Referral Redesign for Qonto Bank User Base Growth

Qonto helps entrepreneurs make payments, manage expenses, and handle bookkeeping. We revamped the existing referral program — a system that motivates current customers to recommend the product for a reward. It will help to grow the audience for a lower customer acquisition cost.
  • Research

  • User Interviews

  • Competitors

  • Success Metrics

Project Overview

Problem: The referral program was outdated and underperforming, with only 3% of users visiting the page due to poor visibility, unclear value, and ineffective design.

Solution: We increased awareness and reduced drop-offs by improving the UX, redefining the referral tab placement, and introducing timely reminders at key “happy touch points” when users were most likely to recommend Qonto.

Result: The number of organizations unlocking the reward increased by 17%, while keeping fraud rates below 5%.

Process Timeline

Team involved: Product Manager, Product Designer, Copywriter, PMM

Research & Explorations

In a group brainstorming session, we defined the referral program’s strategy, centering on clear goals, audience insights, and measurable outcomes to drive engagement and reduce churn.

Current Situation

The referral page is located in the settings where the link can be shared directly or via email. The link leads to the promo page where referees can start registration.

Competitors Analysis

The teardown of other companies’ referral solution helped us to understand what decisions they made to solve this problem and what improvements can be made by us.

User Preferences

We conducted a couple of interviews with relevant users.
User Persona:
  • Qonto customers who referred >4 contacts.
  • Customers who have recently been referred to Qonto

User Flow

Mapping out user flow helps identify and optimize how users interact with a product, ensuring a seamless and efficient experience.

Wireframing

We created wirefranes to explore different ideas without committing to any visual aspects and focus on the flow & user experience.

Design Proposals

During the visual design phase, we discovered possible solutions and strived to find a perfect layout and style for the referral page.

Experiment

The referral tab was repositioned to the top of the menu to boost visibility, with an A/B test implemented to evaluate its impact.

Happy Touch Points

Once users accomplished a significant flow we trigger the drawer to remind them about the referral program, assuming they are in a good mood to recommend us to their contacts.

Desktop Version

The referral page is accessible via the main menu on the web, while the referrals history leverages the familiar side panel pattern used throughout the app.

The Main Menu

The referral tab was moved to the first level of the menu to increase awareness. It is placed near the Settings tab as it’s unrelated to the main features.

Success Analysis

The referral program redesign delivered impactful results:

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