Shopify Affiliate Program Compliance Guidelines
Knowing our rules and how to avoid expiration
Introduction
As a Shopify Affiliate, your long-term success is our priority. To ensure a fair and transparent partnership, all Shopify Affiliates must adhere to our compliance guidelines outlined in our current program terms. Failure to comply may result in commission forfeiture or account termination, and we want to help you avoid that. This article covers some basic Shopify Affiliate Program compliance rules and best practices to set you up for success.
Compliance rules
Prohibited promotion methods
- Trademark bidding: Many affiliate marketers use PPC advertising via search engines & social networks. Bidding on our branded search terms is a direct violation of our Shopify Affiliate Program Terms (Part A, Sec. 6.3). We also do not allow the direct bidding on misspellings of our brand name. To avoid suspension in our program, we require that all affiliates add “Shopify” to their ‘negative keyword’ list.
- Ad hijacking: Shopify Affiliates do not have permission to mimic Shopify’s official ads, or pose as Shopify in any capacity. This is strictly prohibited in our Affiliate Program Terms (Part A, Sec. 6.3) and can result in immediate suspension from our program.
- Cookie stuffing: Shopify Affiliates are prohibited from using hidden cookie injections/unauthorised tracking methods (Part B, Sec. 7.1.5). Doing so can result in immediate removal from our program.
- You may not use “Shopify” or a misspelling of it in your promotional domain. Instances of these are considered a violation of the trademark protections in the Terms.
Operating as a sub-affiliate or sub-network
We have strict guidelines on how we work with subaffiliate networks. TL;DR Shopify Affiliates cannot join or operate a subaffiliate network without direct written permission from Shopify (Part B, Sec 7.1.4). To learn more about our rules for operating as a subaffiliate in our program, check out this article.
Note: Until you receive formal approval of your subaffiliate program AND individual sub contributors, you are not allowed to operate in this capacity and will be considered in violation of program terms.
Operating as a Loyalty Affiliate or Browser Extension
We have strict guidelines regarding how affiliates operate with loyalty and browser extension capabilities:
- No affiliate is allowed to promote Shopify through a browser extension without explicit written approval from Shopify. Affiliates found to be doing so will be subject to our compliance protocols, including but not limited to: commission reduction, commission forfeiture, and removal from the program.
- All loyalty and browser extensions are prohibited from promoting promotional codes or coupons. The Shopify platform does not allow a merchant to enter these when signing up.
- All loyalty and browser extension affiliates are required to “stand down” if an affiliate cookie is present in the user journey, with an affirmative click required by the user to trigger the notification from loyalty/browser extension. This means you are not allowed to automatically trigger/appear for a user if another affiliate cookie is already present.
- All loyalty and browser extensions are not permitted to circumvent the user already on Shopify back to Shopify with the affiliate cookie triggered.
Regulatory compliance guidelines
It’s important that you also keep the following in mind when sharing your affiliate link:
- Disclosure requirements: Disclosing your affiliate relationship clearly. As an affiliate you must disclose that you may earn a commission for certain actions taken by your audience.
- Avoid misrepresentation: As a Shopify Affiliate do not state in your content that Shopify pays you to build shops, deliver courses, etc.
- Distinguish your role: Do not state or imply that being an affiliate means you are employed by Shopify.
Now that you’re up to speed on how to avoid violating our terms and the corresponding ramifications, let’s get started! Check out our Shopify Affiliate Referral Guide that walks you through best practices to successfully refer your audience to Shopify!
If you have any questions about our program compliance or Terms of Service, or need approval to run a SubAffiliate program, please contact us at shopify-affiliate-compliance@shopify.com.