This article discusses features and capabilities available only for Shopify merchants. If you're using another platform, visit this article.
Feel free to preview most of the widgets from our Shopify test store here: https://acmesupplements.co/
Before you start: where changes are made
For Shopify merchants, ReferralCandy surfaces are edited in different places depending on what you’re trying to change.
In general:
ReferralCandy Widgets page = edit widget text, copy, labels, templates, toggles, and widget-level campaign settings
Shopify editors = add the widget or extension and control placement, layout, alignment, and display settings
ReferralCandy Themes / Visual Editor = edit campaign Theme pages, such as the Friend offer page, and legacy Theme-based items
Important distinction:
Most newer Shopify widgets are not edited in the campaign Theme editor
Legacy Theme widgets, such as the Referral Widget and Post-purchase widget, belong to the older Theme/code-based setup
Newer Shopify widgets such as the Referral extension, Join block, Friend offer popup, and Customer referral details extension are enabled in Shopify editors and edited partly through the Widgets page
If you edit the wrong place, it can look like “my changes didn’t apply,” even though they did — just in a different surface.
Rule of thumb:
If you want to change the words inside a modern Shopify widget, start in the Widgets page
If you want to place the widget on a Shopify surface or control layout/display, use the relevant Shopify editor
If you want to edit a campaign page, or a legacy Theme-based widget, use Themes / Visual Editor or legacy code-based setup as applicable
The 3 Shopify locations you’ll see referenced
The main locations you’ll see referenced
ReferralCandy Widgets page
Shopify admin > Apps > ReferralCandy > Referral campaigns > select a campaign > Widgets
Used for widget text, copy, labels, templates, toggles, and widget-level campaign settings
ReferralCandy Themes / Visual Editor
Shopify admin > Apps > ReferralCandy > Referral campaigns > select a campaign > Themes > Customize
Used for campaign pages that belong to your Theme, such as the Friend offer page
Also used for legacy Theme-based items where applicable
Shopify Theme editor
Shopify admin > Online Store > Themes > Customize
Used for storefront app blocks and app embeds
This is where you control placement and display for surfaces such as the Join block and Friend offer popup
Shopify Checkout editor
Shopify admin > Settings > Checkout > Customize
Used for checkout extensions such as the Referral extension
Shopify Customer Accounts editor
Used for customer account app blocks such as the Customer referral details extension
Note: Shopify’s navigation labels can vary slightly, but the editing pattern stays the same.
Widgets available on Shopify
Referral extension (Checkout block)
What it is
Shows your referral prompt/sharing entry point on the checkout Thank you page (and related checkout pages depending on your setup).
Where to enable/add it
Shopify Checkout editor (add the ReferralCandy block).
Where to customize it
Checkout editor: placement/layout of the block
ReferralCandy Widgets page: the copy/text shown inside the block
Common confusion
If you’re trying to change the Thank you page block text, don’t look in campaign Themes—edit the widget text, then confirm it’s placed correctly in the checkout editor.
Customer referral details extension (Customer Accounts app block)
What it is
An app block in the customer account area that can show an advocate’s referral link, sharing options, and reward details.
Where to enable/add it
Shopify Customer accounts editor (add the “Customer Referral Details Extension” app block).
(Depending on Shopify setup, this may be accessed via customer accounts customization rather than the general theme editor.)
Where to customize it
Shopify editor: display/layout controls (alignment, show/hide certain sections, icon toggles, etc.)
ReferralCandy Widgets page: the widget’s text/templates (headers, descriptions, table labels, etc.)
Common confusion (the one you called out)
Some header/subheader style controls live in Shopify’s block settings, while the actual “words” and templates live in the Widgets page. They work together; one doesn’t replace the other.
Join block (Theme app block)
What it is
A signup form you embed on your storefront so customers can register as advocates.
Where to enable/add it
Shopify Theme editor (Online Store 2.0) — add the Join block as an app block on the page/template you want.
Where to customize it
Theme editor: placement/layout toggles (alignment, show/hide header/offer, etc.)
ReferralCandy Widgets page: text/content of the Join block (header, offer text, field labels, button text, etc.)
Important distinction
The Join block is the embedded storefront widget. The Join Page is a campaign theme page (edited under Themes). They’re related, but they’re not the same thing.
Friend offer popup (App embed)
What it is
A popup that can show the friend offer/coupon after a visitor lands on your store.
Where to enable/add it
Shopify Theme editor > App embeds (enable the Friend Offer Popup embed).
Where to customize it
Mostly via the ReferralCandy Widgets page (popup/widget settings). The theme editor is primarily for enabling the embed.
Note
If you use the popup, make sure it doesn’t conflict with your Friend offer page experience.
Friend offer page (Campaign behavior)
What it is
Controls whether referred friends land on a dedicated Friend offer page when they click a referral link, instead of going straight to your store.
Why this setting is here
The Friend offer page is listed here because Shopify merchants can use the Friend offer popup as a more seamless alternative.
If the Friend offer page is enabled, referred friends are first taken to the dedicated Friend offer page
If it is turned off, merchants can instead send referred friends directly to their store and use the Friend offer popup there
Where to enable/disable it
ReferralCandy Widgets page (Friend offer page toggle)
Where to customize it
ReferralCandy Themes > Customize (Visual Editor), because the Friend offer page is a campaign Theme page
Important distinction
The toggle that turns the Friend offer page on or off is managed in the Widgets page
The actual Friend offer page design and editable page content are managed in Themes / Visual Editor
This is different from newer Shopify widgets such as the Join block, Referral extension, and Customer referral details extension, which are added through Shopify editors and typically use the Widgets page for text/content changes
Important
If you are not using the Friend offer popup, you should usually keep the Friend offer page enabled so referred friends still see the offer before landing on your store.
Regardless of whether this feature is turned on or off, ReferralCandy passes referral details to your Shopify store through the referral link so the friend offer and referral can be recognized correctly.
If you use a headless storefront or another custom setup, those referral details and discount code parameters may not carry through automatically. This can affect discount application and referral tracking.
In these cases, you may need help from your developer to ensure the referral link parameters are preserved and passed correctly through your custom storefront flow.
Cookie consent
What it is
A cookie consent banner to support compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR-style consent prompts).
Where to enable/disable it
ReferralCandy Widgets page (Cookie consent toggle).
Where to customize it
This widget is typically minimal and mostly just enabled/disabled. If your store needs deeper styling/behavior changes, that usually becomes theme/custom-code scope.
Legacy widgets (older Shopify setups / script-based)
Some older widgets were created when Shopify allowed more script-based customization. Some merchants still use them, but they may not show on the Widgets page the same way modern app blocks do.
Referral widget (legacy script storefront widget)
What it is
A script-based widget commonly placed on storefront pages (often the homepage).
Where to enable/add it
Legacy script setup. If it’s not visible in your Widgets page, it may require support assistance.
Where to customize it
If your theme editor still shows “Referral Widget” in older theme dropdowns, you may see text options there—but placement is still legacy-script based.
Post-purchase widget (legacy script checkout widget)
What it is
An older checkout-related widget from the pre-extension era.
Important note
Modern Shopify checkout configurations may restrict script-based checkout customizations, so this widget may not be compatible for many stores.
Where to enable/add it
Legacy setup. If it’s not visible in your Widgets page, it may require support assistance and may not be supported for your checkout configuration.
Quick cheat sheet: “Where do I edit this?”
“I want to change the text, labels, or messages inside a modern Shopify widget” → ReferralCandy Widgets page
“I want to add a widget or extension to Shopify, move it, or change layout/display settings” → Shopify editor (Theme editor, Checkout editor, or Customer Accounts editor, depending on the widget)
“I want to change a campaign page such as the Friend offer page” → ReferralCandy Themes > Customize (Visual Editor)
“I’m using an older Theme/code-based widget such as the Referral Widget or Post-purchase widget” → this is part of the legacy setup, not the modern Shopify widget flow
Widgets FAQ
FAQ: Can I use widgets from multiple campaigns at the same time?
Widgets are campaign-specific if you’re running multiple campaigns. The ability to use widgets simultaneously depends on the widget type:
The referral checkout extension for Shopify can only be active in one campaign at a time.
The friend offer popup app embed for Shopify can be used simultaneously and is specific to the campaign the advocate or affiliate is enrolled in.
You can link the Shopify join block to a maximum of 4 campaigns in your ReferralCandy account.
On the customer referral details page, a Shopify customer enrolled in multiple campaigns can select from the Campaign dropdown to view their referral details in another campaign.
Embedded widgets (such as the embedded signup page and the referral widget) are campaign-specific. This means campaigns don’t share the same embed code and can be used simultaneously. For the referral widget, it’s recommended to use only one per page.
Note: Some widgets require technical expertise to set up.
FAQ: Where are the widgets from the previous dashboard in Shopify admin? Why can’t I see the code snippet on Shopify?
With Shopify 2.0, apps are no longer advised to use script-based widgets. As a result, widgets from the previous ReferralCandy dashboard (such as the embedded signup page, referral widget, and post-purchase popup widget) are no longer shown on the Widgets page in Shopify admin.
For modern Shopify setups, ReferralCandy provides these main alternatives in Shopify admin:
Then keep the bullets, but change them to:
Join block for the embedded signup form use case
Referral extension for the checkout / Thank you page referral prompt use case
That matches the dedicated Join block and Referral extension articles more precisely. The Join block is the modern embedded signup widget, and the Referral extension is the checkout/Thank you-page surface.
If you still need the code snippet for the floating referral widget (or any other legacy/script-based widgets), ask to speak to one of our human support agents. If you’d like us to offer it as a Shopify app block/extension in the future, mention that in your request as well.