Shopify Partner Earnings: Exploring Multiple Ways To Earn

Shopify Partners have a unique opportunity to generate income for their contributions to Shopify's ecosystem. From referring merchants, to developing apps and themes, learn how to maximize your earnings.

Shopify Partners Have Multiple Opportunities to Earn

Shopify Partners have a unique opportunity to generate income in numerous ways. Unlike traditional partnering models, the Shopify Partner program offers not only commission-based earnings, but several additional monetization strategies. From referring merchants, to developing for the Shopify ecosystem, the scope of earning opportunities available to Shopify Partners is vast and rewarding.

The earnings you generate as a Shopify Partner may vary based on several factors, such as your geographical location and that of the merchants you work with, as well as the subscription plan chosen by these merchants. If you haven't already, get started by joining the Shopify Partner Program.

Shopify might charge you taxes on its fees or pay out taxes on your referral commissions in certain cases. These taxes vary based on your country or region, the type of Partner activity, and the tax information you provide in your Partner account settings. You might be responsible for remitting these taxes to the appropriate government authority. Learn more about Shopify Partner earnings. Terms and conditions apply.

Earn Commission For Development Store Referrals

By developing stores in the Shopify Partner Dashboard, you can earn a recurring commission once you develop and transfer ownership to the merchant. To complete a development store referral, and be eligible for commissions, you must create a development store in the Partner Dashboard and then transfer it to a client. 

For an overview of how to build a development store, view the tutorial below.

Recurring commission is equal to 20% of the Referred Merchant’s monthly Basic Shopify, Shopify, or Advanced Shopify subscription fees, or 20% of the Plus merchant's monthly base platform fee on the billing store, for each net new merchant referred by Partner that signs a Shopify Plus deal.

More information:

• About the Program
• Getting Started as a Shopify Partner
• Shopify Partner earnings
• Creating development stores

Additional Commission-Based Opportunities

In addition to Development Store Referrals, as a Shopify Partner, you can also earn referral commissions for referring merchants to Shopify POS Pro, Shopify Markets Pro, and Commerce Components. View current earning opportunities and learn how to submit a lead. Terms and conditions apply. 

Shopify POS Pro

Shopify POS Pro is a point-of-sale system that provides brick-and-mortar retailers with the tools and features they need to support omnichannel selling and convert more customers online and in-store. Earn a commission when you refer eligible POS Pro leads in select markets. Learn more.

Shopify Markets Pro

Shopify Markets Pro offers a complete solution for merchants to sell internationally, and includes cost-effective shipping, fraud protection, automated tax remittance, localization features, and more. Shopify Partners who refer eligible merchants to Shopify Markets Pro receive a commission of their referrals’ Markets Pro GMV. Learn more.

Commerce Components

Commerce Components enables enterprise brands to bring their vision to life with flexible headless SDKs, low-code storefronts, and integrations that keep operations running smoothly. View details for the Enterprise Commerce Offering Referral Promotion.

Additional Non-Commission Earning Opportunities

As a Shopify Partner, you can also earn when you develop Shopify Apps and Themes. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more.

Develop Shopify Apps

A Shopify app extends the existing functionality of Shopify. Most Shopify apps are built by third-party developers, not by Shopify.

App developers can build an app to add features to Shopify stores and extend the Shopify admin experience, or to create unique buying experiences for customers. Shopify's APIs provide an almost unlimited set of possibilities for interfacing the Shopify platform with third-party software.

Earn in two ways:

1. Create a custom app for a client: Use the Shopify API to build and sell an app that adds features and functionality to a client's Shopify store.
2. Build a public app and sell it in the Shopify App Store.

Create Shopify Themes

A theme determines the way an online store looks, feels, and functions. To build a new theme, you can develop from scratch or build on top of Dawn, our reference theme. Themes are built with Liquid, Shopify's theme templating language, along with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JSON. For more information, review the Shopify themes overview.

You can earn when you build and sell your theme on the Shopify Theme Store which reaches an international audience of millions of merchants. Learn about the Theme Store requirements and how to submit your theme to the Shopify Theme Store.

Empowering Success: The Essential Role of a Shopify Partner

By diversifying the ways you earn as a Shopify Partner, you can build a profitable and sustainable business leveraging your skills and providing value to Shopify's merchant community.

Earnings aside, the key to success as a Shopify Partner lies in providing genuine value to the merchant community. This is what makes the Shopify Partner Program a rewarding ecosystem for partners — it doesn't just offer financial gain, but also the opportunity to contribute to the success of thousands of online businesses.

Stay tuned for more insights and tips on how to thrive as a Shopify Partner. Until then, happy earning!