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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesTo run a creator affiliate program on Shopify, you use Shopify Collabs. In Shopify admin, go to Apps > Collabs > Programs, then choose one of two structures. Open access lets eligible Collabs creators share your affiliate links without waiting for individual approval. An invite program lets you select each creator yourself. Either way, you set a commission percentage, and an invite program also needs a customer discount.
This guide walks through both structures, the decisions to settle before you activate anything, how to track referrals, and the eligibility limits Shopify currently documents. It also separates your creator program from Shopify’s own Affiliate Program, which pays publishers for referring new merchants to Shopify. The two are unrelated.
Choose between open access and an invite program
Both structures run inside Collabs, so the setup screens are the same place. The difference is who gets to start promoting your products. Shopify’s Help Center describes open access as a way to let “any eligible Collabs creator promote your products using the affiliate links that you provide, which can help drive sales at a low cost.” (Shopify Help Center, “Setting up and managing Collabs programs”, checked 8 October 2026.)
| Factor | Open access | Invite program |
|---|---|---|
| Creator vetting | No individual merchant approval; eligible creators can share your links | You choose each creator and send an invitation by email |
| Recruitment speed | Once active, eligible creators can start promoting without waiting for you to approve them | Depends on how many creators you invite and how quickly they accept; Shopify does not state a typical timeline |
| Breadth of participation | Any eligible Collabs creator | Only creators you add |
| Control over who receives an offer | Limited to your program terms (commission and any collection rates); you do not pick individuals | Full control: you decide who receives a link and discount code |
| Fields you configure | Commission percentage; optional collections and a rate for each collection | Program name, link destination, URL parameters, customer discount, commission percentage |
Open access: broad, fast to launch, less vetting
Open access suits a merchant who wants visibility across many creators and is comfortable with a standard offer. Because you do not approve individuals, the commission structure does most of the work of controlling cost. Open access also lets you apply different rates to different collections, so a high-margin range can carry a higher commission than a clearance range.
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Invite program: curated, controlled, more setup per creator
An invite program suits a merchant who wants to choose partners, such as creators whose audience matches the product, or who wants a specific customer discount for a particular creator community. The cost is effort: each creator needs an invitation, and you review each link and code before it goes out.
Set up an open-access program
Use this route when you want any eligible creator to be able to promote your products with the links you provide.
- In Shopify admin, go to Apps > Collabs > Programs. If Collabs does not appear under Apps, install it first from the Shopify Collabs listing in the Shopify App Store.
- Activate open access.
- Set the commission percentage that applies to your products.
- Optionally, select specific collections and set a separate commission rate for each one.
- Review the program profile, then activate it.
Expected result: the program is live, and eligible Collabs creators can share your affiliate links without individual merchant approval. Confirm the commission on each collection before you activate, because changing rates later affects only future attributed sales.
Set up an invite program
Use this route when you want to choose who receives an offer.
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- In Shopify admin, go to Apps > Collabs > Programs and create an invite program.
- Enter the program name. Use a name you will recognise in reports, since you will later move creators between programs.
- Enter the link destination, the page shoppers land on when they follow a creator’s link.
- Enter the URL parameters for the link. Keep them consistent across programs so you can compare results.
- Set the customer discount that shoppers receive when they use the creator’s code.
- Set the commission percentage the creator earns on attributed sales.
- Add existing connections, or invite creators by email.
- Review each creator’s link and discount code before you send the offer.
Expected result: each invited creator receives an offer that includes a link and a code tied to your program’s terms.
Decide your commission and customer discount
Shopify’s setup documentation supplies fields, not a recommended commission rate. There is no official benchmark, so treat the commission as a business decision based on your own numbers. Shopify’s Collabs terms make the same point: “The terms and conditions of any Merchant’s affiliate marketing program (each referred to herein as a “Program”) will be determined by such Merchant or, if a Merchant approves a Creator to participate in the Merchant’s Program, Merchant and Creator may separately enter into an agreement on such terms and conditions as may be agreed to between them.” (Shopify Collabs Terms of Service, checked 8 October 2026.)
Before you set any number, work through these questions:
- Gross margin per order: how much you keep from a typical order before any discount or commission.
- Customer discount cost: the money you give up on every attributed order, paid for by you rather than by the creator.
- Commission percentage: what the creator earns on each attributed sale.
- Combined effect: the discount and the commission both come out of the same margin, so check that the order is still profitable after both.
- Low-margin products: if a collection is thin on margin, give it a lower rate under open access rather than applying one rate across the store.
Refunds and cancellations also change what you pay out, so a high commission on a product with frequent returns can cost more than the rate suggests.
Move a creator between programs
A creator can belong to only one of your programs at a time. If you move a creator from one program to another, they keep the same affiliate link and discount code. The new program’s commission and customer discount then apply to future sales. Tell the creator when you change terms, because their earnings per sale will change even though their link stays the same.
Monitor referrals and commissions
Collabs reports visits, sales, and conversion-related data for your programs. Attribution works through two routes: the creator’s affiliate link or their discount code. A sale that uses neither will not be attributed to the creator.
- Creator says a sale is missing: check whether the customer used the creator’s link or code. A sale made after following a link but using a different code may depend on which attribution route applies in your report.
- Commission looks too high: check for refunds and cancellations on attributed orders, since these affect commission outcomes.
- Traffic without sales: compare the conversion data for each creator against the program’s link destination to see whether the page or the offer is the problem.
Check the access limits before you launch
Two current Shopify statements affect who can join, and they describe different routes. Read them separately.
- Creator eligibility: Shopify’s official Collabs sources state that open access is available to merchants, while only creators in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada are currently eligible for it.
- New creator signups: Shopify’s creator payment page states that Collabs is not accepting new creator signups at this time. Merchants can still send direct invites and accept creator applications.
In practice, a merchant outside those three countries should expect open access to reach fewer creators, and a merchant who wants new creators to join should use invitations or applications rather than assuming open signups are available. Shopify’s Help Center and Collabs terms can change, so check them on the day you activate a program.
Shopify’s Affiliate Program is a separate program
Shopify’s own Affiliate Program is for publishers who refer prospective merchants to Shopify. It is not a way to recruit affiliates for your store’s products, and it does not use your Collabs programs.
Shopify’s eligibility guidance lists an active website, an established audience, original content, and relevant commerce or entrepreneurship experience. Its program page says qualifying referrals can earn commission when a new merchant buys a full-priced plan through the affiliate link. Check the live terms at Shopify Affiliate Program and About the Shopify Affiliate Program before you add any tracked link. For background on how affiliate marketing works, Shopify’s Affiliate Marketing: How It Works in 2026 article is a general overview, not a setup guide.
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