At Shopify, we constantly innovate to make it possible and easy for merchants of all sizes and scale to build and grow their commerce business. Over the years, the skills and expertise of our partner ecosystem has been a fundamental component in our mission of making commerce better for every merchant.

Today, Shopify’s partner network is comprised of thousands of development and digital marketing agencies, system integrators, and technology partners around the globe. Our expansive network helps to make it possible to solve merchant’s biggest challenges to growth and build for the long term.

This deep relationship between Shopify and our partners stands more than a decade. In that timeframe, our partners have helped countless merchants thrive in the fast-changing commerce world.

As the commerce landscape continues to evolve, Shopify is investing in our partner ecosystem to enable and empower our partners to better support merchants on every engagement.

We are committed to making improvements to the way we support and reward our partners through a refreshed partner program, so they can continue to deliver exceptional commerce experiences for their merchants and grow their business.

To make it easier for every partner to build their business with Shopify, the enhancements focus on three areas: exceptional rewards, skills building, and a simplified, engaging partner experience. Starting today, partners will be able to earn more, gain new skills through comprehensive certification programs, and experience more ways to engage.

New incentives build to accelerate partner growth

We’re expanding how we reward partners for the incredible work they do with Shopify merchants so they can put more money in their pocket and grow their business. This includes introducing expanded plans and product incentives. Partners will now be able to earn more money for working with Shopify Plus merchants, strategic accounts, and enterprise clients.

We are also introducing product referral incentives to reward our partners for the work they do helping their clients grow their business. This includes bonuses for every merchant referred to POS Pro, the top tier of subscriptions to our point-of-sale software. And US partners can earn more when they launch merchants on MarketsPro, our software that helps merchants sell and scale internationally.

Comprehensive education and enablement

Shopify continues to lead the commerce market in innovation, including the recent release of over 100+ new product updates in Winter ‘23 Edition. To ensure partners are equipped to bring those innovations to their clients, we are launching the first-ever certification program for Shopify partners, with both business foundation and technical certifications.

With Shopify Certifications, partners will have access to a slate of eight new courses and the ability to earn badges, starting in March. The first learning path, Business Foundations, will include courses on Shopify 101, Shopify Plus, Shopify Markets, and Shopify POS, as well as marketing, data, and business foundations. New specialization badges will help partners demonstrate product expertise, and quickly upskill their teams.

More ways to engage and build network

This year, we’re inviting more partners than ever to our virtual Partner Education Day on April 4. We're also introducing a new in-person event for top-performing commercial partners later this year to continue building ways to empower and enable our partners to grow their businesses.

Improvements for a better partner experience

We’re removing friction to maximize our partner experience and make it easier for partners to service their growing clients. Through our self-drive Plus Upgrades enhancement, partners will now be able to upgrade clients who are ready for Shopify Plus faster and easier than ever before.

We have also introduced a new and improved signup experience for new partners to make it easier to get started.

The next step

The latest improvements to the Shopify Partner Program is the first of many in our journey to reimagine the value and experience partners receive from Shopify. We’re proud of the work our partners have done and the value they continue to deliver to our merchants, and are excited to continue to improve the way we recognize and enhance our offerings to include partners in every possible engagement.

We’ll be rolling out new initiatives all year, so check the Shopify Partner Blog for the latest updates.

Courtney Kubitza