Pre-Registration Process
Pre-registration streamlines merchant onboarding by storing OAuth credentials upfront, eliminating manual credential exchange and reducing errors. Once you pre-register a merchant, they can complete onboarding in under 2 minutes.
1. Access the Pre-Registered Tab
The Pre-Registered tab displays a table of all merchants awaiting installation:
Navigate to Channel Dashboard → Merchants
Click the "Pre-Registered" tab (second tab, after "Connected Merchants")
Click the "Add Pre-Registration" button to begin
The Pre-Registered tab displays a table of all merchants awaiting installation:
Merchant Name: Display name for this merchant
Store URL: The merchant's Shopify store URL (
*.myshopify.com)Merchant ID: Unique identifier assigned by Violet (format:
mrc_abc123)Actions: Menu for managing pre-registration
Pre-Registered Merchants Table
The Actions menu (⋮) provides:
Copy Violet Connect Link — Copy the Violet onboarding link to send to merchants
Edit — Update merchant details or credentials
Delete — Remove pre-registration (use if merchant is no longer onboarding)
When a merchant completes onboarding, they automatically move from the "Pre-Registered" tab to the "Connected Merchants" tab.
2. Complete & submit Pre-Registration Form
Fill in the required fields and submit the form shown below:
Merchant Name
Display name for this merchant (optional)
Your choice (e.g., merchant's business name)
Store URL
The merchant's permanent *.myshopify.com URL — not a vanity handle
Shopify Admin → Settings → Domains, listed as the store's original/permanent myshopify.com domain (e.g., acme.myshopify.com)
Install Link
The Shopify custom app install URL
Shopify Partner Dashboard → Apps → Your Custom App → Distribution page
Client ID
OAuth client identifier
Shopify Partner Dashboard → Apps → Your Custom App → API credentials tab
Client Secret
OAuth secret key
Shopify Partner Dashboard → Apps → Your Custom App → API credentials tab (shown only once)
Install Link format: The Install Link should look like: https://admin.shopify.com/store/{store}/oauth/install_custom_app?client_id=...
This link is found on the Distribution page of your custom app in Shopify Partner Dashboard after selecting "Custom distribution". See Shopify App Setup - Step 6 for details.
Use the permanent .myshopify.com handle, not a vanity one.
Shopify lets merchants rename their store handle after creation, but the original .myshopify.com URL assigned when the store was first created never changes — it's the only handle Shopify will recognize during the OAuth install flow.
If you pre-register a merchant with a renamed/vanity .myshopify.com handle, the merchant will hit a "Pre-Registration not found" error when they try to install the app.
Where to find it: In the merchant's Shopify Admin, go to Settings → Domains. The permanent handle is the myshopify.com URL listed there (it may not be the primary storefront domain the merchant uses publicly).
After Submission
After creating the pre-registration, you'll see a success modal displaying:
Confirmation message with merchant name
Assigned Merchant ID (format:
mrc_abc123)Violet Connect link for this merchant (format:
https://connect.violet.io/platforms/shopify/connect?preregistration={ENCODED_DATA})
Copy this link and send it to your merchant. This is the recommended link — it provides the fastest onboarding experience with pre-filled merchant details.
Getting the Violet Connect Link
From the Pre-Registered Tab
Once you've successfuly pre-registered a merchant, you should see them in the Pre-Registrations table where you can retrieve the Violet Connect link at any time:
Find the merchant in the table
Click the actions menu (⋮) for that merchant
Click Copy Violet Connect Link
What to Send Your Merchant
Send the Violet Connect Link
Send your merchant the Violet Connect link. This link contains the encoded pre-registration data, so the merchant will be taken directly to the "Store Found" screen after logging in.
Subject: Connect Your Shopify Store to [Your Channel Name]
Hi [Merchant Name],
To connect your Shopify store to [Your Channel Name], please complete the following steps:
Click this link to get started: [Violet Connect Link]
You'll be guided through:
Creating a Violet account (or logging in if you already have one)
Confirming your pre-registered store details
Installing the app on Shopify (you'll be redirected to Shopify to authorize)
Setting up your payout account
The entire process takes just a few minutes.
Questions? Reply to this email.
Alternative Path: Store URL Lookup
If a merchant loses the Violet Connect link or prefers to start fresh, they can also go directly to https://connect.violet.io/{your_app_alias}:
Create an account or log in
Select Shopify as their platform
Enter their store URL (e.g.,
yourstore.myshopify.com)
If the pre-registration is set up correctly, they'll see a "Store Found" confirmation and can proceed with the installation.
If the pre-registration wasn't created correctly and associated with the merchant's store, the merchant will see a "Pre-Registration not found" error. Make sure you enter the merchant's permanent .myshopify.com handle (not a vanity/renamed one) when setting up their pre-registration, and ensure your merchant enters the same store URL if they take this path.
Next step: Learn about the merchant onboarding experience so you understand what happens after you send the link.
Last updated
Was this helpful?