Some Steps to Create a Successful Shopify Affiliate Program for Sellers

An affiliate program is online advertising where people (affiliates) promote a company’s products. When someone buys through their link, the affiliate receives a proportionate share of sales. It is a chance for people to earn profit without running a store. Some popular e-commerce platforms such as BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento, and Shopify all offer this opportunity. In this article, we will focus on the Shopify affiliate program.

What is the Shopify affiliate program?

What is an affiliate program?

With Shopify’s affiliate program, anyone can earn profit by sharing products on social media and attracting new customers. You can also promote your Shopify store using websites, blogs, social networks, email marketing, and other methods. When customers click your links and buy from Shopify, you will make money.

When using the affiliate program, you will receive a monthly membership fee. However, Shopify’s commission guidelines may change at any time. If your sales channel achieves high performance, Shopify will also support additional bonuses or incentives from other programs.

Benefits of the Shopify affiliate program

Shopify affiliate program brings many benefits

• Increased traffic and sales: Increased traffic means more opportunities for sales. You should see a noticeable increase in traffic and sales when affiliates market your products to various audiences.
• Cost-effective: Establishing an affiliate program is rather inexpensive, particularly in contrast to alternative marketing approaches. Because you only pay for actual sales, it’s an affordable choice. This performance-based payment plan guarantees that every dollar you spend is worthwhile.
• Scalability: As your customer base gets larger or your marketing strategy becomes more effective, your Shopify store’s revenue will also increase. Then more users will register to use the Shopify platform.
• Expanded reach: Affiliates frequently own well-known platforms of their own, like websites, blogs, and social media accounts. By showcasing Shopify and its advantages to their viewership, they open up a new market for potential clients that might not have known about it otherwise. More customers may visit Shopify merchants as a result of this increased reach.
• Increased visibility: Starting an affiliate program on Shopify means teaming up with others who will showcase your products to their followers. This can really make more people notice your brand online, reach new potential customers, and sell more.
• Reduced risk: In affiliate marketing, you only pay when you see results, which means less financial risk. You are basically using your affiliates’ audiences and platforms, so you don’t need to spend as much money as you would on other types of marketing.
• High conversion rates: Because Shopify is a reliable and well-known e-commerce platform, your affiliate recommendations may convert faster than less well-known brands or services.
• Brand loyalty: Satisfied affiliates can turn into strong supporters of your brand, making your brand look even better and more trustworthy to customers.

How does the Shopify affiliate program work?

The Shopify affiliate program works through a partnership between Shopify and individuals or businesses (affiliates) who promote Shopify’s products and services to their audience. Affiliates sign up for the program and receive unique tracking links or codes that they can share with their followers, typically through websites, blogs, social media platforms, email newsletters, or other marketing channels. 

When someone clicks on an affiliate’s link or uses their code to sign up for Shopify, the affiliate earns a commission on the sale or subscription. The commission structure usually varies based on the type of referral (e.g., new customer sign-up, subscription plan purchased). Sometimes, it may be a one-time payment or recurring commission for ongoing subscriptions. 

Shopify provides affiliates with access to resources, promotional materials, and performance tracking tools to help them maximize their earnings. Overall, the Shopify affiliate program serves as a mutually beneficial partnership, allowing affiliates to monetize their influence and referrals while helping Shopify expand its customer base and reach.

How to Set Up Your Shopify Affiliate Program

To create a successful Shopify affiliate program, you only need to follow these steps below: 

Select the right products and promotions

Choosing the right products and promotions in the Shopify affiliate program is crucial because it ensures that you are promoting items that align with your audience’s interests and needs. 

By choosing products that resonate with your audience, you increase the likelihood of generating sales and earning commissions. Additionally, promoting relevant and high-quality products enhances your credibility and trustworthiness as an affiliate, leading to better long-term relationships with your audience. Here are some additional promotions that you can use for your store:

• For orders over $50, delivery is free. Free shipping is cited by 90% of consumers as the main inducement to make more online purchases.
• Discount for new customers. Give new clients a bonus off of their initial purchase. After that, you can remarket to them via Facebook advertisements and emails. 
• Get greater savings when you buy more. Increase the average order value by holding a scaled discount offer. For instance, set aside 20% for $50 spent, or 25% for $100 spent.

Providing valuable products and promotions to affiliates can boost their sales, ultimately benefiting your business with increased revenue. You have the flexibility to adjust your affiliate program by adding or removing products and refining your brand message if your current strategy isn’t effective.

Decide your affiliate pricing and commission

After choosing the product you want to promote on Shopify affiliate, you need to decide the pricing plan and commission. This is an important step because it directly impacts the attractiveness of your offer to potential affiliates. 

Offering competitive pricing and commission rates incentivizes affiliates to promote your products or services more actively, leading to increased sales and revenue for your store. Moreover, a well-designed pricing and commission strategy ensures that both you and your affiliates are fairly compensated for your efforts, fostering a mutually beneficial partnership.

There are two types of commission rate:

• Percentage commissions. A percentage of each affiliate sale.
• Flat-rate commissions. An amount in dollars per sale.

However, commission rates differ across affiliate programs. Take Amazon, for instance, where commission rates typically fall between 1% and 20%, depending on the products you are promoting. You can decide rates for different categories of products. If you find they are not working well for your business, you can change them. Or, try offering different commission types for various promotions.

Select an affiliate management app

Deciding an affiliate management app for your Shopify affiliate program is important for several reasons. Firstly, it helps streamline the process of managing your affiliates, tracking their performance, and processing commissions efficiently. 

Additionally, an affiliate management app typically provides valuable tools and features such as affiliate tracking, reporting, and communication channels. All of them are essential for building and maintaining strong relationships with your affiliates. Moreover, a dedicated affiliate management app can help you scale your affiliate program effectively as your business grows, ensuring smooth operations and maximizing the potential of your affiliate partnerships.

Look for your affiliates

Finding affiliates in the Shopify affiliate program is crucial for expanding your reach and increasing sales. Affiliates act as partners who promote your products or services to their own audience, tapping into networks that you might not otherwise reach. 

By recruiting affiliates, you can leverage their influence and marketing efforts to drive traffic to your Shopify store, resulting in more potential customers and ultimately more sales. Additionally, having a diverse network of affiliates allows you to target different demographics and niches, maximizing your chances of success.

Looking for affiliates on Instagram

Below is some of the most popular ways people use to look for affiliate:

• Social media: Leverage social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook to find potential affiliates. Look for content creators and micro-influencers who align with your brand and audience.
• Email marketing: Use your email list to promote your affiliate program to subscribers who may be interested in becoming affiliates themselves or know someone who would be a good fit.
• Website: Design a dedicated page on your Shopify store outlining the benefits of joining your affiliate program and how affiliates can sign up. Make it easy for interested parties to apply and provide clear guidelines on your commission structure and promotional materials.
• Affiliate network: Joining affiliate networks like ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, or Rakuten Affiliate Network can connect you with a vast pool of potential affiliates who are actively looking for products to promote.

Monitor affiliates

Monitoring affiliates allows you to track the performance of your affiliates, including the number of clicks, leads, and conversions they generate. This data helps you identify which affiliates are driving the most traffic and sales, enabling you to optimize your partnerships and allocate resources effectively. 

Additionally, monitoring affiliates helps you ensure compliance with your program’s terms and conditions, such as proper use of affiliate links and adherence to brand guidelines. It also allows you to detect and address any potential issues or fraudulent activity promptly. Overall, monitoring affiliates helps you maximize the success of your affiliate program and maintain a positive relationship with your affiliates.

Some of the best Shopify affiliate program apps

You can efficiently manage your affiliate marketing efforts with several Shopify affiliate program apps accessible in the Shopify App Store. Here are a few well-known ones:

Post Affiliate Pro

Post Affiliate Pro on Shopify App Store

Post Affiliate Pro is a comprehensive affiliate marketing solution that supports Shopify integration. It has many sophisticated features, such as:

• Affiliate training materials
• Fraud detection
• Personalized commission structures
• Multi-level marketing
• Boost an easy-to-use UI and many reporting features.

With the platform’s powerful affiliate monitoring features, businesses can precisely monitor the clicks, conversions, and sales their affiliates generate. Tracking technologies like cookies, IP tracking, and custom tracking techniques are used to assign referrals to the right affiliates. 

Post Affiliate Pro pricing plan:

• Post Affiliate Network: $599 /month
• Post Affiliate Pro: $129 /month
• Post Affiliate Ultimate: $249 /month

ReferralCandy

ReferralCandy on Shopify App Store

ReferralCandy is a marketing app for Shopify. It supports email campaigns, performance metrics, affiliate program monitoring, and special occasion offers. This application is also very useful in attracting new customers and promoting other traditional marketing campaigns.

ReferralCandy comes with different features: 

• Set up an affiliate program with its simple interface. 
• Give other promotions such as store credit, discounts, or freedom to choose customers 
• Receive statistics and overview reports on the effectiveness of referral programs through the ReferralCandy application. 
• Provide some metrics such as customer acquisition cost, referral conversion rate, and total return on investment

ReferralCandy pricing plan:

• Premium: Starting at $47.00
• Plus: Starting at $239.00
• Enterprise: contact ReferralCandy

Affiliatly

Another well-liked Shopify affiliate marketing app is Affiliatly. It allows you to perform different features as below:

• Design and oversee your affiliate program
• Monitor sales through affiliates
• Establish commission schedules
• Schedule affiliate payments
• Provide promotional tools and editable affiliate signup forms.

Companies can create unique compensation structures and specify commission amounts for various goods or activities, including clicks, leads, or sales. Affiliatly makes paying affiliates easier by automating commission calculations and reimbursements.

Affiliatly comes with different pricing plans:

• Starter: $16.00/ month
• Advanced: $24.00/ month
• Professional: $39.00/ month
• Pro 1000: $59.00/ month
• Pro 2500: $79.00/ month
• Pro Unlimited: $129.00/ month

Tapfiliate

Tapfiliate on Shopify App Store

Tapfiliate is an affiliate tracking software that helps businesses manage and optimize their affiliate marketing programs. It provides a platform for businesses to create, track, and manage affiliate campaigns, as well as to recruit and communicate with affiliates. Tapfiliate offers features such as:

• Customizable commission structures,
• Affiliate tracking, reporting and analytics
• Payout automation, and integration with popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify. 

Tapfiliate pricing plan:

• Essential: $74/month
• Pro: $124/month
• Enterprise: Custom

UpPromote

UpPromote on Shopify App Store

UpPromote is a referral marketing and affiliate program app designed for Shopify stores. It allows businesses to create and manage referral programs to incentivize existing customers to refer new customers. With UpPromote, merchants can benefit from many features:

• Set up customizable referral campaigns
• Track referral activities
• Offer rewards or discounts to referrers and their friends 
• Analyze the performance of their referral program through analytics and reports. 

UpPromote pricing plan:

• Growth: $29.99/ month
• Professional: $89.99/ month
• Enterprise: $199.99/ month

GoAffPro

GoAffPro on Shopify App Store

GoAffPro is a popular affiliate marketing and referral program app built specifically for Shopify stores. It enables merchants to create, manage, and optimize their affiliate programs effortlessly. The app also offers features such as:

• Affiliate recruitment tools
• Performance analytics
• Integration with various e-commerce platforms and marketing channels

GoAffPro pricing plan:

• Hobby plan: Free
• Premium plan: $29/month
• Business plan: Starts at $99/month

Snowball: Affiliate Marketing

Snowball: Affiliate Marketing on Shopify App Store

Snowball is a Shopify app designed to simplify and streamline affiliate marketing efforts for Shopify store owners. It provides tools for creating, managing, and tracking affiliate programs directly within the Shopify platform. With Snowball, merchants can easily:

• Set up commission structures
• Recruit affiliates
• Provide affiliates with promotional materials
• Track their performance
• Manage payouts

Snowball pricing plan:

• Snow day: $99/month
• Blizzard: $499/month

FAQs

How much does an affiliate program make on Shopify?

Affiliate earnings on Shopify can vary based on factors like program quality, marketing effectiveness, industry, product pricing, and payment structure. The commission structure of the affiliate program determines how much affiliates earn for each sale or referral they generate. Owners of Shopify stores have the ability to customize their compensation rates, which usually vary from a fixed sum per referral to a percentage of the transaction.

Is Shopify affiliate marketing worth it?

Shopify affiliate program’s efficiency depends on many factors, such as goals, available resources, and ability to implement successful marketing plans. This affiliate model will be very useful if you implement these programs effectively and communicate strongly to potential customers. Shopify also offers different levels of commissions, depending on the effectiveness of the affiliate program. Users can receive a fixed income on this platform if they maintain a stable number of visitors.

What products can I promote with the Shopify affiliate program?

Popular products on Shopify platform

Shopify supports advertising a variety of products and services through its affiliate program. Online stores from hundreds of different industries use this e-commerce platform. As an affiliate, you can recommend stores and products that are relevant to different customer audiences.

• Clothing and accessories: Fashion is classified as the largest online sales group and attracts the most customers, especially young people. Instead of choosing the traditional way of going to each store, buying online is much more convenient. Vintage clothing stores, sportswear, and boutique fashion brands are all included in this category.
• Cosmetics: This is an extremely hot item, especially for women. Society is increasingly developing, and the need for beauty also increases accordingly. Understanding this, currently, besides fashion, cosmetics are one of the most commonly used items for online sales.
• Household appliances and decorations: These kinds of products are various and convenient for human life. Products in this field are various, including daily items like dishes, pots, and water bottles to advanced technology such as dishwashers and vacuum cleaners.
• Food and beverages: Shopify also helps promote specialty foods like snacks, tea, coffee, and chocolate brands.
• Toys and games: Shopify also cooperates with stores that sell toys, games, puzzles, and educational products for children and adults. With just a few simple steps on the application, users can easily buy and sell.

These are just some of the popular types of merchandise and products that users can promote through the Shopify affiliate program. Using this platform, you can define product categories for specific customers and thereby increase sales through thousands of Shopify stores spanning every industry.

Is becoming a Shopify affiliate free?

Of course, Shopify’s affiliate program is completely free. Anyone who wants to promote Shopify and make a profit by referring new customers to sign up for Shopify’s affiliate program. Once accepted by Shopify as a partner, you can immediately start sharing Shopify products and services with new customers using your affiliate link.

Joining Shopify’s affiliate program is free, but users must follow its rules and restrictions, including those about advertising, affiliate links, agreements, and payment conditions. You also need to be responsible for costs such as content production, advertising, and website operations.

Conclusion

The article above has provided you with information about Shopify affiliate programs, how to use them, and some of the best apps to practice with. Affiliate programs are a way to make money online easily and effectively. Distributors can register to become advertisers’ partners and receive commissions from sales through their links. This helps them increase their income without investing too much time and money to build their own product or service. It is important that users pay attention to the terms and take responsibility for payment processes and returns.