Mailchimp setup

Mailchimp (email campaigns)

Map referral fields once, then every campaign uses a unique referral link per ambassador.

Open dashboard

Step 1 - Import ambassadors + create fields

Import your ambassador CSV and create custom audience fields for referral tracking.

Refer Labs Dashboard → Step 2 → Export ambassadors (CSV).
Mailchimp → Audience → All contacts → Import contacts.
When prompted, create/map new fields for the referral data.

Recommended Audience fields

REFCODE, REFLINK, DISCOUNT

You can name fields anything; just keep a consistent mapping. The most important one is the referral link field.

Step 2 - Add merge tags to emails

Put the referral link field in your primary CTA button (URL). Refer Labs logs visits and ties conversions back to the ambassador.

Example merge tags (Mailchimp)

Hi *|FNAME|*,

Share your link:
*|REFLINK|*

Button URL:
*|REFLINK|*

Replace REFLINK with the merge tag for your chosen field if you named it differently.

Optional - Post conversions via webhook

If you redeem discount codes in a system that isn’t Shopify/Stripe, post the conversion to Refer Labs from your server/automation tool.

Webhook format

POST https://referlabs.com.au/api/discount-codes/redeem
Headers:
  Content-Type: application/json
  x-pepf-discount-secret: <YOUR_SECRET>
Body:
{
  "discountCode": "CODE_FROM_ORDER",
  "orderReference": "ORDER-12345",
  "amount": "199.00",
  "metadata": { "platform": "mailchimp" }
}

Get the secret from Refer Labs Dashboard → Program Settings. Keep it private.

Common troubleshooting

Merge tag shows blank: confirm the field exists on the contact record and was mapped during import.
Link goes to the wrong place: the CTA URL should be the ambassador’s Refer Labs link.
Conversions not attributed: ensure the checkout posts discount code redemption to Refer Labs.

Use the Status page to verify integrations + configuration.

Testing checkpoints (do these in order)

Import ambassadors and confirm at least one contact has your referral link field populated.
Send yourself a test email and verify the CTA button URL is personalized.
Click the link in an incognito window and confirm the referral page loads.
Submit the referral form and confirm the signup appears in Refer Labs (Journey timeline).
Trigger a conversion (discount code redemption) and confirm it attributes correctly.