Optimizing Shopify’s Partner Platform for Growth

Redesigning the homepage, onboarding experience, and referral insights dashboard to improve engagement and usability for Shopify Partners.

The Challenge: Helping Shopify Partners Unlock Value Faster

Shopify’s Partner Platform is where developers, agencies, and service providers build and grow their businesses within the Shopify ecosystem. However, partners struggled with:

  • A confusing homepage that didn’t effectively highlight key actions or opportunities.

  • A fragmented onboarding experience, making it unclear how to get started.

  • Limited visibility into referral performance, making it harder for partners to optimize their earnings.

The Approach: Streamlining Navigation & Surfacing Key Insights

To create a more intuitive, value-driven experience, I worked cross-functionally with PMs, engineers, and content strategists to:

Redesign the Partner Homepage
Clearer navigation, prioritized actions, and a more engaging experience.

Optimize Onboarding
A structured journey guiding new users through key setup steps.

Enhance Referral Insights
Surface key metrics to help partners track and optimize referrals.

The Results: More Engagement, More Value for Partners

  • Referral Insights Dashboard: Increased partner engagement by 9% and conversions by 3%.

  • Homepage & Onboarding: Improved usability and partner satisfaction (qualitative feedback).

  • Strategic Impact: Created a more intuitive, scalable experience that empowers partners to succeed in Shopify’s ecosystem.

Key Takeaway: A Holistic Approach to Partner Success

By optimizing the homepage, onboarding, and insights experience, we helped Shopify Partners understand their impact, take meaningful actions, and grow their businesses—strengthening Shopify’s overall partner ecosystem.

© Courtney Portnoy 2025