The Best Shopify Affiliate Marketing App (and How to Use it)

In this article, I outline why I think ConvertOut is the best Shopify affiliate marketing tool and how to use it.

Why ConvertOut Is The Best Affiliate Marketing App For Shopify

ConvertOut is the best Shopify affiliate app due to its quick setup, ease of use and its intuitive affiliate portal. It automates the most common tasks of running an affiliate program. It also has a free to install plan.

It was selected as a Shopify Staff Pick in 2021 and over 2500+ merchants have installed it. No coding or technical knowledge is required to set it up. 

It comes with a built in registration page, sales tracking and automatic discount code generation. The affiliate portal can be branded to match your store’s theme and design. Affiliates are able to request payout when they’ve met the minimum you’ve set. 

All of the tracking is done via discount codes, so it's fully GDPR compliant. 

There are automated emails for your affiliates when they sign up or make a sale. You can also integrate with Klaviyo or Omnisend to send custom emails. 

It also comes with unlimited friendly email support to help you get your program running in minutes. 

Before we explore how to use the app, let’s talk about the basics of affiliate marketing. 

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a type of performance-based marketing that does not require an upfront cost. 

Affiliates are users that are given products to promote and then earn commissions when the customer buys those items. 

Affiliates are essentially people that you've established a relationship with. They could be your existing customers, influencers in the industry or other marketing agencies.

They can promote your brand through blogging, social media and email for example.

Popular marketing channels today include Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.

74% of consumers identify word-of-mouth as a key influencer in their purchasing decisions.

This means that 74 percent of shoppers are influenced by what they hear from friends or family about products and services before making a purchase decision for themselves, which is why affiliate marketing is so effective. 

Affiliate marketing is a mutually beneficial business venture for both merchants and affiliates. 

Affiliates earn commissions on their referred sales, clicks or leads while the merchant enjoys low risk with scaling capabilities.

Steps To Build Your Affiliate Program In Shopify

To get started with your affiliate program, install ConvertOut Affiliates & Ambassadors from the Shopify app store. 

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After you've installed the app, you will be greeted by the onboarding flow.

The first part is setting your discount and commission rates:

• The discount percentage is what your customer gets.
• The commission percentage is what your affiliate gets.

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The next step is to add your logo and portal image.

We recommend your logo be on a transparent background, 400 px by 100 px.

Your portal welcome image should be 1000 px by 1000 px.

You can also skip this step and add your images later.

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After that, select the language you want your portal to be in.

We currently support:

• English
• French
• Spanish
• Dutch
• German
• Italian
• Portuguese
• Chinese (Traditional)

If you need another language, please contact support and we'll get it added.

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Now it's time to create a test ambassador account to make sure everything is working! 

Your portal will be live at the link provided. Create an account and choose a promo code.

Next you can send out email invites to your customers.

These email invitations will only be sent once per customer and they will come from noreply@convertout.com.

You can also disable this option if you choose.

Now the last step is the billing step.

On the starter plan you are only charged when an ambassador makes a sale. You can change plans at any time.

Now you're all set! 

You can share your portal link and let affiliates sign up.

On the dashboard we'll display your stats and latest sales.

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That's it! 

If you have any questions, just click the chat icon in the bottom right hand corner and we'll be there to help.

Best of luck with your affiliate program!