Auto send referral link

Send referral invitations directly to your friends via email — no more manual link copying

What's new?

Previously, referrers had to manually copy their referral link and share it through chat, social media, or other channels. This meant extra steps and lower conversion.

Now, referrers can enter a friend's email directly in the referral popup — and the system sends a branded invitation email automatically. Your friend receives the referral link and discount details right in their inbox, ready to shop.

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This feature is available for All plans.

Why use email invites?

  • Higher conversion — Email lands directly in your friend's inbox instead of getting lost in a chat

  • Professional branded email — The invitation looks trustworthy with your store's branding

  • Automatic tracking — No need to manually copy or paste links. The system handles everything

  • Multiple delivery channels — Works with Joy's built-in email, Klaviyo, and Shopify Flow


How it works

1

Referrer opens the referral section

The referrer opens the loyalty widget, loyalty page, or account page and navigates to the referral section.

2

Enter friend's email and click Send

The referrer already has their referral link displayed. To invite a friend, they simply enter the friend's email address and click Send.

The system sends a branded invitation email to the friend automatically — containing the referral link and reward details.

3

Friend receives the invitation email

The friend gets an email containing:

  • The referrer's name — so they know who sent it

  • The discount or reward they'll receive

  • A referral link to start shopping

When they click the link, they land on your store with the referral tracked automatically.

4

Friend makes a purchase

Once the friend places an order, both sides get rewarded:

  • Friend (referee) receives their referral discount or points

  • Referrer receives their reward (points, store credit, or discount)

Both parties receive email notifications confirming their rewards.


Customer experience

Here's what each side sees throughout the referral email invite flow:

Referrer (the one sending the invite):

  1. Opens the referral section in the loyalty page, or account page

  2. Enters their friend's email and clicks Get link

  3. Sees a success confirmation with the generated referral link

  4. Can also share the link via Copy link, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, or Email

Referee (the friend receiving the invite):

  1. Receives a branded email from your store with the referrer's name, the reward details, and a Shop now link

  2. Clicks the link and lands on your store — the referral is tracked automatically via a 7-day cookie

  3. After placing an order, they receive their referral reward (discount, points, or store credit)

  4. Gets a confirmation email with the reward details

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Set up email notifications for referral invites

The invitation email is controlled through your notification settings. You have three options:

Go to Settings > Notifications and enable the Link Invite notification.

You can customize:

  • Subject line — Personalize the email subject

  • Email body — Edit content, add your logo, change colors

  • Variables — Use dynamic content:

Variable
Description

{{shop_name}}

Your store name

{{referrer_name}}

Name of the person who referred them

{{referee_discount}}

The discount offered to the friend

{{referral_link}}

The invitation link

Click Send Test to preview the email before activating.


FAQs

Does the friend need an existing account? No. If the friend doesn't have an account yet, the system creates one automatically using the email provided. They can start shopping right away.

Can the referrer still share the link manually? Yes. After entering the email, the referral link is also displayed in the popup. The referrer can copy it or share via social channels as before.

What if I use Klaviyo or Shopify Flow for emails? You can choose your preferred delivery channel. Joy's built-in email works out of the box, but you can also trigger Klaviyo flows or Shopify Flow automations for more control over email design and timing.

Can the referrer send to multiple friends? Yes. The referrer can repeat the process for each friend. The referral limit settings in your program still apply.

Where do I see referral invite activity? Go to Activities in your Joy dashboard. You'll see pending referral entries for each invite sent, which update to complete when the friend makes a purchase.

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