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. Turn on the Simple Affiliate tracker in your Shopify theme editor and save. Without it, storefront referral tracking, automatic discounts, and the default affiliate signup flow do not run. The Affiliate Signup theme block is Pro-only and optional; it can collect applications without the tracker, and you do not have to use it. Follow https://simple-affiliate.com/blogs/how-to-guides/how-to-enable-the-simple-affiliate-track-app-embed
3. Configure the affiliate page where partners register and reach their dashboard (Settings > Signup, Affiliate dashboard URL), and add it to your store menu.
4. Set the default commission of your default group in Groups.
5. On the Pro plan or above, add product, variant, or collection commissions to a group if your program needs them.
6. Choose whether affiliates use referral links, discount codes, or both.
7. 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, at /pages/affiliate unless you change the address.

What happens when a referred order comes in

When Shopify records an order that matches an enabled attribution method, Simple Affiliate creates a referral for the affiliate and applies the commission of the affiliate's group. A product, variant, or collection commission replaces the group's default rate for those items. The commission counts once the referral is confirmed, on payment or on fulfillment, as you choose in Settings > Referral. You then pay it out with Autopay, PayPal, store credit, or, on Premium, manual payments. Autopay pays through a monthly payment when you turn on its monthly schedule (you confirm the payment by default), or when you click Pay now.

Attribution works in four ways: referral links carrying a tracking code such as sacode (with optional UTM parameters), unique discount codes (Pro), connected customers (Pro), and product attribution (Premium). Connected customers, once enabled, can permanently connect a customer to an affiliate after a first referred purchase so later orders can attribute through that connection. Product attribution assigns a product to an affiliate. You can also assign a referral by hand in Referrals. An order has one referral, and the methods are checked in this order: product attribution, discount code, link, connected customer. 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 and the Analytics Overview report. Pro adds custom referral links, discount codes, product-specific commissions, permanent customer connection, a custom signup form, and linked stores. Premium adds product attribution, group automation, lower Autopay fees, manual payouts, and the option to use Autopay, PayPal, and store credit together.

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 Autopay fees 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.