Your customers already love your products and share them with friends. Now it’s time to turn that organic enthusiasm into a structured, scalable marketing channel. This guide walks you through launching your first affiliate program with ReferralCandy, addressing the common challenges that growing Shopify brands face.
As your Shopify store grows beyond initial product-market fit, you’ve likely noticed something exciting: your customers aren’t just buying—they’re sharing. Those Instagram stories featuring your products, the unsolicited recommendations in comments, the “where did you get that?” conversations happening offline—this organic word-of-mouth is marketing gold.
An affiliate program transforms these casual recommendations into a structured, measurable marketing channel. With ReferralCandy, you can automate tracking, reward your advocates fairly, and scale this powerful form of marketing without losing the authentic connections that make your brand special.
How do I get started with my first affiliate program?
The biggest hurdle for many merchants is simply knowing where to begin. Instead of getting overwhelmed by possibilities, follow these concrete steps:
Step 1: Define your “why” and program goals
Before touching any software, get clear on your goals. Are you looking to:
- Increase new customer acquisition?
- Lower your customer acquisition costs?
- Reward existing customers who already promote you?
- Build a community around your brand?
Write down 2-3 specific goals with measurable targets, such as “Acquire 50 new customers through affiliates in Q1” or “Reduce our CAC by 15% compared to paid social.”
Step 2: Connect ReferralCandy to your Shopify store
ReferralCandy integrates directly with your Shopify store:
- Log into your Shopify admin
- Navigate to Apps and search for ReferralCandy
- Click “Add app” to install
- Choose a plan for the free 14-day trial (we recommend the Premium Plan)
- Add the AffiliatePlus add-on, which is included in your free trial
- Approve the necessary permissions
The Premium Plan gives you all the essential tools you need, including unlimited affiliates, emails, rewards, and programs. With the AffiliatePlus add-on, you’ll have access to advanced features like custom discount codes, different commission rates for different partner types, and a branded partner portal.
The integration automatically syncs your where specific database by industry partners products, orders, and customer data, eliminating manual setup. Once connected, ReferralCandy can track purchases from affiliate referrals without any additional technical configuration.
How can I create a professional affiliate program without design skills?
Your affiliate program is an extension of your brand, but not every growing merchant has access to a design team. ReferralCandy makes it easy to create a polished, professional program regardless of your technical abilities.
Step 1: Create your affiliate campaign
Before customizing your program’s spam data appearance, you need to set up your affiliate campaign:
- After enabling AffiliatePlus, you’ll see two options: “Set up on my own” or “Personalize my program”
- Choose “Personalize my program” to use the campaign generator
- Answer a few quick questions about your:
- Target audience (who will be your affiliates?)
- Commission structure
- Application requirements
- Desired level of program automation
- Review the generated campaign settings
- Make any needed adjustments to align with your specific brand goals
If you prefer more control from the start, you can choose “Set up on my own” and configure each element manually.
Step 2: Customize your affiliate portal
Your affiliate portal is the hubsign up, access their links, and track their performance. Make it yours in minutes:
- Navigate to “Edit branding and content” from your affiliate campaign dashboard
- Upload your logo
- Set your brand colors using your hex codes
- Customize your fonts
- Upload a banner image that reflects your brand aesthetic
- Preview how everything looks before publishing
The system automatically optimizes your you can also combine google branding elements across all touchpoints—from emails to the affiliate dashboard—ensuring a consistent experience that feels like a natural extension of your store.
Step 3: Create compelling affiliate messaging
Clear, engaging communication sets expectations and excites potential affiliates:
- Draft a concise program description (50-75 words) that highlights:
- What makes your brand special
- Why you’re launching an affiliate program
- What’s in it for affiliates (commission, community, exclusive access)
- Create email templates for key touchpoints:
- Invitation: Why you selected them specifically
- Welcome: Next steps after joining
- First sale celebration: Recognizing their achievement
- Performance updates: Monthly or quarterly progress
- Write clear instructions on how to use affiliate links or codes (with visual examples)
Example program description: “Our sustainable skincare is changing the industry, and our most passionate customers are leading the charge. Join our affiliate program to earn 15% commission on every sale you generate, get early access to new products, and connect with other conscious beauty advocates who share your values.”
Step 4: Design your affiliate application process
This step is optional and depends on how you configured your campaign. If you chose to create a curated program with the signup details page turned on during campaign creation, you can customize the application process:
- From your campaign dashboard, go to “Edit branding and content”
- Customize your application form with 3-5 relevant questions:
- “Why are you interested in becoming an affiliate for our brand?”
- “How do you plan to promote our products?”
- “Which social platforms do you primarily use?”
- “What makes you connect with our brand values?”
- Add custom fields for a more personalized application experience
A selective application process helps you build a community of authentic advocates rather than transactional promoters. Look for affiliates who demonstrate genuine enthusiasm for your products and align with your brand values.
Pro tip: Include an open-ended question like “Anything else you’d like us to know?” to identify standout applicants who go above and beyond in their responses.
If you chose an open program without an application process during campaign setup, you can always add one later by updating your campaign settings.