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Friend discount

Give referred friends a percentage or fixed-amount discount on their first qualifying purchase.

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The friend discount is what a referred friend gets, separate from the points your own customer earns.

Before you start

The friend discount needs both Refer a Friend is on and its own switch, Give referred friends a discount on their first qualifying purchase. Turning Refer a Friend is on off also stops offering the friend discount, even if its own switch stays on.

Setting up the friend discount

  1. Go to Program › Refer a Friend.
  2. Under Friend incentive, turn on Give referred friends a discount on their first qualifying purchase.
  3. Choose a Discount type: Percentage off or Fixed amount off.
  4. If you chose percentage, set the percent off (1 to 99%). If you chose a fixed amount, set the amount. When Require a minimum purchase is on, the fixed amount must be less than your Minimum qualifying purchase, so a qualifying order always keeps some value. When the minimum is off, any positive fixed amount is allowed.

What customers see

A friend who follows a referral link and qualifies gets one discount code, automatically applied to their first order. The referral card on your customer’s Rewards page states both sides of the offer together, for example “Earn 250 points when a friend makes their first qualifying purchase. Your friend gets $5.00 off their first order.”

Good to know

  • Each referring customer has one discount code to share with friends. Multiple friends can use that code, but each customer can use the friend discount only once.
  • The friend discount does not combine with any other discount. Changes you make apply to new discounts only.
  • While the discount is still being set up on your first referral, your customer’s Rewards page says so and withholds the link until it is ready, so a link is never shared before the discount exists.
  • The discount is not restricted to a first-time shopper by Shopify itself. What determines whether your own customer is paid a referral reward is whether the friend’s order is genuinely their first order at your store, checked when the referral is evaluated.