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Referral Program

Driving organic growth through peer-to-peer referrals

After working on SEO and landing pages, I joined the Rewards track, an R&D initiative where Refer a Friend was the first team. We moved fast, running design sprints, ideation sessions, and product retrospectives to build a referral program from scratch. We successfully ran one of the first end-to-end customer-journey A/B experiments at Booking.com, testing the full referral flow in a single experiment, and it worked.

Referral Program preview
Company Booking.com
Deliverables
End-to-end A/B experimentReferral journeysPlatform expansionResearch strategy
Team
UX DesignersResearchersDevelopers (Desktop, iOS, Android)Product ManagersMarketing SpecialistsLocalization and Brand

Contributions

Full-Funnel Experimentation
As an R&D team, we had the freedom to test big bets. We ran one of the first successful end-to-end customer-journey A/B experiments at Booking.com, testing the entire referral flow in a single experiment. Ran A/B tests on placement, rewards, and copy to measure conversion and engagement. Launched experiments in multiple markets with localised rewards and triggers. → Proved the model worked, leading to platform expansion and new teams.

Referral Flows & Entry Points
Designed full-funnel experiences integrated into the product, from landing pages to post-booking confirmation screens. Built interaction patterns that encouraged sharing while feeling trustworthy: reward previews, easy access to invite tools (email, WhatsApp, social), and clear status updates. → A seamless experience that users actually wanted to share.

Complete referral user journey from discovery to reward

Example of how Refer a Friend positioned itself across platforms.

Referral banners

Banners distributed across multiple platforms.

Research & Validation
Ran moderated sessions in Amsterdam and Tokyo to explore what made people excited to share. Validated referral mechanics and emotional drivers, and used findings to fine-tune reward framing, messaging refinement, and trust signals. → Research-backed decisions that shaped the entire program.

Impact

  • Proved the referral model with a successful end-to-end A/B experiment
  • Started with web and mobile web, then expanded to iOS and Android teams
  • Grew the Rewards track from one team to multiple teams under our umbrella
  • Drove organic growth through peer sharing while maintaining trust and brand voice