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Shopify Plus

Topic summary

A Shopify Partner invested months (April-July 2024) nurturing a client migration from a custom e-commerce platform to Shopify Plus, including in-person demos and extensive consultations. After securing the contract in July and beginning development in September, they submitted their referral leads through Shopify’s Partner Program.

The core issue: The lead remained stuck in “Submitted” status for months with no Partner Support response. The partner had intentionally priced their development services lower, expecting to recoup through Shopify’s 20% ongoing revenue share.

Financial impact: Instead of the expected recurring commission (~$5,000/year, potentially $25,000+ over five years), Shopify offered only a one-time $2,000 payout. The partner lost revenue both on reduced project pricing and missing long-term commissions.

Partner’s position: They argue the referral system is fundamentally broken and discourages partners from promoting Shopify Plus. Since they had already closed the sale independently, they saw no need to submit the lead earlier or involve Shopify Sales.

Discussion remains unresolved with one commenter advising partners to always pre-verify referral eligibility with Shopify, noting the platform frequently rejects affiliate claims.

Summarized with AI on November 1. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
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As a Shopify Partner, I believed in the platform and was eager to bring new businesses on board. However, my recent experience with Shopify’s flawed referral system has left me frustrated and questioning whether it’s even worth promoting Shopify Plus.

The Timeline: A Long and Committed Sales Process- April 25, 2024 – A potential client reached out about migrating from a custom-built e-commerce site to Shopify.

  • April 26, 2024 – I traveled to the client’s location, providing a live demo of Shopify Advanced, Shopify Plus, and Shopify POS to showcase its value and convert this into a full design and development project.
  • April – July 2024 – The client, who was thorough but occasionally indecisive, needed multiple discussions to address concerns about migrating the webshop, customer database, and replacing the POS at two physical locations. I invested months answering questions, refining the offer, and ensuring Shopify was the right fit.
  • July 4, 2024 – After three months of discussions, I finalized and sent my quotation.
  • July 7, 2024 – The client accepted my proposal, and we agreed on a development timeline: work would begin in September with a goal to launch by mid-October.

Because of the Shopify Plus revenue share model, I kept my offer on the lower side to make the overall investment more appealing to the client, knowing that the commission would balance things out.

Kicking Off Development and Submitting Leads- September 9, 2024 – We officially kicked off development.

  • We then submitted our Shopify Plus and POS Pro leads as per Shopify’s Partner Program.

For us, we did not deem it necessary to submit the lead earlier, as no further assistance from Shopify Sales was required. We had already completed all discussions, finalized pricing, and secured the contract directly with the client. At this point, we were simply implementing the project, and there was no need for Shopify’s involvement in the sales process anymore.

Months of Partner Support, No Answers

For months, my lead status remained stuck in “Submitted”, despite multiple support tickets, emails, and escalations. I spent countless hours trying to get clarity from Shopify Partner Support and my assigned sales advisor. Finally, after nearly four months, I got an answer—but it was contradictory and unacceptable:

  1. Response from Shopify Partner Support:
    “It was advised that you did not meet the criteria for being awarded because your submission of the Plus lead occurred after the merchant had already started discussions with Shopify, disqualifying it as a new referral. In lieu of the revenue share, a one-time payout of $2000 was received.”

  2. Response from Shopify Sales Team:
    “The partner does not qualify as they have not met our terms. It is essential for the partner to introduce the merchant to our Plus sales team, as we provide a revenue share for such referrals. Additionally, another partner had already introduced the merchant to our team several months prior to Fennec Group submitting their lead, which is why they were not awarded.”

The Problem: Shopify’s Referral System is Broken

This creates a deeply flawed and unfair system for Shopify Partners. Based on Shopify’s response, two scenarios are at play here:

  1. If a client contacts Shopify for any reason before I submit the lead—even just to ask for information—I lose my right to earn a commission, even if I was the one who actually sold, developed, and implemented Shopify Plus for them.

  2. If any other Shopify Partner submits a lead first—even if they were not involved in closing the deal, developing the store, or providing any real value—they get awarded the commission instead of me.

    It is normal and the right of a client to contact multiple partners to compare offers for development. However, under Shopify’s system, if another partner registers the lead first—regardless of whether they actually secured the deal or executed the work—they are awarded the commission, leaving the actual implementing partner empty-handed.

This means that as an entrepreneur, I can do all the work—spend months educating and convincing a client, presenting demos, writing proposals, answering endless questions, finalizing a contract, and actually developing the store—but still get nothing because Shopify’s system rewards whoever submits a lead first, not who actually delivers the project.

How We See a Proper Sales Process

For us, a normal sales process involves:

  • Educating the client through demos and discussions.
  • Refining the proposal based on their needs.
  • Finalizing agreements and setting a development timeline.
  • Building the store and integrating Shopify solutions.
  • Earning commissions based on who secured and implemented the Shopify solution—not just who submitted a name first.

Shopify’s current system completely disregards a normal sales process. Instead, it rewards whoever registers a lead first, even if they had no involvement in securing the client or delivering the project.

Losing Revenue Twice

Not only did I miss out on the expected 20% revenue share, but because I had priced my project lower in anticipation of long-term Shopify commissions, I lost revenue twice—once on the initial project pricing and again on the Shopify Plus commission.

Final Thoughts: Shopify, This Needs to Change

Shopify did offer me a one-time $2,000 payout, but compared to a continuous 20% revenue share, this is a major financial loss.

  • Instead of earning $5,000 per year, I get a one-time payment and nothing else.
  • If the client stays on Shopify Plus for five years, I’ve lost out on $25,000 or more.
  • This completely discourages me from ever investing time in selling or implementing Shopify Plus again.

I love working with Shopify as a platform, but this experience has made me unwilling to promote Shopify Plus in the future. If Shopify does not fix this broken referral system, they will alienate the very partners who bring clients onto the platform and help them succeed.

If you’re a Shopify Partner considering selling Shopify Plus, think twice—your hard work might go completely unrewarded.

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Always try to check with them that the client will be considered as referal, Shopify will try to reject you always as an affiliate.

Good you have highlighted it.

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