HOW TO ADD STAFF TO SHOPIFY

At Lillian Purge, we specialise in Ecommerce SEO Services and have developed comprehensive guidance on How to Add Staff to Shopify.

At Lillian Purge, we specialise in ecommerce SEO services, helping online retailers grow their visibility and manage their stores more effectively. As your business expands, you may need to bring in new team members to help manage different areas of your Shopify store. Shopify makes it simple to add staff accounts with custom permissions, allowing you to delegate tasks securely without giving full access to your store.

Why Add Staff Accounts in Shopify

Adding staff accounts allows you to share access to your store with employees, developers, or marketing teams without compromising security. Each staff member gets their own login credentials, making it easier to track actions, assign responsibilities, and maintain control over sensitive areas like payments and settings.

You can control what each staff member can see or do within your Shopify dashboard, such as managing products, processing orders, or viewing reports. This helps you keep your operations organised while protecting confidential data.

Understanding Staff Permissions

Before adding staff, it’s important to understand permissions. Shopify allows store owners to assign access levels to ensure staff only have access to the tools they need.

Typical permissions include:

  • Products: Add, edit, or remove items from your inventory.

  • Orders: Manage, fulfil, or refund customer orders.

  • Customers: View and edit customer details.

  • Analytics: Access reports and store performance metrics.

  • Marketing: Create campaigns or manage SEO settings.

  • Settings: Control payment gateways, shipping, or taxes.

You can assign all or just some of these permissions depending on each person’s role.

Step 1: Log in to Your Shopify Admin

Start by logging into your Shopify admin account. Only store owners and staff members with permission to manage users can add new staff accounts.

  • Go to Settings in the bottom left corner of your Shopify dashboard.

  • Select Users and Permissions from the menu.

Step 2: Add a New Staff Member

Once you’re on the Users and Permissions page, click the Add Staff button. A form will appear where you can enter the details of the new staff member.

You’ll need to provide:

  • The staff member’s name.

  • Their email address, which will be used for login and verification.

After entering these details, you can choose which sections of the store they’ll have access to by toggling permissions on or off.

For example, if the new staff member is responsible for customer service, you might grant access to Orders and Customers but not Settings or Billing.

Step 3: Send the Invitation

Once you’ve set permissions, click Send Invite. Shopify will email an invitation link to the staff member. They must accept this invite to activate their account.

After they click the link, they’ll be prompted to create their own password and log into the store using their email and new credentials.

If they don’t respond to the invitation right away, you can resend it from the same page. Invitations expire after a certain period, so ensure your staff accept it promptly.

Step 4: Manage and Edit Staff Permissions

You can adjust permissions at any time if a staff member’s role changes.

To update access:

  1. Go to Settings > Users and Permissions.

  2. Click on the staff member’s name.

  3. Update the permissions as needed.

  4. Click Save to confirm.

This flexibility ensures that as your business evolves, you can maintain tight control over who has access to what.

Step 5: Remove Staff Members When Needed

If a staff member leaves your business or no longer needs access, you can easily remove their account.

  • Go to Settings > Users and Permissions.

  • Click the staff member’s name.

  • Scroll down and click Remove Staff Account.

This action immediately revokes access, keeping your store secure.

Adding Collaborators for External Support

Sometimes you may want to grant temporary access to external professionals such as developers, designers, or SEO specialists. Shopify allows this through Collaborator Accounts, which work slightly differently from staff accounts.

Collaborators are invited via their own Shopify Partner dashboard, and you’ll receive a request to approve their access. This system provides extra security and lets you see which third-party experts have entry to your store.

You can approve or reject collaborator requests and set permissions in the same way as staff accounts. Once the work is complete, you can revoke access immediately.

Best Practices for Managing Staff Access

  1. Assign permissions carefully: Only give access to the areas necessary for each person’s job.

  2. Regularly review access: Check staff permissions every few months to ensure accuracy.

  3. Use unique logins: Never share login credentials between multiple people.

  4. Remove old accounts promptly: Revoke access as soon as someone leaves your team.

  5. Enable two-factor authentication: Add an extra layer of security to protect against unauthorised access.

Common Issues When Adding Staff

Sometimes new staff may not receive their invitation email due to spam filters or incorrect email addresses. If this happens, double-check the email spelling and ask them to check their spam or promotions folder. You can always resend the invitation through the admin panel.

Another common issue is permission errors, where staff cannot see certain sections they need. Review their assigned permissions to ensure the correct boxes are ticked.

Security Considerations

Granting staff access means trusting them with parts of your business operations, so security should always come first. Encourage all staff members to use strong passwords and to enable two-factor authentication. Shopify also logs all staff actions, allowing you to track changes and monitor store activity if needed.

Final Thoughts

Adding staff to your Shopify store is a straightforward process that helps your business scale efficiently. By assigning appropriate permissions and keeping accounts secure, you can delegate tasks confidently while protecting your store’s integrity.

With proper management, staff accounts make collaboration seamless, improve productivity, and allow your business to grow without compromising control.

At Lillian Purge, we help ecommerce businesses optimise their Shopify stores not only for SEO but also for usability, security, and scalability.

If you want to streamline your store management and grow your online presence, get in touch today

We have also written in depth articles on How to Add Social Media to Shopify and How to Cancel Shopify Subscription as well as our Shopify Hub to give you further guidance.