Initial Settings Configuration

Configure your CreatorCommerce instance with brand kit values, creator settings, onboarding configuration, discount protection, and tracking preferences.

First time setup? Complete these settings before creating your first collabs. These configurations establish defaults that apply across all creator partnerships and co-branded experiences.

Overview

Initial settings are organized into four main categories:

1. Store Information — Brand kit values (name, colors, logo, cover image, CSS overrides)
2. Creator Settings — Shop creation, messaging, product visibility
3. Onboarding Settings — Splash screen content and form configuration
4. Discount Settings — Safe discount code protection and templates
5. Tracking — Web pixel configuration

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Store Information (Brand Kit)

Brand kit values set the default visual identity for all creators and appear across forms, dashboards, and co-branded storefronts.

Brand Display Name

Location: Settings → Store Information → Name

What it does:

• Displays generically on all CreatorCommerce forms
• Appears anywhere your brand name displays for a creator
• Sets the default brand name that pulls through into pre-built CreatorCommerce templates
• Stored in your CreatorCommerce metaobject data

Example: “Acme Fitness” appears on creator onboarding forms and co-branded landing pages.

Primary Color

Location: Settings → Store Information → Primary Color

What it does:

• Sets the default primary color (hex) for all creators
• If a creator has previously set a color in any CreatorCommerce instance, their favorite color is intelligently brought over
• If a creator has never set a color, defaults to your brand’s primary color
• Creators can change this if you allow them to customize

Use cases:

• Co-branded storefront theming
• Creator dashboard branding
• Form styling
• Email templates

Related:

• Co-branded Storefronts — How brand colors appear on creator landing pages
• CSS Styling of CC Pages — Override colors with custom CSS

Primary Logo

Location: Settings → Store Information → Primary Logo

What it does:

• Sets the default logo for creator experiences
• Used in co-branded templates and creator dashboards
• Appears on forms and onboarding screens

Best practices:

• Use a logo mark with square dimensions (or at least even width × height)
• Recommended: 400×400px minimum
• Formats: PNG, SVG, or JPG
• Transparent background preferred

Related:

• Co-branded Templates — Logo usage in Liquid sections
• Whitelabel Forms & Dashboards — Logo in creator dashboards

Cover Image

Location: Settings → Store Information → Cover Image

What it does:

• Used on custom forms and onboarding screens
• Can be an image or video
• Will be cropped to fit display areas

Best practices:

• Use high-quality imagery that represents your brand
• Consider video for more engaging onboarding experiences
• Recommended dimensions: 1920×1080px (16:9 aspect ratio)
• File size: Keep under 5MB for optimal loading

Related:

• Onboarding Forms — Cover image display
• Custom Forms — Cover image in form templates

Styles Override URL

Location: Settings → Store Information → Styles Override URL

What it does:

• Allows you to paste a link to a CSS stylesheet
• Completely takes over the UI of CreatorCommerce-hosted forms and dashboards
• Enables full visual customization without modifying core functionality

Use cases:

• Hide the “Powered by CreatorCommerce” banner
• Change border radius, colors, fonts
• Match your exact brand guidelines
• Customize form layouts and dashboard appearance

How to set up:

1. Create your CSS file

   Generate a stylesheet with your brand fonts, colors, and styling preferences. You can use:

   • ChatGPT or Claude to generate a complete stylesheet
   • Your existing brand CSS as a base
   • The CSS Reference for available selectors
2. Upload to Shopify

   In Shopify Admin:

   1. Go to Content → Files
   2. Click Upload file
   3. Select your CSS file
   4. Wait for upload to complete
3. Copy the file URL

   Once uploaded, click the file in your Files list to copy its URL. It will look like:

   https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/xxxxx/xxxxx/your-styles.css
   
4. Paste into CreatorCommerce

   Go back to CreatorCommerce → Settings → Store Information → Styles Override URL Paste the URL and save.

Best practices:

• Keep CSS file under 100KB
• Use version query parameters for cache busting: styles.css?v=2025-01-15
• Test across mobile and desktop
• Don’t hide required form fields or break functionality

Related:

• Whitelabel Forms & Dashboards — Full dashboard customization guide
• CSS Reference — Available CSS selectors and classes
• Dashboard CSS Overview — Best practices and troubleshooting

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Creator Settings

Configure how creator shops are created, what products they can see, and how they’re communicated with.

Automatically Create Shops for New Clubs

Location: Settings → Creator Settings → Automatically Create Shops

Recommended: ✅ Enabled

What it does:

• Enabled: Shop is created automatically with default data when a new collab is established. Creators can go through onboarding to add extra data, but the shop exists immediately.
• Disabled: Creators must explicitly create their shops by going through the onboarding form. Shop won’t exist until onboarding is completed.

When to disable:

• You want to gate shop creation behind a specific onboarding flow
• You need creators to complete certain steps before their shop is accessible
• You’re running a curated program where not all creators get shops immediately

Related:

• Make Your First Collabs — Creating creator partnerships
• Onboarding Forms — Shop creation during onboarding

Enable Default Messaging / Creator Communication

Location: Settings → Creator Settings → Enable Default Messaging

What it does:

• Enabled: CreatorCommerce sends emails on your behalf to notify creators about:
  • Available onboarding forms
  • Form availability notifications
  • System-generated communications
• Disabled: You handle all creator communication manually or use Klaviyo flows based on CreatorCommerce events

When to disable:

• You have a sophisticated email automation setup in Klaviyo
• You want full control over messaging tone and timing
• You’re using custom email templates

Alternative approach (when disabled): Use Klaviyo integration to create flows based on CreatorCommerce events:

• collab.invited — Send invitation email
• collab.approved — Welcome series
• onboarding.started — Onboarding reminders
• drop.created — New product notifications

Related:

• Klaviyo Integration — Setting up event-based email flows
• Creator Messaging — Communication strategies
• Welcome Flows — Onboarding email sequences

Show Unavailable Products

Location: Settings → Creator Settings → Show Unavailable Products

Default: ❌ Disabled

What it does:

• Enabled: Products that are out of stock or unavailable appear in onboarding flows and product selection
• Disabled: Only available products are shown (default behavior)

When to enable:

• You want creators to choose products that aren’t yet available for sale
• You’re doing pre-launch product selection
• You want creators to get a jump on adding products to their drops before they go live

Use case example: A new product line launches in 2 weeks. You enable this setting so creators can curate their drops now, and when products become available, they’re already set up.

Related:

• Product Selection — How creators choose products
• Drops & Collections — Product curation in drops

Exclude Products with Tags for Creators

Location: Settings → Creator Settings → Exclude Products with Tags

What it does:

• Allows you to tag products in Shopify that creators should not be able to select
• Enter tag names separated by commas
• Tagged products are hidden from creator product selection flows

Example: If you enter wholesale,internal-use,test-product, any product with those tags won’t appear in creator onboarding or product selection forms.

How to use:

1. In Shopify Admin, tag products you want to exclude
2. In CreatorCommerce Settings, enter the tag names (comma-separated)
3. Tagged products are automatically filtered out

Related:

• Product Selection — Product filtering in forms

Recommended Collection ID

Location: Settings → Creator Settings → Recommended Collection ID

What it does:

• Showcases a list of recommended products in your forms
• Puts products you want creators to see right in front of them
• Helps guide creators toward specific products or collections

How to find a Collection ID:

1. In Shopify Admin, go to Products → Collections
2. Click on the collection you want to recommend
3. Look at the URL: https://admin.shopify.com/store/yourstore/collections/1234567890
4. The number at the end is the Collection ID

Use cases:

• Highlight best-selling products
• Showcase new product launches
• Guide creators to high-margin items
• Feature seasonal collections

Related:

• Product Selection — How recommended products appear
• Drops & Collections — Product curation

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Onboarding Settings

Configure the splash screen and initial messaging creators see when they first access onboarding.

Onboarding Title

Location: Settings → Onboarding Settings → Title

What it does:

• Displays on the splash screen of the onboarding page
• First thing creators see when they start onboarding
• Sets the tone for the onboarding experience

Best practices:

• Keep it short and welcoming
• Examples: “Welcome to [Brand] Partners”, “Join Our Creator Community”, “Let’s Get Started”

Onboarding Description

Location: Settings → Onboarding Settings → Description

What it does:

• Appears below the title on the splash screen
• Provides context about the program and what creators can expect
• Helps set expectations

Best practices:

• 2-3 sentences maximum
• Explain the value proposition
• Set clear expectations

Onboarding Perks

Location: Settings → Onboarding Settings → Perks

What it does:

• Displays in three slots on the onboarding splash screen
• Separated by commas
• Highlights key benefits of joining your program

Format: Enter three perks separated by commas:

Exclusive discounts, Early access to new products, Performance-based commissions

Best practices:

• Keep each perk concise (3-5 words)
• Focus on creator benefits
• Make them specific and compelling

Related:

• Onboarding Forms — Full onboarding form configuration
• Partner Enrollment — Onboarding strategy

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Discount Settings

Configure safe discount code protection to keep base discount codes secure while providing unique codes per checkout.

Enable Safe Discount Codes

Location: Settings → Discount Settings → Enable Safe Discount Codes

What it does:

• Enabled: Creates a unique, safe discount code every time someone clicks a creator link and starts checkout
• Disabled: Uses the base discount code directly (exposed to coupon code tools)

How it works:

• Base discount code (e.g., CREATOR20) remains safe and not exposed
• When a customer clicks a creator link and starts checkout, a cloned discount is created
• The cloned code is unique per checkout session
• Base discount stays protected from coupon code scrapers

Why use it:

• Protects your base discount codes from being discovered by coupon tools
• Allows you to track individual checkout sessions
• Maintains discount security while providing seamless checkout experience

When to disable:

• You’re using an affiliate platform that already handles discount protection
• You want to use the base discount code directly
• You have custom discount management logic

Related:

• Maintained Discount Protection — How discounts persist through checkout
• Support Unique Discounts — Technical implementation
• Discount Code Management — Auto-creation workflows

Safe Discount Code Template

Location: Settings → Discount Settings → Safe Discount Code Template

What it does:

• Defines the format for auto-generated safe discount codes
• Can include dynamic variables: first name, last name, discount value
• Always appends a random number at the end for uniqueness

Template variables:

• {FIRSTNAME} — Creator’s first name (uppercase)
• {LASTNAME} — Creator’s last name (uppercase)
• {DISCOUNT} — Discount percentage or amount

Examples:

Template	Example Output
{FIRSTNAME}{DISCOUNT}	SARAH20 + random → SARAH201234
{FIRSTNAME}{LASTNAME}{DISCOUNT}	SARAHJONES20 + random → SARAHJONES201234
{DISCOUNT}{FIRSTNAME}	20SARAH + random → 20SARAH1234

Important: A random number is always appended to the end of the generated code, regardless of your template.

Best practices:

• Keep codes under 20 characters (before random number)
• Use meaningful combinations creators can remember
• Test that generated codes don’t conflict with existing codes

Related:

• Discount Code Management — Code generation patterns
• Support Unique Discounts — Technical implementation details

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Tracking Settings

Creator Commerce Web Pixel

Location: Settings → Tracking → Web Pixel

Default: ✅ Enabled (recommended to keep enabled)

What it does:

• Tracks ecommerce metrics for co-branded experiences
• Provides attribution data for creator performance
• Enables funnel analytics and conversion tracking

What gets tracked:

• Landing page visits
• Product views
• Add to cart events
• Checkout starts
• Completed orders
• Revenue attribution

When to disable:

• You have a custom tracking solution
• You’re in a testing/development phase and want to avoid tracking noise
• You need to temporarily disable for troubleshooting

Keep this enabled unless you have a specific reason to disable it. The web pixel is essential for accurate attribution and performance measurement.

Related:

• Enable the CC Web Pixel — Technical implementation
• Enable Tracking on Liquid Themes — Theme integration
• Shopify Native Attribution — Attribution methodology

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Settings Checklist

Use this checklist when setting up your CreatorCommerce instance:

Store Information

• Set brand display name
• Configure primary color (hex)
• Upload primary logo (square dimensions recommended)
• Upload cover image (for forms/onboarding)
• (Optional) Set styles override URL for custom CSS

Creator Settings

• Enable “Automatically create shops for new clubs” (recommended)
• Configure default messaging preference
• Set “Show unavailable products” if needed
• Configure product exclusion tags if needed
• Set recommended collection ID if desired

Onboarding Settings

• Set onboarding title
• Write onboarding description
• Configure three onboarding perks (comma-separated)

Discount Settings

• Enable safe discount codes (if not using affiliate platform)
• Configure safe discount code template

Tracking

• Verify web pixel is enabled (default)

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Next Steps

After completing initial settings:

1. Create Your First Collab — Make Your First Collabs
2. Configure Forms — Onboarding Forms
3. Set Up Co-branded Storefronts — Co-branded Storefronts
4. Connect Your Tech Stack — Connect Your Tech Stack

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Related Documentation

• Getting Started — Developer quick start
• Make Your First Collabs — Creating partnerships
• Whitelabel Forms & Dashboards — Customizing creator experiences
• Onboarding Forms — Form configuration
• Discount Code Management — Discount workflows