How does Simple Affiliate work?

Install Simple Affiliate from the Shopify App Store, set your commission rules, invite affiliates, and it runs the loop: an affiliate page on your storefront, sign-in through your Shopify customer accounts, referral tracking, commission calculation, and automatic or manual payouts.

Setup, in order

1. Install from the Shopify App Store and open Simple Affiliate in Shopify Admin.
2. Configure the affiliate page where partners register and reach their dashboard.
3. Set a global commission rule.
4. Add product, variant, or collection overrides if your plan supports them and your program needs them.
5. Choose whether affiliates use referral links, discount codes, or both.
6. Invite customers or partners, and review the referral and payout settings before anyone starts sharing.

Affiliates sign in with your store's Shopify customer accounts. New customer accounts put the dashboard in Shopify's customer-account area; classic customer accounts use a branded page on your theme, such as /pages/simple-affiliate.

What happens when a referred order comes in

When Shopify records an order matching an enabled attribution method, Simple Affiliate connects the order to the affiliate, applies your global commission rule plus any eligible product, variant, or collection overrides, shows the result in the affiliate dashboard, and then either pays out through Autopay or holds the commission for your approval and a manual payout, depending on your setup and plan.

Attribution works three ways: referral links carrying a tracking code such as sacode (with optional UTM parameters), unique discount codes, and connected customers, a Pro feature that, once enabled, can permanently connect a customer to an affiliate after a first referred purchase so later orders can attribute through that connection. An order with no supported attribution signal credits nobody, so customers need to use the link, the code, or their connected customer account.

What each plan changes

Starter caps the program at 10 affiliates, one group, and one standard link per affiliate, with Autopay and live chat support included. Basic removes those limits and adds Klaviyo. Pro adds custom referral links, discount codes, product-specific commissions, and permanent customer connection. Premium adds product attribution, group automation, lower Autopay fees, and manual payouts.

Who pays what

A commission exists only once an order is attributed under your rules, and the affiliate receives it in full. With Autopay, you pay the applicable processing fee on top; it's never taken out of the commission. PayPal and store credit payouts have no Simple Affiliate processing fee on every plan. Manual payouts on the Premium plan carry no Simple Affiliate processing fee either.

Reviewing commission rules, checking attributed orders, and deciding whether payouts need approval first: that stays with you. Don't promise affiliates a payout date you haven't written into your own program terms.

Test before you invite anyone

Open a referral link yourself, place an order with a discount code where applicable, and confirm the order shows the expected affiliate and commission. Then send each affiliate their dashboard instructions, the approved promotion rules, and your payout expectations. Affiliates get a clear way to participate; your support team gets a defined process when a referral goes missing.