If you manage an online store on Shopify and work with developers, designers, or external agencies, you know how complicated it can be to manage permissions and access to your admin panel. Shopify offers an ideal solution to this issue: collaborator accounts. In this post, we’ll explore what collaborator accounts are, how they work, and how they can simplify the management of your online store.
What are Collaborator Accounts?
Collaborator accounts on Shopify allow store owners to grant temporary access to their admin panel for external partners without affecting the limit of staff accounts. This is particularly useful when working with developers, designers, or agencies to enhance or manage your online store.
Why use Collaborator Accounts
Main Benefits:
- Easy Management: You can easily grant and revoke access without creating new staff accounts.
- Security: You maintain complete control over which sections of your admin panel are accessible to collaborators.
- Efficiency: You can let external partners work on your store without sharing your personal credentials.
How do Collaborator Accounts work?
Access Request
To request access as a collaborator, the partner must use their account in the Shopify Partner Dashboard. This process is designed to be simple and secure:
- Partner Request: The partner sends an access request to your store using the store’s MyShopify URL and, if enabled, a unique request code.
- Notification to Store Owner: You’ll receive a notification of the request and can review it.
- Approval: Decide which permissions to grant and approve or deny the request.
Unique Request Code
For added security, you can require partners to include a unique request code in their request. This code, which you can generate directly in your Shopify admin (Settings → Users and permissions → Collaborators), ensures that only authorized partners can request access.
Managing Collaborator Accounts
Assigning Permissions
When you approve an access request, you can specify exactly which sections of your admin the collaborator can view and modify, allowing you to maintain full control over your store:
- Products: Manage and modify the product catalog.
- Orders: Access and manage orders.
- Customers: View and edit customer data.
- Marketing: Manage marketing campaigns and discounts.
- Store Design: Modify the theme and store layout.
Revoking Access
You can revoke a collaborator’s access at any time directly from the Collaborators section in your Shopify settings by selecting the collaborator’s name and removing access. This flexibility is useful when the project is complete or if you decide to stop working with that partner.
Use cases
Developers
Developers can use collaborator accounts to access the theme code and store files, make custom modifications, and optimize site performance.
Designers
Designers can access theme settings and media files to create an attractive design and improve the user experience.
Marketing Agencies
Marketing agencies can manage ad campaigns, create discounts and promotions, and analyze sales data to optimize marketing strategies.
The importance of Collaborator Accounts
Shopify’s collaborator accounts are an invaluable tool that facilitates collaboration with external partners, while maintaining control and security over your online store. Using this feature allows you to work more efficiently and securely, ensuring that only the right people have access to critical store information.
Making the most of Shopify’s tools can make all the difference in the success of your online store! Discover all of Nama's Shopify guides.
