Setting up an affiliate marketing program is simple. Simply follow the steps we’ve laid out below, and you’ll have one up and running in no time. 

1. Select Your Products

The first thing you need to do is decide which of your products you want to include in your affiliate program. You may want to include all of them, or instead opt to include specific categories or products only.

The best thing to do is to include your products that have the best AOV (Average Order Value). After all, a 5% commission on a £100 product is much more appealing to a partner than a 5% commission on a £10 product. 

You can tweak which products you feature in your program as you progress based on sales and success rates – so don’t worry too much if you’re not 100% sure which ones you want to include right now.

1. Decide Your Commission Rates 

Once you’ve selected which products to include in your affiliate program, you’ll need to decide on your commission rates.

Usually, brands will offer a cash reward for referrals and sales, and – let’s be honest, – this is always the best incentive. If you’re not keen to offer cash, there’s still the option to use vouchers or money-off future purchases, depending on how many referrals a partner generates.

If you decide to offer a cash-based commission, there are two ways for you to determine the rate:

• Percentage – You offer a set percentage of the price of the item (e.g. 5%)
• Flat-rate – You set a flat rate for each sale (e.g. $1 per sale made)

1. Choose an Affiliate Management App

There are multiple affiliate marketing apps that make setting up your affiliate program quick and easy. Below, we’ve listed some of the affiliate apps available in the Shopify app store for you to choose from. 

• UpPromote – UpPromote is the top-rated affiliate marketing app in the Shopify app store. From within the app, you can create custom commission rates, as well as find more affiliate partners for your store.
• LeadDyno – LeadDyno expertly integrates with your Shopify store, and offers a personalized dashboard for each affiliate partner. From here, you can track the success of their referral links, and – in just a few clicks – engage, track and pay your affiliate partners.
• Refersion – Not only does Refersion let you track and pay your affiliate partners, but it also gives you access to over 5000 potential partners. This makes it super easy to find new affiliates and influencers for your Shopify store.

The Shopify App Store has various apps that can help you to set up and manage your affiliate marketing program.