ReferralFlo
E-commerce template

Holiday Gift Push

A time-boxed campaign, not a standing program: rewards are doubled inside a fixed window during peak retail season. It works as a spike on top of an existing program, and its end date, caps and fraud controls need deciding before the window opens, not while it runs.

Program specification
Referrer reward
Double the standing store credit, inside the campaign window only
Referred reward
Double the standing first-order discount, inside the window only
Trigger
Site-wide banner plus email to existing customers, on the campaign open date
Qualifying event
Referred order placed inside the window and past the returns period
Eligibility
New customers only; standing exclusions still apply
Payout
After the returns window, at the doubled rate locked at order time

Why this template is shaped this way

A campaign is the right shape for peak season because the doubled reward is affordable only for a bounded period, and a permanent doubling would simply reset the baseline.

Locking the rate at order time, not payout time, avoids an argument over which rate applies to orders placed on the final day.

Where this template goes wrong

By forgetting that peak season is peak fraud season and that campaigns must end loudly: caps stay in force, the end date is announced at the start, and referred-customer retention gets checked after the window closes.

  • Peak season is also peak fraud season; keep per-advocate caps in force instead of lifting them for the campaign
  • Announce the end date at the start; a campaign that quietly stops reads as a reward that was withdrawn
  • Expect referred-customer quality to dip during the window and check retention afterwards, not during
Frequently asked

How long should a seasonal referral campaign run?

Short enough to create urgency and long enough to cover the purchasing peak; two to four weeks is typical. Longer windows stop feeling time-limited and start feeling like the new standing rate.

Should caps be lifted during a campaign?

No. A doubled reward raises the payoff for abuse at exactly the moment volume makes it hardest to spot. Raise the reward, keep the caps.

Sources

Last reviewed 9 August 2026.

Launch this template

ReferralFlo handles the tracking, reward rules and payout timing this specification describes — without engineering time.