Abstract
Digital marketing has transformed referral marketing, revealing limitations in traditional centralized systems such as trust, transparency, and efficiency, however, the potential advantages of decentralized systems remain underexplored. This paper investigates the feasibility of a high-volume, decentralized referral system. The approach assesses smart contract prototypes for cost-effectiveness and performance in high-user engagement scenarios in different EVM-compatible blockchains and referral strategies, such as multilevel referrals. Findings confirm the technical viability as a blueprint for designing and implementing similar systems, highlighting challenges in real-world deployments, such as Sybil attacks, and the interplay between technical and economical design factors.