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From Simple Samples to Viral Growth: How We Engineered a $0 Checkout Campaign for Goldfield & Banks
What happened? Goldfield & Banks launched a viral sampling campaign for their Pacific Rock Flower fragrance, achieving 2,000 participants in just 24 hours. By combining a tiered referral program with Shopify automation, they overcame $0 checkout restrictions while maintaining their luxury brand image.
Key Takeaways:
Challenge: Shopify blocks $0 checkouts to prevent fraud, making traditional sampling methods difficult for luxury brands.
Solution: A referral program offering escalating rewards (like free samples and travel sprays) based on referrals, integrated with Shopify Flow and Klaviyo for automation.
Results:
6%+ increase in subscriptions.
18% higher customer retention.
$23.12 lower acquisition costs per customer.
14.5% boost in sales productivity.
Why it worked: Trust in referrals, automation, and brand-aligned landing pages created a seamless customer experience while protecting the brand’s premium image.
Quick Comparison: Traditional vs. Engineered Sampling
Metric | Traditional Sampling | Engineered Sampling |
|---|---|---|
Conversion Window | 14 days | 24 hours |
Retention Rate | Baseline | 18% higher |
Cost Per Acquisition | Baseline | $23.12 lower |
Profitability Per Customer | Baseline | $0.45 higher |
This approach redefined how luxury brands can scale sampling campaigns while staying exclusive.
Key Challenges
Premium Brand Sampling Requirements
Running a sampling campaign without resorting to discount codes posed a unique challenge for Goldfield & Banks. The brand, aspiring to be Australia's global ambassador in the perfume industry, needed to safeguard its premium image at all costs.
"We believe staying focused within our DNA of developing fine fragrances with integrity is key to standing out amongst all the other brands." - Christopher Chong, Thameen London
For luxury brands, traditional sampling methods like discount codes can undermine their exclusivity and perceived value. Maintaining this sense of prestige was non-negotiable for Goldfield & Banks. The task was to create a sampling strategy that not only avoided these pitfalls but also reinforced the brand's high-end positioning.
Balancing this with the technical challenges of their e-commerce platform added another layer of complexity.
Shopify Platform Limitations
In addition to preserving the brand's premium image, the team had to navigate Shopify's restrictions on $0 checkouts - a limitation designed to curb fraud. With online payment fraud expected to hit $206 billion by 2025, Shopify’s system imposed strict safeguards, but these came with their own set of challenges:
Challenge | Impact | Risk |
|---|---|---|
Zero-dollar Orders | Inaccurate Analytics | Distorted Reporting |
Card Testing | High Risk to Merchants | Increased Fraud |
Promo Code Abuse | Revenue Impact | System Exploitation |
Shopify's restrictions aim to prevent fraud scenarios like card testing, promo code abuse, and gift card manipulation. However, these measures also meant the team needed to devise a secure and seamless workaround to enable effective sampling without compromising on user experience or security.
Overcoming these hurdles required a solution that merged technical precision with brand strategy, ensuring both the platform’s security and the brand's integrity stayed intact.
Building the Solution
Referral Program Structure
We designed a multi-tiered reward system that transformed product sampling into a tool for viral growth. Here's how it worked: customers received a 2 ml sample with free shipping after one referral, a 10 ml Travel Spray after four referrals, and a Pacific Duo Coffret after eight referrals.
"Replo is what allowed me to marry CRO and really compelling branding in a way that I couldn't just on a Shopify theme."
James Reina, Founder
This approach resulted in a 6%+ increase in new subscriptions.
System Integration
To address Shopify's $0 checkout limitation, we implemented a combination of Shopify Flow and Klaviyo. Shopify Flow automated the reward system by triggering actions when customers hit specific referral milestones. Meanwhile, Klaviyo kept track of customer data, syncing referral counts with Shopify to ensure seamless, real-time reward distribution - no manual effort needed.
The outcome? A system that delivered results on par with Tesla's referral program, which achieved a 42× return on investment.
Brand-Aligned Landing Pages
To complement the automated rewards system, we crafted a digital experience that aligned perfectly with Goldfield & Banks' luxury image. These landing pages were designed to enhance the brand's high-end appeal while integrating referral tracking. Key features included:
High-resolution product photography to highlight the brand's elegance
Animations showcasing the coastal botanicals that inspire their products
Mobile-optimized layouts for a flawless experience on any device
Built-in referral tracking for seamless functionality
A similar strategy used by BonLook led to a 27% revenue boost. By combining accessibility with premium branding, these pages bridged the gap between sampling and luxury, creating a cohesive and engaging experience.
Campaign Performance
24-Hour Growth Results
The viral campaign hit an impressive milestone: 2,000 participants in just 24 hours. This achievement exceeded our original two-week target and highlighted the power of our premium, referral-driven sampling model. According to data, 90% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over any other form of advertising. This trust was the backbone of our campaign's rapid success.
Performance Metrics
Our engineered sampling approach delivered results that outshined traditional methods:
Metric | Traditional Sampling | Engineered Sampling |
|---|---|---|
Conversion Window | 14 days | 24 hours |
Customer Retention | Baseline | 18% higher |
Daily Profitability | Baseline | $0.45 higher per customer |
Acquisition Cost | Baseline | $23.12 lower per customer |
Referred customers proved to be 16% more profitable over their lifetime compared to those acquired through traditional methods. This aligns with broader industry findings, which suggest that well-executed referral programs can deliver up to a 10× return on investment. These metrics also contributed to operational improvements made possible by automation.
Automation Results
Automation played a crucial role in amplifying the campaign's success. Key results included:
14.5% boost in sales productivity through real-time reward distribution and automated processing
6× higher transaction rates achieved via personalized email communications
12.2% reduction in marketing overhead costs
"Data analysis is a critical component of marketing, and automation has significantly improved how data is processed and utilised."
Jeff Romero, CEO of Octiv Digital
The integration of marketing automation delivered a return of $5.44 for every dollar spent, all while maintaining the premium experience customers expect throughout their journey.
Luxury Branding and Marketing for Small Luxury Brands: Andre Taylor
Conclusion
This campaign turned conventional sampling on its head, creating a dynamic growth engine through a meticulously designed $0 checkout system. By maintaining the brand's high-end appeal while navigating Shopify's technical restrictions, it showcased how luxury and innovation can go hand in hand.
The integration of Shopify, Klaviyo, and custom-built tools allowed for a smooth, automated process that scaled effortlessly without sacrificing the premium experience Goldfield & Banks is known for. The workaround for Shopify's $0 checkout limitation became the driving force behind a campaign that not only upheld but elevated the brand's luxurious image.
With 2,000 participants joining in just 24 hours, the success of the tiered referral system was undeniable. It struck a perfect balance between exclusivity and accessibility, fueling customer acquisition while keeping the brand's prestige intact. The automated reward system further highlighted how technology can help luxury brands grow without losing their essence.
This initiative set a new standard for luxury sampling, proving that with the right technical framework and brand-focused execution, sampling can evolve into a scalable and effective channel for attracting customers.
FAQs
How did Goldfield & Banks create a premium $0 checkout sampling campaign without using discounts?
Goldfield & Banks designed an elegant referral-based reward program that perfectly matched their luxury brand image while offering free samples. Instead of relying on typical discounts, they introduced a tiered reward system where customers could earn perks - like larger product sizes - by referring friends. This strategy not only boosted engagement but also maintained the brand's high-end reputation.
To keep the experience smooth and sophisticated, they used custom landing pages along with automated tools like Shopify and Klaviyo. These tools handled everything from free shipping to real-time reward distribution, all while sidestepping Shopify’s $0 checkout limitations. The result? A campaign that felt exclusive, refined, and completely in tune with the brand's identity.
How did Shopify Flow and Klaviyo work together to solve the $0 checkout challenge in this campaign?
Shopify Flow was instrumental in managing the process by categorizing customers according to their referral tier and prompting Gift Card Factory to create unique, one-time-use gift cards with the appropriate value, such as $12 or $50. These gift cards were then automatically synced into Klaviyo as custom fields.
With this data, Klaviyo personalized reward emails, ensuring each participant received the correct gift card code along with a clear call-to-action. This smooth integration enabled automated, real-time reward distribution, effectively sidestepping Shopify's $0 checkout limitation while preserving a high-quality customer experience.
Why are referral programs more impactful than traditional sampling for luxury brands like Goldfield & Banks?
Referral programs work exceptionally well for luxury brands because they elevate the idea of product sampling into a strategy fueled by word-of-mouth growth. By linking sample distribution to referrals, brands such as Goldfield & Banks can extend their reach while keeping their image exclusive and upscale.
This method does more than just attract potential customers - it ensures the sampling experience aligns with the brand’s high-end reputation. It transforms a standard marketing tactic into a powerful and scalable tool for customer acquisition, all while delivering the luxurious feel that customers associate with the brand.
