Setting up friend rewards

Would you like to give referred shoppers a reason to place their first order? A friend reward is the gift RewardsWP gives to the person an advocate refers to your store. It can be a discount, free shipping, or a free product on their first order.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through adding a friend reward, choosing its settings, and seeing how friends receive it. All you need is a Basic license level or higher.

• Adding a Friend Reward
• Choosing the Reward Settings
• How Do Friends Receive Their Reward?
• FAQ

Before you get started, make sure RewardsWP is installed and activated on your WordPress site.

Adding a Friend Reward

To get started, we’ll add a friend reward on the Referrals tab of the RewardsWP settings.

When an advocate shares their referral link and someone clicks it, that person becomes the friend. The friend reward is set up separately from the advocate reward, so each side can get a different type. For example, advocates might earn points for each referral while their friends get a percentage discount on their first order.

From your WordPress admin sidebar, go to RewardsWP » Settings and click the Referrals tab.

Further down the page, find the Friend Reward card under Referral Rewards and click Add reward.

If your store already has a friend reward, the card shows it instead. In that case, click Edit on the reward to change it.

In the list that opens, choose the type of reward you want to give. The type matters. The friend reward is what convinces a referred visitor to follow through and buy. Friends can receive:

• Amount discount: a set amount off their order, such as $10 off. The value is clear at a glance. That clarity tends to convert well. Choose this if your orders are usually a similar size, so you can pick an amount that feels meaningful.
• Percentage off: a percentage off their order, such as 10% off. The savings grow with the order. For example, a friend spending $150 saves $22.50 with 15% off. Choose this if your order values vary widely.
• Free shipping: no shipping charges on their order. Shipping costs are a common reason shoppers leave a cart, especially at a store they don’t know yet. Choose this if shipping is a large part of what your customers pay.
• Free product: a product of your choice at no cost. The friend gets something extra instead of saving money on what they were already buying. Choose this to introduce new customers to a product line, offer a welcome gift, or give a sample that leads to a full-size purchase.

To compare every reward type, read Choosing reward types.

After you fill in the reward’s settings, which we cover below, click Save at the bottom of the drawer.

The drawer’s Save only updates the page. To keep the reward, click Save Changes in the bar with the settings tabs.

Your friend reward is now saved. Next, we’ll cover each of its settings.

Choosing the Reward Settings

The settings appear in the drawer once you choose a reward type. Some of them only appear for certain types.

Discount Value

For an Amount discount, enter the dollar amount off in Discount amount, such as 10 for $10 off. For Percentage off, enter the percentage in Discount percentage, such as 15 for 15% off.

A percentage can’t be more than 100. Free shipping and Free product rewards have no value to enter.

When you size the discount, keep in mind that the friend is a first-time visitor who doesn’t trust your brand yet. A reward that feels small next to your prices may not convert. One that’s too generous cuts into your margins.

Minimum Spend

Every friend reward type has a Minimum spend, which is the cart subtotal the friend needs before the reward applies. For a Free product reward, the free product doesn’t count toward it. The default of 0 means no minimum.

Leaving it at 0 removes a barrier to the first purchase. A minimum protects your margins and nudges friends toward a larger first order. It also adds friction. A first-time visitor who reads “spend $50 to use this reward” may feel misled. Balance margins against conversions when you choose this value.

Reward Expiry

In Reward expiry, choose how long the friend has to use their reward after it’s issued:

• Never expires: the friend can use the reward at any time.
• 30 days: the reward expires 30 days after it’s issued.
• 3 months: the reward expires three months after it’s issued. This is the default for a new reward.
• 6 months: the reward expires six months after it’s issued.
• 1 year: the reward expires one year after it’s issued.
• 2 years: the reward expires two years after it’s issued.

A shorter window gives the friend a reason to buy soon. A longer window suits products that people research before buying.

Applies To

For Amount discount and Percentage off rewards, Applies to sets which items in the friend’s order get the discount. With Entire order, every item gets it. Exclude items keeps the products, categories, or tags you pick, such as gift cards, out of the reward. To discount only the items you pick, choose Specific items instead.

On WooCommerce, Exclude sale items lets items already on sale keep their sale price, while the rest of the cart still gets the discount. With the toggle off, sale items get the discount too. Free shipping and Free product rewards have no Applies to section.

For how the rules match and what the friend sees at checkout, read Excluding products from rewards and points.

Free Product Selection

For a Free product reward, search for and pick the product to give in Free product selection. If the product’s title is long, enter a shorter one in Custom product name, which is the name customers see.

Good choices show off your brand’s quality, cost you little to give away, and lead to repeat purchases.

Redemption Limit

Every friend reward can be used one time. Each friend uses their coupon on a single order.

The friend reward is built to encourage a first purchase, not ongoing discounts.

With your settings in place, RewardsWP takes care of the rest.

How Do Friends Receive Their Reward?

When a friend clicks a referral link and arrives at your store, here’s what happens:

1. The friend arrives at your store. RewardsWP records the referral link click and connects it to the advocate.
2. The friend sees a claim form. The rewards widget shows a form where the friend enters their email address to claim the reward.
3. A coupon is generated. When the friend submits the form, RewardsWP creates their coupon right away. The coupon code starts with “friend-” so it’s easy to spot.
4. The friend receives an email. RewardsWP also sends the coupon code to the friend’s email address.
5. The friend uses the coupon. The friend applies the coupon code at checkout.

The friend doesn’t need a WordPress account for any of this. RewardsWP tracks friends by email address, so guest checkout works too.

To learn more about the widget, read Understanding the rewards widget.

That’s it! You now know how to set up a friend reward that brings referred shoppers back for their first order. Next, to reward the customers who share their links, read Setting up advocate rewards.

FAQ

Below, we’ve answered some of the most common questions about friend rewards.

Can I have both an advocate reward and a friend reward at the same time?

Yes, and we recommend it. The advocate reward motivates your existing customer to share, while the friend reward motivates the new visitor to buy. They’re set up separately, so each side can get a different type and amount.

Why don’t I see the Applies to section?

Applies to only appears for Amount discount and Percentage off rewards. Free shipping and Free product rewards have no item rules.

What happens if my free product reward goes out of stock?

If the product chosen for a Free product friend reward goes out of stock, friends can’t claim the reward. That way, no one gets a reward you can’t fulfill. Friends can claim it again when the product is back in stock or you change the reward type.