Shopify Collabs—Everything You Need to Know as a Merchant/Creator

Shopify Collabs is the virtual place where merchants and creators meet. Its result is enhanced store revenue for brands and improved affiliate commissions for creators.

Getting new customers for your eComm store on Shopify is challenging and expensive. If you are looking for an easy way out that too is affordable, you need to try Shopify Collabs. Keep reading to learn all the specifics of Shopify Collabs for both merchants and creators so you can navigate this platform effortlessly.   

What Is Shopify Collabs?

Shopify Collabs is an innovative app that fosters connections between businesses and creators through a dynamic marketplace platform.

You can effortlessly reach out to creators or influencers by resorting to many tactics. If you are a merchant on Shopify, here is how you can use Shopify Collabs:

• Send direct invitations to trending and high-performing influencers on the platform
• Offer instant commission opportunities within the Collabs Network
• Send gifts so creators can showcase your products to their audience
• Establishing an enticing online store page to welcome affiliate applications 

Just like the merchants, Shopify Collabs is also for content creators. As an influencer, you can discover the right brand to which you can affiliate. It is easy to request products and services for review on Shopify Collabs since you can create a personal network with the brand owner. And the most important thing that Shopify Collabs offers to thousands of creators is to earn money in the form of affiliate commissions.

Find below some critical facts on Shopify Collabs:

• It is only available in the US, the UK, and Canada.
• You need to add the app from the Shopify Apps portal.
• There is a 2.9% commission processing fee paid by the merchant.
• Shopify Collabs for creators is on an invitation basis. So, you must apply for Early Access here. 

How to Get and Use Shopify Collabs

If you are in the right region (the US, CA, and the UK), then you already have access to Shopify Collabs as a merchant. You just need to get the app and link it to your Shopify stores.

Shopify Collabs App

The Collabs app on the Shopify app store is a robust affiliate marketing management tool. If you need to recruit new influencers, organize influencers by their performance, send gifts so influencers can review products, or pay affiliate commission, you can do all these on the Shopify Collabs application.

Here is what more you can do with this tool:

• Personalize the creator application page to showcase the brand and attract potential influencers
• Reach out to high-performing and popular creators directly
• Share your products on the Collabs creator network to attract micro-influencers
• Automate various affiliate marketing tasks using Shopify Flow
• Create groups of creators if you manage multiple stores under the same brand
• Integrates with YouTube, Instagram, Klayvio, Subscriptions, Yotpo, etc.

If you don’t have the app yet, here’s how you can get it right away:

1. Go to your Shopify Home and click the Apps overflow arrow on the left side panel.

2. Type Shopify Collabs in the Search bar and hit Enter.
3. On the Results for “shopify collabs” page, click the appropriate app.
4. Click on Add app button to install the app on your Shopify admin page.

5. On the Shopify portal, click the Install app button.
6. You should now see Collabs on the left-side navigation panel.

7. Click the paper clip or pinboard icon to fix it to the navigation panel.    

Shopify Collabs Login

As a merchant, once you add the app to your Shopify admin portal, you can start using its modules like Recruit, Programs, Contacts, etc., after setting up the app. No need to log in to any portal differently than the Shopify admin. That is how Shopify Collabs save time compared to other affiliate management apps.

To get Shopify Collabs as a creator or influencer, follow these steps: 

1. Visit the Find brands portal of Shopify Collabs.
2. Scroll down to the bottom and click the Early access button.

3. Shopify will email you with personalized guidance on how to start from there on.   

Shopify Collabs User Interface

Its UI is pretty straightforward. The Collabs dashboard shows you a glimpse into the health of the overall affiliate marketing campaign performance. For example, you can see the following metrics:

• Affiliate sales, Orders, and Commission under the Performace tab
• There are cards for Top performing creators and Top performing products
• Collabs tips and updates are the go-to resources to learn the platform more

The Recruit tab shows you some popular Collabs creators available for recruiting. You can change your platform preference by clicking the Instagram button on the top to find options like YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and more. 

If you want to create an affiliate campaign for products, you can go to the Programs tab. There, you can create Tiers with discounts and affiliate commissions for promoted products. If you wish to send products for online review, send Gifts to influencers from here. 

Other tabs of interest are:

• Contacts tab for approved creators and active affiliates
• Payments tab for affiliate commission disbursement
• Settings tab to configure the Shopify Collabs app your way 

Shopify Collabs for a Merchant

Find below various ways to set up and use the native app of affiliate management on Shopify:

Set Up Shopify Collabs

To enjoy the perks of this online platform, you need to create an account here and complete your profile with the necessary data. 

1. While on the Shopify admin section, click Settings and choose Apps and sales channels.
2. Now, select Shopify Collabs.
3. Click on the Open app.
4. Here, you need to accept the terms and conditions for using this platform after reviewing it properly.
5. Check mark the pre-filled email address to use for Collabs notifications.
6. You must also choose your product category, primary audience, and target countries to help Collabs match you with the right creators.
7. Click on Finish setup to complete the process.

Now that your Shopify Collabs account has been created, it is time to complete your profile by adding the following information:

• Brand Details: enables you to add company logo, brand value, etc.
• Partnership Info: lets you create collaboration policies, guidelines, payout frequency, etc.
• Social Media Accounts: allows you to sync brand or product social media pages
• Target Market comes prefilled with your information from your Shopify admin account.

How to Join Collabs Network

On Collabs Network, you can share your affiliate commissions with verified Collabs creators to drive sales at a low cost. To join, you need to complete the eligibility criteria, such as —

• Have a complete Collabs profile
• Must have auto-payment set up
• Should not be operating a dropshipping store
• Should have at least one product added and rated into Collabs Network settings
• Must have sales of a minimum of $10,000 in the past 12 months

Connect With an Applicant

Collabs Network lets you share affiliate commissions with verified Collabs creators, which can drive sales at a low cost.

When you activate Collabs Network, you set a commission rate on either all products or at the collection level, which shows your products to creators in their discovery experience. Creators can search for products and automatically generate affiliate product links without approval.

Responding to Applicants

Here is how you can respond to them from your Shopify Collabs app.

1. Open the Shopify Collabs app as Shopify admin.
2. Select Recruite from the left panel.
3. Click on Applicants and choose New Applicants from the dropdown menu.
4. Select the name of the applicant whom you want to review.
5. Review their application and select any of the statuses: Approve, Ignore, Reject, interested, and Maybe. 
6. When you click on Approve, a dialog box opens to confirm the approval. 
7. Click on Approve & send a message to finish the approval process.

Sending Custom Invitations

You can also invite the creators of your choice to join your Shopify Collabs Community. Thus, you can quickly onboard reliable creators skipping the application process.

For sending direct invites, you should create a CSV file containing the email addresses and affiliate codes of the creators. To do that, you can download the CSV template from the Contacts page with the required format for new contact import.

When the CSV file is ready, you need to access the Contacts section of the Shopify Collabs app and go to the Affiliates tab. Then, select Invite by email and import the CSV file. You also need to select the commission tier and welcome gift option under the Welcome Offer section before sending the invite.

Shopify Collabs and Automation

If you have access to the automation platform of Shopify named Flow, you can automate repetitive Collabs tasks using built-in Shopify Flow templates. The currently available templates are:

• Automatically approve new applicant creators based on their follower count and assign them to tiers.
• Send an automatic follow-up email to the creators when they receive a gift.
• Automatically list the new applicant names and emails to Klaviyo. Adding any creators you have accepted before joining Collabs has to be exported manually into Klaviyo.
• Send an automatic email to creators after they make their first sale.

Shopify Collabs for a Creator

Find below the creator-specific activities you can perform in this app:

Set Up Shopify Collabs

1. Sign up with your name and email for an early access request.
2. If you have a Shopify account already, you can wait for the invitation and proceed to set up the Payouts page.
3. If you do not have Shopify, sign up for an account. 
4. Once you see the Tell us about yourself page, answer easy questions about your interests and content production.
5. Hit the Submit button when done. 

Here is how you can setup Payouts from the Shopify Collabs admin portal:

1. Tap the hamburger menu on the Collabs app home page.
2. Select Settings and go to Payouts from Payments.
3. Enter the email linked to Paypal and click Save.   

Discover New Brands for Collaboration

You should see the Shopify brands looking for creators and influencers on the Discover page. If you do not see the Discover page, do these:

1. Tap the hamburger menu and click Discover.
2. You should see a list of brands inviting applications. 

Apply to Brands

Your Shopify Collabs invitation email comes with instructions on how to collab with brands you like. Simply click the Explore brands button and follow these steps:

1. Go to Discover.
2. Find the brand you like and click on it to get its profile.
3. Learn collaboration benefits from the profile.
4. If you like what you see, click Apply to collab.
5. Brands display their own application form. Fill that up and click Send application.
6. Wait for a reply from the brand. 

Review Gifts 🎁

Businesses that added you as their Collabs Network member may offer you gifts for redemption. Gifts simply mean products from brands you can review online, share affiliate links to shopping carts with your followers, and promote the product with discount vouchers. Here is how to claim a gift:

1. On the Gift notification, click Redeem. 
2. Select the Claim button on the gift redemption portal.
3. Configure the product, its color, configs, etc.
4. Enter shipping and contact details.
5. Click Redeem.
6. You can come back to the Gift page to track its delivery status. 

Getting Paid on Shopify Collabs 💰

The brand with whom you collaborate for affiliate marketing can pay you either automatically or manually. If the brand sets up Automatic payouts, you also need to do the same from the Shopify Partner Dashboard on the Payouts page. 

A valid affiliate purchase has a cooling period of 30 days before Shopify bills the commission in your name and notifies the merchant. If the order gets canceled, so does the commission you earn. In the Manual payouts term, the brand manages the payments themselves according to the contract you both agree to.  

Wrapping Up

When you use affiliate marketing to grow your brand, you either need to hire an expert or invest your own time. You can escape both by getting started with Shopify Collabs for merchants.

When you manage your eCommerce store on Shopify, simply open the Shopify Collabs app, and within a few clicks, you’re done recruiting and engaging with affiliates. It is also a great place to meet genuine creators who can support your brand. 

For creators, it is a great place to start your journey to become a high-paid celebrity influencer.

Next up, learn about the platforms to start selling online.