Most referrals are attributed automatically when a merchant installs your app through an affiliate link. But sometimes the app is already installed on a store — through direct outreach, a prior conversation, or an earlier relationship — and you want the commission attributed to your account anyway.
In those cases, you can submit the referral manually.
When to use manual submission
Manual submission is the right tool when:
You brought the merchant to the app but they installed it directly from the Shopify App Store rather than through your affiliate link.
A partnership or outreach deal predates your PartnerJam account.
The affiliate link failed to attribute for a technical reason and the install is already live.
It's not for claiming referrals you didn't originate — every submission is validated against the app developer's Partner account data before being approved.
How to submit a referral
On your Dashboard, open the Actions dropdown on the app card for the app in question and select Submit referral.
In the dialog, fill in:
Store domain. Either format works —
store.myshopify.comor the custom domain likestoredomain.com.Installation date. The date the app was actually installed on the store. This is required for validation against the Partner account.
Once submitted, the referral is added to your account. If the validation confirms the install matches the details you provided, all past and future commissions for that
merchant will be attributed to you.
Getting the installation date right
The installation date has to match what's recorded in the app developer's Shopify Partner account. If you're unsure of the exact date:
Check the original communication with the merchant (email thread, contract, onboarding message).
If you can't pin it down, submit your best estimate — if the validation fails, the app developer can confirm the correct date and resubmit or adjust on their end.
Adjusting imported commissions
Manual submissions pull in all past commissions for the merchant starting from the installation date. If you need those adjusted — for example, to split historical commissions with another partner, or to start attribution from a later date — reach out via in-app chat and we'll help sort it out.
For app developers: approving manual submissions
When a publisher submits a manual referral for your app, PartnerJam validates the submission against your Partner account data automatically. You don't need to approve each one individually, but you will see the referral appear in your dashboard once validation succeeds.
If a publisher submits a referral for a merchant you know came from a different source, reach out to us and we'll investigate.