Using Influencer Marketing to Grow

With all the benefits of influencer marketing, it’s no surprise that most up-and-coming ecommerce brands are experimenting with it. Established brands, too, have fully embraced influencer marketing, often leveraging affiliate networks to drive sales. But for many business owners, getting started with influencer marketing can feel overwhelming. Where do you find influencers? How do you manage partnerships? How do you track performance metrics?

If you’re not yet convinced about the importance of influencer marketing, my book, The Age of Influence, describes it as indispensable for businesses looking to scale. I’ve also written extensively on my blog about why this marketing strategy is crucial for growth.

One of the biggest challenges with influencer marketing is building and managing an influencer program efficiently. Fortunately, if you own a Shopify store, you don’t have to start from scratch. Shopify Collabs is a powerful app designed to simplify influencer marketing—helping merchants find influencers from a database of creators, manage collaborations, and track performance seamlessly.

With Shopify Collabs, you can access a massive influencer marketplace, automate commission payouts, and even send free products to creators to promote your brand. While I wouldn’t recommend relying solely on Shopify Collabs to build your influencer network, if you’re already using Shopify, this app could be the easiest way to kickstart and scale your influencer marketing efforts.

In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about Shopify Collabs—what it is, how it works, and how you can use it to grow your ecommerce business and find ideal creators. Let’s dive in!

What is Shopify Collabs?

Shopify Collabs is an app designed to connect ecommerce brands with influencers to drive sales through affiliate marketing, product seeding, and brand collaborations. It’s Shopify’s built-in solution for merchants looking to streamline their influencer marketing efforts without the hassle of managing partnerships manually.

With Shopify Collabs, brands can:

• Find influencers across multiple sales channels or platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and blogs.
• Set up affiliate programs with custom discount codes and commission tracking.
• Send free products to influencers in exchange for brand exposure.
• Track sales and engagement with a built-in analytics dashboard.

One of the biggest advantages of Shopify Collabs is its massive creator marketplace, where merchants can search for millions of influencers to find the perfect match for their brand and harness the power of influencer marketing. This makes it easy for businesses to connect with niche content creators who already engage with their target audience.

For influencers, Shopify Collabs provides a seamless way to partner with brands and monetize their content. Once they apply to collaborate with a brand, they can receive free products, earn commissions, and manage their partnerships—all in one place.

While Shopify Collabs is a powerful tool, I don’t recommend relying solely on it to build your influencer marketing program. Instead, use it as part of a broader strategy to expand your brand’s reach, nurture long-term influencer relationships, vet potential partnerships, and drive more conversions.

If you already have a Shopify store and want to take advantage of influencer marketing, Shopify Collabs could be the tool that simplifies and accelerates your success.

Further Reading: 19 Best Ways How to Promote Your Shopify Store on Instagram

How Does Shopify Collabs Work? A Simple 5-Step Walk-Through

Like many other Shopify tools, the Collabs app is designed to be user-friendly, but there’s still a small learning curve. Finding the right influencers, setting up your program, and tracking performance requires some trial and error, but the app does a lot of the heavy lifting for you so you can get started with potential collaborators on your preferred social media platforms–or a single platform, if you want to start out slowly.

If you’re new to Shopify Collabs, here’s a step-by-step guide to getting started:

1. Install the Shopify Collabs App

First, log into your Shopify dashboard and navigate to the Shopify App Store. Search for Shopify Collabs, and be sure to install the official app developed by Shopify—not a third-party alternative.

2. Create an Account & Set Up Your Profile

Once installed, you’ll need to accept the terms and conditions and configure your settings. This includes:

• Adding your brand details (logo, description, contact info).
• Choosing how you want to work with influencers—affiliate marketing, product gifting, or both.
• Setting up commission structures for affiliate sales via affiliate-based commissions.

3. Find Influencers to Collaborate With

Shopify Collabs offers two ways to connect with niche creators:

Outbound Influencer Search – Use Shopify’s built-in influencer search tool to filter creators by:

• Social Network: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, Blog
• Search by keyword, hashtag, location, or username
• Follower Count
• Average Engagement
• Average Likes
• Average Views

For each influencer, you can view key details like average engagement, past creator partnerships, and even contact information.

For every creator you can click through and find the following information. An email address for you to use to contact can often be found in the Info tab.

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Inbound Applications from Influencers – Set up a brand ambassador application page where influencers can apply to collaborate with you. You can easily add this page to your Shopify website and direct potential partners to it via DMs, emails, or social media.

4. Manage Influencer Partnerships

Once you’ve found influencers to work with, Shopify Collabs makes it easy to:

• Send free products (product seeding) directly through the app.
• Create and track affiliate discount codes to monitor performance.
• Track orders and inventory so you never run out of products when gifting influencers.

Because Shopify Collabs integrates directly with your Shopify store, everything from order fulfillment to commission tracking is automated. This helps avoid manual errors and ensures influencers get credit for their sales while maintaining a healthy relationship across ongoing partnerships.

Further Reading: 7 Benefits of Giving Free Products to Influencers

5. Track Performance with the Shopify Collabs Dashboard

One of the biggest benefits of Shopify Collabs is its intuitive dashboard, which allows you to:

• Monitor affiliate sales and influencer-driven conversions via referral links.
• Analyze influencer performance to identify your most beneficial partnerships.
• Optimize commissions and partnerships based on a wide range of data insights.

6 Top Features & Benefits of Shopify Collabs

Shopify Collabs isn’t just another influencer marketing tool. It really is a fully integrated solution designed to help Shopify store owners connect with influencers, drive sales, and track performance with ease. Whether you’re looking to find new creators, automate affiliate payouts, or gift products to influencers, this app simplifies the entire process.

Here’s a breakdown of the key features and benefits of Shopify Collabs:

1. Influencer Search & Discovery

One of the biggest challenges in influencer marketing is finding the right people to promote your brand. Shopify Collabs makes this easy with its built-in influencer search tool, allowing brands to filter creators by:

✅ Social platform – Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and blogs.
✅ Follower count – Choose influencers with a certain follower size or niche audiences.
✅ Engagement metrics – Prioritize influencers with high interaction rates.
✅ Location & keywords – Target influencers based on relevant industries, hashtags, or geographic areas.

Instead of spending hours manually searching for influencers, Shopify Collabs provides a curated marketplace where you can quickly engage in communication with creators and find the right partners.

📌 Benefit: Saves time and effort by giving you direct access to millions of influencers in one place.

2. Affiliate Marketing & Commission Tracking

Shopify Collabs is essentially a creator management app, which makes it simple to set up and manage a creator program, where influencers earn commissions for driving sales. Here’s how it works:

• Create unique discount codes for influencers to share in creator marketing campaigns.
• Track sales automatically—every time a purchase is made using an influencer’s code or affiliate link, Shopify Collabs logs it.
• Set commission rates that reward influencers based on their impact on potential customers.
• Automate PayPal payouts, ensuring influencers get paid on time without the hassle of manual transactions.

📌 Benefit: Removes the complexity of tracking commissions and ensures influencers are properly compensated for their efforts.

Further Reading: Shopify Affiliate Marketing: How to Leverage Influencers to Grow Your Shopify Store

3. Product Seeding & Gifting

Influencers love trying new products, and Shopify Collabs allows brands to send out free samples or gifts seamlessly. Instead of handling influencer orders manually, you can:

✅ Select influencers from the Collabs database and send them products directly through the app.
✅ Track gifted product shipments so you know when items arrive.
✅ Monitor conversions from influencers who received your products.

Want to send regular PR packages? You can even automate recurring shipments to high-performing influencers with a host of success stories.

📌 Benefit: Increases brand exposure by getting your products into the hands of influencers who will authentically promote them.

4. Custom Brand Ambassador Pages

Inbound influencer marketing is just as important as outbound outreach. Shopify Collabs allows brands to set up a dedicated recruitment page where influencers can apply to work with you.

• Easily embed the page on your Shopify store to attract potential brand ambassadors.
• Collect applications from interested influencers and vet them based on their audience and niche.
• Streamline approvals—accepted influencers automatically gain access to your affiliate program or product seeding campaigns without the need for back-and-forth direct messages.

📌 Benefit: Creates an effortless way to attract high-quality influencers who are already interested in your brand.

5. Performance Tracking & Analytics

One of the biggest struggles with influencer marketing is measuring success. Shopify Collabs includes a real-time analytics dashboard where you can:

📊 Track influencer-driven sales to see which creator performances generate the most revenue.
📊 Monitor engagement metrics to determine which influencers are most effective.
📊 Identify top-performing affiliates and optimize commissions accordingly.
📊 Analyze ROI to ensure your influencer marketing budget is being spent wisely.

📌 Benefit: Provides data-driven insights so you can refine your influencer marketing strategy for maximum impact without buggy interfaces from third parties.

6. Seamless Shopify Integration

Unlike third-party influencer marketing platforms, Shopify Collabs is built directly into Shopify. This means:

• No need for external tools—everything is managed within your Shopify dashboard.
• Automatic inventory tracking—when you send gifts to influencers, Shopify keeps your stock updated.
• Frictionless ordering process—influencers can redeem products without manual input from your team.

📌 Benefit: Ensures a smooth, hassle-free experience for both brands and influencers.

Further Reading: Shopify Blogging: 17 Tips to Drive Traffic to Your Shopify Store

Pros & Cons of Shopify Collabs

Like any influencer marketing tool, Shopify Collabs has its strengths and limitations. While it’s a powerful solution for Shopify store owners, it’s important to understand both the benefits and potential drawbacks before relying on it completely.

Pros of Shopify Collabs

✅ Seamless Shopify Integration – Since Shopify Collabs is built directly into Shopify, you don’t need third-party influencer marketing software. Everything, from affiliate tracking to product gifting, is managed within your Shopify dashboard.

✅ Massive Influencer Marketplace – Shopify Collabs gives brands access to millions of influencers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and more. Instead of manually searching for creators, you can use Shopify’s built-in filters to find highly relevant influencers for your influencer campaigns.

✅ Automated Affiliate Marketing – Setting up discount codes and affiliate links is effortless, and Shopify Collabs automatically tracks commissions and payouts. No spreadsheets, no manual calculations—just friction-free performance tracking across your influencer directory.

✅ Product Seeding Made Easy – If you want to send free products to influencers, Shopify Collabs lets you do it directly from your store while keeping inventory records up to date. No more back-and-forth emails or messy order tracking.

✅ Analytics & Performance Insights – The built-in dashboard tracks influencer-driven sales, engagement, and commissions, helping you identify top performers and optimize your strategy for better ROI.

Cons of Shopify Collabs

✖ Limited Customization for Influencer Searches – While Shopify Collabs offers basic search filters, it lacks the advanced AI-powered discovery features found in some dedicated influencer marketing platforms.

✖ Onboarding Can Take Time – Setting up your brand ambassador program, commission rates, and recruitment page requires some initial effort. While Shopify Collabs automates much of the process, there’s still a learning curve involved in finding and managing your perfect influencer.

✖ Best for Shopify Users Only – As expected, Shopify Collabs only works with Shopify stores. If you use WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or another ecommerce platform, you’ll need a different influencer marketing solution for commission payments and other aspects of the collaboration process.

Final Verdict

Shopify Collabs is an excellent tool for streamlining influencer partnerships, especially if you run a Shopify store and want to simplify affiliate marketing, influencer gifting, and performance tracking. While it may not replace highly specialized influencer marketing platforms, its seamless integration and automation make it a must-have for ecommerce brands looking to scale their influencer efforts efficiently.

Further Reading: How to Ace Shopify Marketing in 2025: 5 Best Strategies to Try

4 Tips How to Maximize Success with Shopify Collabs

Shopify Collabs is a powerful tool, but like any marketing strategy for ecommerce business owners, your success depends on how you use it. Simply signing up and waiting for influencers to drive sales won’t get you the results you want. Instead, you’ll need a proactive approach to building relationships, optimizing campaigns, managing essential details, and tracking performance. Here are some best practices to get the most out of Shopify Collabs.

1. Choose the Right Influencers

Not all influencers will be the right fit for your brand. Rather than focusing only on follower count, look for:

✅ High engagement rates – A smaller influencer with loyal, interactive followers is often a more ideal candidate than a large creator with low engagement.
✅ Brand alignment – Work with influencers who match your brand’s values, aesthetics, and audience.
✅ Authenticity – Choose creators who genuinely connect with their audience and aren’t just promoting random products.

📌 Pro Tip: Use Shopify Collabs’ influencer search filters to find creators based on social platform, location, engagement rate, and niche.

2. Build Long-Term Influencer Relationships

Instead of working with influencers for one-time promotions, nurture long-term relationships with partners. Stronger relationships lead to:

✅ More authentic content – The more familiar an influencer is with your brand, the better they can promote it.
✅ Higher conversion rates – Audiences trust authentic endorsements from influencers who consistently promote a brand over time.
✅ Better ROI – It’s often more cost-effective to work with a few high-performing influencers long-term than constantly recruiting new ones for your online presence.

📌 Pro Tip: Reward top-performing influencers with exclusive perks, higher commissions, or free product upgrades to keep them engaged.

3. Optimize Commissions & Incentives

Your affiliate commission structure can make or break your influencer marketing program. To attract top-tier influencers:

✅ Offer competitive commission rates – Research what similar brands are paying and ensure your rates are appealing enough to drive interest and competition among creators.
✅ Create tiered incentives – Reward higher-performing influencers with increased commissions or bonuses for reaching milestones.
✅ Provide exclusive discount codes – Personalize discount codes with the influencer’s name (e.g., JANE20) to encourage their audience to use them.

📌 Pro Tip: Use the Shopify Collabs analytics dashboard to track key metrics involving which influencers drive the most sales and adjust commissions accordingly.

4. Track & Improve Your Results

Data is your best friend when it comes to optimizing influencer marketing campaigns. Shopify Collabs provides valuable insights, so make sure to:

📊 Monitor sales performance – See which influencers bring in the most revenue.
📊 Analyze engagement – Track clicks, conversions, and discount code redemptions.
📊 Refine your strategy – If certain influencers aren’t delivering results, consider adjusting your approach or testing different partnerships for future campaigns.

📌 Pro Tip: Double down on high-performing influencers and adjust partnerships that aren’t delivering expected results.

Further Reading: Shopify SEO Checklist: 11+ SEO Tasks to Increase Store Sales without Paid Ads

The Final Word on Shopify Collabs

There’s no question that influencer marketing is one of the most powerful ways to grow an ecommerce business, and Shopify Collabs makes it easier than ever to connect with the right influencers, manage partnerships and ongoing campaigns, and track performance—all from within your Shopify store.

Whether you’re looking to find niche influencers, automate affiliate commissions, or send free products to creators, Shopify Collabs removes much of the guesswork and manual effort involved in collaboration programs. With its built-in search tools, seamless Shopify integration, and real-time analytics, it’s a must-have tool for brands that want to scale their influencer marketing efforts efficiently.

That said, successful collaborations with Shopify Collabs depend on how you use the tool. To truly maximize your results, focus on building relationships with the right influencers, setting competitive commissions, and consistently tracking performance to refine your strategy.

If you’re ready to take your influencer marketing to the next level, it’s time to get started with Shopify Collabs. Try it today and start building valuable partnerships that drive real sales!

Need more tips on growing your Shopify store? Check out my other guides on Shopify SEO, affiliate marketing, and influencer partnerships to keep leveling up your ecommerce success!

Further Reading: 15 Important Ecommerce Tools You Need to Know in 2025

FAQ: How can I optimize my strategy for influencer marketing with with Shopify Collabs?

To achieve meaningful results with influencer marketing on Shopify Collabs, you need to have a thoughtful plan. This platform can help successfully connect you with influencers and content creators who will not only understand your vision but also have an exceptionally loyal audience that is likely to be interested in your offerings. Start by searching for and identifying influencers whose audiences match your target customer persona. This ensures that your message goes out to a group that is not only very receptive but also truly super excited about your products. Don’t worry too much about follower count: Relevancy trumps reach.

Smart Use of Analytics

Shopify Collabs is armed with strong analytical tools. Use them to monitor your influencer partnerships. Look at engagement, conversion, and ROI to (re)act accordingly. Make each influencer campaign uniquely great by playing to the individual’s strengths, whether that be in storytelling, product demonstrating, or discounting. (Heck, do all three.)

Building Strong Connections

It goest without saying that, since content creators are the top 1% of social media users, it is crtical to maintain strong ties with these influencers. Make sure that the communication lines are open and that they are supplied with everything they need to do their job well. That means, at the very least, making sure they have high-quality images of your product, relevant educational text to use, and that they have actually used your product and ideally been introduced to new products and services before anyone else. Those are definitely some of the prerequisites for influencer marketing in general. Beyond that, it is crucial to allow them to work their magic. You want those folks creating content that is authentic to them and that resonates loud and clear with their audience. Don’t micro-manage how they represent your brand to their audience for best results!

Stay Ahead of the Curve

Maintaining alignment with sector movements and consumer behaviors allows you to change course, if necessary, to keep pace. Get input from your influencers and their audiences about what you can do to become a more effective marketing partner. Remember that influencer marketing should be a mutually beneficial arrangement. And if you understand the value of a user focus group, consider this group of influencers that you work with a VIP user focus group!

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Identify campaign goals that match your business priorities.
2. Translate those goals into clear KPIs for reach, engagement, and sales.
3. Use Shopify Collabs to pinpoint influencers whose followers mirror your audience.
4. Blend nano, micro, and mid‑tier influencers for reach and trust.
5. Reach out with deliverables, deadlines, and compensation up front and in writing.
6. Draft custom briefs that showcase each creator’s unique style.
7. Supply product facts, story angles, and media assets for easy content creation.
8. Offer limited‑time discounts or bundles exclusive to each creator.
9. Invite honest storytelling and let creators keep their own voice.
10. Monitor clicks, conversions, and ROI in Collabs dashboards.
11. Listen to influencer and follower feedback to refine messaging.
12. Run A/B tests on offers, visuals, and calls to action.
13. Adjust copy, targeting, or budget as data and instinct dictate.
14. Jump into comment threads to answer questions and build rapport.
15. Track costs to confirm profit on every collaboration.
16. Record insights and results to guide future campaigns.
17. Highlight top‑performing partners and share those wins publicly.
18. Stay alert to platform updates and competitor moves and pivot fast.

In short, making your influencer marketing work on Shopify Collabs takes a combination of data, campaigns, and personal, even intimate, relationships. And if that sounds a little too touchy-feely for business, take note: the best partnerships between influencers and brands are those that feel and act like true partnerships. Why? Because—SURPRISE!—the best influencer marketing programs tend not to be those that survive on a diet of data alone.