Why use Simple Affiliate instead of an external affiliate network?
Simple Affiliate keeps your affiliate program connected to your Shopify store instead of placing the relationship on an external network. That gives you direct ownership of affiliates, referrals, commissions, and customer relationships while keeping the customer experience on your domain. Set expectations with affiliates that they will use your store’s sign-in and dashboard experience, and that your team remains responsible for program terms, commission decisions, and payout policies.
Why merchants choose an in-house program
External affiliate networks can provide access to a broader pool of publishers, but they typically charge fees on referred sales and keep affiliates on the network’s domain. Simple Affiliate is a better fit when you already have customers, creators, or business partners who can promote your products.
- Direct relationships: Affiliates join and work through your Shopify store rather than a separate network account.
- Your customer experience: Affiliates sign in with your store’s Shopify customer accounts. New customer accounts use Shopify’s customer-account area, while classic accounts use a branded dashboard page on your theme.
- Program ownership: You control affiliate groups, referral links, commissions, and program communication instead of handing those relationships to a network.
- Store-connected workflow: Tracking and affiliate activity stay connected to your Shopify operation, reducing the need for a separate partnership stack.
- No network referral fee: You do not pay an external network a percentage of referred sales. Your Simple Affiliate plan and any applicable Autopay processing fees are separate from network fees.
How tracking and payouts work
Simple Affiliate can attribute referrals through referral links that include a tracking code such as sacode, optional UTM parameters, and unique discount codes. On the Pro plan, connected customers can also remain associated with an affiliate after the customer’s first referred purchase when that feature is enabled.
You can manage the affiliate program from the Simple Affiliate and Shopify workflow, while affiliates use the affiliate dashboard for their own activity. The affiliate always receives the full commission. If you use Autopay, the merchant pays the processing fee on top of the commission; Simple Affiliate does not deduct that fee from the affiliate’s commission. Eligible U.S. affiliates may also access issued 1099-K or 1099-NEC forms from their dashboard when IRS volume and threshold requirements apply.
When an external network may be a better fit
An external network may be appropriate if your main requirement is access to the network’s existing publisher marketplace or recruitment tools. Simple Affiliate is designed for merchants who want to build and operate an owned affiliate program through their Shopify store.
Before choosing, compare:
- Recruitment: Decide whether you will work with existing customers and partners or need a network to source affiliates.
- Ownership: Confirm whether affiliates and customer relationships remain connected to your store.
- Costs: Compare network referral fees with your Simple Affiliate subscription and any applicable payout processing fees.
- Operations: Consider whether keeping tracking, affiliate access, and payouts close to Shopify will simplify support for your team and affiliates.