Case Study: Xentral achieves ~60% referral ARR growth with Cello

Xentral grows referral ARR ~60% with Cello

Xentral, a cloud-based ERP platform for SMBs, faced the challenge of building a sustainable and high-performing referral program without being overly promotional. Their goal was to identify the right moments and incentives to encourage sharing among their users. To achieve this, they partnered with the vendor Cello to implement a strategic referral program.

Cello provided the infrastructure for a solution that included a compelling two-sided cash incentive and strategically placed in-product prompts at moments of user delight. This approach, which required no development effort from Xentral, led to a significant 60% growth in referral annual recurring revenue between February 2025 and April 2026. As a result, the program became one of Xentral's lowest-cost customer acquisition channels with a high lifetime value to CAC ratio, making referrals a core pillar of their growth strategy.

Xentral