Influencer marketing is a new-age marketing tactic where an online influencer collaborates with brands to promote their products.
In a survey, 90% of respondents said influencer marketing is effective. Now you can understand why marketers have adopted the same.
With the intent to simplify the process of influencer marketing, Shopify has developed an app named Shopify Collabs.
Let’s dig deeper and know what this app has for you and why you should couple this marketing strategy with Shopify Collab App.
What is Shopify Collabs?
Shopify Collabs is a Shopify application that helps in creating an influencer community relevant to your brand. Earlier it was a trend in the industry to drive sales with influencer collaborations, looking at its success it is now a mainstream marketing strategy.
Big or small, almost all brands want to market their business with Content Creators. Thus, Shopify endeavored to channel the same with Shopify Collabs app.
Who can use Shopify Collabs? Eligibility requirements for 2026
Before you build out a program, check whether your store and the creators you want to work with qualify for the eligibility rules.
Shopify Collabs itself is free to install and works on every Shopify plan except Starter and Retail. But to appear in the Collabs Network, where creators can discover and apply to your brand directly, your store needs to:
- Have generated at least $10,000 USD in sales over the past 12 months
- Not run on a dropshipping model. Dropshipping stores aren't accepted into the Network
- List at least one product with a price
- Have auto-payouts enabled, since the Collabs Network only supports automatic payments
- Be based in the United States, the United Kingdom, or Canada (other locations are placed on a waitlist until availability expands)
If your store hasn't hit the $10,000 threshold yet, you can still install Collabs and invite creators directly. You just won't be visible in the open Network until you clear that bar.
For creators, joining Collabs requires:
- A minimum of 1,000 followers.
- Completed and verified Collabs profile.
- At least one social platform.
- Residency in the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom.
How much does Shopify Collabs cost?
Shopify Collabs is free to install for both merchants and creators, with no monthly subscription. Here's what you actually pay for:
- A 2.9% processing fee on every automatic commission payment (a $100 sale with a 10% commission works out to a $0.29 fee)
- The commission rate or discount you agree to offer creators.
- The cost of any products you choose to give creators.
- A foreign currency exchange fee if you pay a creator in a currency different from your Shopify bill.
Every commission now runs through Shopify Collabs' automatic payment system and shows up as a line item on your Shopify bill. Because you only pay a commission when a sale actually happens, the model stays low-risk even if you're just testing influencer marketing for the first time.
Benefits of Shopify Collabs
The following are the benefits of Shopify Collabs:
Elevate your brand’s visibility & overall sales
Though Shopify Collabs is a new thing, the concept of influencer marketing is a proven tactic to bolster your brand and drive sales. Almost 51% of marketers say influencer marketing enabled better customer acquisition. Thus, there is no question that Shopify Collabs will be game-changing for the Shopify e-commerce business.
Better decision making
Shopify Collabs App provides insight into each influencer’s followers, estimated reach, and more. With the data provided, you will be in a better position to make decisions besides, you don’t have to manually search influencers and check their followers count. This is especially useful for brands looking to work with American influencers that align with specific audience demographics and campaign goals.
Smooth payment
With the Shopify creator program, it gets easier to pay influencers as payments from affiliate links will be credited directly to influencers’ PayPal accounts. You no more need to collect their payment details either.
Content Shopify Creators will approach you directly
With Shopify Collabs Discover, creators can search for brands that match their niche, audience, and payment terms. They can later apply directly from their Collabs dashboard, so a well-built brand profile and an active open access program can bring qualified creators to you.
One important update for 2026: Shopify Collabs currently isn't accepting new creator signups. Creators who don't already have a Collabs account can't join Discover or apply through it right now. This doesn't shut down your options, though. You can still search for existing creators, send direct invites, and accept applications through your store's Collabs page.
Following is the explanation of the step-by-step procedure to install and use Shopify Collabs:
Install the app
Install Shopify Collabs from the Shopify app store.
Create an account
Follow the steps explained below to create your account on Shopify Collabs:
- Open Shopify settings
- Go to Apps and Sales Channels
- Now you will see a list of installed apps. Find the Shopify Collabs app and open it
- After agreeing to the Terms & Conditions you can start the ,Shopify influencer marketing program
Create a community
This is the page where Shopify Creators learn about your brand and apply for collaboration. You can edit this page as needed from the Shop Collab app dashboard.
When you first connect Shopify Collabs, you're asked to confirm three things before your account activates: your brand's product category, your primary audience, and the countries you want to recruit creators from (this defaults to your primary market, but you can adjust it). Once that's done, building out your profile happens in five parts:
- Brand details: Your square logo (pulled from your Shopify brand settings), your brand values, and up to four images that show creators your visual style.
- Partnership information: A short description of how you work with creators, plus which perks you offer inside Collabs (commissions, gifts, discounts) versus perks you offer outside the platform.
- Social media accounts: Connect the accounts already listed in your Shopify brand settings so creators can see your content style before applying. Connecting YouTube specifically requires accepting YouTube's terms, since Collabs accesses your channel data through the YouTube API.
- Target market: The product category, primary audience, and countries you want to promote in. This is what Collabs uses to match your brand with relevant creators once you activate an open access program.
- Profile visibility: Choose whether creators find you through an open access program (instant, no-approval affiliate links), your storefront application page (with a custom survey you control), or both.
Once your profile is live, you can customize the automated emails Collabs sends to creators. You can also invite, welcome, and decline with your subject lines, message copy, and business address. Gift emails can't be customized, and you can't preview or test-send invite emails before they go out.
How to find the right creators on Shopify Collabs?
Search the recruiting database
From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Collabs > Recruiting to search Shopify's existing pool of creators. Filter by keyword, location, social platform (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, or Twitter), and audience size, then sort by relevance or audience size.
This is currently the most reliable way to find creators, since Collabs isn't accepting new creator signups. You're searching among creators who already have Collabs accounts.
Send direct invites
Once you've shortlisted creators, invite them individually or in bulk via CSV upload. You can send up to 100 invites in any 7-day period, and each invite expires after 30 days. A personalized welcome offer gets better response rates than a generic invite.
Accept applications through your store page
Creators can also apply directly through your Collabs application page on your storefront. Review applicants from the Recruiting section of your Collabs app. Approve them with a welcome offer or decline with optional feedback.
When you're evaluating creators, do not chase follower count. A creator with 3,000 highly engaged followers outsells one with 50,000 passive followers. Look at engagement rate, content quality, and audience fit first.
How payments and commissions work
Once a creator drives a sale, Shopify Collabs handles the rest automatically:
- The commission enters a holding period you control (between 1 and 90 days), so a return or cancellation doesn't leave you paying commission on a refunded order.
- After the holding period, the commission is added to your next Shopify bill. Shopify takes its 2.9% processing fee at that point.
- The creator receives their share via PayPal Hyperwallet. This is a payout method similar to how Shopify pays out Partner commissions through PayPal twice a month, once their balance hits $25
- If you're a US-based merchant, you can require creators to submit a W9 form as their earnings approach $599.99 for the year. Without it, their payouts are capped at that amount.
How to handle creator guideline violations and disputes
- Open access creators who violate the guidelines are automatically flagged as high risk and have their commission reduced to 0%. You can also choose to pause the connection entirely, which invalidates their affiliate links and discount codes.
- Creators in an approved partnership are flagged as high risk and placed into an automatic dispute, which puts their commission on hold until you resolve it. If the dispute isn't resolved within 30 days, Collabs automatically pauses the connection, cancels their commission, gifts, and links, and notifies the creator.
- If Shopify blocks a creator outright, that decision is final. You can't continue working with them or reverse the block.
To review flagged creators, add the Risk filter to your Connections table in the Collabs app; each creator's profile also shows a Risk analysis section explaining why they were flagged.
Active disputes appear on your Collabs Overview page, where you can choose to stay connected with the creator or resolve the dispute by pausing the connection and any incentives tied to it.
Common mistakes to avoid with Shopify Collabs
- Chasing followers count over fit. Engagement and niche relevance predict sales far better than raw audience size.
- Setting commissions too low to attract good creators. If your rate isn't competitive, the creators worth working with will simply pass on your invite.
- Treating Collabs as a one-off campaign. The merchants who see the best results run it as an ongoing program. Invite new creators regularly, review performance, and promote top affiliates to better tiers.
- Skipping the gifting strategy. Sending free products before asking for paid promotion builds more trust and helps produce authentic content.
- Ignoring your analytics. Your Collabs dashboard shows clicks, conversions, and commission per creator. Use it to double down on what's working and cut what isn't.
Over to you
So this was all about the Shopify Collabs. This app makes life for Shopify store owners easy as everything from recruiting to payment can be done from a single window.
Since you are initiating Shopify influencer marketing campaigns, we would like to recommend you install iCart - the best upsell Shopify app to increase the AOV of your e-commerce store.
FAQs
1. How do Shopify Collabs work?
Shopify Collabs works by connecting Shopify merchants with creators, influencers, and affiliates who can promote their products. Merchants can invite creators directly, create open-access affiliate programs, send gifts or discount codes, track sales through affiliate links or codes, and pay commissions through Shopify.
2. What is Shopify Collabs?
Shopify Collabs is Shopify’s affiliate and influencer marketing app that helps store owners recruit creators and manage brand collaborations from one place. It lets merchants create affiliate offers, share discount codes, track sales, send gifts, and manage creator payouts inside the Shopify ecosystem.
3. How many followers do you need for Shopify Collabs?
Shopify does not mention a fixed follower count requirement for Shopify Collabs. Instead, creator quality is judged more by a completed profile, location eligibility for Discover, authentic content, engaged audience members, and the strength of the creator’s community.
4. How to find Shopify Collab code?
A Shopify Collab code is created by the merchant when inviting a creator or setting up an affiliate offer. Merchants can customize the creator code during the invite process, while approved creators can view their discount codes and affiliate details inside their Collabs dashboard or app.
5. How to send a collab request on Shopify?
To send a collab request, merchants need to open the Shopify Collabs app from Shopify admin, go to the Recruiting section, choose a creator, and click Invite creator. They can then add a welcome offer, gift, creator code, and message before sending the invite.
6. Is Shopify Collabs free?
Yes. Shopify Collabs is free to install, but additional charges may apply depending on commissions and payouts. Shopify also states that merchants can get set up for free and pay when sales are driven, while creator commissions are processed through the Shopify bill.
7. Which is the best Shopify influencer app?
For most stores, Shopify Collabs is the best influencer app. It is built by Shopify and works directly inside the Shopify admin. It lets merchants recruit creators, create affiliate links and discount codes, send gifts, track sales, and manage commission payouts from one place, making it a strong starting option for influencer and affiliate marketing.
About the author
Sajini Annie John
Meet Sajini, a seasoned technical content writer with a passion for e-commerce and expertise in Shopify. She is committed to helping online businesses to thrive through the power of well-crafted content.