Affiliate and Referral Program for WooCommerce runs three programs from one plugin: an affiliate program with commission rules, referral links, coupons and QR codes; a customer refer-a-friend program with two-sided rewards; and an optional multi-tier (MLM) network — with bonuses, wallets, PayPal, Stripe and bank payouts, and reporting built in.
The guides below cover setup, commission rules, affiliates, payouts and reports, organized by the job you are doing. Start with the Getting Started guide, then pick the area you are configuring.
Requirements
↑ Back to top- WooCommerce 4.0+
- WordPress 5.3+
- PHP 7.4+
Installation
↑ Back to topTo start using a product from WooCommerce.com, you can use the “Add to store” functionality on the order confirmation page or the My subscriptions section in your account.
- Navigate to My subscriptions.
- Find the Add to store button next to the product you’re planning to install.
- Follow the instructions on the screen, and the product will be automatically added to your store.
Alternative options and more information at: Managing WooCommerce.com subscriptions.
Start here
↑ Back to top- Getting Started with Affiliate and Referral Program – from activation to your first paid commission: pages, joining rules, the store’s default commission rate, and the first payout.
Upgrading from an earlier version
↑ Back to top- Upgrading to Version 3.0.0 and Converting to Commission Rules – what the update changes on its own, and how to preview and run the one-time conversion to commission rules.
Set up signup and the dashboard
↑ Back to top- Affiliate Registration Form Setup in WooCommerce – the signup form, its four designs, your own questions and the success message.
- Affiliate Dashboard and Affiliate Area Guide – what affiliates see, the two layouts and their colors, renaming menu items and announcements.
- How to Approve and Manage Your Affiliates – vet applicants, sort affiliates into groups, set levels and review each affiliate in detail.
Configure commissions
↑ Back to topDirect commission — what an affiliate earns on their own referred orders — is set with commission rules: a store default rate, plus rules for products, categories, tags, affiliate groups or affiliate levels, checked from the top. Product rules and level rules work on their own or together. Multi-tier (MLM) network commission is separate and has its own group further down.
- How to Set Up Referral Commission Rules – how commission is calculated, building rules with conditions and schedules, and which rule wins.
- How to Test Affiliate Commission Rules in WooCommerce – check which rule wins and what an order would pay, without placing one.
- Commission per Product, Category or Tag – rates for individual products, whole categories and tags.
- Affiliate Referral Discount for Referred Customers – give customers who arrive through an affiliate’s link an automatic discount while the affiliate earns.
- How to Set Up Lifetime Commissions for Affiliates – keep paying the affiliate who introduced a customer, on every later order.
- Recurring Commissions on Subscription Renewals – pay commission each time a referred subscription renews.
- Performance-Based Affiliate Commission with Affiliate Levels – raise an affiliate’s own commission rate automatically as they reach referral and sales targets. Not MLM.
Build a multi-tier network
↑ Back to top- How to Set Up MLM in Your Affiliate Program – plan types, per-level rates, the genealogy tree, and how the commission chain pays.
- MLM Plan Types: Binary, Unilevel and Forced Matrix – compare the four network shapes and what each one asks of a member.
Track referrals and coupons
↑ Back to top- How Referral Tracking and Attribution Work – which affiliate gets the credit, for how long, and who wins when a link, a coupon and a code disagree.
- How to Track Affiliate Sales with Coupon Codes – automatic coupons for every affiliate, assigning coupons by hand, and how a coupon credits a sale.
- Approve, Reject and Manage Referrals – the commission ledger: statuses, approving and rejecting, automatic approval and manual entries.
- Refunds, Return Periods and Commission Recovery – what a refund does to commission, deciding refunds in Refund Reviews, and holding approval for a return period.
- Troubleshooting: Referrals Not Tracking – a step-by-step checklist for the sale that earned no commission, including which rule matched.
Motivate with levels and bonuses
↑ Back to topAffiliate Levels, which raise an affiliate’s rate as they perform, are covered under Configure commissions. Bonuses add one-off rewards on top:
- Performance Bonuses and Rank Rewards for Affiliates – one-off bonuses for reaching milestones, including ranks from earlier versions.
- Signup, Click, Sharing and Lead Bonuses for Affiliates – pay for signups, clicks, shares and leads — not just sales.
Pay your affiliates
↑ Back to top- Pay Affiliates via PayPal, Stripe and Bank – set up each payout method, follow each request’s state, withdrawal fees, and paying requests in bulk.
- Pay Affiliates with Store Credit and Wallets – the wallet, withdrawal limits, and turning balance into store coupons.
Run a customer refer-a-friend program
↑ Back to top- Set Up a Refer a Friend Program in WooCommerce – two-sided rewards for ordinary customers, separate from the affiliate program.
Promotion tools and emails
↑ Back to top- How to Create and Share Referral Links – personal links to any page or product, a product feed, and built-in sharing.
- How to Create Affiliate Banners and Creatives – product banners with each affiliate’s referral link built in.
- QR Codes for Referral Links – let affiliates promote offline with downloadable QR codes.
- Customize Affiliate and Referral Emails – edit the emails the plugin sends and choose which ones go out.
Measure your program
↑ Back to top- Affiliate Reports and CSV Exports – the figures on your program dashboard, what each one counts, and how to export affiliates and commissions.
Moving from another platform
↑ Back to top- Switching from Another Affiliate Plugin – sign your affiliates up here, share the new referral links this plugin creates for them, and re-create your commission rules.
Frequently asked questions
↑ Back to top- Affiliate and Referral Program: FAQ – short answers on joining, tracking, payments, updating to version 3.0.0, compatibility and data.
Coming soon
↑ Back to topThe guides above cover what the plugin does today. Two additions are planned for a future release and are not available yet; their guides will be added here when they are released.
- Loyalty Program: Points & Rewards (coming soon) – customers earn points when they buy from your store, giving you a simple way to encourage repeat purchases.
- Native Affiliate Apps for iOS & Android (coming soon) – affiliates open their dashboard and affiliate tools in dedicated native apps.
Questions and Feedback
↑ Back to topHave a question before you buy? Please fill out this pre-sales form.
Already purchased and need some assistance? Get in touch with a Happiness Engineer via the Help Desk.
