If you’ve been searching for a referral marketing platform for your ecommerce brand, there’s a good chance you’ve come across Mention Me.
Used by brands like Charlotte Tilbury, Bloom & Wild and Pret, Mention Me has become one of the biggest names in ecommerce referral tech. But is it the right fit for your business?
In this article, we break down the real pros and cons of using Mention Me – based on our hands-on experience implementing it for clients across Shopify, Magento and WooCommerce.
Let’s dive in.
Table of Contents for The Pros and Cons of Using Mention Me for Referral Marketing
The Pros of Mention Me
1. Split-Person Referral Tech
Mention Me pioneered the “name sharing” model — where customers can refer friends without needing to copy links. Instead, they just mention the referrer’s name at checkout.
Great for word-of-mouth style brands
Makes the referral process feel more natural and human
It’s clever – and can outperform traditional referral link mechanics in the right verticals.
2. Multi-Channel Integration
Mention Me integrates with your key ecommerce touchpoints:
- Checkout
- Post-purchase emails
- Account area
- Pop-ups and overlays
- Paid media (via UTM tagging)
This means you can stitch referral into your full retention strategy and measure ROI across channels.
3. Advanced A/B Testing
Mention Me’s biggest strength (in our opinion) is its in-built A/B testing framework for referral offers. You can test:
- Offer amounts (e.g. £10 vs 15%)
- Split incentives (e.g. reward both referrer and friend vs just one)
- Visual creatives and placements
We’ve seen brands improve referral participation rates by over 30% just by testing wording and reward types.
4. Fraud Prevention Built In
Referral fraud is real – especially for high-value incentives.
Mention Me’s fraud engine tracks IP addresses, cookie manipulation, self-referrals and suspicious activity. It can auto-block or flag misuse, helping protect your margins.
5. Strong Client Success & Strategy Support
Mention Me doesn’t just sell you software – they offer strategic support to help grow your referral performance over time. This includes:
- Quarterly reviews
- Data-led insights
- Benchmarks by industry
It’s ideal for scaling DTC brands who want a partner, not just a platform.
The Cons of Mention Me
1. Pricing Isn’t Cheap
Mention Me is geared towards growth-stage or established brands. Expect enterprise pricing – often tied to performance or monthly order volume.
❌ Not ideal for early-stage startups or bootstrapped brands
If you’re not generating at least 500+ orders/month, the ROI may be hard to justify initially.
2. Implementation Can Take Time
While Mention Me offers plugins for some platforms, the best-performing setups usually require custom integration.
This could involve:
- Developer input for checkout hooks
- Custom pop-ups or overlays
- Event tracking for GA4 or your analytics stack
It’s not as plug-and-play as some competitors like ReferralCandy or Smile.io.
3. Limited Customisation for Small Teams
The platform is robust, but some advanced features may require developer support to customise.
Smaller teams without in-house devs or agencies might find certain features under-utilised.
4. Not a Full Loyalty Platform
To be clear – Mention Me focuses solely on referral. If you want point-based loyalty programmes or VIP tiers, you’ll need to pair it with something like LoyaltyLion or Smile.io.
That’s not necessarily a downside – but something to keep in mind.
Real-World Results from Clients
Here are anonymised performance lifts we’ve seen from clients using Mention Me:
- Premium food brand: 24% of new customers came via referrals within 3 months of launch
- Mid-size fashion brand: CAC for referral-acquired customers was 38% lower than paid channels
- Beauty brand: 18% higher AOV from referred customers vs non-referred
It works – when executed properly.
Alternatives to Consider
If Mention Me isn’t quite right, here are a few alternatives worth considering:
- ReferralCandy – Easier setup, more SME-friendly
- Friendbuy – Great for A/B testing and landing pages
- Talkable – Enterprise-focused, more US-centric
Each has strengths depending on your platform, budget and marketing goals.
Final Thought on The Pros and Cons of Mention Me
Mention Me is a powerful platform for ecommerce brands that are ready to invest in customer-led growth.
It’s best for:
- DTC brands with happy, loyal customers
- Marketing teams ready to test and optimise
- Stores doing at least 500+ orders/month
If that sounds like you? It’s one of the best tools available.
Want help implementing Mention Me, integrating it into your email flows, and tracking results? Explore our Referral Marketing Consultancy
Or book a free discovery call – we’ll help you decide if it’s the right fit









0 Comments