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Let's DiscussWe had a different kind of problem. People were visiting the store, adding products to their carts, and then disappearing before they finished the order. We had tried a few apps and made changes here and there, but nothing really seemed to solve the bigger issue. The team went through the shopping experience with us and pointed out things we hadn't really noticed ourselves. They cleaned up the cart and checkout flow, made the mobile experience much smoother, and helped us make the store feel easier to shop. I’m not going to pretend we fixed everything overnight, but it finally feels like the store is helping the sale instead of getting in the way of it.
Ethan Parker
Founder of Elite Academy
The mobile experience is probably my favourite part of the new site. We had spent a lot of time making sure the desktop version looked right, and the team kept pushing us to think about how everything would actually feel on a phone too. They were right. The navigation is clean, the interactions feel natural, and everything we’ve tested so far works exactly as it should. They also went through the links, forms, integrations, and other details more than once before launch, which I really appreciated. And even after going live, we could still reach out when something came up. The whole process felt friendly, organised, and surprisingly straightforward.
James Whitmore
Head of Marketing of Lumen Outdoor
We had a pretty specific idea of what we wanted our website to become, but I wasn’t sure how easily we could explain all of it to a development team. There were quite a few moving parts, and we were working toward a deadline, so I expected a few things to get lost along the way. That never really happened. They understood what we were trying to achieve, kept us updated throughout the process, and got everything ready within the agreed timeline. The final site feels much easier to navigate, works beautifully on mobile, and is noticeably smoother for our customers. It was a huge relief seeing the original idea actually turn into the website we had in mind.
Michael Bennett
Founder & CEO of Northbridge Consulting
08Overview
How does a referral or affiliate program get set up for Shopify?
DeveloperLook builds referral and affiliate programs with unique links or coupon codes, cookie-based attribution, and tiered or recurring commissions. We track referrals automatically, schedule payouts after the return window, and build in fraud checks against self-referrals, cookie stuffing and coupon leaking. Programs connect to your loyalty points and Klaviyo campaigns. Projects start from $749, most live in 2 to 3 weeks.
- Service
- Referral and affiliate program setup
- Starting price
- From $749 USD, fixed scope after a program design review
- Typical timeline
- 2 to 3 weeks
- Platform
- Shopify, synced with your loyalty program and Klaviyo
- Built with
- Unique referral links, coupon tracking, cookie attribution, webhooks, fraud detection rules
- Experience
- 10+ years and 150+ shipped projects
- Post-launch support
- 30 days included, then optional monitoring retainer
- Communication
- Calls in US, UK, and AU business hours
Who it's for
Businesses wanting to turn happy customers into a referral channel
Word of mouth already happens, but nobody tracks it or rewards the customers driving it.
Businesses wanting a creator or influencer affiliate program
You want creators promoting your products with trackable links and commission payouts.
Businesses needing referrals and affiliates tracked automatically
You're manually tracking who referred who, or paying out commissions by hand.
Businesses worried about referral or affiliate fraud
You want a program without self-referrals, cookie stuffing, or coupon leaking draining your margins.
Businesses deciding between an app and a custom build
You're not sure whether a referral app covers your commission structure or you need something custom.
Not a fit for
You want a formal points, tiers and rewards system rather than referral or affiliate tracking. Our Loyalty Program Development service covers that.
You need the core Klaviyo platform connected to your store first. Our Klaviyo Shopify Integration service covers that setup.
You want ongoing Klaviyo flow strategy like welcome, browse abandonment and win-back sequences rather than referral or affiliate tracking. Our Klaviyo Expert Flow Setup service covers that.
You want a broader retention strategy across loyalty, flows, referrals and subscriptions assessed together. Our Ecommerce Customer Retention Services covers that broader engagement.
Book Your Exclusive Strategy Session Today!
Pick a 30-minute slot that works for you. We meet on Google Meet to align on goals, scope, and the right next step.
How does a referral program work for a Shopify store?
Customers get a unique link or coupon code to share. When someone uses it to buy, the purchase is tracked back to the referrer, and both the referrer and the new customer get their reward automatically.
Custom referral system or app: which should I choose?
An app works well for standard flat or percentage rewards. A custom build makes more sense for tiered or recurring commissions, or when the program needs to sync with your loyalty points and Klaviyo.
How much does a referral or affiliate system cost to build?
Projects typically start from $749 for a single-tier referral program, and scale with commission complexity and how deeply it syncs with loyalty and Klaviyo.
How are referrals and commissions tracked and paid out?
Referrals are tracked through unique links, cookie attribution windows of 30 to 90 days, or coupon codes. Commissions are typically paid on a net-30 or net-60 schedule, often delayed until a return window has passed.
Can referrals connect to loyalty points and Klaviyo?
Yes. A successful referral can trigger loyalty points for both parties and feed into Klaviyo so referred customers and top referrers get targeted follow-up campaigns.
How do you prevent referral fraud?
We build in checks against self-referrals, cookie stuffing, and coupon leaking, along with commission structure limits and IP or address verification, rather than relying on manual review after payouts go out.
Can I run both customer referrals and an affiliate program?
Yes. Customer referrals and creator or influencer affiliates are usually tracked separately with different commission tiers, since affiliates often need higher payouts and marketing assets.
How long does setup take?
Most single-program builds take 2 to 3 weeks. Adding affiliate tiers, loyalty sync, and Klaviyo triggers on top typically extends that to 3 to 4 weeks.
