Best WooCommerce Referral Plugins Without Recurring Fees

WooCommerce Affiliate and referral plugins can help an eCommerce business get sales without incurring too much cost upfront. it is a must-use marketing method for any new eCommerce business. There are a couple of major reasons for it:

1. Referral marketing is an essential promotion tool that can lift the sales for a new WooCommerce store without too much effort from the webmaster.
2. Every growing eCommerce business uses it including Amazon. Rest assured they are getting results.

But before we begin let’s catch up with the basics of referral marketing.

Understanding Referral Marketing

According to Wikipedia,

Referral marketing is the method of promoting products or services to new customers through referrals, the usual word of mouth. Such referrals often happen spontaneously but businesses can influence this through appropriate strategies.

In simple words, Referral marketing is the art of promoting a product and/or services to new customers by word of mouth. However, webmasters can make the existing customers spread the word of mouth by making it really easy, quick and spontaneous. Moreover, it becomes more affordable for the store owner and produces results.

However, there are people who still don’t believe in the concept of allowing affiliates for their products. I have listed some common reasons as to why people are still refraining themselves from such results-oriented marketing strategy.

• It’s an old school technique. Referral marketing is like reinventing the wheel.
• They believe traditional and conservative marketing tools are better.
• Some think that referral marketing targets only the millennial audience.
• It’s hard to control, track and analyze campaign data.
• The return of investment is less compared to other marketing tools.
• People believe that it’s difficult to implement.
• It takes a long time and huge efforts before one can see any results.

With the above reasons in mind, the question is:

Should I try referral marketing for my business?

I will say YES.

Referral Marketing Benefits

An online business owner who hasn’t tried a referral program will never know if it works for you or not. Here are some of the common reasons why you should try the referral form of marketing.

• Trusted more than conventional advertisements
• Improved customer retention rate
• Increased marketing reach
• Referred customers hold a lifetime value
• An easy referral tracking mechanism
• A cost-effective way to advertise
• An affordable way to gain new customers
• Increased engagement & revenue
• Easy to track and target most loyal customers
• Increase brand awareness and reputation
• Modern referral tools are user-friendly & easy to modify
• Referral marketing is social media friendly

Now that you know what is referral marketing and its benefits. Why not start using it right away?

WooCommerce Affiliate and Referral Plugins

To help you start I have compiled a list of best WooCommerce WordPress referral plugins. See which one suits your business needs.

1. Refer A Friend by WPGENS

One of the best WooCommerce referral and affiliate plugin. It provides a trustworthy referral system to your site visitors. There are two major takeaways in using refer a friend plugin.

Key Takeaways

• You can offer monetary (money) benefits to your referrals.
• You can reward your referrals with free products or coupons apart from giving them money.

Your referrals can use coupons to get a discount while purchasing from your site. Moreover, one can offer multiple benefits to a referral using coupon settings in the back end.

An additional benefit of using the plugin is to reveal the coupon only after the transaction is complete.

2. WooCommerce Multilevel Referral Plugin

WooCommerce Multilevel Referral Affiliate Plugin can take your store to the next level. The plugin works on the level-based credit system. So, the store owner can define various percentages for each level referrers and customers who are purchasing it. Unlike other plugins, this one offers a multi-level referral.

Key Takeaways

• Global level based credit settings
• Manage & restrict the number of levels
• Easy to configure and use
• Referrers, sales, credits tracking
• Monthly credit & redemption limit

Further, the plugin offers pre-designed promotional banners. These banners have a referral code and link to share it on social media. The plugin only has a one time cost.

3. WooCommerce Referral Scheme

WooCommerce Referral scheme plugin works uniquely. Your referrer fills out a referral partner form. Further, he/she receives a referral code. When the referrer refers to the referral code to a friend they both earn points. Also, the referrer can share referral code on social media platforms, forums, online community or blast emails to earn more. In short, the WooCommerce Referral scheme plugin works on the point-based system.

Key Takeaways

• Flexible and user friendly
• Easy referral code sharing
• Easy referral points calculations

Along with the above info, you must know that the plugin isn’t free. User needs to purchase regular or extended license worth $13 and $65 simultaneously.

4. WordPress Affiliate & Referral: WordPress Plugin

WordPress Affiliate & Referral plugin gives an edge to your WooCommerce site. The best part is you can integrate PayPal with the plugin so that payments can be made to the affiliates.

Key Takeaways

• PayPal payment option for affiliates
• Real-time email notifications for affiliates
• Unlimited referrals, unlimited affiliates
• Built-in shortcodes
• Cookie enabled referral tracking

Needless to say, the WordPress Affiliate & Referral Plugin is paid. You need to purchase a license worth $21 for single use. WordPress Referral Plugin works with standalone WordPress, WooCommerce, WP e-Commerce or any other plugin that uses the default WordPress registration process.

5. Referral System for WooCommerce

Referral System is a WooCommerce referral plugin developed by Codup.io. WooCommerce sellers can set up a refer-a-friend program using this plugin. In other words, you will reward an existing buyer for referring your online store to his/her friend or family member. Doing this you can attract more sales and referrals.

All you need to do is integrate exclusive discounts and vouchers in the referral scheme in your store. Then leverage referrers to share your products and services with others in return for an incentive.

Vital Features

• It boosts sales
• Lowers marketing budget
• Improves customer retention & acquisition
• Compatible with WooCommerce points & rewards plugin
• Works best with existing loyalty programs

Key Takeaways

• Fixed price or percentage-based referral payments
• Reward function setup for both referrer and the referee
• Sign up and purchase point setup
• Custom message settings for coupon redemption
• Action-based point earning system setup for referrals

Further, the referral system plugin for WooCommerce comes with a $29.00 subscription. Along with it, you get 1-year updates and support. Last but not the least, the plugin offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. It’s a great deal I guess.

Wrapping Up

Undoubtedly, referral marketing is a quick strategy. It allows your customers to recommend your brand to their friends and family. If your product or service is referred by a peer then it holds a lot more value compared to traditional marketing tools.

Still, it’s not the only one I recommend. Along with it, you must also practice other marketing and promotion strategies to elevate your business.