Understanding Referrals vs. Affiliates

Oshi has two types of people who can refer customers to your store: referrers and affiliates. They use the same underlying system, but affiliates get more customization options and are designed for a more intentional promotional relationship.

Referrers

Every customer who enters your rewards program automatically receives a referral link in their rewards portal. When they share it and someone makes a purchase, both the referrer and the new customer earn rewards based on your referral program settings.

Referral links use the default settings you configured in Loyalty Program > Referrals:

• Default commission for the referrer
• Default reward for the referred customer
• Default attribution window
• Default eligible products (Shopify only)

Referrers don't need to apply or be approved — they get their link simply by being a customer in your program.

Affiliates

Affiliates are people who sign up specifically to promote your business. They apply through your affiliate signup page and, depending on your settings, may need to be approved before receiving their link.

What makes affiliates different:

• Customizable commissions — You can set a different commission rate for each affiliate, overriding the referral default
• Customizable customer offers — Each affiliate can offer a different discount or Bitcoin back amount to their audience
• Custom attribution windows — Extend or shorten the tracking window per affiliate
• Discount codes (Shopify only) — Each affiliate can have their own branded discount code synced with Shopify, giving them an easy "use code XYZ" promotion angle
• Application details — You can see their website, social profiles, and promotion strategy

How the Two Relate

Your referral program settings are the foundation. When someone becomes an affiliate, they start with those same defaults. From there, you can override any setting on a per-affiliate basis.

This means you don't need to configure every affiliate from scratch. Set reasonable defaults in your referral settings, then only customize the affiliates who need different terms — like a high-performing creator who earns a higher commission, or a partner whose audience should get a larger discount.

When a Customer Becomes an Affiliate

A customer who already has a referral link can also sign up to become an affiliate. Once approved, their link and settings are upgraded to the affiliate configuration. They gain access to any customized commissions, customer offers, and discount codes you assign them.

What's Next

• Set up referral rewards — Configure the default settings that all referrers and affiliates start with.
• Manage your affiliates — Review applications, approve or deny, and customize individual affiliate settings.
• Customize commissions and customer offers — Override defaults for specific affiliates.