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Basic Referrals - Overview & Setup

Enable referrals directly in the Rewards Widget with a simple setup and no embed code required.

Written by Kris - Mage Loyalty
Updated this week

💳 Plan Requirement

Basic Referrals require the Starter Plan or above.

How to Enable Widget Referrals

  1. Open Mage Loyalty from your Shopify admin.

  2. Click Referrals in the left menu.

  3. Click Basic Referrals.

  4. Toggle Basic Referrals Status on.

  5. Click Save.

ℹ️ Note

Enabling Basic Referrals without configuring rewards first is fine but customers will not see any reward information until at least one reward is set up. Configure your rewards before going live.

The Two Reward Slots

Basic Referrals has two reward slots — one for each side of the referral:

  • Referred Friend Reward — the reward given to the new customer who was referred. This is the incentive for the friend to make their first purchase.

  • Referring Customer Reward — the reward given to the existing customer who shared their referral link. This is the incentive for advocates to keep sharing.

✅ Tip

Make both rewards genuinely valuable. Dual-sided rewards where both parties receive something meaningful, consistently drive higher referral rates than one-sided programs. A $5 credit is unlikely to motivate sharing; a $15–$20 reward typically performs much better.

Adding a Reward

Each slot starts empty. You need to create a reward for each one before customers can see any referral offer.

  1. On the Basic Referrals page, find the reward slot you want to configure. Referred Friend Reward or Referring Customer Reward.

  2. Click Edit next to the existing reward, or if the slot is empty, click Add reward.

  3. Configure the reward fields and click Update Reward.

Editing and Deleting Rewards

  • Click Edit next to a reward to reopen its settings and make changes.

  • Click Delete to remove a reward from that slot. The slot will be empty until a new reward is added.

How Customers Access Basic Referrals

  • Customers open the Rewards Widget or Account Sidebar and see the Referral Code block

  • They can copy their unique referral link or share via the social platforms enabled in Referrals > Settings

  • When a friend clicks the link and makes a qualifying purchase, both rewards are issued automatically

ℹ️ Note

The sharing platforms shown to customers: X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Email, SMS — are controlled in Referrals > Settings, not in Widget Referrals.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

⚠️ Common Mistake

Enabling Basic Referrals before configuring rewards. Customers will see the referral section but with no reward shown. Set up both rewards first, then enable.

⚠️ Common Mistake

Only setting up one reward: a one-sided program where only the friend or only the advocate is rewarded is significantly less effective than rewarding both. Always configure both slots.

⚠️ Common Mistake

Not checking social sharing settings: if sharing buttons are not appearing in the widget or rewards centre, confirm the platforms are enabled in Referrals > Settings.

🗨️ Still need help or can’t find the answers you’re looking for? Reach out to the Mage Loyalty team through our live chat support.

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