How to onboard new affiliates (New customer accounts)

Milos ·June 14, 2026

With Simple Affiliate, you have two ways to onboard partners: you can manually add them through your merchant dashboard, or they can self-register through your storefront's Affiliate Dashboard.

The Affiliate Dashboard

The Affiliate Dashboard is an app extension installed directly onto your Shopify store. By default, it is located at: https://[your-store-domain].com/pages/affiliate

We recommend adding this link to your store’s Navigation Menu (Header or Footer) so potential partners can easily find your signup page.

The Onboarding Process: Step-by-Step

To ensure a secure experience and accurate tracking, the onboarding process follows these specific steps:

  1. Customer Login Affiliates must first log in to your store as a Customer. If they do not have a customer account, it will automatically be created. This step connects their affiliate profile directly to their Shopify customer identity. Once they enter a valid email address, they will be prompted to enter a one-time 6-digit code.

  2. Accessing the Registration Form Once logged in, the user will see a "Register" button on the affiliate page. Clicking this will open your customized affiliate signup form.

  3. Submitting the Application The applicant fills out the required details (as configured in your app settings) and submits their application to join your program.

  4. Approval Flow What the affiliate sees next depends on your settings:

    • Manual Approval: If you have manual approval enabled, the applicant will see a "Pending" message. They will gain access to their tools only after you approve them in your merchant dashboard

    • Automatic Approval: If manual approval is disabled, the affiliate will be granted immediate access to their dashboard.

What Happens Next?

Once an affiliate is approved and active:

  • Dashboard Access: They will instantly see their personal Affiliate Dashboard, where they can find their unique referral links and discount codes.

  • Referral Tools: They can begin tracking performance, viewing their commissions, and accessing any marketing assets you have provided.

  • Email Confirmation: The system will send an automated welcome email (if enabled) to confirm their acceptance into the program.

Related articles