regions or countries where free shipping will apply.
- Within the newly created zone, click Add Shipping Method.
- In the pop-up, select Free Shipping and click Continue.
- Give the free shipping method a name, such as “Free Shipping.” and select the requirement in Free shipping requires.
- This name will appear to customers during checkout when free shipping is applied.
- In RewardsWP, create a reward and choose Free Shipping as the reward type.
- Set the Minimum Order Amount (e.g., $50) to ensure free shipping only applies to orders that meet the threshold.
With these steps complete, free shipping rewards will be fully functional and ready to use in your referral program.
Configuring Reward Options
When adding or editing rewards, you have the following options to customize them:
- Reward Value: Define the value of the reward (e.g., $10, 15%, or Free Shipping).
- Minimum Order Amount: Set the minimum purchase amount required for the reward to apply. For example:
- Fixed/Percentage Discount: $0 (applies to all purchases) or a higher amount (e.g., $50).
- Free Shipping: Specify a threshold (e.g., $50) to ensure free shipping only applies to larger orders.
Rewards can be edited at any time to adjust their value or eligibility criteria, giving you flexibility as your program evolves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, rewards can be edited anytime. Simply update the reward value or minimum order amount as needed to match your program goals.
No, free shipping rewards are only supported for WooCommerce stores.
The minimum order amount specifies the threshold that must be met for a reward to apply. For instance, a $50 minimum ensures rewards only apply to orders of $50 or more.
Ensure you’ve set up a free shipping method in WooCommerce with the “Valid Free Shipping Coupon” requirement. This is essential for free shipping rewards to function correctly.
The Points reward option appears only when the Points program is enabled and only when configuring Advocate rewards.
That’s it! RewardsWP offers a variety of reward types, including fixed amount discounts, percentage discounts, free shipping, and free products, to help you design a referral program that aligns with your business needs. With options to configure reward values and minimum order amounts, you can fine-tune your program for maximum impact.