How to Turn Your WooCommerce Customers into Affiliates

We all know referral programs are powerful. But let’s be honest – it isn’t easy to find genuine brand advocates.

Many programs attract people who are just looking to make a quick profit, leading to inauthentic promotions that convert no one. Just think about the times you’ve seen online influencers all promoting the exact same product in the same way – were you convinced by them?

Thankfully, as a WooCommerce store owner, you have a BIG advantage: a built-in community of customers who genuinely love and use your products. By converting these existing customers into affiliates, you can unlock the power of authentic word-of-mouth marketing. 

In this guide, we’ll walk through two proven methods for turning your WooCommerce customers into affiliates. We’ll explain what each plugin is best at, show you exactly how to set it up, and share tips we use on our own stores to grow an authentic referral program.

How to Turn Your Customers into Affiliates

A referral program is a tried-and-tested way to grow your business. But for the best results, you’ll need to partner with people who genuinely like your brand. 

That said, who better to champion your products than your loyal customers? These people are already passionate about your brand, and this authenticity will shine through in their promotions. It’s the best way to build trust and credibility with potential new customers.

Even better, you don’t need to spend time finding and recruiting these affiliate partners. Instead, you can simply add a signup form to your WooCommerce store’s most important pages, such as your ‘Accounts’ page. 

And the best part? If you use plugin like AffiliateWP or RewardsWP, then you can add a referral program to your store in minutes.  

Now, let’s see how you can quickly and easily add an affiliate program in WooCommerce.

AffiliateWP vs RewardsWP: Which Method Is Right for You?

Before you pick a plugin, it helps to understand what each one does best. Here’s a quick side-by-side breakdown:

Feature	AffiliateWP	RewardsWP
Reward type	Cash commissions	Store credit, discount coupons, free products
Best for	Professional affiliates, bloggers, influencers	Existing customers and loyalty-driven referrals
Free version?	Premium only	Yes (free on WordPress.org)
Signup widget on store pages	Yes (shows only to customers with a completed order)	Yes (floating widget, open to all visitors)
Payout methods	PayPal, Stripe, Payout Service, manual	Auto-generated WooCommerce coupons
Loyalty points system	No	Yes (built in, free)
Runs alongside the other?	Yes	Yes

To summarize:

• Use AffiliateWP if: You want to run a traditional affiliate program, attract professional promoters, pay cash commissions, and track sales with first-party cookies.
• Use RewardsWP if: Your referrers are mostly regular customers, you’d rather give store credit than cash, and you want to add a loyalty points program alongside referrals. You also have the option to start free, and then upgrade later if needed.
• Use both if: You want to attract professional affiliates (AffiliateWP) while also turning everyday customers into casual advocates (RewardsWP). The two plugins are explicitly designed to run together.

Now, let’s walk through both setups, step-by-step.

Feel free to jump to whichever method fits your needs first:

Method 1: Turn Your Customers into Paid Affiliates With AffiliateWP

If you want a traditional affiliate program where customers earn cash for every sale they refer, AffiliateWP is the right affiliate tracking and management tool for the job.

It’s particularly good for stores that want to attract serious brand promoters, including customers who might go on to promote professionally.

The best part is that you don’t have to spend hours finding or recruiting affiliate partners. AffiliateWP adds a signup widget to your store’s highest-traffic pages, like the ‘My Account’ page, dashboard tab, and the order confirmation page.

Here’s the clever part. The widget only appears to customers who’ve completed at least one order. That means you’re only inviting people who’ve actually purchased from you, which dramatically improves the quality of your affiliate applications.

Once a customer clicks to join, AffiliateWP generates their affiliate link automatically so they can start promoting your brand right away.

With that in mind, let’s get it set up.

Step 1. Set Up AffiliateWP

AffiliateWP is a powerful affiliate tracking and management tool built specifically for WordPress businesses. Unlike third-party SaaS platforms, it runs entirely on your site, so you own the data and don’t need to worry about any hidden fees.

When it comes to converting customers into affiliates, AffiliateWP integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce. After creating your signup form, AffiliateWP will automatically add it to your store’s most important pages, such as the My Account page, Dashboard tab, and Checkout confirmation page. 

First, you’ll need to install and activate the premium AffiliateWP plugin. For more details, see our tutorial on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, the setup wizard will ask for your license key. You can get this information from your account on the AffiliateWP website. 

With that done, click the ‘Continue’ button.

At this point, AffiliateWP will scan your site and then suggest some popular plugin integrations you may want to enable. These integrations let the plugin track commissions automatically.

On this screen, you need to select ‘WooCommerce’ to connect your online store.

Then, click ‘Continue.’

Next, you can choose how to pay your affiliates. AffiliateWP supports three main payout methods:

• Payout Service lets you pay with a credit card. It’s great if you want a simple, all-in-one solution.
• PayPal Payouts is ideal for one-click payouts to affiliates anywhere PayPal is supported.
• Stripe Payouts sends funds directly to your affiliates’ bank accounts and works well in regions with strong Stripe support.

You can always change this later or enable multiple payout methods. For now, just pick whichever payment method feels closest to your current setup.

After making your choice, move on to the next step.

Here, you can choose a currency for your store.

You can also set a default commission rate for all your affiliates. If you’re unsure, then don’t worry – you can change the rate for individual affiliates at any point. 

Finally, click the ‘Finish Setup And Exit’ button.

You can now configure emails, add opt-in forms, and track all your affiliates directly in your WordPress dashboard.

For more information, please see our tutorial on how to easily create a referral program in WordPress.

Step 2. Enable Affiliate Registration 

Next, it’s time to enable affiliate registration by heading to AffiliateWP » Settings. Here, you need to select the ‘Affiliates’ tab.

On this screen, check the box next to ‘Allow Affiliate Registration.’ 

That’s it! Customers can now join your referral program. 

Step 3. Activate the Affiliate Signup Widget

Now that registration is open, the next step is creating your affiliate signup form.

This is a branded call-to-action box that AffiliateWP adds to your WooCommerce account and checkout pages. It only appears to logged-in customers who have at least one order with a ‘completed’ status, so random visitors never see it.

On the current screen, scroll to the following option: ‘Convert customers into affiliates using the affiliate signup widget.’ Now, go ahead and select this radio button.

This will activate the signup widget and add an entirely new section where you can customize your form. 

Step 4. Customize the Signup Widget

To start, AffiliateWP has a ‘Brand’ setting that lets you select a primary color that perfectly represents your brand.

Once you’ve picked it, AffiliateWP will automatically create a complimentary color palette for your widget.

You can also add a background image and change the widget text by typing into the ‘Heading’ and ‘Text’ fields. 

Don’t underestimate the power of your copy here. Your heading and text are the deciding factors that convince a customer to click ‘Sign up’ rather than scroll past your offer.

Since you only have about two seconds to grab the shopper’s attention, be sure to lead with a clear benefit and make it as specific as possible.

Instead of ‘Join our affiliate program’, try something like ‘Love our coffee? Earn 15% on every friend you refer.’ This tells the potential partner exactly what they’ll get by joining your program.

Similarly, you can change the call to action by typing into the ‘Button Text’ field. Once again, this should inspire the customer to enroll, so you should use something short and compelling. 

As you make changes, the live preview will update automatically, so you can try various different settings to see what looks the best. 

Step 5. Customize the Confirmation Screen

With that done, you can customize the layout that AffiliateWP will show when a customer joins your program. To do this, click the slider next to ‘Preview Affiliate Signup Confirmation.’

The live preview will now update to show the confirmation layout. 

You can now replace the default ‘Confirmation Text’ and ‘Confirmation Heading’ text with your own messaging. 

This screen is often overlooked, which is a mistake. It’s the first thing a new affiliate sees after signing up, so it sets the tone for your whole relationship with them.

A great confirmation screen says thank you, explains how tracking works, and gives one clear call to action (like ‘Share your first referral link on social media’).

As you can see in the live preview, AffiliateWP generates an affiliate link and adds it to the confirmation layout automatically. This means new signups can start promoting your products right away. 

Step 6. Publish Your Affiliate Widget 

With all that done, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

That’s it! AffiliateWP will now add this signup form to your store’s high-traffic areas.

If you want to see it in action, then just remember the widget will only appear to customers who have completed at least one order.

Method 2: Reward Customer Referrals With Store Perks Using RewardsWP

Not every customer wants a cash commission. In fact, many shoppers are happy to earn a discount on their next order or a free product.

That’s where RewardsWP comes in. It’s a beginner-friendly plugin that helps you quickly and easily add a refer-a-friend program to your online store.

When their friend makes a purchase, RewardsWP awards the referrer with perks such as store credit or discount coupons.

RewardsWP also includes a full loyalty points system, so you can reward customers for various actions, such as leaving product reviews, creating an account, or placing their first order.

RewardsWP comes from the same team as AffiliateWP, so you can confidently run both programs side-by-side. For example, you can use AffiliateWP to manage your professional affiliate partners, while RewardsWP powers a lightweight customer referral program for your regular shoppers.

It’s also worth mentioning that RewardsWP works with both WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads (EDD). If you sell digital products with EDD, everything in this tutorial still applies to you.

With that in mind, let’s look at how to set up a customer referral program using RewardsWP.

Step 1. Install and Activate RewardsWP

To get started, you’ll need to install and activate the RewardsWP plugin. We’ll be using the free version throughout this guide, as it has everything you need to set up a basic refer-a-friend program.

If you want to unlock more advanced reward types later (like free products, percentage discounts, and free shipping), plus birthday rewards and detailed analytics, you can always upgrade to the premium plugin in the future.

For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Step 2. Activate the Referral Program

To activate your customer referral program, go to RewardsWP » Settings, and then click the ‘Referrals’ tab.

Here, you’ll see a ‘Program Status’ toggle.

Simply click this toggle so that it shows ‘Active,’ which will enable your referral program.

Just below that, you can configure your referral tracking settings.

The ‘Referral Variable’ controls how referral links look on your site. This is set to ‘share’ by default, for example: https://yourstore.com/?share=ABC123.

You can change this variable by typing into the ‘Referral Variable’ field.

You can also set a ‘Referral Cookie Duration’ to decide how long the referral tracking cookie should stay valid (the default is 30 days).

A longer cookie duration means a referrer still gets credit even if their friend doesn’t buy right away. For example, if you set a 30-day cookie, and a friend clicks the link but waits 20 days to finally buy their item, the referrer still gets the reward. This is particularly useful if your products have longer buying cycles.

Meanwhile, a shorter cookie protects you from paying for referrals made months or years ago. However, it can also frustrate referrers if their friend buys just outside the referral window.

For most WooCommerce stores, 30 to 60 days is a good compromise. However, you may need to experiment with different durations to see what works the best for your store.

Step 3. Set Up the Advocate Reward

Next, scroll to the ‘Referral Rewards’ section. This is where you decide what customers will earn when their referrals result in a sale.

In the free version of RewardsWP, the Advocate Reward is set to a $5 discount coupon by default.

To change this, click the ‘Edit’ button on the Advocate Reward card.

This opens a panel where you can change the discount value or add conditions like a minimum order amount.

Setting a minimum amount can protect you against shoppers who might take unfair advantage of your program. An example of this would be referring a friend who then places a tiny order.

We recommend setting the minimum order amount to match your average order value. This ensures you’re only rewarding referrals that provide a solid return on investment for your store.

If you’re using the premium version of RewardsWP, then you can also reward advocates with percentage-off coupons, free shipping, or specific free products from your store. This gives you more flexibility to create an incentive that feels genuinely valuable to your most loyal customers.

When you’re happy with how everything is set up, click ‘Save Changes’ to store your settings.

Step 4. Set Up Loyalty Points (Optional but Powerful)

While referrals are great, they’re only half of what RewardsWP can do for your store. The plugin also features a full loyalty points system.

These two features are designed to complement each other perfectly. Think of it this way: when customers are already engaged by earning points on their orders, they’re much more likely to become brand advocates and refer their friends.

To create a loyalty program, go to RewardsWP » Settings. Here, click the ‘Points’ tab.

Then, scroll to the ‘Earning Points’ section to see all the different ways that shoppers can earn points.

By default, RewardsWP awards points when a customer makes a purchase or creates an account.

To edit either of these actions, simply click its accompanying ‘Edit’ button.

This opens a panel where you can customize the action, such as changing the number of points a shopper gets for spending $1 on your store.

You can also reward the following actions:

• Leave a product review. This is a great way to build social proof while rewarding engaged customers.
• First order bonus. Give shoppers extra points on that crucial first purchase.

To add either of these actions to your loyalty program, click ‘Add ways to earn.’

You can now select any action from the panel, and then configure that action by following the onscreen instructions.

For example, if you select ‘Write a product review’ then you can limit this reward to verified purchases only.

When you’re happy with how the loyalty program is configured, scroll to the top of the screen and click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Finally, make your loyalty program live by clicking the ‘Program Status’ slider so it shows ‘Active.’

Step 5. Customize the Rewards Widget

Now, it’s time to customize the RewardsWP widget. This is the floating button and popup that shoppers will use to access your program.

To do this, go to RewardsWP » Settings and then click the ‘Widget’ tab.

Now, choose a ‘Brand color’ that matches your store’s design. RewardsWP will use this color throughout the widget, which helps it feel like a seamless part of your site.

You can also personalize the ‘Welcome heading’ and ‘Program name’ fields.

It’s a good idea to use a friendly, on-brand program name. For example, if you’re running a coffee shop, then ‘Brew Rewards’ adds more personality than something generic like ‘Customer Rewards Program.’

If you scroll down, you can customize the Rewards Launcher. This is the floating button that customers will use to open and dismiss the widget.

You can show an icon with text, text only, or icon only, and change where the Rewards Launcher appears onscreen.

When you’re finished, remember to click ‘Save Changes’ to store your settings.

Step 6. Configure Email Notifications

When a customer earns a reward, timing is everything. You want to make sure they know about the event as soon as it happens, to generate a sense of excitement.

Fortunately, RewardsWP handles this for you. It automatically sends email notifications for important milestones, such as when an advocate earns a reward, or when points are added to their account.

To review these notifications, go to RewardsWP » Emails.

On this page, you’ll see the full list of built-in notifications.

Each email has an on/off toggle and an ‘Edit’ button that allows you to change the email subject line, and preview how the message will look.

You should also update your sender details so it’s clear these messages are coming from your store.

To do this, click the ‘Settings’ tab.

Here, you can set the ‘From Name’ and ‘From Email.’ To create a strong first impression, make sure all your notifications come from a professional-looking address, such as support@yourstore.com.

You can also upload an email logo that’ll appear at the top of every notification, to further strengthen your branding.

When you’re done, click ‘Save Changes’ to finish.

Step 7. See Your Referral Program in Action

The rewards widget will now appear on your WooCommerce store.

To see it in action, visit your store and click the ‘Rewards’ launch button when it appears.

When a customer clicks this button, they’ll see the ‘Refer your friends’ panel. From here, they can copy their unique referral link, and share your brand directly to Email, X, or Facebook with a single click.

On mobile, the widget expands to full-screen when tapped, so it’s easy for customers to navigate without pinching or scrolling around a tiny popup.

Step 8. Monitor your Program’s Performance

Now your program is up and running, you’ll want to track its performance in the RewardsWP dashboard.

To do this, simply click RewardsWP in the left-hand sidebar.

In this dashboard, you’ll see a real-time feed of member activity, referral revenue, completed referrals, and your top advocates, so you can easily identify your best brand ambassadors and keep them engaged.

Tips and Tricks to Grow Your WooCommerce Referral Program

So, you’ve successfully added a referral program to your WooCommerce store? That’s great, but it’s only the first step.

Whether you’re using AffiliateWP, RewardsWP, or both, you’ll need to get your customers excited about signing up and spreading the word. Here are our top affiliate marketing tips to make that happen.

Announce Your Program

Both AffiliateWP and RewardsWP automatically add their signup widgets to your store’s most important pages. But why wait for customers to log into their account and discover them?

By announcing your referral program to your mailing list, you can make sure everyone knows about it. This means you’ll likely see signups straight away.

For the best results, this email should clearly explain the benefits of joining your referral program. You can also use segmentation and personalization to make your messages even more compelling.

For example, if someone has bought a specific product from your store, then you might write something like: ‘Did you love [product name]? Now you can share it with your friends and earn some rewards!’

For an added boost, you can also announce the program via your blog, social media accounts, YouTube channel, and any other platforms where you have a presence.

Offer an Extra Incentive

Earning rewards is already a great motivator, but why not give customers another reason to join your program? For example, you might offer a one-time bonus when a customer makes their first referral sale.

You can even use the fear of missing out to drive signups by offering a limited-time perk, such as a higher commission rate or a bigger discount coupon. This creates a sense of urgency and encourages customers to convert right now, rather than waiting and potentially forgetting about your program.

Offer Exclusive Store Perks

Similarly, you can motivate customers to join your program by offering them exclusive store perks. Think coupon codes, early access to new products, free shipping, faster delivery – anything that makes customers feel like they’re getting special treatment for being an affiliate.

However, it’s super important to be strategic here. You definitely don’t want customers signing up just to get freebies with no intention of actually promoting your products.

For example, you might offer a free month of shipping upfront and then unlock another free month every time the affiliate makes a sale. This keeps them engaged and actively promoting your products, rather than just enjoying your perks without putting in the effort.

Segment and Re-engage Inactive Affiliates

After your program has been running for a few months, you may notice that most referrals come from a small number of highly active affiliates.

This is normal, but there’s also usually a large group of affiliates who sign up and never make a sale. These people aren’t lost – often, they’re just dormant.

In this scenario, you can try sending a targeted email to that segment, offering them a temporary bonus. This can often bring a surprising percentage of those users back.

You can also quietly reward your top performers with a higher commission tier, exclusive early access to new products, or a personal thank-you note from you. Small gestures build loyalty, and loyalty keeps your best advocates around.

Watch Out for Common Mistakes

A few mistakes can quietly undermine an otherwise great referral program, and make it difficult to grow your business.

That said, here’s some common mistakes to avoid:

• Paying a signup bonus without requiring a sale. This attracts people who are only looking for free items, instead of real advocates. You should only offer a bonus after at least one confirmed sale.
• Setting a commission rate that hurts your profit margins. We’ve seen many stores launch with a 30% commission on products with thin margins, only to be forced to kill their program just six months later. It is vital to be realistic about your commission rates from day one to ensure your referral program remains sustainable.
• Slow payouts. Paying affiliates weeks or months late is the fastest way to lose them. Instead, automate payouts with PayPal or Stripe and stick to a predictable payment schedule.
• No creative assets. An affiliate with no banners, no ready-made marketing copy, and no product images will default to saying something generic like ‘Hey, you should try this brand.’ That rarely converts. For the best results, give your affiliates high-quality materials to work with.
• Ignoring fraud. You need to be vigilant against common affiliate marketing scams like self-referrals, click-fraud, and coupon stacking. AffiliateWP has first-party cookie tracking and fraud-detection features built in, but you should still manually investigate affiliates with unusually high conversion rates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Creating and running a referral program can bring up a few questions.

Here are answers to some of the most common things we get asked – whether you’re curious about how to get started or need tips on making your setup even better, we’ve got you covered.

What is AffiliateWP?

AffiliateWP is a WordPress plugin designed to help you run your own affiliate program. It integrates seamlessly with WooCommerce, so you can turn customers into affiliates with ease.

What is RewardsWP?

RewardsWP is a loyalty and referral plugin built by the same team as AffiliateWP. It rewards your customers with store credit, discount coupons, and other perks when they refer friends to your store. This makes RewardsWP a great fit for casual, customer-driven referrals.

Can I use AffiliateWP and RewardsWP together?

Yes, both plugins are designed to work side-by-side. You can use AffiliateWP to manage your professional affiliate partners who prefer cash commissions, while RewardsWP rewards your everyday customers with store perks.

What’s the difference between loyalty points and referral rewards in RewardsWP?

Loyalty points reward customers for actions they take themselves, like making a purchase, leaving a review, or creating an account. Meanwhile, referral rewards pay out when a customer successfully brings in a new paying customer.

These approaches work well together, because engaged loyalty-program members are much more likely to refer friends.

Does RewardsWP work with Easy Digital Downloads too?

Yes. RewardsWP supports both WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads out of the box. If you sell digital products through EDD, the setup process is nearly identical to the WooCommerce flow described above.

How does an affiliate program benefit my WooCommerce store?

An affiliate program essentially uses the power of your existing customers to bring in new ones. Your most loyal customers can help build trust and authenticity for your brand, as they naturally share their positive experiences with your products.

Referred customers often convert at much higher rates than visitors from paid ads or cold channels, because they arrive with a personal recommendation. This makes affiliate programs one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies available.

Is it difficult to set up an affiliate signup form?

Not at all! With powerful tools like AffiliateWP, setting up an affiliate signup form is incredibly quick and easy. You can add a signup form to your website without needing any specialist technical skills, so you can start converting your WooCommerce customers into affiliates with minimal effort.

What commission rate should I offer my WooCommerce affiliates?

Commission rates typically range from 5% to 30%, depending on your product type and profit margins. Physical products usually warrant 5% to 10%, while digital products can support 15% to 30%. You can always start with a moderate rate and adjust based on performance and feedback from your affiliates.

How long should my affiliate cookie duration be?

A cookie duration of 30 to 60 days is standard for most WooCommerce stores. If you sell higher priced products where customers need more time to decide, consider extending the window to 60 or 90 days.

AffiliateWP uses first party cookies for reliable tracking that works even with modern browser privacy settings.

Final Thoughts on Turning Your WooCommerce Customers Into Affiliates

Your best marketing asset isn’t a paid ad or a clever campaign. It’s the customer who already loves what you sell. With AffiliateWP, RewardsWP, or both, you can turn that customer base into a steady source of high-quality referrals, cheaply and authentically.

Start small, keep the setup simple, and pay close attention to what your top advocates respond to. A well-run referral program compounds over time, and the stores that stick with it tend to end up with a marketing channel that quietly outperforms everything else they do.

We hope this article helped you learn how to turn your customers into affiliates. You may also want to see our guide on how to do lead generation like a pro or check out our expert pick of the best lead generation plugins.

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