🚀 How to Create an Affiliate Program in Shopify Using Shortly

Welcome to the Shortly App! This guide will walk you through setting up your affiliate program inside your Shopify store — step-by-step.

✅ Step-by-Step: Create an Affiliate Program

1. Open the Shortly App

From your Shopify Admin, go to:

2. Go to “Affiliate Programs”

Click on the Affiliate Programs tab in the sidebar.

3. Click “Create Program”

🔧 Program Settings

Customize your affiliate program to suit your brand and goals:

• Manual Approval (optional): Require approval before influencers join.
  
  
• Program Name & Description: Add a title and optional description.
  

Commission Rules

• Commission Type: Choose between:
• Percentage of order total
• Fixed dollar amount

• Influencer Commission

• Commission Based On
  This setting controls what part of the order total is used to calculate the influencer’s commission.
  Here are the available options:

1. Order Price (Product Price + Shipping Cost + Tax)

• Commission is calculated on the entire order amount.
• Includes:
• Product subtotal
• Shipping fees
• Taxes (e.g. VAT, sales tax)

Example:

• Product: $100
• Shipping: $10
• Tax: $5
• Commission Base = $115
• If 15% commission → influencer earns $17.25

✅ Use this if you want to reward influencers for driving full-order value, not just product sales.

2. Product Price Only

• Commission is based only on the product subtotal (no shipping or tax).
  
• Example:
• Product: $100
• Shipping: $10
• Tax: $5
  
• Commission Base = $100

• 15% → influencer earns $15

✅ This is the most common and safest option, especially if shipping and taxes vary widely.

3. Product Price With Shipping Cost

• Includes product subtotal + shipping, but excludes tax.
  
• Example:
• Product: $100
• Shipping: $10
• Tax: $5

• Commission Base = $110

• 15% → influencer earns $16.50

✅ Use this if you want to give influencers credit for handling fees but not taxes.

4. Product Price With Tax

• Includes product subtotal + tax, but excludes shipping.
  
• Example:
• Product: $100
• Shipping: $10
• Tax: $5
• Commission Base = $105
• 15% → influencer earns $15.75

✅ Useful if your product prices vary by region due to tax.

Permissions

• Traffic Insight: Shows number of clicks and visitors from the influencer's links.
• View Referral Orders: Lets influencers see all the orders they referred.
• Create Links / Edit Links: Allows influencers to create and manage their own referral links.
• Gross Revenue: Total value of referred sales (before refunds or deductions).
• Net Revenue: Final revenue after refunds, discounts, etc.
• Refund Report: Shows which referred orders were refunded.
• Commission Report: Displays total commission earned and payout status.
  
  

Affiliate Program Discount

This setting determines how the discount is applied to a customer’s order when they use an affiliate’s link or code.

You can choose between:

1. Percentage Discount

• Applies a percentage off the total product price (before or after tax, depending on your store setup).

🎯 Best for:

• Flexible campaigns
• Stores with variable pricing
• Encouraging larger orders (scales with cart size)

2. Fixed Discount (Dollar Amount)

• Gives a flat amount off the order total, regardless of how much is purchased.

🎯 Best for:

• Single-product offers
• Small ticket items
• Budget-friendly, fixed promotions

Click Create to finalize your program.

🔗 Share Your Signup Link

After creating your program:

• Copy and share your signup link with influencers.
• Add it to your website footer, landing page, or email campaigns.

✉️ Invite Influencers Manually

1. Go to the Influencers section.
2. Click Invite Influencer.
   
   
3. Enter their info → Click Save → An invite email will be sent automatically.

👤 Influencer Experience

Here’s what influencers see when you invite them:

1. Receive an email → Click Accept Invitation
   
2. Complete the signup process
   
   
3. Access their Affiliate Dashboard
   

From here, they can:

• 📈 Track clicks, orders, and commissions
• 🔗 Manage or export affiliate links
• 🛒 View order history

🏁 That’s it!

Your affiliate program is now ready to grow your sales — powered by influencers, creators, or your best customers.

Updated on: 29/03/2025