ReferralCandy
ReferralCandy is a Singapore-based SaaS platform founded in 2009 that enables ecommerce merchants to launch automated referral and affiliate marketing programs. It serves 30,000+ SMB and mid-market brands globally through Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento integrations with a self-serve PLG model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSingapore, Singapore
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What ReferralCandy does
ReferralCandy is a Singapore-incorporated SaaS company founded in 2009 (operated by Anafore Pte. Ltd., Reg. No. 200903073C) that provides a self-serve customer acquisition platform for ecommerce merchants. The platform enables brands to launch and manage referral and affiliate marketing programs through automated link and coupon tracking, reward fulfillment, and fraud prevention. Per company materials, 30,000+ ecommerce brands have used the platform to generate $587.9M+ in cumulative referral sales; the company maintains a 4.9/5 rating across 1,530+ Shopify App Store reviews and holds Built for Shopify certification.
The core product surface spans Referral Marketing and Affiliate Marketing modules, supplemented by add-on features including Moments (non-discount customer engagement), Loyalty Campaigns (repeat-purchase store-credit rewards), and FlexiTiers (milestone-based reward tiers). Technical components include one-click integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento; 20+ Shopify subscription app connectors (Recharge, Skio, PayWhirl, Awtomic, Joy, among others); marketing-stack integrations with Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Google Analytics, Meta Pixel, AdRoll, and Google Ads; and a Tremendous integration enabling payouts across 20 currencies. Fraud Protection auto-flags self-referrals and suspicious activity in real time, and recent additions include privacy-protected referral links, multi-currency payouts, bonus rewards, and a Shopify-native Join Block v2.
Revenue is generated through recurring subscription fees for platform access plus transaction-based fees tied to successful referrals, distributed primarily via product-led growth on the Shopify App Store and direct self-serve sign-ups (7-day free trial standard; 30-day for agencies). Secondary channels include an Agency Partner Program targeting Shopify Experts and Plus Partners, plus an own affiliate program paying $50 per verified trial start. The company serves a primarily SMB and mid-market ecommerce merchant base across verticals including health/wellness, food/beverage, apparel, pet, beauty, baby/kids, sports/fitness, and electronics. The company has been bootstrapped since its last disclosed priced funding round in February 2014 ($788,501 led by Innosight Ventures) and operates with a team of approximately 30-40 people.
ReferralCandy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ReferralCandy
- Legal name
- Anafore Pte. Ltd.
- Website
- https://referralcandy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ReferralCandy is a Singapore-based SaaS platform founded in 2009 that enables ecommerce merchants to launch automated referral and affiliate marketing programs. It serves 30,000+ SMB and mid-market brands globally through Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento integrations with a self-serve PLG model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ReferralCandy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Referral & Affiliate Marketing Software
- NAICS
- Media Representatives (541840)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Social Affiliate & Referral Commerce Platforms (CRAFANAI)
Keywords
Where ReferralCandy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Singapore
- HQ country
- Singapore
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
ReferralCandy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Software Platform: Monthly or annual subscription fees for access to referral and affiliate marketing platform. Merchants pay to use the software to run their programs.
- Transaction-based Fees: Merchants only spend when a referral leads to a sale, making it cost-efficient compared to upfront ad spend. Revenue tied to customer referral success.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free trial period |
| Other | Monthly | Affiliate program for ReferralCandy promoters |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
ReferralCandy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ReferralCandy is a self-serve customer acquisition platform that lets ecommerce merchants launch branded referral and affiliate programs in minutes. It automates referral link and coupon tracking, reward fulfillment (coupons, store credit, cash via PayPal, gift cards via Tremendous), fraud prevention, and payout processing across 20 currencies. The platform integrates natively with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento, and is offered in enterprise and agency partner tiers.
Product overview
ReferralCandy is a customer acquisition platform offering two core products: Referral Marketing and Affiliate Marketing. Referral Marketing turns existing customers into brand advocates through automated referral programs with tracking, rewards, and fraud prevention. Affiliate Marketing enables brands to recruit and manage external partners (creators, bloggers) with custom coupon codes and commission management. Additional offerings include Moments for customer engagement, Loyalty Campaigns for repeat purchase rewards, and FlexiTiers for milestone-based incentives. The platform is available in enterprise and agency partner tiers, and connects to major ecommerce platforms including Shopify (one-click integration), WooCommerce (plugin), BigCommerce, and Magento.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Referral Marketing Customer referral program platform that helps ecommerce brands turn existing customers into brand advocates through automated referral links, post-purchase referral prompts, reward delivery, and fraud prevention.
- Affiliate Marketing Affiliate marketing solution that lets brands recruit and manage external partners (creators, bloggers, influencers) with custom coupon codes, automated tracking, and commission management.
- Moments Customer engagement feature that enables brands to create memorable non-discount moments at key touchpoints in the customer journey.
- Loyalty Campaigns Loyalty campaign module that rewards repeat purchases with store credit, currently available for Shopify merchants.
- ReferralCandy for Enterprise Enterprise-grade referral marketing offering with advanced features, scalability, and dedicated support for large ecommerce operations.
- ReferralCandy for Agencies Partner program for digital agencies and freelancers to grow their clients' sales using word-of-mouth marketing, with dedicated partner manager, marketing support, and recurring revenue opportunities.
- ReferralCandy Partner Program Agency partner program enabling partners to offer ReferralCandy to ecommerce clients, including development support and access to the EACI Research Group.
- ReferralCandy Affiliate Partner Program Program for influencers, content creators, and marketers to promote ReferralCandy and earn $50 per verified trial start generated.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,220% average ROI for merchants using referral programs
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use ReferralCandy
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ReferralCandy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration19 records
Feature8 records
ReferralCandy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.
- ShopifycoreOne-click Shopify integration; Built for Shopify certified app listed on Shopify App Store with 1,530+ reviews and 4.9/5 rating. Seamless connection for Shopify merchants to launch referral programs in minutes.
- RechargecoreOne-click Recharge integration to turn subscription customers into referrers and keep LTV climbing. Part of 20+ subscription app integrations.
- KlaviyocoreIntegration to trigger referral emails in Klaviyo at optimal moments in the customer lifecycle.
- TremendouscorePayout partner for gift cards to hundreds of retailers, prepaid VISA cards, and Venmo. Supports 20 payout currencies including EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, SGD.
- WooCommercecorePlugin connection for WooCommerce merchants to access referral and affiliate programs.
- BigCommercecoreOne-click BigCommerce integration for referral program setup.
- Adobe Commerce/MagentocoreEmail connection for Magento/Adobe Commerce merchants to integrate referral programs.
- SainStorenotableShopify Plus Partner with offices in Las Vegas, Dongguan and Shenzhen. Recommended ReferralCandy to iWader Fishing, achieving 2600% ROI for the client.
- Shopify Experts and Plus PartnerscoreAgency partner program providing dedicated partner manager, marketing support, development support, Slack communication, EACI Research Group access, and recurring revenue for agencies recommending ReferralCandy.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ReferralCandy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Yotpo: Yotpo is a leading ecommerce marketing platform offering referrals, loyalty, reviews, and SMS. It directly competes with ReferralCandy in the referral/affiliate space, particularly on Shopify, and targets similar mid-market and enterprise merchants with bundled marketing solutions.
- Friendbuy: Friendbuy is a referral and loyalty platform purpose-built for ecommerce, with deep Shopify, BigCommerce, and other integrations. It competes head-to-head with ReferralCandy for SMB and mid-market merchants wanting to launch branded referral programs.
- Referral Rock: Referral Rock is a referral program software platform serving SMB and mid-market businesses across ecommerce and SaaS. It overlaps directly with ReferralCandy's referral marketing offering for merchants seeking flexible, no-code referral program setup.
- Tapfiliate: Tapfiliate is an affiliate and referral tracking software for ecommerce, with integrations to Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce. It directly competes with ReferralCandy's affiliate marketing product for merchants prioritizing influencer and partner programs.
- Ambassador: Ambassador is a referral and affiliate marketing platform used by SaaS and ecommerce brands. It competes with ReferralCandy on referral program management, with stronger emphasis on B2B/SaaS but overlapping ecommerce customer base.
- PartnerStack: PartnerStack is a partner relationship management (PRM) platform powering affiliate, referral, and reseller programs. It overlaps with ReferralCandy's affiliate marketing offering, with a stronger tilt toward SaaS ecosystems and larger enterprise programs.
Broad incumbents
- Impact: Impact is a large partnership management platform covering affiliate, influencer, and B2B partnerships. It serves larger enterprise merchants than ReferralCandy's SMB base but competes for the same ecommerce referral/affiliate budget.
- Klaviyo: Klaviyo is a dominant ecommerce email/SMS and customer data platform that integrates with ReferralCandy. While not a direct referral competitor, it is a broad incumbent in the same merchant stack and could expand into referral automation as part of its omnichannel offering.
Emerging players
- Smile.io: Smile.io is a Shopify-focused loyalty and rewards platform. It is adjacent to ReferralCandy (referrals vs. loyalty) but increasingly overlapping as ReferralCandy launches Loyalty Campaigns and Smile.io adds referral features.
- LoyaltyLion: LoyaltyLion is a loyalty and retention platform for ecommerce merchants on Shopify and BigCommerce. It is adjacent to ReferralCandy, competing for the same merchant's retention budget, with growing overlap on referral features.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ReferralCandy social profiles
Digital presenceReferralCandy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ReferralCandy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
ReferralCandy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ReferralCandy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ReferralCandy
What does ReferralCandy do?
ReferralCandy is a self-serve customer acquisition platform that lets ecommerce merchants launch branded referral and affiliate programs in minutes. It automates referral link and coupon tracking, reward fulfillment (coupons, store credit, cash via PayPal, gift cards via Tremendous), fraud prevention, and payout processing across 20 currencies. The platform integrates natively with Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento, and is offered in enterprise and agency partner tiers.
Is ReferralCandy a public or private company?
ReferralCandy is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was ReferralCandy founded?
ReferralCandy was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ReferralCandy based?
ReferralCandy is headquartered in Singapore, Singapore, in the Asia region.
How does ReferralCandy make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Subscription Software Platform is the primary driver. The others are transaction-based Fees.
Who are ReferralCandy's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Yotpo, Friendbuy, Referral Rock, Tapfiliate, Ambassador and PartnerStack. Broad incumbents are Impact and Klaviyo. Emerging players are Smile.io and LoyaltyLion.
Does ReferralCandy have an API?
Yes. ReferralCandy offers an API for integrating with their platform. The API enables developers to build custom integrations and automate referral program workflows. The Help Center includes an 'ReferralCandy API' section indicating programmatic access is available. Developer documentation is at www.referralcandy.com/api.
What industry is ReferralCandy in?
ReferralCandy's product category is Referral & Affiliate Marketing Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFANAI, Social Affiliate & Referral Commerce Platforms. Its NAICS code is 541840 and its SIC code is 7372.