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Programs

Create and manage referral and affiliate programs with customizable reward rules and templates

A Program defines the rules and rewards for your referral or affiliate marketing campaigns. Each product can have multiple programs with different templates, reward structures, and configurations.

How It Works

  1. Choose template: Select from Single-Sided Referral, Double-Sided Referral, or Affiliate Program
  2. Configure rewards: Set reward amounts, currencies, and conditions
  3. Customize branding: Set brand colors and widget appearance
  4. Activate program: Publish your program to start accepting referrals

Programs belong to products. You must create a product before you can create a program.

Program Types & Templates

RefRef provides three program templates optimized for different use cases:

Single-Sided Referral Program

Status: Available ✅

Reward only the referrer - perfect for affiliate-style programs where advocates earn for bringing new customers.

Best for:

  • Affiliate programs
  • Advocate programs
  • Influencer partnerships

Reward model:

  • Referrer receives cash or credit when referee makes a purchase
  • Referee receives no reward

Double-Sided Referral Program

Status: Coming Soon 🚧

Reward both referrer and referee - classic referral program where both parties benefit.

Best for:

  • Customer referral programs
  • Friend-to-friend sharing
  • Growth loops

Reward model:

  • Referrer receives reward when referee makes a purchase
  • Referee receives discount or credit on first purchase

Affiliate Program

Status: Coming Soon 🚧

Commission-based program with ongoing revenue sharing - ideal for partners and content creators.

Best for:

  • Partner programs
  • Content creator partnerships
  • Reseller programs

Reward model:

  • Ongoing commission on referee's purchases
  • Revenue sharing over time

Each product can use each template only once. For example, you can create one Single-Sided program, one Double-Sided program, and one Affiliate program per product.

Creating a Program

Create a program through the RefRef dashboard:

  1. Navigate to Programs → Create Program
  2. Select a program template
  3. Enter program name
  4. Complete setup wizard (brand and rewards)
  5. Activate program

Program fields:

  • Name (required): Program display name
  • Template (required): Single-Sided, Double-Sided, or Affiliate
  • Status: pending_setup, active, inactive, draft
  • Start Date (optional): When program begins accepting referrals
  • End Date (optional): When program stops accepting referrals
  • Config: Program configuration (brand, rewards, widget settings)

Configuration

Programs are configured through a multi-step setup wizard:

Step 1: Brand Configuration

Set your brand identity:

  • Brand Color: Primary color for widget and UI elements

Step 2: Reward Configuration

Define reward rules:

Referrer Rewards:

  • Reward Type: Fixed amount or percentage
  • Amount: Reward value (e.g., $10 or 10%)
  • Currency: USD, EUR, GBP, etc.

Referee Rewards (Double-Sided only):

  • Reward Type: Fixed amount or percentage
  • Amount: Reward value
  • Currency: USD, EUR, GBP, etc.
  • Minimum Purchase Amount (optional): Minimum order value to qualify
  • Validity Days (optional): How long reward is valid

Reward configuration varies by template. Single-Sided programs only configure referrer rewards, while Double-Sided programs configure both referrer and referee rewards.

Reward Rules

Reward rules are automatically generated based on your reward configuration:

Rule types:

  • referrer_purchase_reward: Triggered when referee makes a purchase
  • referee_signup_reward: Triggered when referee signs up (Double-Sided only)

Rule properties:

  • Name: Human-readable rule name
  • Description: What triggers the reward
  • Type: Rule type identifier
  • Qualifying Events: Events that trigger this rule
  • Reward: Reward amount, unit (fixed/percent), and currency

Program Lifecycle

Programs go through several states:

Statuses:

  • pending_setup: Program created but not fully configured
  • draft: Program configured but not published
  • active: Program is live and accepting referrals
  • inactive: Program is paused or archived

Lifecycle operations:

  • Create: Initialize program with template
  • Configure: Complete setup wizard
  • Activate: Publish program and start accepting referrals
  • Update: Modify reward rules or branding
  • Deactivate: Pause program temporarily

Once a program is activated and participants start referring, changing reward rules may affect existing referrals. Plan your reward structure carefully before activation.

Widget Integration

Each program automatically generates widget configuration based on your brand and reward settings:

Auto-generated widget config:

  • Brand colors and styling
  • Reward messaging
  • Social sharing platforms
  • Button text and position

The widget displays:

  • Referral link for sharing
  • Reward amounts and terms
  • Referral performance stats

Widget configuration is automatically merged with product-level widget settings. Program-specific settings take priority over product defaults.

Multiple Programs

Products can have multiple programs with different templates:

Use cases:

  • Seasonal campaigns: Different programs for different seasons
  • Market segmentation: Different reward structures for different audiences
  • A/B testing: Test different reward amounts or types

Limitations:

  • Each template can only be used once per product
  • Cannot have multiple Single-Sided programs in the same product
  • Must use different templates for different programs
  • Products - Create products to contain your programs
  • Widget - Embed the referral widget with your program configuration

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