Creators & affiliates
Know what your Trybe creators really cost per order
MerchantFlow deducts the commission you owe Trybe creators from the profit of every order they drive, using the Shopify order tag those orders carry, and shows it as its own line on your P&L.
Trybe lets brands run a creator program: creators make videos, you run the approved ones as ads, and creators are paid on results, often as a commission on the sales they drive. The sale lands in Shopify straight away. The commission does not land anywhere in your profit reporting until the payout leaves your bank account, so every creator-driven order looks more profitable than it is.
MerchantFlow closes that gap with a commission rule. Orders that come through your Trybe program carry an order tag in Shopify. Tell MerchantFlow which tag that is and what your creators earn, as a percentage of net product revenue or a fixed amount per order, and the commission is deducted from each matching order's profit, recalculated for refunds and cancellations, and reported next to your other variable costs.
What it syncs
The Shopify order tags on every synced order, including tags added after the order was placed
Net product revenue per order, after discounts and refunds, excluding shipping
Refunds and cancellations, which reduce or remove the commission
Product tax, so the commission basis excludes tax by default
The commission per order and per rule, written to your P&L history
What you get
Creator commission in every order's profit
Each Trybe order's margin already has the creator's commission taken off, on the order list, the order detail page and in customer and product profit.
A Commissions line on your P&L
Commissions sit in contribution margin beside payment fees and ad spend, with a breakdown by rule, so the cost of creator-driven sales is visible where you decide whether to keep paying for them.
Your history, recalculated
A new rule is applied to past orders too. Preview what it would have charged on the last 12 months before you save it, then let the recalculation run in the background.
No double counting
Each rule charges an order once. If an order also matches an affiliate or influencer rule, only the highest rule in your list is charged unless you mark a rule to stack.
What this unlocks
Profit after creator commissions
Contribution margin and net profit that already account for what you owe creators, for any period.
Commission as a share of revenue
What your Trybe program costs as a percentage of net revenue, month by month, next to your other acquisition costs.
Creator-driven order margin
The margin left on Trybe orders after product cost, fees, ad spend and commission, rather than before.
Partner cost comparison
Trybe beside your affiliate and influencer programs in one breakdown, each charged on the orders it actually drove.
Connection details
| Detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Status | Live - set it up in Settings > Commissions |
| Connection method | A commission rule keyed on the Shopify order tag your Trybe orders carry. No Trybe login or API key |
| Commission types | Percentage of net product revenue, or a fixed amount per order |
| History | Applied to every past order in the rule's date range |
| Plans | Every plan |
How it connects
Check the tag on a Trybe order
Open a recent Trybe order in your Shopify admin and note the tag it carries, for example "Trybe". MerchantFlow also lists the tags on your recent orders when you create the rule.
Create a commission rule
In Settings > Commissions, start from the Trybe template, confirm the tag, set the commission your creators earn and preview it on your history.
Commissions apply automatically
Past orders are recalculated in the background, and every new Trybe order is charged as it syncs, including orders tagged after they were placed.
How teams use it
The question a creator program has to answer is whether the orders it drives are still profitable once everyone has been paid. Reading that from Trybe's payout totals and Shopify's sales separately does not work, because the two never meet on a single order.
- Compare contribution margin before and after commissions to see what the program really costs.
- Watch commission as a share of net revenue over time, especially when you change creator rates.
- Check that refunded Trybe orders have had their commission reduced or removed.
- Add a stacking rule if you also pay a platform fee on attributed sales, so it is counted on the same orders.
Good to know
MerchantFlow calculates the commission from your rule
MerchantFlow does not read Trybe's payout ledger. The commission is your rate applied to each tagged order, so keep the rule in step with your creator agreements. If a creator has a bonus or a one-off payment, record it as an expense instead.
Orders need the tag to be counted
An order without the Trybe tag is not charged. If some Trybe orders reach Shopify untagged, ask Trybe support how its orders are marked, or tag them with a Shopify Flow, and MerchantFlow picks the tag up on the next sync.
Remove any duplicate expense
If you already log Trybe payouts as a monthly expense, delete that expense once the rule is in place. Otherwise the same commission is counted twice.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to connect my Trybe account?
No. MerchantFlow reads the order tag on your synced Shopify orders, so there is no Trybe login, API key or app permission to grant. You only need your Shopify store connected.
How is the commission calculated?
A percentage rule charges its rate on the order's net product revenue: the subtotal after discounts, less refunds, excluding shipping. Tax is excluded by default, including on tax-inclusive stores. A fixed rule charges the same amount for every tagged order in your store currency.
What happens when a Trybe order is refunded?
A partial refund reduces a percentage commission in proportion, and a full refund or a cancellation removes the commission entirely. The change reaches your P&L on the next sync.
Can I pay different creators different rates?
Yes, if their orders carry different tags. Create one rule per rate, or use a starts-with match so per-creator tags such as trybe-alice are covered by one rule. When several rules match an order, only the highest one in your list is charged.
Where does the ad spend for Trybe creator ads appear?
Creator videos run as ads through your own Meta ad account, so that spend arrives through your Meta Ads connection and is counted as ad spend, separately from the creator commission.
Which plans include this?
Commission rules are available on every MerchantFlow plan.
