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The Referrals Widget allows customers to share a unique link after checkout. Friends can use the link to get a discount, and the original customer can also be rewarded once the referral is completed. This article covers how referrals work, how to set up and customize your campaign, and how to prevent misuse.
How the referrals work
After a customer completes a purchase, a referral link is displayed on the Thank you page and the Order status page. Your customer can:
Copy the referral link and share it via WhatsApp, Twitter, or Facebook.
When their friend clicks the referral link, they land on a "Congratulations" page and are prompted to click Claim your reward to get a discount.
The coupon is automatically applied at checkout.
You can choose between:
1-sided referral: Only the friend receives a discount.
2-sided referral: Both the friend and the original customer get a reward. The customer will receive their reward via email once the friend's order is completed and fulfilled.
Note: Customer reward emails are only sent after the friend’s order is fulfilled in Shopify.
Set up your referral campaign
Step 1: Install the referral widget
🎦 Learn how to set up coupons with our interactive guide
In your Judge.me admin, go to Marketing and Social > Referrals.
In the Referral widget section, choose Enable.
Click Installation instructions > Open Theme Editor.
In the left-hand panel, click on Apps, then find the Referrals Widget.
Click the (+) next to Referrals Widget, then add it to the Thank you page and Order status page.
Click Save to apply the changes.
Note: Still using the legacy referral widget? We recommend switching to the new Referral Widget built with Shopify App Blocks for better customization and compatibility. After adding the widget, make sure to publish your App Blocks in the Shopify Theme Editor to activate it.
Step 2: Customize the referral widget and emails
In your Judge.me admin, go to Marketing and Social > Referrals.
In the Referral widget section, click Customize widget, page and email layout.
You can personalize the text, color, button labels, and more to match your brand style:
Referral Widget (displayed after checkout)
Friend reward page (shown to the referred friend)
Customer reward email (sent when a referral completes a purchase)
Step 3: Customize the referral logic
Option A: Friend reward (1-sided referral)
In Marketing and Social > Referrals > Friend reward, choose:
Incentive type and value (e.g. 10% off, $5 off)
Conditions:
Order criteria: No minimum, minimum value, or quantity.
Eligibility: Only for new customers, or all customers.
Validity: Starts immediately or after (x) days and never expires or expires after (x) days.
Option B: Customer reward (2-sided referral)
To activate a 2-sided referral setup:
After configuring the Friend reward, scroll to Customer reward.
Choose the reward type and value for your customer.
Prevent customers from using their own referral coupons
To ensure referral rewards are only used by new customers, you can enable restrictions:
In Reward Settings, turn on Only let new customers use these coupons.
This means:
Only customers with no previous orders can use the Friend reward coupon.
Referrers cannot use their own referral link to get a discount.
If this restriction is disabled:
Referrers may use their own link — in this case:
We stop generating future Friend reward coupons for them.
We don’t send the Customer reward coupon, even if a friend purchases later.
This ensures the integrity of your referral program and protects it from misuse.
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