How Solgaard Scaled Creator Sales 287% MoM with Shopify Collabs

Overview

Solgaard started in 2016 to tackle ocean plastic by weaving it into functional travel gear. When founder Adrian Solgaard set out to build a community of ambassadors around sustainable values, he ran into the problem that Shopify lacked a built-in way to manage creators. The team needed tools for recruiting influencers, sending gifted products, issuing discount codes, tracking commissions and measuring ROI—all in one place.

The Challenge

Without a central hub, the process of finding, managing and rewarding ambassadors was scattered across spreadsheets, DMs and third-party apps. Outreach slowed, commissions weren’t tracked uniformly, and it was hard to see which posts drove real sales. Solgaard’s mission—removing six pounds of plastic per sale—relied on growth, so they needed a faster way to scale their creator network.

The Solution

Shopify Collabs offered a dashboard inside the Shopify Admin where Solgaard could discover influencers by keyword, location or hashtag. The Recruit feature let them filter by social engagement, review content, and send invites without leaving their store backend. Affiliate Tiers enabled custom commission rates and unique referral links, while Collabs handled discount codes and automated payouts.

By centralizing ambassador tasks, they cut setup time from days to minutes. Reporting dashboards surfaced which creators drove clicks and conversions so budgets were spent on top performers. All activity synced with existing Shopify orders and analytics for a unified view.

Results

Over the last half of 2022, creator-driven revenue grew an average of 287% month over month. Solgaard signed on over 50 ambassadors who’ve generated more than $50,000 in affiliate sales. Thanks to boosted social reach, more products sold and more plastic removed—over one million pounds collected by February 2023.

Key Features Used

• Recruit: Search influencers by hashtags, location and engagement metrics.
• Affiliate Tiers: Set custom commission rates and discount codes.
• Dashboard: Track clicks, orders and ROI within Shopify Admin.

Looking Ahead

With workflows streamlined, Solgaard plans to expand its pool of global ambassadors and launch region-specific campaigns on TikTok and YouTube. As more ambassadors join, the brand can accelerate its plastic-cleanup mission while driving higher sales.