The Shopify Collaborator Account: What You Need to Know

Home Q&A The Shopify Collaborator Account: What You Need to Know

You may already be familiar with development stores, which are free Shopify accounts that allow you to build stores for clients, and to test out new themes and apps. But, if your client already has a paid Shopify store, it’s time to use a Shopify collaborator account. Here’s the issue though: your client may have no idea why you’re asking for access to their store, which is required when activating a collaborator account. In this article, we walk you through what a Shopify collaborator account is, how to request access to your client’s store, and how to use collaborator accounts to make your client’s experience even better.

Requesting access to a client’s store

The process for requesting access to your client’s store is simple.

1. In your Partner Dashboard, click Stores.
2. Click Add store.
3. For type of store, choose Managed store.
4. Enter the URL of the store.
5. In the Permissions section, select the sections of the store you want to access, or check Full access. Remember that the store owner can change these permissions after your account is created. See below for more information on permissions.
6. If you’d like, include a message to the store owner in the Add a message section.
7. Click Save.

Once you send your request, an email will be sent to the store owner and a notification will appear on their Shopify Home, asking them to approve you. Requests expire after seven days, but don’t worry—you can always re-request access after the expiration date.

Once your client has approved you, you’ll be able to access their store—and all the other stores you work on—via the Stores tab in your Partner Dashboard.

Removing managed stores

Once you’ve finished working with your client, the merchant can remove your account from their store. You can also remove your collaborator account by visiting the Stores page, clicking on the store in question, and clicking Remove managed store.

Removing managed stores also helps you maintain security for the merchants you’ve worked with.

How to respond to your client asking why you need access to their store

The permissions you should request from a client depend greatly on the work you’ll be doing for them. For example, if you’re going to be designing a store, you don’t need access to the store’s finances. You could, however, need access to the following:

Navigation
Themes
Blog Posts and Pages
Orders
Products

A full list of possible permissions with their descriptions can be found in our Help Center.

It can be helpful to take the time to explain to your clients why you need access to certain parts of their store—it builds trust, and helps your client understand the different aspects of the work you’ll be doing for them. If you send them a request for access without letting them know it’s coming, this can cause confusion and delay the project.

Here’s a short script template you can adapt to let your clients know you’ll be requesting access to their store via a Shopify collaborator account.

A Shopify collaborator account establishes a smooth working experience

A Shopify collaborator account establishes a collaborative environment that gives you an opportunity to do great work for merchants everywhere. They allow you to easily access the parts of a merchant store you need to do your job, while ensuring that the merchant experience is safe and controlled. Collaborator accounts make the process of working for existing Shopify merchants much smoother, and builds your reputation as a trusted Shopify Partner.