E-commerce
August 14, 2026
"Where is my referral link?" "My referral has placed an order, when do I receive my €10?" "Why isn't my code working?" Three referral questions repeated in chat even though the program is configured in Smile or ReferralCandy.
ReferralCandy estimates that referral programs with transparent tracking on the customer side convert 3 to 5 times more referrals than those where the referrer can never see the status of their invitations (ReferralCandy, referral statistics 2026). Smile.io documents the five-step journey, from the unique link to the reward credit post-validation (Smile.io, referral program).
This guide #377 covers the AI chatbot for e-commerce customer referral: explaining rules, tracking rewards, REF-BOT intents, and API integration. Distinct from referral support (#376) (agent REF-INV investigation, fraud, manual credit): here, we focus on AI self-service automation for referrers and referrals.
Summary
Why automate referral programs via AI chatbot?
An e-commerce referral chatbot resolves sponsor links, program rules, referee status, and reward pending times without agent tickets, while handing off incidents to REF-INV (#376) if the credit is missing post-delay.
Five frustrations without a referral bot
Link not found : sponsor cannot see the dashboard code
Opaque reward pending time : "when do I get my €10?"
Checkout code rejected : referee blocked without explanation
Referee status invisible : sponsor does not know if their friend has ordered
Vague program rules : minimum cart, 1st order
Antavo lists lack of reward transparency among the major frustrations in loyalty programs, referral included (Antavo, 2026 Loyalty Report).
Angle #377
The referral support guide (#376) covers agent REF-INV, fraud, and manual crediting. The #375 LOY-BOT handles "my referral" handoffs. #377 deploys AI bot intents referral_link, referral_status, referral_rules.
DTC Example
Smile fashion brand referral, 64 referral tickets/month before REF-BOT. After link + status + delay bot: referral_bot_resolution 69%, referral_ticket_deflection -42%, referees converted via bot-shared link +18%.
Referral bot vs loyalty bot
LOY-BOT = general program points. REF-BOT = sponsor link, referee, specific referral reward. Separate intents, distinct RAG corpus.
Journey Touchpoint
Customer account (sponsor link), referee checkout (code failure), sponsor post-order (reward pending). Contextual bot per page.
REF-INV Handoff
Reward missing post-delay policy or fraud deny contest → #376 agent. Bot never applies credits.
Referral Bot ROI
Referral FAQ ticket = 10 min agent. Bot status + rules = 40 s. Out of 50 deflected tickets/month: 475 min saved.
Ambassador Activation
Referral_link bot with 1-click sharing increases sharing rate compared to the /referral page alone. An active sponsor = the cheapest DTC acquisition channel.
Frequent Error
Mixing LOY-BOT and REF-BOT intents: customer asking for "my referral points" receives general loyalty balance. Route with distinct NLP.
How does it differ from support #376 and the LOY-BOT?
Seven neighboring contents, seven roles on referral and AI automation.
Referral support (#376)
REF-INV (#376): investigation agents, fraud, manual credit. The #377 = upstream self-service bot, handoff if failed.
Loyalty bot (#375)
LOY-BOT (#375): points balance. Handoff referral intents → REF-BOT #377.
Pre-launch loyalty questions
Loyalty questions: referral go-live FAQ. The #377 = live post-launch bot.
Missing points (#374)
PTS-REC (#374): if referral reward = Smile points and missing post-credit.
AI Governance (#142)
Governance (#142): bot explains, does not credit referral reward.
Order fraud
Order fraud: high-risk referee. Bot cites pending, handoff #376 if denied.
Promise #377
REF-BOT framework, 10 intents, referral RAG corpus, referrer/referee flows, referral_bot_resolution KPI.
Which REF-BOT intents should be prioritized for mapping?
Map the referral bot intents before corpus and API integrations.
Ten REF-BOT intents
referral_link: referrer link + sharing
referral_rules: general program rules
referral_reward_amount: reward amount for referrer and referee
referral_status: status of invited referees pending/completed
referral_delay: credit delay post-referee order
referral_code_fail: invalid checkout code, explanation
referral_first_order: referee first order eligibility
referral_min_cart: minimum cart threshold
referral_promo_stack: logic for stacking coupon code + referral
referral_handoff_ref_inv: reward missing post-delay → #376
MVP Prioritization
Week 1: referral_link, referral_delay, referral_code_fail, referral_rules (75% of FAQ tickets). Week 2: referral_status, referral_reward_amount.
Routing referrer vs referee
Logged-in active referrer email → referral_link, referral_status. Guest referee checkout → referral_code_fail, referral_first_order.
Page context
/referral: link, rules, status
Checkout: code_fail, min_cart, promo_stack
Customer account: link, delay, referee status
90-day ticket mining
Cross-reference referral #376 tags with bot-eligible volume. Validate intent deployment order. Prioritize referral_delay if 40% of tickets = "when will I get my reward".
How do you structure the REF-BOT framework into six blocks?
The REF-BOT framework structures referral bot deployment into six technical blocks.
Six REF-BOT blocks
RB-1 Auth: Shopify logged-in referrer email or referee guest verification
RB-2 API referral: Smile/ReferralCandy referral link + status + pending rewards
RB-3 Corpus RAG: program rules, deadlines, indexed exclusions
RB-4 Intent router: NLP → 10 intents section 3
RB-5 Response template: live API status + RAG rule
RB-6 Handoff: referral_handoff_ref_inv → agent #376
Example response referral_link
"Here is your referral link: [url]. Share it: your referee receives €10, you receive €10 after their first eligible order (min €50)." Buttons Copy | WhatsApp | Email.
Example response referral_delay
"Your referee [masked email] ordered on August 8. Referrer reward credited within 14 days post-delivery, around August 22. Current status: pending."
Example response referral_code_fail
"Referral code valid only for 1st order and min cart €50. Your cart: €42. Add €8 or remove the incompatible promo code."
Fallback API down
RAG rules only + "status temporarily unavailable, contact us if urgent". Do not invent referee status.
Privacy referee
Referrer sees status "referee has ordered" without referee's full email if GDPR policy is active: "Referee ***@gmail.com".
Sandbox test
Before prod: test referrer A, test referee B, order €1 min staging override. Validate RB-2 pending status → completed bot flow.
Rate limit
Cache referral status 5 min. Bot indicates "status as of [time]" if cache is recent.
Which RAG corpus should be used to feed the referral rules?
The RAG referral corpus feeds stable supplementary rule answers to the live API.
Eight REF-RAG corpus blocks
Rewards: referrer amount €, referee amount € or %
Referee eligibility: 1st order, new account
Min basket: € threshold before referral discount
Referrer credit delay: typical D+14 post-referee delivery
Cookie attribution: 30-day window click → purchase
Exclusions: gift card, wholesale, marketplace
Promo stacking: referral vs promo code policy
Return clawback: referee return = referrer reward withdrawn
Marketing sync
Reward change 10→15 €: RAG update + test 5 bot questions same day. Link FAQ bot cleanup.
Anti-hallucination
Reward amount from RAG or API, never LLM guess. Referee status RB-2 API only.
Multilingual version
FR/EN corpus if multiple markets. Referrer link is locale-aware.
Which referral and referee conversational flows?
Referral conversational flows guide referrer and referee without an agent ticket.
Referrer flow: share link
"How do I refer?" → referral_link + short referral_rules + copy button. Proactive customer account widget.
Referrer flow: reward tracking
"Has my referee ordered?" → referral_status list of last 3 referees + referral_delay credit date. If completed: "€10 credited on August 15".
Referee flow: checkout code
Checkout error → bot referral_code_fail diagnoses: min cart, first order, promo conflict. Deep link to cart if simple fix.
Referee flow: pre-purchase
"My friend sent me a link" → referral_rules + referee referral_reward_amount + "click the link before adding to cart for cookie attribution".
Handoff flow reward missing
Referrer "didn't receive €10" + API status pending past delay → referral_handoff_ref_inv pre-filled ticket referee order, referral_id.
Quick replies
My link | Referee status | When is my reward | Code is not working.
Proactive post-share
Referrer email D+7 without referee conversion: "Your friend has not ordered yet. Reminder: [link]. Questions? Ask the bot."
Flow contest deny
Referrer "my reward was denied" → bot quotes general fraud policy + handoff #376 appeal with referral_id.
Checkout widget
Referral discount error at payment: bubble bot referral_code_fail context cart amount realtime.
How to integrate Smile, ReferralCandy, and Shopify?
The REF-BOT technical integration connects Smile, ReferralCandy, and Shopify customer data.
Smile.io referral API
GET customer referral link, GET referrals list status pending/completed/cancelled. Cache 5 min per customer.
ReferralCandy
Endpoints invite status, reward history. Adapt RB-2 depending on the app.
Shopify customer
orders_count = 0 for referral_first_order referred friend check. Tags ambassador if sponsor VIP program.
Checkout discount validation
Bot reads cart total via Storefront API if session: diagnostic min_cart realtime.
Webhook referral completed
Trigger sponsor email + optional proactive bot "Your €10 is available".
Widget /referral embed
Chat trigger "Questions about referral?" with referral page context.
Smile vs ReferralCandy mapping
Document equivalent RB-2 API fields per installed app. Switch app = reconfig intents, not rewrite flows.
Mobile app wrapper
Deep link referral_link opens native iOS/Android share sheet from bot button.
Which governance: follow without crediting the reward?
The referral bot governance defines limits: explain and track, do not credit or override fraud.
Bot can say
Referral link, rules, referee status, expected credit delay
Reason for code failure (min cart, first order, promo)
Referrer and referee policy reward amount
Bot cannot do
Manual reward credit (→ #376 agent)
Override fraud deny
Promise reward before policy delay
Generate referral code outside of API
Align governance (#142) and limits (#124).
GDPR
Partially mask referee email. Referrer only sees their own referrals.
Audit logs
Intent, API status returned, handoff yes/no. Monthly sample review.
Which referral_bot KPIs should be measured?
Referral bot KPIs measure ticket deflection and referral conversion.
Eight key metrics
referral_bot_resolution: resolved without agent / referral intent sessions
referral_ticket_deflection: decrease in tickets #376 post-bot
referral_bot_csat: post-referral conversation survey
referral_link_copy_from_bot: clicks copy bot link
filleul_convert_post_bot: referrals converted 7 days post bot referral_link
referral_handoff_rate: handoff #376 / referral sessions
referral_code_fail_bot_fix: completed checkout post referral_code_fail bot
rag_miss_referral: unanswered corpus questions
DTC Benchmark
Target referral_bot_resolution > 65%, referral_ticket_deflection -35%, referral_handoff_rate < 20%.
Weekly Dashboard
Volume intents, resolution, handoff, link copies. Share #marketing + #support.
Acquisition Correlation
referral_link_copy_from_bot vs new referrals/month: bot ROI beyond customer support.
Handoff Spike Alert
referral_handoff_rate +30% week: check change in app delay or API status bug before blaming bot scripts.
What edge cases and handoffs should be anticipated?
Six bot referral edge cases requiring handoff or specific rules.
Referrer with no referee yet
referral_status empty: bot referral_link + sharing tips, no handoff.
Referee existing account
orders_count > 0: referral_first_order fail. Explain policy, no bot exception.
Referral denied fraud
API status cancelled fraud: bot quotes general policy, handoff #376 appeal if contested.
Multi-click attribution
Bot quotes RAG first-click policy, does not decide attribution.
Reward store credit vs points
Bot explains reward format. Points missing post-credit → #374.
B2B wholesale referrer
DTC program only. Redirect pro policy.
Bot referral anti-patterns
Inventing referee status without API, promising reward before the delay, ignoring multiple referral_code_fail causes, obsolete RAG corpus reward amount post-campaign.
How does Qstomy deploy REF-BOT on Shopify?
Qstomy deploys REF-BOT: live referrer link, API referee status and REF-INV handoff if reward missing.
Referral bot capabilities
referral_link_live: Smile API referrer URL + share buttons
referral_status_api: pending/completed referee list
referral_rag_rules: 8 indexed REF-RAG blocks
referral_code_diagnose: min cart, first order, promo conflict
referral_delay_calc: scheduled credit date policy + referee order
referral_handoff_376: pre-filled REF-INV agent ticket
Encrypted DTC Scenario
Skincare brand ReferralCandy, 58 referral tickets/month, referral_bot_resolution 0% before Qstomy.
After REF-BOT MVP: referral_bot_resolution 67%, referral_ticket_deflection -38%, referral_link_copy_from_bot 124/month, referee_convert_post_bot +16%.
Explore AI support, Shopify, request a demo.
Complement #376
#377 = self-service bot. #376 = agent fraud investigation and manual credit.
What is the checklist for launching the referral bot?
REF-BOT Checklist (10 steps)
Audit referral tickets for last 90 days and prioritize MVP intents
Write 8 corpus blocks for REF-RAG
Connect Smile/ReferralCandy API for referral link + status
Deploy link, delay, code_fail, rules intents
Live status response templates + RAG rules
Handoff referral_handoff_ref_inv → #376 configured
Customer account widget + /referral bot trigger
Anti-hallucination tests on status and amounts with 20 questions
Weekly referral_bot_resolution dashboard
Quarterly corpus review synced with marketing rewards
At a glance
#377 = self-service referral AI bot, not REF-INV #376
REF-BOT: 10 intents, API + RAG
MVP: link, delay, code_fail, rules
Bot tracks status, does not credit reward
KPI referral_bot_resolution: target > 65%
FAQ
Difference with referral support #376?
#377 = self-service bot for rules and tracking. #376 = agent investigation for fraud and credit.
Can the bot credit €10 to the referrer?
No. Handoff to #376 REF-INV if reward is missing after the delay period.
Relationship with LOY-BOT #375?
LOY-BOT = loyalty points. REF-BOT = distinct referral bot, separate intents.
Blocked referee checkout code?
referral_code_fail intent: min cart, first order, promo.
Does the referee see the referrer's email?
No. Referee bot = rules and code, no referrer data.
Going further
Test the complete referral mystery shop: bot link → referee eligible order → bot delay → completed status without REF-INV agent ticket.
Share this guide #377 with product and marketing: a connected and well-governed REF-BOT transforms opaque referral into self-service that converts referees and deflects support tickets.
Enzo
August 14, 2026
