This edition of Referral Campaigns We Love will be dedicated to gifting incentive ideas that eCommerce brands use in their referral programs. Gift cards or monetary rewards have a way of producing better results than traditional coupons and discounts, for some brands. Specific use-cases for a brand when they might consider a gift card or monetary reward are as follows:
- A brand has low margins and needs to be cautious with giving away excessive rewards;
- The brand is looking for unique ways to reward influencers who refer very frequently.
Our partner Rybbon, a digital gift and rewards provider, helps eCommerce retailers to find the best-suited reward option for their referral programs. Together with the Rybbon team, we have chosen 4 referral campaigns that use gift cards in the most effective way.
Chili Technology
Cooling sleep systems brand Chili Technology not only helps customers to enjoy a better sleep but also offers more freedom to brand advocates with choosing their own reward. Instead of providing a discount, the brand incentivizes referral offer with a $25 Amazon gift card. This is a great universal reward option for products that have lower purchase frequency, like mattresses and home appliances.
![chili technology referral program](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/HbR4biBw5j_6cUz9achR8DoifV4TtXrQSZ7g2nkNo1W3S9vryg1MGAqHZegjAeCqUVwayCG7byTHPF-0ChS_szDN2bi2n0i78UFHXmlLU98KDRhMM4FX4q_u_oc2_i4TkxqFcxmcc4RN1d4HvZ4)
Soundboks
Bluetooth speaker brand Soundboks provide even more reward flexibility: advocates could choose between a $50 Amazon gift card or a $50 Visa gift card. Friends receive a generous $50 discount for their first order.
![soundboks referral program talkable](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/djhy6aCo3mbzXuKmujwVaghc-DOrsRCZ44fuFXwWEhYqPV4b7Ei7NYBvk0G9cqIP0vJx1D7_yatxoIKJWaWesQrAO3UMZhbLWvbmBoGWnsMaYzaax5s_c4nPrIsRHWXgRbtDesr04_tkvT2Nbd0)
eMeals
eMeals, a simple-to-use meal planning app, has an in-app referral program with a straightforward reward. Both an advocate and a friend receive a $10 reward with a wide variety of gift card options; from Sephora to Starbucks. Rybbon can be flexible with “gift card of choice”, and help brands adapt rewards choice to location, user segment, or other demo/geo specifics.
![emeals referral program talkable](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/OT9mHUhj8xDSmvOek7rsqysBVAlFi5V0alQL2IivdXM2HJAe_F1nVQEh8KevT_D2YuMMpvtMmqRwde5IiC33AgdrpLVJy3RDRkHBCz5aXgvTfUNFEwaJGBOlWH4pE2lclzH5XzpTwGwqx6ht8Yk)
PlateJoy
Another meal planner app, Platejoy, has an in-app referral program with differing rewards for an advocate and for a friend. While the friend receives $10 off the membership, the advocate can choose between Amazon, Walmart, and WholeFoods gift cards. This way, PlateJoy makes sure its brand advocates have a choice but stays within the meal planning and grocery shopping ecosystem to spend their rewards.
![platejoy referral program talkable](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pUbKkFsx8PJ05C78XIY4kWL8F-wkjGNKkdlFs7MQ31z_GwFhkNt2vkD6P4OsYxZY8gKA1cYBmGG1oLhr3OeRR0inb_VJ4DZbGZuEGefdvjYd6WHJd0NxPXF5CIVsOePDhgk8YQdJwis_M1lDs3g)
Read our previous post Referral Campaigns We Love: Stuart Weitzman, Herman Miller, Knockaround, Alo Move