How to set the advocate reward

The advocate reward is what your existing customer earns when a friend they refer makes a purchase. This is the incentive that drives your customers to share your store with their friends. This article covers what reward types are available, the configuration options for each, and what amounts tend to work well.

Where to find it

In 1ClickReferral, go to the Referral program settings page and find the Advocate reward section. All advocate reward configuration happens in this one section.

How the advocate reward gets delivered

When a friend uses an advocate's referral code at checkout and completes their order, 1ClickReferral automatically:

1. Generates a unique discount code in your Shopify Discounts based on the advocate reward you've configured
2. Sends an email to the advocate containing that code
3. The advocate uses the code on their next purchase

You don't manually issue the reward – the entire flow is automatic. You only configure the reward once.

Every code 1ClickReferral generates – both for friends (at the time the advocate gets their referral code) and for advocates (after a successful referral) – is a real Shopify discount code. You can see all of them on your Shopify Admin → Discounts page, and they behave like any other Shopify discount when applied at checkout.

Reward type

Choose what kind of discount the advocate gets:

• Amount off entire order – the discount applies to the full order total. Best for general "thank you" rewards.
• Amount off specific products – the discount only applies to specific products you choose. Best when you want to drive repeat purchases of a particular collection or set of products.

If you select Amount off specific products, you'll be able to choose which products or collections the reward applies to. Only purchases that include the selected products will trigger the discount at checkout.

Value

Choose between Percentage or Fixed amount, then enter the value:

• Percentage – e.g., 10% off, 15% off. Scales with order size, so the cost to you grows with the advocate's next order.
• Fixed amount – e.g., $10 off, $25 off. Predictable cost per redemption regardless of order size.

There's no right answer between the two – the choice depends on your average order value and what feels generous to your customers. See the recommended amounts section below for a starting point.

Minimum purchase amount

Optional. If checked, the advocate's reward only applies when their next order meets or exceeds the minimum amount you set.

This is useful for two reasons:

• Protects margin on small orders. A $10 fixed reward on a $15 order is heavy – setting a $30 minimum makes the math work better.
• Encourages bigger reorders. Advocates who would normally buy one item may add a second to hit the minimum.

If left unchecked, the reward applies to any order amount.

Combinations

Decide whether the advocate's reward can be combined with other discount types active in your store:

• Product discounts – combinable with discounts that apply to specific products (e.g., a 20% off collection sale)
• Order discounts – combinable with discounts that apply to the entire order (e.g., a sitewide promo)
• Shipping discounts – combinable with free or discounted shipping promotions

These checkboxes follow Shopify's native discount combination rules. By default, all three are unchecked, meaning the advocate reward stands alone and can't be stacked with other discounts. Check the boxes only if you actively want stacking allowed.

If you're not sure, leave them unchecked. Stacking can lead to surprisingly deep discounts when multiple promotions overlap.

Expiration

Optional. If checked, the advocate's reward code expires a set number of days after it's issued.

• Common settings: 14, 30, or 60 days
• Shorter expirations create urgency and drive faster redemptions
• Longer expirations give the advocate more flexibility, which can feel more generous

If left unchecked, the reward never expires and the advocate can use it whenever they want.

Recommended reward amounts

There's no universal right answer, but here's what tends to work for most Shopify stores running referral programs:

• Percentage rewards: 10% to 20% off the next order is the typical range. Below 10% feels stingy; above 20% can erode margin too much, especially if you also offer a generous friend reward.
• Fixed amount rewards: Roughly 10–15% of your average order value (AOV) works well. If your AOV is $80, a $10 reward feels meaningful. If your AOV is $200, $20 is the right ballpark.

A few guiding principles:

• Keep advocate and friend rewards roughly balanced. If you offer the friend $20 off and the advocate $5 off, advocates won't feel motivated to share. A common pattern is "Give $10, Get $10" or similar.
• Test before committing. Start with a moderate reward, run it for 30 days, and check your Reports page. If conversion is low, increase the reward. If it's strong, you may be able to reduce it without losing momentum.
• Match the reward to the gesture. Asking your customer to share their personal network with their friends is a real ask. The reward should feel like a genuine thank-you, not a token gesture.