Referral programs are one of the highest-ROI acquisition channels for e-commerce apps. A customer who loves your product shares a link with friends, the friends get a discount on their first order, and the referrer earns a reward. Deep links make this seamless: the referred friend taps one link, installs the app (if needed), and lands on a page with their discount already applied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the general referral deep link guide, see How Referral Deep Links Work<\/a>. For e-commerce referral program design, see Referral Programs for E-Commerce Apps<\/a>. For broader e-commerce deep linking patterns, see Deep Linking for E-Commerce Apps<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This link carries two pieces of data:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the friend opens the app, the referral data is available for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the user taps "Share" or "Invite Friends" in your app:<\/p>\n\n\n\n For users who want to share their link later (copying to social media, messaging apps):<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a referred user with the app installed taps the link:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the critical path. The friend doesn't have the app yet:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most effective structure rewards both parties. For a detailed breakdown of double-sided incentive design, see Double-Sided Referral Incentives: Designing Rewards That Work<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Increase rewards based on referral volume:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of generic referral links, let users share specific products:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The friend gets a discount on that specific product, and the referrer earns a reward when the friend purchases it. This works well because the referral comes with a specific product recommendation, which converts better than a generic invite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When shared on social media or messaging apps, the referral link preview should be compelling:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Personalize the OG title with the referrer's name. This makes the link feel like a personal recommendation, not a generic ad.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Referral Deep Links Work in E-Commerce<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Flow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The Deep Link<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/go.yourapp.com\/invite\/JANE-SMITH-12?ref=user_abc123\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n\n
JANE-SMITH-12<\/code><\/strong>: A human-readable referral code<\/li>\nref=user_abc123<\/code><\/strong>: The referrer's user ID (for attribution)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n\n
Generating Referral Links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In-App Link Generation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
async function generateReferralLink(userId, userName) {\n const referralCode = generateCode(userName); \/\/ e.g., "JANE-SMITH-12"\n\n const link = await Tolinku.createLink({\n path: `\/invite\/${referralCode}`,\n params: { ref: userId },\n ogTitle: `${userName} invited you to [Your App]`,\n ogDescription: 'Get $10 off your first order!',\n ogImage: 'https:\/\/cdn.yourapp.com\/referral-og.jpg',\n });\n\n return link.url; \/\/ https:\/\/go.yourapp.com\/abc123 (short link)\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nShare Sheet Integration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
import { Share } from 'react-native';\n\nasync function shareReferralLink() {\n const link = await generateReferralLink(user.id, user.name);\n\n Share.share({\n message: `Here's $10 off your first order at [Your App]! Use my link: ${link}`,\n });\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nPre-Generated Links<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\/\/ Store the user's permanent referral link\nconst permanentLink = `https:\/\/go.yourapp.com\/invite\/${user.referralCode}`;\n\n\/\/ Display in the referral screen\n<TouchableOpacity onPress={() => Clipboard.setString(permanentLink)}>\n <Text>Copy your referral link<\/Text>\n<\/TouchableOpacity>\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nHandling Referral Links in the App<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Direct Open (App Installed)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
function handleReferralDeepLink(url) {\n const parsed = new URL(url);\n const pathParts = parsed.pathname.split('\/');\n const referralCode = pathParts[pathParts.indexOf('invite') + 1];\n const referrerId = parsed.searchParams.get('ref');\n\n if (referralCode) {\n \/\/ Store referral data\n referralStore.setReferral({\n code: referralCode,\n referrerId: referrerId,\n });\n\n \/\/ Navigate to welcome screen or apply discount\n navigation.navigate('ReferralWelcome', {\n discount: '$10 off your next order',\n referrerName: referralCode.split('-').slice(0, -1).join(' '),\n });\n }\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nDeferred Deep Link (App Not Installed)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\/\/ On app first launch\nuseEffect(() => {\n Tolinku.checkDeferredLink().then((result) => {\n if (result && result.path.startsWith('\/invite\/')) {\n const referralCode = result.path.split('\/')[2];\n referralStore.setReferral({\n code: referralCode,\n referrerId: result.params.ref,\n });\n navigation.navigate('ReferralWelcome');\n }\n });\n}, []);\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nReward Structures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Double-Sided Rewards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n Referrer Gets<\/th>\n Friend Gets<\/th>\n Example<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n $10 credit<\/td>\n $10 off first order<\/td>\n Balanced incentive<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 15% of friend's first order<\/td>\n 15% off first order<\/td>\n Revenue-proportional<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Free product<\/td>\n Free shipping<\/td>\n Non-monetary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Loyalty points<\/td>\n Loyalty points<\/td>\n Gamified<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Tiered Rewards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n Referrals<\/th>\n Reward Per Referral<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n 1-5<\/td>\n $10 credit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 6-10<\/td>\n $15 credit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 11-25<\/td>\n $20 credit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 25+<\/td>\n $25 credit<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Product-Specific Referrals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/go.yourapp.com\/product\/running-shoes-v2?ref=user_abc123\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nPreventing Fraud<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Common Fraud Patterns<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Prevention Measures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\/\/ Only credit referral after purchase and return window\nasync function processReferralReward(referralId) {\n const referral = await getReferral(referralId);\n const order = referral.friendOrder;\n\n \/\/ Check return window (14 days)\n if (Date.now() - order.completedAt < 14 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000) {\n return; \/\/ Too early, wait for return window\n }\n\n \/\/ Check for returns\n if (order.hasReturns) {\n referral.status = 'invalidated';\n return;\n }\n\n \/\/ Credit the referrer\n await creditReferrer(referral.referrerId, referral.rewardAmount);\n referral.status = 'rewarded';\n}\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nOG Metadata for Referral Links<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
og:title: Jane invited you to [Your App]\nog:description: Get $10 off your first order. Shop thousands of products.\nog:image: referral-banner.jpg (branded image showing the offer)\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nMeasuring Referral Program Performance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Key Metrics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n