What is the Simple Affiliate tracker?

The Simple Affiliate tracker is a Shopify theme app embed that you turn on in your theme editor. It connects Simple Affiliate to your storefront so referral links can be tracked, automatic discounts can be issued at checkout, and the default affiliate signup flow can run.

It is required to run your affiliate program on your store. In Shopify's theme editor the block is named Simple Affiliate Tracker. Older docs called this enhanced tracking; that is the same embed.

What it does

Once the tracker is on and saved:

• Incoming referral traffic is recorded, including link clicks.
• Customers who open a referral link can see the storefront popup, and get an automatic discount at checkout when that is set up.
• The default affiliate signup flow can run, including the signup redirects of classic customer accounts. Most stores use this default flow.

The Affiliate Signup theme block is only on Pro and Premium, and it is optional; it can collect applications without the tracker, and you do not have to use it.

Shopify's checkout web pixel still records checkout conversion events. Discount codes typed at checkout, and connected-customer attribution on Pro and Premium, can still credit an order without a storefront click.

How to turn it on

1. Open Simple Affiliate in Shopify Admin.
2. Find Turn on the Simple Affiliate tracker in the Complete your setup checklist, or the Simple Affiliate tracker row on the home page, and click Enable.
3. Click Edit theme settings. The theme editor opens with the tracker turned on.
4. Check that Simple Affiliate Tracker is on under App embeds.
5. Click Save in the Shopify theme editor.

The tracker row shows On after Simple Affiliate detects the tracker, and the checklist marks the step complete. The steps with screenshots are in How to enable the Simple Affiliate tracker.

In a theme built in Canvas

Shopify's Canvas does not show app embeds. A theme made with Duplicate in Canvas keeps the tracker of the original theme. For a new Canvas theme, do this before you publish it if you can:

1. Open the theme in Canvas.
2. Start a new Sidekick chat.
3. Send this request: "In config/settings_data.json of this theme, add the Simple Affiliate Tracker block under current.blocks. Copy the exact entry from the settings_data.json of another theme on my store that has it turned on. Change nothing else."
4. Click Publish or Update in Canvas.

Sidekick copies the tracker from another theme that has it turned on. If Sidekick says it cannot, send the request again in a new chat. If no theme has it turned on, first open another theme in the theme editor from Online Store > Themes, turn on Simple Affiliate Tracker under App embeds, and click Save. A store with only Canvas themes can add a free theme for this.