eCommerce Programs Only
Although the thought of Affiliates earning rewards for "referring" themselves can sound concerning to some, it's actually very common that we see Merchants encouraging this. For this reason, Kickbooster allows Merchants to decide how they want to handle self-referrals.
In this article, you will learn the following:
How can Kickbooster detect a self-referral?
Kickbooster will look for the following information to detect self referrals:
Affiliate and Customer share the same email address
Affiliate registered through Post-Purchase Pop-Up and their address matches their "referred" customer's address
Affiliate's IP address matches the Customer's IP address
If any of these statements are true, Kickbooster assumes the Affiliate and Customer are the same person.
How can I manage self-referrals?
Go to specific program's Settings
Navigate to Attributions > 'Do you want to allow self referrals?' Click Yes or No
Note: If you choose to allow self referrals, you have the option to review and deny these transactions within the referral review period you've set for your program.
Allowing Self Referrals vs. Not Allowing Self Referrals
Whether you choose to allow or reject self referrals, all detected self referrals will go into a "Pending Transactions" status, in which you'll see a notification on the lefthand menu.
Allow Self Referrals
If you choose to allow self referrals, these transactions will remain pending for the duration of the referral review period you've set for your program. This will allow you to deny the transaction if you wish.
You can choose to approve the transaction prior to the end of your referral review period, but if no action is taken within this period, these transactions will be automatically approved.
Not Allow Self Referrals
If you choose to not allow self referrals, Kickbooster will automatically void commissions for any orders that we detect as being self-referred. You still have the ability to review and approve them if you wish within your referral review period.
Note: Affiliates that register to your referral program through Kickbooster's Marketplace are considered new customers, therefore self-referrals from these Affiliates will always be accepted.
Why would I want to allow Affiliates to earn rewards for their own purchases?
How you want to handle self-referrals is completely up to you.
In our experience, Merchants who encourage it are generally leveraging their referral program to motivate more sales (e.g. "purchase through your Kickbooster link, get 10% cash-back!).
Another example is when a Merchant wants their influencer marketers to purchase more product to write about and share on their social media, and are therefore happy for them to get a kick-back on their purchases.
Tip
Regardless of how you choose to handle self-referrals, we recommend ensuring that your referral reward and discounts are set in a way that your business still benefits from every purchase made.