· 15 min read

What Is The Shopify Partner Program? The Only Guide You Need

The Shopify Partner Program aims to provide assistance to more than 1.000.000 Shopify powered merchants worldwide from within, via Shopify merchants.

As Shopify is one of the world's most popular e-commerce site builders, mainly thanks to its simplicity of use, it is now surprise that more and more store owners want to become a Shopify Partner now.

How? Let's dive in!

About The Shopify Partner Program

The Shopify Partner Program is a network of designers, developers, and marketers that utilize their expertise to assist Shopify merchants in setting up and growing their companies.

So, if you are

  • Freelancer
  • Marketer
  • Photographer
  • Developer
  • Designer
  • Influencer

You may consider joining the Shopify Partner Program, which will allow you to create a passive revenue stream for yourself.

Shopify partners are basically users of the Shopify Partner Program - a diverse group of experts. They are merchants that have agreed to terms with Shopify to assist business owners in increasing the success of their Shopify stores.

Benefits of The Shopify Partner Program

Online retailers will profit from being a member of the Shopify Partner Program in many ways.

Enrolling in the Shopify Partner Program might be an excellent opportunity for growth, whether you're a well-established firm or an individual looking to expand your skills and client base. Various benefits will attract potential partners.

When you become a Shopify Partner, you will be given an affiliate link. You will be compensated if a Shopify merchant purchases a premium membership program through your affiliate link. This is by far one of the most significant advantages of being a Shopify Partner.

Furthermore, Shopify's unique content is available to partners.

You will have discounts on numerous items available to merchants in the Shopify Partner Program. You can use these items to develop your business, design your products and even manage your projects.

Partners can also access benefits such as:

  • How-to articles
  • Live chat
  • The Shopify Academy
  • Extensive training courses
  • Certification exams
  • Priority support system
  • Multiple revenue streams
  • Shopify referral commission
  • Affiliate tools for insights

How to Become a Shopify Partner

If you want to establish a side hustle to produce passive income, the Shopify Partner Program is a good solution. However, you will need to invest a little time and effort to make it succeed for you.

If you are wondering about the steps to becoming a Shopify Partner, keep reading.

1- Join The Shopify Partner Program

To begin, navigate to the Shopify Partner Program website. There should be an empty bar directly next to the Join Now button. Fill up your email address and click the Join button.

Shopify Partners landing page screenshot featuring Shopify Plus Partner Koji Jimba

You will then be asked to complete a form and enter your password.

Once your password has been validated, click the Create Shopify ID button and wait for your email to be verified.

Creating a Shopify ID Page screenshot including email, first name, last name and password boxes

2. Confirm Your Email Address

Shopify Partners Confirmation Email screenshot including a welcome message and Confirm Email button

After confirming your email address, you will be redirected to the Shopify website. Under Where do you want to go?, go to Shopify Partners.

Welcome to Shopify Page screenshot directing to Store, Shopify Partners, Shopify Learn, Shopify Community and similar tabs

Then click + Create new partner account.

If you already have a Shopify account, you can skip this step and sign in using your email address to Shopify Partners. You will be sent to the process of creating a partner program account.

3. Create Your Partners Account

Once you've logged in, you'll need to fill out the forms with information about your company or agency.

Shopify Partners Account Information Page Screenshot including business name, primary business email address and other information boxes

When you're finished, ensure you've read and agreed to the Partner Program Agreement, and then click View your dashboard.

4. Discover Your Partner Dashboard

That's it! From now on, you may apply for the several Shopify Partner programs listed in the Welcome to the Shopify Partner Program part.

Using the Partner Dashboard, you can keep track of the following information:

  • Stores that you create or manage for your clients.
  • Revenue, installations, and other statistics for your published applications, payment gateways, or themes.
  • Account permissions for the development teams with which you collaborate.

5. Get Started

The simplest approach to getting started as a Shopify Partner is to set up a development store and see what it can achieve. A development shop is a free Shopify account that has all of the advanced plan's capabilities as well as part of the Shopify Plus Plan's features.

A development shop may be used to

  • test applications or themes you're working on
  • put up a store for a client

This allows you to become acquainted with how your clients use Shopify as well as what you can accomplish as a Shopify Partner.

What to Do If Not Accepted?

If you're not accepted into the program right away, don't give up! Instead, use the different free training resources available to you to broaden or develop your skill set.

In the Partner Academy tab (under Education), you can go through some free training programs. You may acquire new skills, receive certifications, and discover how to expand your business online here.

Shopify Partner Academy is a training and certification program available only to Shopify Partners. Courses in the program will help you learn more about the Shopify platform and expand your business as a Shopify Partner.

You can begin claiming your many Partner Perks under the same section, such as 2 months free access to FreshBooks, 3 months free access to Help Scout, free trials, books, design tools, and more.

Under the Education tab, you can also visit the Partners Town Hall page to get the latest e-commerce marketing tips and ideas from Shopify pros.

How Much Do Shopify Partners Earn?

You earn money as a Shopify Partner depending on your contributions and your activities, and the Partner program that you join. Your profits may vary depending on your location and the location of the businesses with whom you operate.

shopify partners homepage with the headline on the left with an email box underneath, and a woman caressing her hair wearing a grey shirt looking away on the rigt

There are 3 ways to receive recurring monthly revenue via Shopify Partner Program:

  • Refer new merchants to Shopify.
  • Create e-commerce themes and distribute them through the Shopify Theme Store.
  • Make Shopify applications and place them in the Shopify App Store.

If you contribute to Shopify Apps, you earn 80% of all income from one-time sales or recurring subscription payments, as well as all software purchases or upgrades made through the Shopify App Store.

If you sign up for the new revenue plan, you will get 100% of the entire income from the one-time sale price or recurring subscription fees, as well as all software purchases or upgrades done through the Shopify App Store for the first $1,000,000 USD. You get 85% off your entire earnings if your revenue exceeds $1,000,000 USD.

If your expertise is in Shopify Themes, you earn 100% of the total revenue from themes sold through the Shopify Theme Store on the first 1,000,000 USD. On revenue over 1,000,000 USD, you earn 85% of the total revenue.

If you develop a store for a Shopify merchant, you earn a recurring commission equal to 20% of the merchant's monthly subscription fee.

If you are an influencer, refer your audience to Shopify and receive a bounty for each one that uses your unique affiliate link.

Note that your earnings may be taxed based on your location and the applicable tax legislation.

Shopify Partner taxing information image with a man and a woman illustration including a calculator, notebook and coins

These taxes differ depending on your region, the type of Partner activity, and the tax information you enter into your Partner account settings.

Also See: Does Shopify Take a Percentage of Sales?

How to Get Help As a Shopify Partner?

There are several methods for asking questions and receiving answers as a Shopify Partner:

  • Most problems may be answered by the Shopify Help Center. Type your issue into the search field to access resources to assist you with everything from technical issues to navigating your dashboard. There are materials available to assist you in learning about Shopify, creating a theme, or getting started with Shopify's APIs.
shopify help center homepage with shopify logo on the upper left corner and search the documentation box in the center and a green login button on the upper right corner
  • You have access to Shopify Partner Support as a Shopify Partner. Partner Support can assist you in navigating our Partner programs, resolving client difficulties, and growing your Partner company.
  • You may ask about your issue in the Shopify Community forums and receive assistance and guidance.

What is The Shopify Plus Partner Program?

The Shopify Plus Partner Program helps Shopify merchants expand their companies by providing world-class services and solutions. The program is open to Shopify Partners, who fulfill the advanced standards of Shopify Plus merchants in terms of product quality, service, performance, privacy, and support.

Shopify often collaborates with the following organizations in this program:

  • Design and development firms
  • Digital marketing firms
  • Integrators of systems
  • Business consultants

Shopify Plus Partner Program partners offer a wide range of end-to-end business solutions to Shopify retailers, including:

  • Custom website design
  • Switching from another platform
  • Marketing, branding, and long-term planning
  • Design and user experience
  • Integration of systems and applications
  • Business resource planning
  • Solutions for digital marketing
  • Consultation and business planning

As part of the program, Shopify Plus Partners enjoy the following benefits:

  • Exclusive Shopify Plus Education, training, and enablement tools
  • The ability to participate in Shopify Plus sales opportunities
  • The ability to participate in Shopify Plus marketing activities
  • Earning an enhanced commission for Partner Program activities
  • Support from an industry-leading group of agencies and commerce technology suppliers to help you succeed
  • You will have access to a private Shopify Plus Partner chat group.
  • Shopify Plus Partner status and public acknowledgment

In order to be eligible for Shopify Plus Partner Program, your company should:

  • Have a track record of success working with high-growth enterprise retailers.
  • Be regarded as a commerce thinking leader and is recognized in the public market as such.
  • Possess the technological competence and commerce experience required to create world-class Shopify Plus solutions.
  • Be able to deliver full-service solutions and has the resources to handle several complicated solutions.
  • Already have a portfolio of enterprise merchants with a demonstrated track record of performance.

However, acceptance into the Shopify Plus Partner Program is not always guaranteed, even if you meet these requirements.

Who Are Shopify Experts?

A Shopify Expert is whole another thing. It's another Shopify program that is exclusively available to people who have prior expertise with the site.

When you have worked with a large number of clients through the Shopify Partner network, you may leverage those experiences to create an application and submit it to Shopify for approval.

You can be a Shopify Expert if you match the following requirements:

  • You have a Shopify Partner account
  • You have demonstrated expertise in creating and developing at least five Shopify stores.
  • The Shopify logo or banner, as well as your affiliate link, appear on the landing page of your company's website.
Shopify experts homepage with a group of people, men and women below, and a headline in the center with a create a job button in the middle

It is not as simple as it sounds to become a Shopify Expert. You'll have to work hard to establish yourself in the Shopify Community. For this:

  • Regularly participate in Shopify Community forum conversations. Be careful to make useful comments or ask questions that others might benefit from.
  • Create valuable instructional material for your personal website or blog, as well as third-party websites or blogs. This will assist not only your business but also other Experts, Partners, and merchants, allowing you to create trust with potential clients and establish a reputation as an authority in your sector.
  • Meet with clients and observe the competition. You may also attend Shopify Meetups to network with other Partners and meet possible leads.
  • Keep on learning. The greater your number of certificates, the better. This will not only gain your confidence from prospective clients, but it will also earn you respect from your fellow Shopifiers.

You can always go to Shopify Partners Blog to see lots of tricks and ideas about becoming a Shopify Expert by checking out numerous articles.

Bonus

  • Don't forget to integrate Shopify Partner branding into your website. You may inform your customers that you are a Shopify Partner. Add Shopify branding to your website to demonstrate your association while also building confidence and trust with potential customers.
  • Refresh your portfolio. As a Shopify Partner, having an up-to-date, exceptional portfolio to share with clients is really beneficial. Your portfolio should include your greatest work and should reflect the level of service you will continue to provide to clients.
  • The Partner Dashboard is available in multiple languages. You can choose the one you want to use from the Your profile page.
  • You may strengthen your Partner account's security using the app or SMS authentication.

Before You Leave…

Aside from opening a shop and selling goods to millions of customers, what is better than using the extensive understanding of the Shopify platform and fundamental e-commerce abilities and applying it to the current time for additional benefits?

You can also use the experience you'll get from Shopify Partner Program to develop your business.

Millions of retailers in the Shopify ecosystem might benefit from your assistance. Plus, to be totally honest, the perks are not easy to ignore.

So, if you've been seeking a method to boost your income and experience, Shopify Partner could be worthwhile.

Good luck with your new journey!

What do you think about Shopify Partners? Meet me in the comments section below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Be a Shopify Partner Even If I Don't Live in Canada?

Yes. You just need a valid PayPal account to get your payment which is in USD.

How Much Does a Shopify Partner Account Cost?

Joining the Shopify Partner program is entirely free. There are no registration or subscription fees required.

The Shopify Partner Program contracts usually are evaluated once a year. So you will have the option to opt out annually.

How Many Shopify Partners are There?

Shopify Plus now has 65 technology partners and 127 service partners. The partner program, like the site itself, has an exclusive community.

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