How MiaoMiao Used ReferralCandy to Run Both a Referral Program and an Affiliate Program

Part 1: Referral Program

Referral program top line results

• ReferralCandy generated 27% of MiaoMiao’s monthly revenue through referral sales!
• In the first months of the program, ReferralCandy generated close to 1000 social media shares and 5,000 clicks.
• MiaoMiao’s referral program has paid off, with 5000% return-on-investment (ROI)

About MiaoMiao, and the MiaoMiao Smart Reader

MiaoMiao offers smart readers that make it extremely easy and convenient to monitor their blood glucose level. Since launch, MiaoMiao’s smart readers have been used by tens of thousands of people.

People with insulin deficiencies need to monitor their blood glucose level carefully, to avoid medical complications. Many people use the Freestyle Libre, a Blood Glucose Monitor (BGM) with two components: a sensor, worn on the arm, and a handheld display that takes a reading when the user taps the sensor.

The MiaoMiao Smart Reader fits on top of the Freestyle Libre Sensor, and sends data directly to the user’s smartphone. This allows the user to have a Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM), allowing them to monitor blood glucose levels in real time, and trigger warning alarms when sugar levels go too high or too low.

For people with diabetes, MiaoMiao’s Smart readers offer convenience and additional safety, making their lives easier.

MiaoMiao wanted a referral program because word of mouth was important for their business

An estimated 1 in 11 adults have diabetes around the world. A large variety of devices are available on the market, making it difficult to choose. Luckily, the community was active online, with a number of blogs and forums dedicated to discussion and advice about lifestyle, treatment and options.

The MiaoMiao team knew that good word-of-mouth could help their Smart Readers stand out. They also knew that happy customers were likely to recommend their product to others. A referral program would definitely help sales of Smart Readers.

"We knew that a referral program would help us build our brand and stand out against our competitors. We trusted ReferralCandy to get our name out there and bring in new customers."

Kelly Wu
‍CEO, MiaoMiao

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A fully-customized referral program

The MiaoMiao team installed ReferralCandy directly from the Shopify App Store.

The team used the custom rewards feature to set up the program to their liking: New customers received $10 off their first purchase, while advocates received 6% of the purchase amount.

Visitors to their home page also saw a prominent call-to-action for the referral program, as well as a pop-up widget for the program. MiaoMiao even created their own guide to teach customers how to join their referral program.

Adam, their Customer Success Manager, was on hand to answer their questions, and also provided advice on some referral program best practices.

Within a week, the MiaoMiao team got their first referral sales.

The ReferralCandy Effect: How referral sales contributed to 27% of monthly revenue for MiaoMiao

MiaoMiao’s referral program yielded some impressive results:

• 27% additional monthly revenue: Over a two-month period, referral sales made up 27% of MiaoMiao’s monthly revenues. That’s more than 10x the industry benchmark!
• Social & email traffic: Over a two-month period alone, MiaoMiao customers generated over 1000 social media posts and 5,000 clicks. MiaoMiao also sent over 10,000 emails with a 30% open rate.
• Close to 50 times lifetime ROI: Taking into account lifetime revenue and referral sales, ReferralCandy has generated close to 50X return-on-investment (ROI).

"We chose ReferralCandy because they had a good track record with big brands. Also, it was easy to get set up, and the customer success team answered all our questions."

Kelly Wu
‍CEO, MiaoMiao

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Part 2: Affiliate Program

The MiaoMiao Global Ambassador affiliate program

After the success of their referral program, MiaoMiao decided to use ReferralCandy for an affiliate program to promote their second product, the MiaoMiao2 Smart Reader.

The MiaoMiao Global Ambassador program would recruit influencers from around the globe and offer them unique privileges and rewards, including their own personal affiliate link and a higher reward rate (10% of purchase amount). Ambassadors were selected from customers with their following via their blog, YouTube channel or social media accounts.

Adam, their Customer Success Manager, was able to advise the team and helped to set up a second instance of ReferralCandy.

MiaoMiao’s ambassador program contributed 10% of monthly revenue

In less than two months, with just 36 ambassadors, the program was generating tens of thousands of dollars in referral sales. Some eye-catching statistics from the program include:

• Affiliate sales accounted for close to 10% of monthly revenue.
• One ambassador even referred over 100 new customers!
• Overall, the program generated 2800% return-on-investment.

"For our Global Ambassador program, we knew we wanted to offer something exclusive for our ambassadors, but that was also easy to use. We had a great experience with ReferralCandy, and trusted them to run our ambassador program as well."

Kelly Wu
‍CEO, MiaoMiao