# 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:

1. Navigate to **Channel Dashboard** → **Merchants**
2. Click the **"Pre-Registered"** tab (second tab, after "Connected Merchants")
3. Click the **"Add Pre-Registration"** button to begin

![Create Pre-registration](https://2435497985-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FZrOgj5n6PuU2r0Ya8Tzl%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-897843cff7bd6b95ae2f30fee626b0d414f5cc16%2Fcreate-prereg-button.png?alt=media)

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

![Pre-registrations Table and Action Menu](https://2435497985-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FZrOgj5n6PuU2r0Ya8Tzl%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b5c8820f60e2a368fa9ac14eea4582a47052624d%2Fprereg-dash-action-menu.png?alt=media)

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)

{% hint style="info" %}
When a merchant completes onboarding, they automatically move from the "Pre-Registered" tab to the "Connected Merchants" tab.
{% endhint %}

***

## 2. Complete & submit Pre-Registration Form

Fill in the required fields and submit the form shown below:

![Create Pre-registration Modal](https://2435497985-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FZrOgj5n6PuU2r0Ya8Tzl%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-2d4b020d93363333fcac89f57a54b66799f1333b%2Fcreate-prereg-modal.png?alt=media)

| Field             | Description                               | Where to Get It                                                                            |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Merchant Name** | Display name for this merchant (optional) | Your choice (e.g., merchant's business name)                                               |
| **Store URL**     | The merchant's Shopify store URL          | Ask merchant for their `*.myshopify.com` URL (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) |

{% hint style="info" %}
**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](https://docs.violet.io/ecom-platforms/shopify-app-setup#step-6-copy-the-install-link) for details.
{% endhint %}

### 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}`)

{% hint style="success" %}
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.
{% endhint %}

***

## 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:

1. Find the merchant in the table
2. Click the **actions menu** (⋮) for that merchant
3. 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:
>
> 1. Creating a Violet account (or logging in if you already have one)
> 2. Confirming your pre-registered store details
> 3. Installing the app on Shopify (you'll be redirected to Shopify to authorize)
> 4. 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}`:

1. Create an account or log in
2. Select **Shopify** as their platform
3. 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.

{% hint style="warning" %}
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 store URL correctly when setting up their pre-registration and ensure your merchant enters the same store URL if they take this path.

<img src="https://2435497985-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FZrOgj5n6PuU2r0Ya8Tzl%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-811d36ab2a06ed1dd718ed7e21ebc801f06ca505%2Fvc-prereg-not-found.png?alt=media" alt="pre-registration-not-found" data-size="original">
{% endhint %}

***

**Next step:** Learn about the [merchant onboarding experience](https://docs.violet.io/ecom-platforms/shopify/merchant-onboarding) so you understand what happens after you send the link.