Has anyone tried this?

[Former_Member]

OK, so I recently ordered a bunch of cards to include in my packages as "referral cards." I just sent a package today and included three cards. It's basically a card that the customer can give to a friend, and on the card there are instructions on what to do to obtain discounts (i.e. enter certain coupon code/enter your friend's email address to give your friend credit). I had signed up for Candy Referral and it gave it a couple of months and it wasn't really working out, so I thought I tried via physical cards. Has anyone tried something like this, and do you think it worked for you? Any general thoughts appreciated. Thank you!

[Former_Member]

Ummmmmm, anyone..................?

[HausofAriella]

I haven't done that, but my feeling is that the less complicated you make it, the better. Perhaps just print out two separate coupon cards with a code for the buyer and another to pass on to a friend with another code on it. I feel like a lot of people wouldn't want to have to enter their friends' emails to get a discount - I wouldn't want to feel like I might be setting someone up to be spammed (I know you wouldn't actually spam anyone, but people are usually sometimes wary of signing themselves up for more email, let alone their friends). However, if I had an extra coupon code for something that I thought a friend might like, then I might pass it along.

[Former_Member]

Hmmm, I guess I should have wrote "optional" on the entering your friend's email part. They don't really have to, obviously, to use the coupon code. I know people don't know that I already have the referrer's email from the transaction anyway.

[Former_Member]

I've never done anything like this, but I saw some ideas similar to your on the moo website. I don't know if you ever used moo, but their thing is that you can print 100 different cards. What they did they printed several different coupon codes, so when they give it away they know where the sale is coming from.
Does that makes sense?

[Former_Member]

That's what I used, Moo, but I just printed out the same card. I just hope it works! Referral Candy was too expensive for the sales I'm making now. I've never received anything like that from my purchases on Etsy, except for maybe someone who sends me extra business cards, which is okay, but I think when there's a discount involved MAYBE people would be more willing to check it out. Here just hoping!

[Former_Member]

I've been mulling something like that around...gonna go look at Moo.

[sunshineandvodka]

The Moo thing sounds easy enough if their cards weren't so expensive.

[Former_Member]

I don't find them too expensive, especially compared to Referral Candy. They were charging me $15 (min) per month which would have been $180 in one year, plus they wanted I think it was 7.5% of every sale, which the $15 dollars could be rolled into that, but if you made less in sales than that you still had to pay the $15 dollars. Either way, seemed to me like a rip off after a while. In one month I only had 4 clicks to my Etsy shop, and nobody had a successful referral. So I figured spending $45 dollars in 800 minicards seemed more viable. I just love the idea of referrals, but at the same time I have no experience of how effective the whole thing is.

[Former_Member]

I want to include business cards with each order but I haven't had the time to design cards yet. I still can't decide between Vista Print or Moo

[HausofAriella]

Eva, I signed up for the free month of Referral Candy and I dropped them before the month was over because I wasn't seeing results. When you first posted, I thought you meant having people go to a site and enter other people's emails to get the discount. I think sending multiple coupons is a really good idea. I actually had a seller send me two coupon codes once - one for me and one for a friend. I probably would have given the extra one to my mother if I hadn't used mine to buy her a mother's day gift shortly thereafter.

[Former_Member]

Thanks for your input! Sales are a bit slow right now, but I'll let you know after a few months how it went with this experiment.

[LLFarm]

I use the mini moo cards for several things.
coupon codes
thank you cards
business cards

Here is a link you can use for 10% off your order.

http://www.moo.com/share/njhcng

For the coupon codes they work great I only use one so I know if the code has been "shared" and its a new customer. This happens OFTEN!
Mine say this code is for you, thank you for your order.

[wildwomanbeads]

I haven't done this myself but I've received them from other shops when I buy from them. I always save them and, most of the time, use them. I think it's a great idea, and it certainly endears the shop to me even more.

[Former_Member]

This is the link for the100 free mini moo cards (they have an Etsy logo):
http://us.moo.com/partner/etsy-minicard-trial

And this is the one for the 50 free regular size moo cards (etsy logo too):
http://us.moo.com/partner/etsy-business-cards/

[Former_Member]

I have been selling on etsy for over a year and between my 2 shops have over 350 sales. With every single order I have included a "Thank You" business card with a repeat buyer discount code. It has been redeemed ZERO times.

This is just my experience....with handmade items it might be totally different.

Edited to add: I will continue to add the Thank You discount card...eventually someone will take advantage of it, right? :)

[AtHomeWithLolly]

I print my own cards, include them with purchases, offer a 15% discount on returning customers and have yet to have one person use the discount.
I have received cards as a buyer also, and sadly, even thought I keep them tucked in my notebook of Etsy transactions, fail to dig them out.

I may discontinue the coupon offer....

[ForgedMettleJewelry]

Haven't tried that myself, but I'm guessing my work for the buyer usually sends them away, at least in my experience.

I do however include a business card in with my jewelry orders, when I remember to put one in that is...

[QuirkyUniverse]

I include a coupon code for returning customers, they get used quite often.

[ParadiseChicJewelry]

I send a card with a return coupon code, I haven't had anyone use it yet, but maybe in the future. :)

[Former_Member]

What amount do you suggest the coupon code be? 10%?

[Former_Member]

I printed a discount coupon right on my business cards and always include 2 in each package. The code is for a 15% discount, for me it has been very beneficial, lots of return on the code!

[Former_Member]

My return coupon is 15% off. That's another thing to account in pricing... coupons. If you price too low then it would be hard to offer discounts. I usually offer a coupon in the message to buyers, and it gets used often by return customers, but I'm trying to do referrals. Hopefully the strategy will work :) I know it's harder and more expensive to get new customers than to have return customers. I have a few steady customers that purchase at least once a month, and they always use their discount coupon. I don't limit the coupon in any way and they seem happy.

[NakedRatDestash]

all i do is include one of my business cards and write the coupon
code for returning customers on it to save a certain percentage. have
yet to see the results as i just started this.

[Former_Member]

I don't get it. . .

What is referral candy and what does it do?

I include a code to my customers when I ship my orders.