Would you like to pick the right reward for your advocates, their friends, and your points members?
In this guide, we’ll walk you through every reward type, where you set each one up, and how to get free shipping ready in WooCommerce. All you need is RewardsWP and a WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads store.
- Choosing a Referral Reward Type
- Understanding Advocate Reward Types
- Understanding Friend Reward Types
- Limiting a Discount to Certain Items
- Configuring Reward Settings
- Offering Rewards for Points
- Setting Up Free Shipping in WooCommerce
- FAQ
Before you get started, make sure RewardsWP is installed and activated on your WordPress site.
Choosing a Referral Reward Type
Referral rewards go to two people: the advocate who shares a referral link, and the friend who buys through it. Each one gets its own reward. You pick a type for each.
To get started, go to RewardsWP » Settings in your WordPress admin sidebar and click the Referrals tab.
Under Referral Rewards, click Add reward on the Advocate Reward card. The Friend Reward card works the same way.
In the list that opens, pick the type of reward you want to give. We describe each type in the next two sections.
After you fill in the reward’s settings, click Save at the bottom of the drawer. The summary above it shows what the reward gives and what it applies to. Clicking Save updates the reward card on the page. It doesn’t save your settings yet.
To keep the reward, click Save Changes in the bar with the settings tabs.
Your reward is now saved. Next, let’s look at what each reward type does.
Understanding Advocate Reward Types
Advocate rewards go to existing customers who successfully refer a friend. Here’s what each type does.
Amount Discount
An amount discount issues a coupon with a fixed value, such as $10 off. It’s one of the most common and predictable reward types. It works well when you want a clear incentive that customers understand right away.
Percentage Off
A percentage off reward takes a percentage, such as 20%, off the order total, or off the items the reward applies to. The reward scales with order value. This suits stores with a wide range of product prices or higher average order values. Because a percentage can become very generous on a large order, pair it with a Minimum spend.
Free Shipping
A free shipping reward removes shipping costs from an order with a coupon. Free shipping reduces friction at checkout and gives shoppers a reason to complete the order.
This type is only available for WooCommerce stores. It needs a free shipping method set up in WooCommerce. We show how in Setting Up Free Shipping in WooCommerce below.
Free Product
A free product reward gives 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. RewardsWP then adds the product to their cart with the coupon already applied.
You can also set a minimum spend. RewardsWP calculates the minimum from the rest of the cart, so the free product never counts toward it.
Free product rewards require a Pro license level 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. See Free Product Reward for Points.
Points
A points reward adds points straight to the advocate’s points balance instead of issuing a coupon. Members redeem those points later through the Points program, along with points from other earning actions such as purchases, reviews, and bonuses.
Note: Points are only available for advocate rewards, and they require the Points program to be on.
Understanding Friend Reward Types
Friend rewards go to new customers on their first qualifying order after they arrive through a referral link. The list offers every advocate type except Points:
- Amount discount: a fixed amount off the friend’s first order. This is the most straightforward way to encourage a first purchase.
- Percentage off: a percentage off the friend’s first order, or off the items the reward applies to. The value scales with cart size.
- Free shipping: a free shipping coupon for the friend’s first order. This type is only available for WooCommerce. It needs a free shipping method set up.
- Free product: a specific product the friend gets free on their first order. The friend claims it from the Rewards Widget. RewardsWP then adds the product to their cart with the coupon applied. This type requires a Pro license level and works with WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads. Setup matches the advocate version.
For amount discount and percentage off rewards, you can also choose which items get the discount.
Limiting a Discount to Certain Items
Amount discount and percentage off rewards have an Applies to section. This section decides which items in the cart get the discount. At checkout, only matching items get the discount. Free shipping, free product, and points rewards have no Applies to section.
You have two choices:
- Entire order: the discount covers the whole cart. To keep products such as gift cards out of it, use Exclude items.
- Specific items: only the items you pick get the discount. This option requires a Plus license level or higher.
If a cart has no matching item, the customer sees a message that says why the discount doesn’t apply.
Note: An amount discount stays on the matching items with WooCommerce 8.8 or later, or Easy Digital Downloads 3.5.1 or later. On older versions, the discount spreads over the whole cart. The reward drawer also shows a warning.
A rule can name products, categories, tags and, on WooCommerce, brands. On WooCommerce, the Exclude sale items toggle keeps items that are already on sale at their sale price. The rest of the cart still gets the discount. With the toggle off, matching sale items get the discount too.
Excluding items works on every plan for advocate rewards, and from the Basic license level for the friend reward. The same Applies to section appears on $ off and % off rewards under Ways to Redeem. VIP entry rewards have it too, with a Pro license level.
For the full steps, read Excluding products from rewards and points.
Configuring Reward Settings
Once you pick a type, the drawer shows that type’s settings. Most rewards share these:
- Discount amount, Discount percentage, or Points amount: the value of the reward, such as $10, 15%, or 2,000 points.
- Minimum spend: how much the cart subtotal must reach before the reward applies. For no minimum, enter 0. Every referral reward type except points has this field.
- Reward expiry: how long the coupon stays valid after it’s issued.
You can edit a reward at any time to change its value or its minimum, as your program grows.
Offering Rewards for Points
Members can also spend the points they earn on rewards. Those rewards live on the Points tab, apart from referral rewards.
Redeeming Points for Rewards
To see the types, go to RewardsWP » Settings and click the Points tab.
Under Ways to Redeem, click Add ways to redeem.
The list offers four types: Fixed amount discount, Percentage discount, Free shipping, and Free product.
For each type’s settings, read Points Program Overview.
Members see each reward you add under Ways to redeem in the Rewards Widget, with its points cost and a Redeem button.
Members can also earn bonus points on their birthday.
Awarding Birthday Points
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. RewardsWP awards the points on that date. Because it’s a way to earn points, you set it up on the Points tab under Ways to Earn, as the Birthday bonus.
The birthday reward requires a Pro license level. 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 setup steps, the birthday email, and how a member changes their date, read Birthday Reward.
Setting Up Free Shipping in WooCommerce
A free shipping reward issues a coupon. WooCommerce honors it through a free shipping method. So before you offer free shipping, set up that method in WooCommerce.
From your WordPress dashboard, go to WooCommerce » Settings and click the Shipping tab.
In the Shipping zones list, click Edit on the zone your customers are in.
If the zone has no Free shipping method yet, click Add shipping method below the list of methods.
In the popup, choose Free shipping. Then click Continue.
Next, give the method a name, such as “Free shipping.” Customers see this name at checkout. Then open the Free shipping requires dropdown. From the list, choose A valid free shipping coupon.
When the settings look right, click Save.
Back in RewardsWP, add a referral reward. Then choose Free shipping as its type. To offer free shipping only on larger orders, set a Minimum spend, such as $50.
That’s it! You now know every reward type RewardsWP offers and where to set each one up. Next, to keep gift cards and other products out of your discounts, read Excluding products from rewards and points.
FAQ
Below, we’ve answered some of the most common questions about reward types.
Can I edit rewards after creating them?
Yes. See the Configuring Reward Settings section above.
Can I offer free shipping rewards with Easy Digital Downloads?
No. Free shipping rewards are only available for WooCommerce stores. With Easy Digital Downloads, choose one of the other reward types.
How does the minimum spend work?
The minimum spend is the cart subtotal a customer needs before the reward applies. For example, a $50 minimum spend means the reward only applies to orders of $50 or more. Referral rewards have this field on every type except points. Among rewards that members redeem with points, only free product rewards have a minimum.
Why isn’t free shipping working on my store?
First, check that your customers’ shipping zone has a Free shipping method in WooCommerce, with Free shipping requires set to A valid free shipping coupon. Free shipping rewards need this method to work. For the steps, see Setting Up Free Shipping in WooCommerce above.
Why don’t I see the Points reward option?
The Points reward type only appears when the Points program is on, and only for advocate rewards. See Points above.