Gather: Refer a Friend vs Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGOfor Shopify (2026)
Gather: Refer a Friend and Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGO both aim to boost sales for Shopify merchants but employ distinctly different strategies. Gather focuses on leveraging existing customers through referral programs, offering features for automated and personalized referral experiences with rewards and tiered systems. This app caters to merchants seeking to build a customer-to-customer acquisition channel. Kite, on the other hand, centers around direct discounts and promotional offers like free gifts, BOGO deals, and tiered discounts, designed to incentivize immediate purchases and increase average order value. Kite emphasizes creating urgency and value through various discount structures and progress bars, appealing to merchants looking for immediate sales boosts and easier customer acquisition. While both fall under the 'Promotions - Other' category, Gather provides a long-term customer acquisition solution while Kite offers short-term sales driven solutions. The significant difference in review count suggests Kite enjoys broader usage and potentially more robust features for general sales promotions, while Gather carves out a niche in the referral marketing space.
At a Glance
Gather: Refer a Friend
14 reviews
Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGO
423 reviews
Detailed Overview
Gather: Refer a Friend
Gather activates your customer to customer referral channel, with automation and personalisation.
Key Features
- Sales growth, newsletter growth or lead-gen with referrals.
- Invitations, including: email with contact search, social media and messaging.
- Deploy reward tiers / milestones. Provide One-sided or two-sided rewards.
- Enrol members in a post-purchase CTA sidebar and directly from Klaviyo.
- Design emails with a drag-and-drop editor. Design the embedded dashboard.
Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGO
Boost sales with automatic discounts, free gift with purchase, progress bars, tiered discount, BXGY
Key Features
- Offer manual/auto add to cart free gift with purchase on cart subtotal, quantity
- Run BOGO like buy 2 get 1 free, tiered discounts & volume discounts offers
- Use goal based progress bar, free shipping bar widgets to motivate customers
- Run combined discounts under single manual & automatic discount codes for BFCM
- Replace Shopify Script Editor with custom discount functions & multiple widgets
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Rating Gather: Refer a Friend5/5 Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGO5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 14 | 423 |
Reviews Gather: Refer a Friend14 Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGO423 | ||
| Primary Strategy | Referral Marketing | Direct Discounts & Promotions |
Primary Strategy Gather: Refer a FriendReferral Marketing Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGODirect Discounts & Promotions | ||
| Key Feature 1 | Tiered Reward System | Free Gift with Purchase (Manual/Auto) |
Key Feature 1 Gather: Refer a FriendTiered Reward System Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGOFree Gift with Purchase (Manual/Auto) | ||
| Key Feature 2 | Drag-and-Drop Email Editor | BOGO Offers (Buy X Get Y) |
Key Feature 2 Gather: Refer a FriendDrag-and-Drop Email Editor Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGOBOGO Offers (Buy X Get Y) | ||
| Target Merchant | Focus on Customer Acquisition | Immediate Sales Boost |
Target Merchant Gather: Refer a FriendFocus on Customer Acquisition Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGOImmediate Sales Boost | ||
| Ease of Use (Inferred) | Likely Moderate (Customization focused) | Likely Easy (Broad functionality) |
Ease of Use (Inferred) Gather: Refer a FriendLikely Moderate (Customization focused) Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGOLikely Easy (Broad functionality) | ||
| Value Proposition | Sustainable customer growth through referrals | Increased average order value and conversion rate |
Value Proposition Gather: Refer a FriendSustainable customer growth through referrals Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGOIncreased average order value and conversion rate | ||
Our Verdict
For merchants prioritizing building a sustainable customer acquisition channel and leveraging their existing customer base, Gather: Refer a Friend is the better choice. Its focus on referral marketing, tiered rewards, and customizable design allows for a personalized referral experience. However, for merchants primarily seeking immediate sales boosts through discounts, free gifts, and BOGO offers, Kite Discount, Free Gift, BOGO is more suitable. Its broader feature set and significantly higher review count suggest a more established and versatile solution for direct promotions. Given its number of reviews, Kite is likely to be easier to implement and use for basic promotional campaigns. Ultimately, the optimal choice depends on the merchant's specific marketing objectives and resource allocation.
Common Questions
Which app is easier to set up?
Based on the available data, it's difficult to definitively say which is easier. However, Kite's higher number of reviews suggests a more user-friendly experience and easier access to community support, which likely translates to a simpler setup process for common promotional strategies.
Which app is better for long-term growth?
Gather: Refer a Friend is explicitly designed for long-term growth by turning existing customers into brand advocates and acquisition channels. Kite is oriented towards driving short-term sales increases through promotions, making Gather the more suitable option for sustained growth.
Can both apps be used together?
Potentially, but careful planning is required. Kite could be used to drive initial sales and customer acquisition, then Gather could be used to incentivize those new customers to refer others. However, excessive promotions can dilute brand value, so merchants must balance these strategies.
Which app is more customizable?
Gather appears to offer more customization options, specifically highlighting a drag-and-drop email editor and embedded dashboard design capabilities. Kite focuses on flexibility in discount rules and conditions, not necessarily front-end design customization.
Which app has better customer support?
The review counts offer clues: Kite, with significantly more reviews, likely has a larger user base and consequently, more readily available community support and documentation. However, specific support channels (e.g., live chat, email) and response times are not available from the provided data.
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