Introduction
Rivo has a number of different tools and checks we do each time a referral link is used. These security checks can cut down on fraud by up to 95%. An overview of the fraud protection tools is below.
Fraud prevention tools
Our tools are built-in to the referrals platform and don't require any setup from your end.
IP address check to ensure only one referral per household
We track IP addresses to ensure that if your friend uses your referral link from the same Wi-Fi network or IP address (say, within the same household), they won’t be able to sign up.
No self-referrals
Self-referrals will not work. If an advocate tries to refer themselves using the same email, the system won’t allow it.
No using email variations with “+”
The system will protect against self-referrals and will filter out people that use slight email variations. For example, if your email is “[email protected]", trying “[email protected]” won’t work for the advocate.
Referral link cookies
We use cookie tracking to stop people from referring themselves using different email addresses through the same browser.
Referral Smart Links
Rivo uses unique, custom Smart Links technology to create a custom referral experience unique to each merchant. This experience is customized and contains protection tools built in.
New friends and emails only
Rewards and referrals are only applicable for new customers to the shop. If you try referring someone's email who has already made a purchase with your brand, the system will block it.
Minimum Spend and conditions for rewards
As the merchant, you can configure specific reward amounts to reach for the referral to apply. These will automatically apply to your emails if you use the dynamic email variable called {{reward_tos}}.
For example, for the advocate to earn a reward, the friend should make a purchase that meets $100 or more from the new arrivals collection.
Rewards will only issue after order fulfillment
You’ll receive your reward only after your friend’s order has been marked as fulfilled in Shopify. Make sure you're marking your orders as fulfilled, as this will ensure the referred friend purchase is legitimate.
Ability to manually exclude bad actors (shadow ban)
Silently ban or exclude any customer from the referral program with the click of a button, right from their customer profile.
Unique discount codes
Cannot "share the reward" on popular coupon sites. Rewards are only specified and limited to the friend or advocate who the reward belongs to.
Translating your error messaging
The default translation is listed below. If you want to change it to something else you can go to Branding > Translation to change your error messaging.
Common message and error types and what they mean
Message Type | Error Message (external) | Meaning (internal) |
Referrals general invalid | Sorry, looks like this referral is invalid | The referral used does not meet the necessary criteria or does not exist. |
Referrals similar ip invalid | We are unable to process referrals within the same IP address | Referrals cannot be processed from the same IP address, to prevent fraud. |
Referrals code invalid | This referral code is invalid | The entered referral code is not recognized or is incorrect. |
Referrals already visited | Already visited this page | The user has already accessed this page or referral link, so it cannot be used again. |
Referrals program disabled | This referral program is disabled | The referral program is currently not active. |
Referrals email already claimed | This email has already been claimed | The email address entered has already been used in the referral program. |
Referrals account already claimed | You already have an account. You can invite your friends to win rewards! | The user already has an account and is encouraged to invite friends to win rewards. |
Common questions
Can I manually exclude a customer from the referrals program?
Yes! You can click here to exclude a customer.
Can an advocate try to refer a friend who is an existing customer that has placed past orders, but never used a referral discount code?
When the friend submits their email address we run a whole list of fraud checks before we award them the referral reward. One of these checks, is if the email provided has a purchase history. If the customer placed an order previously this referral will be marked as blocked status. Learn more about statuses here.
Questions? Email your Customer Success Manager at [email protected]!