Shopify + DTC: best practices for launching your program

Last updated: November 3, 2026

Your Shopify store is connected, and now you have a page of program settings to decide on. Most of them have a sensible default, but a few choices shape which creators join, what they post, and what you end up paying for. This guide walks through what we recommend for each one and why.

For what every setting does, see Shopify + DTC programs. To see the program the way your creators will, share Shopify + DTC: what your creators see, from invite to payout with them.

Shopify + DTC programs are available on Growth, Business, and Autopilot. Open Campaigns > Shopify + DTC to start.

Not sure what the creator experience looks like from start to finish? Our Shopify DTC playbook walks you through every step, from the first invite to the moment a creator posts.

1. Start with creators who already know you

Your first sales usually come from people who already like your products. Before you look for new creators, invite these three groups:

  • Your TikTok Shop affiliates. Creators already selling for you on TikTok Shop know your products and how to talk about them. Select them in Affiliate CRM > Creators and use Invite to program.

  • Customers who are also creators. Euka checks your Shopify customers against creators it knows and emails you if it finds matches. Open your program's Overview and click See who they are to invite them. Nobody is contacted just because they were matched.

  • Creators from another affiliate tool. Import a CSV with each creator's email, first name, last name, and discount code. Their codes carry over, but their links are new, so ask them to update the links in their bios and stories. Turn off the old program once they've moved, so both tools don't credit the same order.

2. Ship the sample first, then send the link

For creators who are new to your products, we recommend sending the link after the sample arrives. Creators get their link when they're ready to post, so it goes live alongside their first video instead of sitting unused.

Send the link right away for creators who already have your product, like fans who bought from you or affiliates who've posted about you before. They can start sharing on day one and add the link to videos they've already made.

You choose the order when you create the program, and you can't change it afterward. If you work with both groups, run two programs with different settings.

3. Let creators pick their samples at first

If you aren't sure which products creators will want to make videos about, let them choose from your catalog in the first few months. Set a limit on items and total value, and their picks will show you which products creators are most excited to post. Later, you can switch new programs to Only products you approve and focus your samples on the products that sold.

If you already know your hero product, choose the products for creators instead. They skip the picking step and you control exactly what ships.

A program created without samples can't add them later, so turn samples on at the start if you think you'll want them.

4. Keep each shopper's one-time code

Every program starts with Their own one-time code: each shopper who clicks a creator's link gets a discount code that works once. Shared codes tend to end up on coupon sites and browser extensions, so you end up paying commission on sales the creator didn't drive. One-time codes can't leak that way.

To use them, turn on SafeLink discount in your Shopify theme's App embeds. Until you do, Shoppers get in your program settings asks you to turn it on.

Choose A code to share only if creators need one code they can say out loud, for example in a livestream.

5. Match the return window to your return policy

A return window holds each order's commission until the window ends. If the shopper returns the order before then, no commission is paid on it. Without a return window, a refund after you've paid doesn't take the commission back.

Set it to match the return policy on your website, for example 30 days. You can make the window longer later but not shorter, so start with the length you actually need.

6. Make your application page work for you

New programs are open to Anyone on Discover, the list of public programs in the Euka creator app, and accept applicants automatically. Creators sent more than 9,000 applications to Euka programs in the last 30 days (as of October 2026), so a public program can fill up fast.

  • Turn off automatic acceptance if you want to review each creator before they join.

  • Add custom questions that help you decide, like which brands they've worked with, a link to past work, or their clothing size.

  • Ask for a shipping address and phone number if you send samples. Samples always need an address.

  • Require TikTok or Instagram if you want to see a creator's numbers before you approve them. Creators connect the account when they apply.

7. Write a program page creators want to join

Your program's name, description, and cover image appear on the invitation, the application page, and Discover.

  • Name it for creators. It's the first thing they see in the invitation email, so make it inviting and leave out anything internal.

  • Say what they get. List the commission, the discount their audience gets, the samples, and any extra perks.

  • Say which products are included, so creators know what they can post about.

  • Add a cover image. PNG, JPG, and WebP all work, and 1680 × 800 is the recommended size. Use Creator preview to check how it looks.

8. Tell creators where to find you

Share your application page anywhere your creators already are: your website footer, your creator newsletter, your Discord, or your bio. Once creators join, send them Shopify + DTC: what your creators see, from invite to payout so they know what to expect at each step.

Want to walk your creators through it yourself? Use our creator walkthrough deck.

Your first week

  1. Turn on SafeLink discount in Shopify's App embeds.

  2. Create your program with samples, the link order you want, and a return window that matches your return policy.

  3. Invite your TikTok Shop affiliates and any customers Euka matched to creators.

  4. Share your application page with the creators you already talk to.

  5. Create the sample orders on Collaborations as creators pick their products.

  6. Check Overview for your first clicks and orders. Shopify orders usually show up within about a minute.

FAQs

Can I change my settings after the program goes live? Most of them. New commission rates, discounts, and link formats apply to new links, and links creators already shared keep working. The store, program type, and sample and link order are fixed once the program is created.

What does Euka charge? A service fee of 1.5% of creator-driven sales, separate from your creators' commission, at the early-stage rate as of September 2026. Paying commission bills by US bank account has no processing fee. Paying by card adds 3.5% of creator payouts.

A creator already has my product. Do they still have to wait for a sample? No. Open the creator on Collaborations and use Manage > Skip this step. They move straight to their link.

What happens if I don't pay a commission bill on time? An overdue bill pauses the program and stops sales tracking, and sales during the pause aren't credited. Turn on auto charge in Program Settings > Payment so bills are paid on their own.

Where can I get help setting this up? Contact us at support@euka.ai and we'll walk through it with you.