What is a referral program?
A referral program is a deliberate, systematic way of getting people to make referrals to your business. Referral programs reward existing customers for sharing word-of-mouth and incentivise new customers to try out your brand, increasing long term revenue whether for products or services.
Why do I need a referral program?
Hiring from Outside vs. In general, external sources—whether online job boards, recruiting agencies, campus events, job fairs or walk-ins—produce the majority of interviews (62 percent), compared to internal sources such as careers sites, in-house recruiters and employee referrals (38 percent).
Satisfied customers are willing to make referrals, but people make far fewer referrals than they’d like to, for a variety of reasons. Having a referral program makes it a systematic process, and the rewards grease the groove, making it lass daunting. Plus, with a system in place, you can automate the payout of referral rewards while also track the performance of the referral program.
Refer a friend, be a better customer
People are twice as likely to pay attention to referrals from a friend. Plus, referrals get some of the best new customers you can get, with higher brand loyalty and profit margins. It also increases the customer loyalty of your existing customers, by having them invest more in your brand. Modern referral programs use software to detect referrals, keep track of them, and to pay out referral rewards.
(NOTE: If you’d like to set up your own referral program, you can check out ReferralCandy. ReferralCandy makes it easy for any ecommerce store to have their own referral programs.)
What are the best referral programs?
- PayPal. They literally gave away free money, and it worked out great for them. And this was before social media!
- Dropbox. Modelled after PayPal, Dropbox’s referral program got 4 million users in 15 months
- Airbnb. A single user in China led to thousands of signups and hundreds of bookings in a single month.
- Uber. They’ve been in a unique position to run multiple referral programs at once – for users and for drivers.
- Tesla – $1,000 for both advocate and friend, with quite a start-studded list of advocates!
- Amazon Prime –Likely one of the most heavily-used referral programs in recent times.
- Google – When the front page of the Internet decides to run a referral program, it’s worth looking into.
- Evernote – Their referral program relies on a point system.
- Riff Raff & Co – From a simple home business, Riff Raff gave away sleep toys and relied on word of Mum to grow to six-digit sales and a million-dollar company (and growing!)
Thinking of putting together a customer referral program, and need some ideas or inspiration?
Here’s a list of 79 referral program examples for businesses of all types.
What industries make use of referral programs?
Click on the following links to jump to your relevant topic:
- A. “Best practice” Referral Program Examples – Famously successful ones, such as Dropbox, Airbnb and Uber
- B.Ecommerce Referral Program Examples – Huge category, split into the following subcategories:
- B1. Fashion – Including everything from flash discount sites to watches and designer sneakers
- B2. Beauty & Grooming – We’re looking at subscription boxes (makeup, skincare), beardcare products, speciality razors
- B3. Electronics & Gadgets – Cutting-edge hardware, including smart luggage, phone cases
- B4. F&B and Supplements – Food delivery, detox tea packages, nootropic powders
- B5. E-cigarettes and Vaporizers – E-cigarettes and vaporizers
- B6. Home and Pets– Mattresses, beddings, furniture and pet supplies
- B7. Education and Toys – engineering toys, educational boxes and bar exam flashcards
- C. Other Referral Program Examples
- C1. Software and Digital Goods – Graphic design marketplace, project management, stock videos and etc.
- C2. Services – Solar Panel installation, vacation and hotel rooms booking.
- C3. Other Referral Program Examples For Inspiration
- Further reading– Links to other relevant posts about referral programs – how to setup referral incentives, how to do messaging and so on.
1. Dropbox’s famous referral program gives you and your friends 500MB additional free storage space, up to 16GB
This is a legendary referral program: Dropbox’s refer-a-friend feature permanently increased signups by 60%, with users sending 2.8 million direct referral invites by April 2010.
Why Dropbox’s referral program was so effective:
- Prior to the referral program, Dropbox was using SEM and affiliate marketing, with a CPA of $288-$388
- But the math didn’t work; their product was $99/year.
- Inspired by PayPal, they added a double-sided referral program, where both referrer their friend get rewarded
- The referral rewards were extra storage space, something that was key to usage and enjoyment of their product
Dropbox’s referral program results:
- Permanently increased sign-ups by 60%
- In Sept 2008 the service had 100,000 registered users
- In Jan 2010 (15 mos.) the service had 4,000,000
- 35% of daily sign-ups are via the referral program
We wrote an even deeper analysis about Dropbox’s referral program here:
How Referrals Built The $10 Billion Dropbox Empire.
2. PayPal’s referral program literally gave users (and their friends) cash – something payment platforms can get away with
Referrals helped PayPal achieve 7 to 10% daily growth, catapulting their user base to over 100 million members.
According to David Sacks, original COO of Paypal, Paypal used to literally pay people to invite their friends.
It turned out to yield better marketing ROI than traditional marketing channels.
Once they achieved a critical mass of early adopters they dropped the Refer-A-Friend bonus, but they kept it for Merchants. Then they dropped the Merchant bonus, once they reached their target numbers.
Further analysis on PayPal’s referral program here:
The Original #GrowthHackers: How PayPal Achieved 7-10% Daily Growth.
3. Airbnb’s referral program – the 2nd iteration was even more successful than the 1st!
“Airbnb created a referral program […] launched in a private beta to 2,161 existing members and brought in 2,107 new members, nearly achieving a viral growth factor of 1.” [Source]
There’s a lot to love about this referral campaign! Successful referral programs bias the reward to the friend, since people tend to share more out of altruism than out of personal financial gain.
The image above is from what Airbnb’s Growthm team calls “Referrals 1.0”.
They released Referrals 2.0 since– here are our notes and takeaways from their video:
Referrals at Airbnb: Our Notes and Takeaways
4. Uber’s referral program lets you give your friends the gift of discounted first rides
Simple! And with a clear call-to-action to refer friends. The bar at the bottom is a cunning little piece of gamification — everybody wants to fill up progress bars.
(Also, check out the suits that they put you and your friend in. Great way to align their brand on this touchpoint.)
We’ve written more about Uber’s many referral programs here:
How Uber Covered More Than 50 Countries In 3 Years
5. Evernote’s referral program gives your friends Premium– and you get points that you can use towards Premium or increased monthly uploads
Evernote has a dual-sided referral incentive program that gives people additional space and/or Premium membership.
What we love about this is the clarity of what constitutes a referral — your friend has to sign in, not just sign up.
We’ve written more extensively about Evernote’s referral program here:
How Evernote Gained Millions Of Users Through Word-of-Mouth
6. Amazon Prime’s referral program is pretty well put together – no surprise, coming from a market leader like Amazon!
Prime members are a lucrative demographic, spending 2x more than others, and ordering more times per year.
- Evocative header image
- Effective use of social proof to make referred friends more comfortable
- Clear calls-to-action encourage visitors to move quickly to the next step
- Wide reach– the referral program is accessible even to non-Prime users
We did a thorough breakdown of Amazon Prime’s referral program here:
Lessons from Amazon Prime’s Referral Program
B1. Fashion & Apparel Referral Program Examples
7. Flash sales: Amuze’s referral program gives you and your friends $25 off your next flash sale purchase
![Recruitment Referral Companies Recruitment Referral Companies](https://recruiterflow.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/GettyImages-638096936.jpg)
Amuze is a members-only fashion portal that gives discounts on authentic designer labels. $25 may not seem like a hoot, considering that Amuze is selling luxury items. However, Amuze’s flash sales and daily discounts allow the $25 to have a much better impact. Their insane discounts are part of their selling point, and their referral program helps to drive the prices down further, gaining more customers in the process.
We’ve written more extensively about Amuze’s referral program here:
Designer Fashion Referral Program Examples: Amuze
8. Adventure Gear: The Clymb’s referral program is very stylish
The Clymb sells sporting and adventure gear. Interestingly, they’ve changed their referral reward structure– initially it was $15 credit for a minimum purchase of $50. At the time of writing, it’s now $10 credit, but for a minimum purchase of $50.
They now even allow you to mass invite your friends and send them a personalized message.
We’ve written more extensively about The Clymb’s referral program here:
Apparel Referral Program Examples – The Clymb
9. Accessories & Stationery: Erin Condren’s referral program gives away $10 credit to Friends and Advocates
Erin Condren sells clutches, t-shirts, notebooks, papers, stickers and all sorts of fashionable accessories. Her referral program works because it’s heavily focused on giving her customers a great experience.
We’ve explored Erin Condren’s referral program in greater detail here:
Fashion Referral Programs – Erin Condren
10. Lingerie: True&Co’s referral program has strong visual images
True&Co is an online lingerie store that uses a special algorithm to figure out a lady’s bra size, and then recommend lingerie that cater to their personal sizes. They even provide a home-fitting service, so that totally eliminates the trip to the dressing room.
Look at this:
Our resident referrer, Alice, only has to give her email address before she can refer her friend, Brenda (She’s not referring Bob this time, for obvious reasons). She can then share by entering her friends’ email addresses, sending a personalised link, or through Facebook.
Easy to share = referral program success.
We wrote more about True&Co’s referral program here:
Fashion Referral Program Examples – True&Co
11. Wool Products: Wool Overs’ referral program is pretty generous – offering referred friends 20% off and advocates £50 off.
Woolovers sells wool products of all kinds, all around the world. Their referral program is pretty generous as they offer you (the advocate) £50 off while giving your friends 20% off.
We’ve written more about Wool Over’s referral program here:
Apparel Referral Program Examples – Wool Overs
12. Designer sneakers: GREATS feature their referral program on every page– including their about page!
Greats is a Brooklyn-based brand that sells designer sneakers at an affordable price. They give both Advocates and Friends $10 off their next order.
Why does their referral program work so well? According to Ryan, CEO of Greats:
“They’re all about sharing. We give them social validation. Referrals just accelerate that, so they’re constantly referring people to the brand.”
We write more about GREATS’ referral program here:
Footwear Referral Program Examples – GREATS
13. Watches & Accessories: DapperTime’s referral program gives you 20% (in cash) of what your friends order
DapperTime has a very loyal (and stylish) following on Instagram, which pretty much guaranteed the inevitable success of their referral program. Its referral program is also pretty interesting – functioning more like an affiliate program than a referral program.
We’ve written about DapperTime’s challenges, success and their referral program here:
Watch Referral Program Examples: How DapperTime Grows Its Stylish Business
14. Lingerie: Leonisa’s referral program gives Advocates $15 off and Friends 15% off
Leonisa, the number 1 lingerie brand in Latin America, sells beautifully crafted and technologically advanced shapewear and lingerie, as well as sportswear.
Because they often do not have very “aggressive” offers or sales, they see these discounts as the ‘last motivation’ to make purchases.
Sebastian explains:
“We don’t want people to be interested primarily in discounts. We want people to buy the products because of the design, quality, and comfort instead, so we can earn brand loyalty. The discount should be a slight push factor, but not the main reason for the purchase.”
We’ve written about Leonisa’s challenges, success and their referral program here:
Lingerie Referral Program Examples: Leonisa
15. Sandals & Footwear: Okabashi’s referral program has Referred Friends spending 13.2% more on average!
Okabashi is the largest manufacturer of sandals and flip flops in the United States. The key to their referral program success? A great product that their customer loves.
Learn more about Okabashi’s referral program here:
Referral Marketing Case Study – Okabashi
16. Student Discounts: Perkla’s referral program gives students 20% off on various aggregated fashion products
Perkla was a startup that provides a one-stop online shopping platform exclusively for students. Students who sign up are able to enjoy discounts from an array of online stores, including: Bonobo, Converse, Reebok and Apple. Exclusivity reigns supreme at this startup here — only students can sign up to use them.
(NOTE: Perkla has been acquired by ID.me)
We’ve written more extensively about Perkla’s referral program here:
Student Referral Program Examples: Perkla
17. Designer dress shoes: Beckett Simonon’s referral program gives $25 credit to both Advocate and Friend
Beckett Simonon is an ecommerce shop that sells made-to-order shoes, bags and accessories. It reduces inventory costs by asking customers to pre-order goods before it is made.
18. Dresses: Sesura’s referral program gives discounts and coupons to encourage shoppers to buy more
Sesura is an online destination for Asian fast fashion. Their products are sourced all over Asia, e.g Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan — and are available at an affordable price.
19. Ballet Flats: Rothy’s referral program gives $20 to both friends and advocates
Rothy’s is an online store that combines the ease of a sneaker and the polish of a feminine flat to create a unique ballet flat.
(Pro-Tip: Rothy’s uses ReferralCandy to power its tremendously successful referral program!)
20. Yoga: YogaClub’s referral program gives both friends and advocates 25% off
YogaClub is a monthly yoga subscription box that allows customers to discover new yoga brands on the cheap.
B2. Beauty & Grooming Referral Program Examples
21. Shaving Razors: Dorco USA’s Referral Program gives Friends $5 off while Advocates get 5% of their friends’ purchase
Famous for being the blades used by Dollar Shave Club, Dorco sells great razor blades at an affordable price. With 20% discounts, referred friends would be more motivated to get something from Dorco USA, especially since their products are already very affordable.
Learn more: Shaver Referral Program Examples: Dorco
22. Speciality Razors: Bevel’s Referral Program gives Friends and Advocates a free month each for every successful referral
Bevel sells shaving products designed specifically for people with curly hair, coarse skin and so on. For a subscription service like Bevel, it’s smart to give a discount rather than a cash reward to the Advocate– it encourages repeat purchases.
We’ve written more about Bevel’s referral program here:
Shaver Referral Program Examples: Bevel
23. Monthly Beauty Subscription Boxes: Julep’s Referral Program gives both Advocate and Friend $15 credit
Julep is an ecommerce store that sells makeup and cosmetics, while simultaneously offering a monthly subscription box. We think Julep’s referral program works super well because of great copy, for e.g “for every bestie that joins.”
24. Cosmetics: Dermstore’s referral program gives $10 credit to both Friend and Advocate
Dermstore is an online store that carries products recommended by dermatologists. Its simple referral program offers $10 every time a friend makes a purchase.
25. Adore Beauty gives both Friends and Advocates $10 off
Adore Beauty is Australia’s longest-running online beauty store, and an official stockist of over 165 leading global beauty brands.
(Pro-Tip: Adore Beauty uses ReferralCandy to power its referral program!)
26. Thrive Causemetics gives $10 off their products for both Friends and Advocates + donates to a woman in need
Thrive Causemetics was founded by Karissa Bodnar who lost her close friend Kristy to cancer at just 24 years old. For every product purchased, they donate one to empower a woman thriving through cancer or domestic violence.
(Pro-Tip: Thrive Causemetics uses ReferralCandy to power its referral program!)
27. High-Tech Beauty: JeNu’s referral program gives $20 off for Friends and $50 off for Advocates
JeNu is an infuser uses ultrasonic energy to make skin care brands work better and faster.
28. Dental Products: Oxyfresh’s referral program gives Friends 10% and Advocates $10 off orders above $50
Oxyfresh sells safe, effective and gentle products for the home, body care and pet care that uses their patented advanced technology ingredient, Oxygene.
29. Brazilian Wax: Strip’s Refer-a-Friend program gives 50% off for Friends and redeemable credits for Advocates
Strip offers quality waxing services and advanced techniques when it comes to pre- and post-wax care with products.
B3. Electronic & Gadget Referral Program Examples
30. Smart Kitchen Robot: Mellow’s referral program– tell your friends about a super-cool smart sous vide machine
Mellow sells a really cool smart kitchen robot that can cook sous vide for you while you’re not even at home.
We wrote a blogpost about Mellow’s success here:
How Mellow Made $200,000 In Preorder Sales In Less Than A Month
31. Bluesmart’s Referral Program – Give $40, get $40 when buying smart luggage
Bluesmart sells smart luggage that you can control from your smartphone. It famously raised $2.2 million dollars on Indiegogo when it first launched.
(Pro-Tip: BlueSmart uses ReferralCandy to power its tremendously successful referral program!)
32. Wearables: Pavlok’s referral program – Advocates get 15% of friend’s purchase in cash
Pavlok is a wearable device that helps you change your habits. (Pavlok is one of Shopify’s Build-a-Business winners in 2015.) Why does it work so well?
Pavlok has a long blog post that teaches advocates effective sharing techniques, so they can get the most out of the referral program.
Learn more about Pavlok’s referral program here:
Wearables Referral Program Examples: The Habit-breaking Pavlok
33. Futuristic luggage: Trunkster’s referral program gives $20 cash to Advocates, and $20 off to Referred Friends
Trunkster makes intelligent, sleek and unique suitcases that uses a revolutionary sliding door mechanism instead of traditional zippers. Trunkster, like Pavlok, is one of Shopify Build-a-Business winners in 2015.
This is what Trunkster founder Bryan says about his referral program:
“Cash speaks well to people – we want people to be rewarded for sharing and to be able to get 30 dollars is the biggest incentive we can give to someone for sharing.”
We’ve written more about Trunkster’s referral program here:
Travel accessories referral program examples: Trunkster
34. Hardy phone cases: Rhino Shield’s referral program – gives Advocates 15% off their next purchase when they successfully refer 3 friends
Are you a clumsy person with a history of dropping and damaging your precious tech devices? Do you know somebody who is? Then EvolutiveLabs’ Rhino Shield is just for you. Klutzes know klutzes, so Rhino Shield is served well by a referral program.
We’ve written more about Rhino Shield’s referral program here:
Smartphone Accessories Referral Program Example: Rhino Shield
35. Super Thin iPhone Cases: Peel’s referral program gives Advocates 30% off all products, and Referred Friends 20% off
Peel is the iPhone case that’s so thin, you’d probably not notice it.
Giving out discounts work well for products that customers will likely purchase again. Since Peel also makes cases for the iPad Air and iPad Mini, customers who fall in love with their first purchases might decide to outfit their other Apple products with Peel cases too.
Apart from discounts, giving out credits is also a good solution for ensuring future purchases.
We’ve written more about Peel’s referral program here:
Smartphone Accessories Referral Program Examples: Peel
36. Ztylus’s Referral Program – phone cases designed specifically to improve your camera experience
Ztylus sells incredibly versatile smartphone cases. While there are all sorts of phone cases available in the market today, Ztylus differentiates itself by selling cases that perform several different functions all at once.
We’ve written about their referral program in greater detail here:
Smartphone Accessories Referral Program Examples – Ztylus
37. Saleae Logic Analyzers Referral Program has an incredibly stylish referral email template
We especially love the imagery of the envelope– it makes hitting the Submit button just a little bit more exciting.
Who says logic analyzers need to be boring? We’ve written more extensively about Saleae’s referral program here:
Hardware Referral Program Examples – Saleae Logic Analyzers
38. WiFi: Skyroam’s referral program gives $20 off for both Advocates and Friends
Skyroam developed and patented the virtual SIM technology in 2008 and enabled mobile data on-demand worldwide through local connectivity.
(Pro-Tip: SkyRoam uses ReferralCandy to power its tremendously successful referral program!)
39. Light: LIFX’s referral program gives 15% off all products
LIFX pioneered the smart light in 2012 with the first Wi Fi-enabled, multi-coloured LED that’s controllable via a smart device. Designed to last over 22 years, LIFX offers the brightest, most flexible smart light for your home or office.
40. Headphones: Sol Republic’s referral program gives both Friends and Advocates 15% off
Sol Republic is a global consumer electronics company dedicated to enhancing people’s lives through better-sounding headphones and accessories.
B4. F&B and Supplements Referral Program Examples
41. Meal Delivery: 22 Days Nutrition’s referral program gives Advocates 15% off their Friends’ purchase in cash, and gives friends 10% off
Founded by fitness expert and trainer-to-the-stars Marco Borges, 22 Days Nutrition promotes healthy living through plant-based lifestyles.
22 Days Nutrition has built a large, active presence on social networks. At time of writing, they’ve built a following of 171,000 on Facebook, 51,400 on Instagram and nearly 10,000 on Twitter.
22 Days Nutrition notes that word-of-mouth is a key part of their business, so adding a refer-a-friend program to their customer acquisition plans was a natural fit. People were already talking about their brand and referring their friends to 22 Days Nutrition.
We’ve written more about 22 Days Nutrition’s referral program here:
Referral Programs for Healthy Living: How 22 Days Nutrition Uses ReferralCandy To Tap Into Their Fanbase
42. Kitchensurfing’s in-house referral program has multi-tiered rewards
Kitchensurfing has been described as a sort of Airbnb for kitchens and chefs.
(NOTE: Kitchensurfing has since shut down.)
43. Munchery’s referral program allows you to give and get $20 of credit for every referral you make.
Munchery is the food delivery app that makes it easy to eat without compromise, delivering delicious, all-natural, chef-crafted dishes right to your door. By giving away $20 for every referral, it covers 1 meal for the advocate’s friend — who can then be converted into a paying customer based on the deliciousness of the food.
Check out more examples of referral programs in the F&B industry.
44. TeaGlad’s referral program gives Advocates $10 cash and Friends 20% off their purchase of cleansing detox tea
Teaglad is a tea company that sells both tea and detox tea. Its main mission is to make finding high-quality tea easy.
45. Nootropics: Powder City’s referral program gives Friends 10% off and Advocates a 6% cash bonus
Powder City is an ecommerce store for health supplements. They sell all sorts of supplements, with categories including “Nootropics”, “Energy”, “Relaxation”, “Pre-workout” and more.
By using customer referrals, it allows Powder City to build credibility with potential customers– we’re far likelier to try something if a trusted friend says they’re satisfied with the experience.
(NOTE: Powder City has since closed.)
Learn more about Powder City’s Referral Program here:
Supplements Referral Program Example: Powder City
46. Fresh Meals: Youfoodz’s referral program gives away free meals
Youfoodz is an Australia fresh meal delivery service. Great copy on their referral program, emphasizing the world free – and a free meal is relatively cheap compared to the cost of acquiring a new customer.
Our friend Kevin Indig covered how YouFoodz thrived against competition in a fresh study here:
YouFoodz Growth Study: How To Grow +3,846% Over 14 months In a Competitive Market
(Pro-Tip: YouFoodz uses ReferralCandy to power its tremendously successful referral program!)
47. Coffee: Craft Coffee’s referral program gives away free coffee delivery for Friends
Craft Coffee is a coffee subscription box that makes it easy to find good coffee at fair prices.
48. Spice Blends: Jaswant’s Kitchen’s referral program gives 10% off for Friends and Free Shipping for Advocates
Jaswant’s Kitchen is an online store that makes authentic Indian cooking easy.
49. Pretzels: Fatty Sundays’ referral program gives Advocates 20% off and Friends 15%
Fatty Sundays is an online store that sells gourmet chocolate covered pretzels.
50. Primal Food: Barefoot Provisions’ referral program gives Friends 10% off and Advocates a $5 coupon
Barefoot Provisions is the online store for paleo and primal foodstuffs, curated for the conscious foodie.
B5. E-cigarettes and Vaporizers Referral Program Examples
51. VaporDNA’s referral program gives both friends and advocates $10 off if they spend over $35 storewide
VaporDNA is the absolute premier online vape store offering an industry leading selection of electronic cigarettes, e-liquids, and accessories. They are the only vape company to earn the circle of excellence award from BizRate in 2016, a distinction earned by retailers who go above and beyond the norm to provide exceptional service to their online customers.
52. eJuices.com’s referral program gives Friends 15% their first purchase and payment in cash for Advocates
eJuices.com is the world’s largest eLiquid retailer offering over 1400+ brands and 50,000 product. Its parent company, eCig Distributors, also offers wholesale, distribution, advertising and website solutions for the eLiquid industry.
Read what founder Billy Wilson has to say about telling stories and referral marketing here:
How eJuices Grew From 0 to Several Million Dollars in Sales
(Pro-Tip: eJuices uses ReferralCandy to power its tremendously successful referral program!)
53. Grenco Science’s referral program gives Friends 15% off and Advocates 20%
Grenco Science is the first vape company to market a tank system specifically designed for essential fluids and personal aromatherapy regimens. To continually give back to the community, Grenco Science established the Charity Series, a collection of products tied to nonprofit organizations wherein a portion of net proceeds are donated with each purchase; and the Artist Series, an installment of collaborations with industry leading artists and brand ambassadors.
(Pro-Tip: Grenco Science uses ReferralCandy to power its tremendously successful referral program!)
B6. Home and Pets Referral Program Examples
54. Mattresses: Leesa’s referral program gives friends $75 off a mattress and advocates $50 in cash
Leesa is a mattress company whose mission is to help people sleep better. Leesa also has a “giving back” program where they donate 1 mattress for every ten sold.
Learn more about the results of Leesa’s referral program here:
How Leesa Uses ReferralCandy to Get a Steady Stream of Customers in a Competitive Industry
55. Furniture: Made.com’s referral program gives Advocates and Friends £15 off
Made.com is an online furniture retailer based in the UK.
They’re focused on selling original furniture designs at affordable prices, which they accomplish by cutting out the middlemen from the process and connecting consumers directly to designers. The most interesting part about Made.com’s referral program is that they gamified it with incentives.
We’ve written more about Made.com’s referral program here:
Furniture referral program examples – Made.com
56. Pets: Pet Mountain’s referral program gives both Friends and Advocates 10% off when order is above $25
Pet Mountain is the online leader in discount pet supplies, aquariums, wholesale dog supplies and so on.
57. Sheets & Towels: Canningvale’s referral program gives Friends 20% off and gives Advocates store credits
Canningvale is an online store that provides premium bathroom textiles, luxury bedding and beach towels at affordable prices.
58. Sit-Stand Desks: Flexispot’s referral program offers Advocates 10% of their Friend’s purchase amount
Flexispot offers height adjustable desks and desktop workstations, providing easy transition between sitting and standing.
B7. Education and Toys Referral Program Examples
59. Toys: GoldieBlox’s referral program has advocates sharing for a cause– 20% off the next purchase for both advocate and friend.
GoldieBlox sells toys designed to teach girls engineering skills, and to get them engaged in building and learning. Very strong branding.
Learn more about GoldieBlox’s referral program here:
Educational Toys Referral Program Examples: GoldieBlox
60. Flashcards: CriticalPass’s referral program gives you $10 for each friend referred
CriticalPass sells bar exam flashcards that will help law students pass the bar exam, written with key MBE concepts & elements to help them memorize for the MBE.
(Pro-Tip: CriticalPass uses ReferralCandy to power its tremendously successful referral program!)
61. Educational Activity Box: Flintobox gives away free Flintoboxes for successful referrals
Flintobox is an India-based company that produces educational activity boxes for children. Based on a theme, the company makes resources for Early Child Development on a monthly basis.
C. Other Referral Program Examples
C1. Software and Digital Goods Referral Program Examples
62. Business Management Software: Booker’s referral program gets business owners referring each other – (an iPad mini for the first referral!)
There’s some nice copywriting and visual communication on this one.
We’ve written more extensively about Booker’s referral program here:
B2B Referral Program Examples: Booker, Business Management Software
63. Crowdfunding: Seedr’s referral program brings all the crowdfunders to the yard, giving Advocates a cut of Seedr’s earnings from Referred Friends
Investors refer other investors all the time already– so a referral program makes perfect sense for Seedrs.
We analyzed Seedrs’ referral program in greater detail here:
Investor Referral Program Examples: Seedrs, the Equity Crowdfunding Platform
64. Cloud: Carpathia’s referral program gets businesses into the cloud
Very suave, with very polished design.
We’ve written more about Carpathia’s referral program here:
Enterprise Referral Program Examples: Carpathia, Cloud Hosting Provider
65. Graphic Design: 99Designs’s referral program gives Friends a $99 PowerPack for boosting and a $50 in cash for successful project completion
99designs is the world’s largest online graphic design marketplace. They connect freelance designers with creative people, genius entrepreneurs and savvy businesses.
66. Project Management: Trello gives a free month of Trello Gold for every person recommended to join
Trello is a web-based project management app that makes project collaboration simple and enjoyable.
67. Stock Photos & Videos: Videoblocks’ referral program gives Advocates $20 off and referred friends a staggering 90% off
VideoBlocks is a subscription site that provides studio quality, affordable stock footage, motion backgrounds, and even After Effects templates. Unlike other stock footage sites that charge per download, VideoBlocks members enjoy unlimited downloads for a monthly/yearly subscription fee.
The interesting thing about their referral program is that they only allow members to refer — which is good. Most of paying customers are likely professionals in the media design field. By only allowing members to refer, it reduces the total amount of referrals, but ensures that they are mostly high quality referrals made by professionals.
We explore Videoblocks’ referral program in detail here:
Stock Video Referral Program Examples: Videoblocks
C2. Service Referral Program Examples
68. Sunworks’ referral program offers $1,000 for each friend referred.
It’s a new, emerging industry, so they went all out in their efforts to educate their potential customers. Previously, they rewarded advocates for throwing parties, and even give away chances to win free a free Tesla Model S!
They have since changed their referral program to a simpler one – offering a $1000 bonus.
We’ve written about Sunworks’ Referral Program more extensively here:
Solar Energy Referral Program Examples: Sunworks
69. AirPartner’s referral program made you a #thousandaire – free 30 mins of flight time for Advocates and Friends
You never know when you’re going to need to charter a private jet!
We wrote more about AirPartner’s referral program here:
Air Travel Referral Program: AirPartner
70. Travel: Go-Today’s referral program gives Friends $25 off and Advocates 5%.
Go-today is a travel provider offering vacation packages and customized itineraries.
71. Bookings: ZEN Rooms’s referral programs gives both Friends and Advocates a US$20 discount
ZEN Rooms is the leading budget hotel chain in Southeast Asia with over 5000+ rooms across 35+ destinations. They provide value-for-money accommodation by guaranteeing all the key essentials at the lowest rates.
C3. Other Referral Program Examples For Inspiration
72. Lunatik’s referral program is significantly more involved than most
Lunatik’s referral program is a little more “involved” than most. It’s more accurately described as an “ambassador” program, looking for greater commitment from its participants, with a greater payoff.
This sort of system works better with more “intense” brands that would-be ambassadors enjoy being associated with.
We’ve written about Lunatik’s referral program here:
Hardware Referral Program Study – Lunatik
73. MMORPGs: World of Warcraft’s referral program rewards you with exclusive in-game items
Interesting use of language. You RECRUIT a friend. Great way to match the “clan” and “team” language within the product. You’ll get free game time when a friend signs up, which is pretty lucrative. The reward is saving money.
We explored World of Warcraft’s referral program in greater detail:
Social Referral Programs: World of Warcraft.
74. FantasyDraft’s referral program is uniquely multi-tiered (with up to 6 degrees!)
FantasyDraft has a rather unique setup– they actually reward advocates for the referrals that their referred friends make, and the referrals that THOSE people make… up to 6 tiers! This would be overkill in many industries, but it makes perfect sense in a Fantasy Game setting, where friends-of-friends greatly enrich the experience.
We’ve written more extensively about FantasyDraft’s referral program here:
Referral Programs in Gaming: FantasyDraft’s Multi-Tiered Referral Program
75. Cashkaro’s Lifetime 10% cashback referral reward!
Cashkaro is a coupons and cashback site, riding on the wave of eCommerce shoppers looking for a bargain. Cashback websites refers shoppers to sites like Flipkart, Amazon and Expedia, and offer them a percentage of their purchase as cash after the purchase.
Unlike other referral programs, however, Cashkaro doesn’t offer a flat cash reward or a one-off discount; if you refer a friend to sign up, you receive 10% of their lifetime referral value.
This is excellent encouragement to sign up new Cashkaro users and encourage them to spend more, making it a referral program that pays off over time as well.
76. EVE Online offers you scaling rewards when you recruit a friend
EVE Online is a spaced-based MMORPG with complex social systems and a fervent fan community. One of the longest-running and most complex MMO games, much of the gameplay emerges from the interactions between the players and the investment of time (and subscription fees) by the players.
Therefore, they’ve offered an interesting twist on their referral rewards. New players receive a skill bonus (equivalent to 1-2 weeks of in-game time), which helps them get into the game.
The referrers, however, receive scaling rewards when the Recruitee reaches milestones:
- Sped up time when the Recruitee makes a purchase;
- In-game currency when the Recruitee upgrades to a paid subscription
- 1 month of subscription for bringing in 5 Recruitees (and different rewards at 2, 10, 20 and 40 Recruitees)
Rather than offering direct cash or cash-equivalent for referrals, EVE Online offers in-game items and the equivalent of time, which is more valued for players.
77. GetResponse Offers Digital Marketing Certification for Referrals
Billing itself as an all-in-one marketing platform, GetResponse offers software solutions for email marketing, landing pages, webinars and marketing automation.
With their target market of digital marketers, they’ve done something very interesting — offered a free digital marketing course (and certification) as part of their rewards structure:
- For each referred purchase, both advocate and new customer receive $30 in value
- At 3 referrals, the advocate receives a digital marketing certification (and course) worth about $200 USD
A digital marketing certificate can burnish the career-minded marketer’s resume, which might be worth more than simple cash value. Plus, it doesn’t cost GetResponse more to grant access to their courses – and means the marketer is more likely to make use of GetResponse products.
78. Riff Raff & Co Offered Their Sleep Toy, Entirely for Free
Like many other brands on this list, Riff Raff & Co were looking for a way to increase sales of their popular sleeping toys for babies, and decided to employ a referral program for Word of Mum – err, word of mouth marketing.
What was unique about how they chose referral program incentives was the way they offered rewards to advocates, that is, existing customers. New customers received free shipping, but advocates wouldn’t receive anything – not until they hit five successful referrals. Then they got a whole brand-new sleep toy, entirely free. Even non-customers could win a free toy if they completed the five referrals.
Note the five different designs showcased – gotta snuggle them all.
Riff Raff demonstrated a great understanding of their customers as parents of young children. Toddlers can always use more toys, especially if they help the babies (and parents) sleep better. Plus, laundry day, child care and so on, all in their excellent offer email. A deep understanding of their customers and effective catering to them – no wonder they reached six figure sales easily.
Read Also: How Riff Raff & Co grew into a million dollar company by leveraging Word-of-Mouth
79. Designhill Offers 30% Commission As Referral Reward
Designhill is a platform for businesses and brands to source for design work via graphic design contests. From brand identity kits to business cards and logos to full websites and packaging designs, Designhill aims to be the platform bringing graphic designers and brands together.
For such marketplace platforms, demand is a key driver of scale – which may be why Designhill offer a commission-reward of 30% for every sale referred.
Turning satisfied customers to advocates to salespeople
The combination affiliate-referral program helps find new business and rewards customer loyalty for existing clients – a win for all.
Useful Resource: How to Create a Customer Loyalty Program to Boost Sales and Increase Retention
Further Reading:
- An Epic List of Referral Program Examples [You are here!]
- How To Setup Your Referral Program
- How To Promote Your Referral Program
Want a referral program of your own?
This post barely even scratches the surface of referral programs.
Ecommerce stores, countless gyms, yoga classes, banks and other service providers have referral programs.
If you have a great product worthy of referrals, then you should do like Dropbox and add a refer-a-friend feature to your business.
Check out what we do at ReferralCandy. We’d love to get more people talking about you!
The Buyapowa platform powers innovative advocacy and refer-a-friend programs for some of the world's leading brands, including GAP, Sprint, Expedia, boohoo, Telefonica, and many more. Our products allow brands and retailers to identify their biggest advocates, and motivate and reward them for bringing in new customers. It plugs seamlessly into your existing site/app and does more than merely ask customers to refer their friends and followers, but incentivizes them to share again and again. Learn more about Buyapowa
Buyapowa is the global leader in advocacy and referral marketing. Your customers have friends, let's make them customers too. Learn more about Buyapowa
The Buyapowa platform powers innovative advocacy and refer-a-friend programs for some of the world's leading brands, including GAP, Sprint, Expedia, boohoo, Telefonica, and many more. Our products allow brands and retailers to identify their biggest advocates, and motivate and reward them for bringing in new customers. It plugs seamlessly into your existing site/app and does more than merely ask customers to refer their friends and followers, but incentivizes them to share again and again.