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Before you start building with CreatorCommerce, make sure you have everything set up. This guide covers the essential prerequisites you’ll need.

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Essential Prerequisites

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1. Shopify Account & Store

Shopify Account:
  • A valid Shopify account (existing or new)
  • Access to the Shopify admin panel
Shopify Store:
  • A Shopify store (development or production)
  • Store admin access
  • Ability to install apps
Development Store Option:
  • Can use a development store for testing
  • Development stores work the same as production stores
  • No credit card required for development stores
Requirements:
  • Store must be on Shopify Plus, Shopify Basic, or higher plan
  • Store must have metaobjects enabled (available on all modern Shopify plans)

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2. CreatorCommerce Instance

App Installation:
  • CreatorCommerce app installed in your Shopify store
  • App activated and connected
  • Access to CreatorCommerce dashboard
Initial Setup:
  • Complete initial app setup flow
  • Configure basic settings
  • Verify store connection
Access Requirements:
  • Access to CreatorCommerce dashboard
  • API access (if using API directly)
  • Store admin access for app configuration
Shopify Collabs Setup:
  • Shopify Collabs app installed (recommended)
  • Collabs program configured
  • Creator tiers set up (if using tiers)
Why It Helps:
  • Seamless creator onboarding
  • Integrated discount code management
  • Unified creator management
  • Automatic syncing between Collabs and CreatorCommerce
Alternative:
  • Can work without Shopify Collabs
  • Manual creator management via API
  • More setup required

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4. Development Environment (For Builders)

Code Editor:
  • Code editor for editing Liquid templates
  • Access to Shopify theme files
  • Git setup (optional but recommended)
Shopify CLI (Recommended):
  • Shopify CLI installed for local development
  • Theme development tools
  • File sync capabilities
Testing Environment:
  • Development store for testing
  • Browser developer tools
  • Testing workflow established

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What You Should Have Ready

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Before Building Co-Branded Experiences

Store Setup:
  • ✅ Shopify store active and accessible
  • ✅ CreatorCommerce app installed
  • ✅ Basic app configuration complete
  • ✅ Metaobjects created (app handles this)
Creator Data:
  • ✅ At least one creator/collab created
  • ✅ Creator has profile data populated
  • ✅ Creator has at least one drop (optional but helpful for testing)
Theme Access:
  • ✅ Access to theme code
  • ✅ Ability to create/edit sections and snippets
  • ✅ Can preview changes in development store

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Before Building Creator Features

CreatorCommerce Setup:
  • ✅ App installed and configured
  • ✅ Creator dashboard access (if building creator features)
  • ✅ Creator onboarding flow understood
  • ✅ Creator data structure familiar (review glossary/data models)
Creator Content:
  • ✅ Test creators created
  • ✅ Sample drops created
  • ✅ Product enhancements added
  • ✅ Custom fields configured (if using)

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Quick Setup Checklist

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Phase 1: Basic Setup (15 minutes)

  • Shopify store ready (dev or production)
  • CreatorCommerce app installed
  • App activated and connected
  • Initial app setup completed
  • Can access CreatorCommerce dashboard

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Phase 2: Test Creator Setup (30 minutes)

  • Created test creator/collab
  • Populated creator profile data
  • Created test drop
  • Added products to drop
  • Added product enhancements (notes, media)
  • Verified creator metaobject created in Shopify

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Phase 3: Development Ready (15 minutes)

  • Theme development environment set up
  • Can access theme files
  • Testing workflow established
  • Development store for testing (recommended)
  • Browser dev tools ready

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Verifying Your Setup

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Check CreatorCommerce Connection

In Shopify Admin:
  1. Go to Apps → CreatorCommerce
  2. Verify app is installed and active
  3. Check that you can access the dashboard
In CreatorCommerce Dashboard:
  1. Verify store connection shows as connected
  2. Check that creators can be created
  3. Verify metaobjects are accessible

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Check Creator Metaobject

In Shopify Admin:
  1. Go to Settings → Custom data → Metaobjects
  2. Find metaobject type creator
  3. Verify it exists and has fields
  4. Check that test creators appear as metaobject entries

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Check Creator Data in Liquid

In Theme Code:
  1. Access theme files
  2. Create test snippet or section
  3. Try accessing creator data: 
    {% liquid
  if metaobject
    assign cc_creator = metaobject
  else
    assign cc_handle = cart.attributes['cc-creator-handle']
    assign cc_creator = metaobjects.creator[cc_handle]
  endif
  
  assign has_creator = cc_creator != blank
%}
{% if has_creator %}
  Creator found: {{ cc_creator.cc-creator-first-name }}
{% endif %}

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Common Setup Issues

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Issue: App Not Installed

Solution:
  • Install CreatorCommerce app from Shopify App Store
  • Complete installation flow
  • Verify in Apps section of Shopify admin

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Issue: Metaobjects Not Created

Solution:
  • CreatorCommerce automatically creates metaobjects on installation
  • If missing, check app installation
  • Contact support if metaobjects don’t appear

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Issue: No Creator Data

Solution:
  • Create a test creator/collab first
  • Verify creator profile is populated
  • Check that creator appears in Shopify metaobjects
  • Ensure cart attributes are set for testing

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Issue: Can’t Access Theme Files

Solution:
  • Ensure you have store admin access
  • Check theme permissions
  • Use Shopify CLI for local development
  • Consider development store for testing

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Development Store vs Production

Pros:
  • Safe testing environment
  • Can break things without impact
  • Easy to reset and start over
  • No credit card required
Use When:
  • Learning CreatorCommerce
  • Building new features
  • Testing implementations
  • Experimenting with designs

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Production Store

Pros:
  • Real data and customers
  • Actual creator relationships
  • True performance metrics
Use When:
  • Ready to launch
  • Have tested thoroughly
  • Confident in implementation
Recommendation: Start with a development store, then move to production when ready.

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Next Steps

Once you have everything set up:
  1. Understand the Data Model - Review Data Model Overview
  2. Learn Access Patterns - Check Creator & Collab Data Model
  3. Start Building - Follow the product guides in LEARN ABOUT CC section