Overview
Referral Smart Links are unique, trackable URLs generated by Rivo that are tied to individual customer accounts. These links help track referral visits, claims, and qualifying purchases, enable sharing across multiple platforms, and provide referral analytics to help you understand your program’s performance. Each link uses your shop’s referral settings to provide a branded experience.
✨ Referral campaigns are available on plans that include referral campaigns. See pricing →
How Smart Links Work
Each referral smart link contains a unique referral code that identifies the referring customer and tracks referral activity. When someone clicks a referral link, the system automatically:
Records the visit with detailed analytics
Connects the referral visit to later claims and eligible purchases
Attributes any resulting purchases to the referring customer
Applies appropriate rewards when referral conditions are met
The links work across devices and can maintain attribution when customers return later, based on your referral attribution settings.
Social Sharing Integration
Referral smart links include built-in social sharing capabilities that make it easy for customers to share with their networks:
Facebook: One-click sharing to Facebook with the referral URL
WhatsApp: Direct sharing to WhatsApp contacts with personalized text
Twitter: Tweet referral links with custom messaging
SMS: Send referral links via text message to phone contacts
Email: Share via email with pre-filled subject lines and body text
Copy to Clipboard: Easy one-click copying for sharing anywhere
You can choose which sharing options appear and customize supported messages to match your brand voice. Email sharing uses your referral email settings.
Post-Purchase Integration
Smart links can appear in your Shopify checkout experience through post-purchase extensions when those extensions are enabled:
Thank You Page Integration: Referral links can appear on order confirmation pages
Hero Images: Customize the visual presentation with branded hero images
Preview Mode: Test the referral experience with specific customer emails before going live
Targeted Display: Show referral options based on country, advocate status, and your campaign rules
This integration helps customers see referral opportunities right after a successful purchase.
Campaign Customization
Referral smart links can be customized extensively to match your brand and campaign goals:
Visual Branding: Upload custom background images and apply custom CSS styling
Display Options: Choose between inline display, popup overlays, or hidden integration
Targeting Rules: Set specific criteria for who can participate as advocates and who qualifies as referred friends
Overlay Settings: Configure post-order advocate overlays with custom timing and frequency
Landing Pages: Create custom landing page experiences for referred visitors
These customization options ensure your referral program feels like a natural extension of your brand experience.
Digital Wallet Integration
Referral smart links can be used in digital wallet passes when your wallet pass and referral settings are enabled:
QR Code Generation: Loyalty cards can include a QR code containing the customer’s referral link
Google Wallet: Referral links can be embedded in Google Wallet loyalty cards
Easy Sharing: Customers can share their referral link by simply showing their digital loyalty card
Offline Integration: QR codes work in both online and offline sharing scenarios
This integration makes referral sharing as simple as showing a loyalty card, bridging the gap between digital and physical customer interactions.
Referral Smart Links branding guide
Referral Smart Links use your configured referral landing domain and path when set. If no referral landing domain is set, they use your store domain.
If you change your referral landing domain, the referral code will stay the same for the customer
If a customer cancels a subscription or membership, their referral link keeps working as long as they remain eligible for your referral program. To stop a specific customer from referring, exclude or disable that customer’s referral link.
Customers in your customer list can have a referral code generated for them even if they have not created an account. Depending on your campaign setup, they can access the referral experience by entering their name and email where your referral campaign is displayed.
Referral codes (
example.com/?referral_code=4DdQ6WlI95l5ZJ5n) are unique, automatically generated codes that identify the referring customer. Rivo applies your referral analytics, fraud checks, and campaign settings around those codes.To customize the branding of the experience in the URL and on the page, check our guides.
💡 Pro Tip: Display the referral URL in your customer's /account page using the customer object with metafields.
Advanced Fraud Prevention
Smart links include sophisticated fraud detection to protect your program integrity:
Email Similarity Detection: Prevents referrals between similar email addresses
IP Address Monitoring: Blocks referrals from the same IP addresses
Existing Customer Protection: Prevents existing customers from being referred
Advocate Exclusion: Automatically excludes ineligible advocates based on your rules
Checkout and Order Checks: Uses configured checkout and order checks to help identify suspicious referral patterns
These measures run in the background when enabled or applicable to help maintain program integrity while allowing eligible referrals to be processed.
✨ Referral Smart Links have robust fraud detection checks built in. Visit our fraud prevention toolkit to learn more
Analytics & Tracking
Referral smart links provide comprehensive tracking and analytics:
Visitor Tracking: Monitor referral link visits and claims
Conversion Analytics: Track which referrals result in successful conversions
Campaign Performance: Measure the effectiveness of different referral campaigns
Status Monitoring: Track referral status from initial click through completion
Revenue Attribution: See exactly how much revenue each referral generates
This data helps you optimize your referral program and understand which customers are your most effective advocates.
Customizing redirect settings for referral links
Add granular customizations to ensure a smooth experience for the end user when using their unique URL.
Friend post discount redirect URL
Add a page slug where you want all your referral links to land after claiming the reward. This page will be visible to everyone when referral links are shared.
From the Referral Campaigns page, click Edit on the referral campaign or create a new campaign here
Click the Pages heading within the campaign editor
Scroll down to the Friend Reward Page section
Under Post Discount Redirect URL , set the path preferred
Click Save.
💡 Tip: Check the box 'Automatically apply discount for friend' to add the referred friend's discount code to their cart during the session.
Advocate post discount redirect URL
Set the URL that advocates will be redirected to when visiting the link to claim the reward.
From the Referral Campaigns page, click Edit on the referral campaign or create a new campaign here
Click the Pages heading within the campaign editor
Scroll down to the Advocate Reward Page section
Under Post Discount Redirect URL , set the path preferred
Click Save.
💡 Tip: Check the box 'Automatically apply discount for advocate' to add the advocate's discount code to their cart during the session.
Common questions
Can I add a custom domain to my Referral Smart Links?
Yes. Set the Referrals Landing URL Domain in your referral settings. If you do not set a referral landing domain, Rivo uses your store domain.
Can I customize the referral links?
Right now it’s not possible to customize the referral links for your customers.
Can I disable a customer’s referral link or exclude a customer?
Yes! Please follow this guide to exclude or disable a customer’s referral link.
Can I add Smart links to my email campaigns?
Yes! Use one of our integrations to import the Rivo Referral URL property into your email campaigns.
Do social sharing buttons work on mobile devices?
Yes, all social sharing options are optimized for mobile devices and will open the appropriate apps when available.
Can I customize the messages for social sharing?
You can customize supported sharing messages for channels such as WhatsApp, Twitter/X, SMS, and email. Facebook sharing uses the referral URL.
How do referral links work with digital wallet passes?
When digital wallet passes are enabled and configured to use referral links, the wallet pass QR code can contain the customer’s referral link.
What happens if someone clicks a referral link multiple times?
Rivo records referral visits and checks eligibility before issuing rewards. Duplicate or ineligible reward attempts are blocked by your referral rules.
Can I see detailed analytics for my referral links?
Yes, you get referral analytics including traffic, claims, completions, conversion rates, discounts, and revenue attribution.
How does fraud prevention work?
The system automatically monitors for suspicious patterns like similar email addresses, matching IP addresses, and other indicators of potential abuse.