The Rave

What The Rave does

The Rave is a post-purchase referral and affiliate platform purpose-built for Shopify-based direct-to-consumer brands. The product installs as a native Shopify app in approximately 15 minutes without developer involvement and embeds referral mechanics directly into the order confirmation flow. Each customer receives a personal shareable link and a brand-set cash reward; referred friends receive a discount at checkout, and payouts to referrers are automated via Venmo, PayPal, or ACH through the Tremendous.io integration. An optional store-credit multiplier (e.g., $100 reward → $150 store credit) provides merchants with an additional revenue lever while maintaining real-cash as the default incentive.

The platform extends beyond referrals into structured affiliate management, instant link approval, automated fraud detection (pending rewards, self-referral blocking, suspicious activity flagging), and a real-time analytics dashboard. Two adjacent modules — UGC (User Generated Content production) and Influencer Reveal (identifying hidden advocates among existing customers via purchase and sharing behavior) — are bundled into a higher Full Service tier. The technology stack centers on Shopify-native integration with 30+ additional integrations plus API access, connecting to marketing and operations tools such as Klaviyo, Zapier, and Slack.

The Rave monetizes through a hybrid subscription-plus-commission model across three tiers: Premium at $59/month plus 2.5% commission on confirmed referral sales, Plus at $199/month plus 1% commission, and Full Service at $599/month plus 0.5% commission. An Influencer Reveal standalone subscription ranges from $195 to $2,400/month depending on subscriber count. Go-to-market is predominantly product-led growth through the Shopify App Store, augmented by SEO comparison pages, blog content, and demo-led sales for larger Plus and Full Service customers. The company is privately held, bootstrapped, and operated by three co-founders (Sam McGoldrick, Joseph Rosenfield as CEO, and Luke Yarnton) with 1-10 employees, incorporated as The Rave Technologies LLC in Delaware.

Name

The Rave

Legal name

The Rave Technologies LLC

Website

https://therave.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Rave is a Shopify-native post-purchase referral and affiliate platform that helps DTC brands turn customers into ambassadors via automated cash rewards, with subscription plus commission pricing across SMB and managed-service tiers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Referral and Affiliate Marketing Software

NAICS

Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Sponsorship & Brand Deal Monetization Tools (MPACAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer Retention, Win-Back & Churn Reduction Programs (MPAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Referral marketing software
• Affiliate marketing platform
• Shopify referral app
• Customer referral programs
• Post-purchase marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription + Commission (Referral Sales): Monthly subscription fee plus a percentage commission on confirmed referral sales. Premium plan at $59/month + 2.5% commission on referred sales. Plus plan at $199/month + 1% commission. Full Service at $599/month + 0.5% commission. Merchants only pay the commission when the platform successfully drives a sale.
2. Transaction Fee (Gift Card Spending): Fee charged when customers create gift cards to spend at the merchant's store using rewards earned through the platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Rave is a native Shopify app that enables direct-to-consumer brands to run automated customer referral and affiliate programs on a single post-purchase flow. Every customer receives a personal referral link on the order confirmation page with a one-tap share and a cash reward; referred purchases are tracked automatically and rewards are paid out via Venmo, PayPal, or ACH. The platform also includes fraud detection, real-time analytics, store-credit multipliers, and optional managed services for larger brands.

Product overview

The Rave is a referral and affiliate app for Shopify brands that runs customer-led growth programs on autopilot. The core product combines Referrals and Affiliates on a single post-purchase flow, with additional modules for UGC (User Generated Content) and Influencer Reveal (hidden influencer discovery). The platform pays customers in real cash via Venmo, PayPal, or ACH, with an optional store-credit multiplier feature. Three pricing tiers are offered: Premium ($59/mo + 2.5%), Plus ($199/mo + 1%), and Full Service ($599/mo + 0.5%) which adds UGC production, testing/optimization, and custom integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Referrals Post-purchase referral system built natively into the Shopify order confirmation page. Every customer automatically receives a personal referral link and a cash reward, with one-tap sharing and automated tracking, designed for Shopify DTC brands that want to convert existing buyers into an acquisition channel.
• Affiliates Affiliate layer built on the same post-purchase rails as Referrals, allowing top sharers and partners to sign up for commissioned links with instant approval, clean attribution, and automated cash payout via Venmo/PayPal/ACH, for Shopify brands seeking a structured commission-based sales channel.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10% of orders come from referrals (Halfday)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary platform integration. The Rave is a native Shopify app that installs directly into Shopify stores and connects to the Shopify ecosystem for order data, customer profiles, and checkout integration. The post-purchase referral flow is embedded within Shopify's order confirmation pages.
• KlaviyosecondaryTechnology or IntegrationEmail marketing platform integration enabling brands to incorporate referral programs into their Klaviyo email flows and automations.
• ZapiersecondaryTechnology or IntegrationIntegration partner enabling connections to 5,000+ applications through Zapier's automation platform, extending The Rave's connectivity beyond native integrations.
• Tremendous.iosecondaryTechnology or IntegrationThird-party payment processor used by The Rave to process customer payouts, donations, and gift cards. The Rave uses this service to enable Venmo, PayPal, ACH, and other cash-out options for customers earning referral rewards.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Klaviyo: Dominant Shopify-aligned marketing automation platform for email, SMS, and CRM. Currently an integration partner of The Rave but also a potential long-term competitor as it broadens into customer-journey orchestration that could subsume referral triggers.
• Yotpo: Larger, well-funded e-commerce marketing platform offering reviews, loyalty, SMS, and referrals as a bundled suite on Shopify. Overlaps with The Rave on referral/affiliate functionality but sells a much broader portfolio to enterprise merchants.

Direct peers

• Smile.io: Shopify loyalty, referral, and rewards app serving tens of thousands of merchants. Directly comparable on referral mechanics, points-based rewards, and Shopify-native distribution.
• LoyaltyLion: Shopify-native loyalty and rewards platform that includes referral program capabilities as part of its offering. Competes with The Rave on the same Shopify merchant base where referrals intersect with loyalty and customer retention.
• Friendbuy: Referral marketing platform purpose-built for e-commerce and DTC brands, offering post-purchase referral programs, affiliate tools, and influencer features. Directly comparable to The Rave on referral flows, brand ambassador activation, and Shopify-compatible deployment.
• ReferralCandy: Direct competitor offering referral and affiliate marketing programs for Shopify and other e-commerce platforms. The Rave explicitly competes on price (2.5% vs 10.5% commission at entry tier) and targets the same Shopify merchant base with overlapping referral and affiliate functionality.
• Friendbuy by Neighborware: Brand advocacy and referral platform for retailers, offering referral programs, influencer tools, and brand ambassador features comparable to The Rave's referrals + affiliates + influencer discovery stack.
• Growave: Shopify all-in-one marketing platform combining reviews, loyalty, referrals, and UGC. Competes with The Rave specifically on the referrals and UGC modules inside the same Shopify App Store category.

Emerging players

• Rise.ai: Shopify-native gift card, store credit, and loyalty platform. Adjacent competitor to The Rave on store-credit rewards and gift card incentive mechanics inside Shopify.
• Okendo: Shopify-native reviews and UGC platform with expanding affiliate and ambassador capabilities. Partial overlap with The Rave on the UGC and customer-led-growth surface.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-rave

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Rave