It appears to be doing something that I wanted but I don't know how I use this in customer newsletters and e-mail confirmations etc to customers. I guess that I will not know whether the outcome fulfills the brief until I get it into use.
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My initial communications - see
http://www.viart.com/introduce_a_friend-with_a_reward.html?page=1
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From Viart
Subject: RE: Support Request :: Custom Coding - Introduce a Friend
Hello Chris,
We think that all that logic for friends should be a part of affiliate program, to get commissions by affiliates for every purchase and generate some discounts for users who use those affiliate links.
1: If all normal customers can have an affiliate code automatically.
As you probably know now this field can be selected when a user registers but we can extend this functionality and generate it automatically using for example 'login' field and then user just need to use this auto-generated field to add it to the link of your site like
http://www.example.com/?af=1234
2: If they can click an introduce a friend link on site and get this
code automatically attached to the e-mail.
There can be different ways the users can use this code.
- Put this code on some of their sites.
- Send this code with email to their friend.
- other possible ways to promote your site
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My response
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Hello Natalia
The main issue in all this is that the customer does not have to anything more than send an e-mail to a friend saying "Visit www.thiswebshop.com - you will get a discount on your first order - and I will also get one" or something similar.
Anything more involved and it will not work. We need to have a way that automatically gives every customer an affilliate/introduction code automatically. It has to be _very_very_ simple from the customer viewpoint.
"There can be different ways the users can use this code" - it will not work if the user has to do any of this. The ideal is that they just click on a link on site (eg Send a note to a friend to visit this shop. When they buy they will get XYZ and you will also get ABC). And the site sends the e-mail.
This is not affiliate linking - they don't have web sites for a code - they don't take the trouble to create their own e-mail and then fuss about inserting a code. They don't want to promote my site - just earn or win something for just clicking a link and introducing a friend to us.
Automatic and uncomplicated are the keys to making this work. Of course there may be several options but these should be for admin only to decide.
Is this becoming a problem?
Regards Chris
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From: support@viart.com [mailto:support@viart.com]
Sent: 19 March 2008 16:31
Hello Chris,
It is not a problem at all.
We just try to find the best possible way to implement this functionality.
In case you do not want to combine it with affiliate functionality we can use original user_id information in tell a friend link, for example. Then the information about friends user id can be saved in database to generate discounts for users who invite their friends.
To create some discount rules we will improve our coupons system so you will be able to create a new coupon like, for example, if customer's friends spend more than 1000 the customer gets 10% discount on further purchases.
Let us know if it is ok?
With regards,
Natalia
ViArt Support Team
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I have also added - for clarity:
- can we keep in mind that we may want to pass a benefit (discount, free product, or whatever)
to the introduced customer . . . as well as a reward for the customer making the introduction.
I see all rewards will depend upon the new customer making a purchase.
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Finally my brief, 31st May 2008, was:
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THE BRIEF TO VIART:
Three of us have now agreed to proceed with this and each of us will pay $150 this week end.
To confirm, the summary of the project is as follows - please not the concern of one partner in this added to the end - I am sure that you will already have realised the necessity of this but it is useful to confirm it.
Could you also, please, let me know how long this will take assuming you have all the payments by Monday morning?
......................
1. When any user of the site use 'Tell a Friend' function and send some invitation to his friend an additional parameter will be appended to the url with user login or id information like
http://www.example.com/some_link.html?friend=friend_name
This 'additional parameter' can be used by admin in newsletters to those customers (eg admin can send a message to each customer with their individual codes)
BOTH customer and friend can get benefits** from the introduction.
** such as discounts, free product, free shipping
Apply discount if customer's friends bought some products:
- - this could include selection by product / category to limit rewards this way
2. We can create new settings for the Coupons Discount systems like:
- Option to apply discount for friends visits:
Apply discount if:
( ) for all friends visits (o) only for friends from the list of customers below:
[x] Chris
[x] Dan
...
[x] Dick
- Another option to apply discount for a customer who invites friends:
Apply discount if customer's friends bought some products:
Minimum Amount [ 100.00 ]
Maximum Amount [ 1000.00 ]
This would be used when you as administrator decide to limit some discount rules to apply only for certain users to have more flexibility.
For mass mailing, the unique code - the feature will us the customer ID so this can be marketed with the customer easily.
"Once a friend has registered, bought and received the reward, that friend cannot receive another reward - whether from that introducing customer or any other customer. This a once-only benefit for a new customer. This also means that, once registered etc ... a customer will not receive a reward if introduced by another different customer."
