Shopify Staff Roles and Permissions

Shopify uses a granular permission system rather than predefined roles. This guide explains each permission category and provides recommended permission sets for common roles.

Understanding Shopify Permissions

Unlike traditional role-based systems, Shopify allows you to grant specific permissions individually. This provides flexibility but requires careful planning.

Permission Levels

Full Permissions

• Access to all areas except:
  • Store ownership transfer
  • Billing (unless separately granted)
• Can add/remove staff
• Can change permissions

Custom Permissions

• Choose specific permission categories
• Select view, edit, or full access per category
• Cannot manage staff (unless granted)
• Cannot access Settings (unless granted)

Collaborator Permissions

• Limited to themes and specific apps
• No customer or order data
• Cannot access settings
• Designed for developers/agencies

Permission Categories Explained

1. Applications

What it controls: Access to install, manage, and configure apps from Shopify App Store.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot see installed apps
• View: Can see installed apps and settings
• Full: Can install, configure, and uninstall apps

Grant to:

• Store Owner: Full
• Developers: Full
• Marketing: View (to see tracking apps)
• Support: None

Risks:

• Apps can access customer data
• Apps may add monthly costs
• Some apps modify theme code

2. Customers

What it controls: Access to customer information, orders, profiles.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot see customer data
• View: Can view customer profiles and orders
• Edit: Can edit customer info, add tags, notes
• Export: Can export customer data (CSV)
• Delete: Can delete customer accounts

Grant to:

• Customer Support: View + Edit
• Marketing: View + Export (for segmentation)
• Finance: View + Export
• Developers: None (use test data)

Risks:

• Contains PII (personally identifiable information)
• Email addresses (GDPR/CCPA concerns)
• Order history and purchase data
• Export allows bulk data download

3. Dashboard

What it controls: Access to admin home screen with quick stats.

Permission options:

• None: Skip dashboard, go to specific section
• View: Can see sales stats, recent orders, top products

Grant to:

• Most staff: View (harmless, provides context)
• External collaborators: None

Risks: Minimal (just summary data)

4. Discounts

What it controls: Ability to create and manage discount codes and automatic discounts.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot create or view discounts
• View: Can see existing discounts
• Edit: Can create, modify, delete discounts

Grant to:

• Marketing: Edit
• Customer Support: Edit (if authorized to issue discounts)
• Finance: View (for reporting)
• Others: None

Risks:

• Can create unlimited discount codes
• Can create 100% off discounts
• Can affect revenue if misused

5. Draft Orders

What it controls: Creating orders manually on behalf of customers.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot create draft orders
• View: Can see existing draft orders
• Edit: Can create and edit draft orders

Grant to:

• Customer Support: Edit (for phone orders)
• Sales Team: Edit (for B2B orders)
• Others: None

Risks:

• Can create orders at any price
• Can mark orders as paid
• Requires separate payment processing

6. Gift Cards

What it controls: Issuing, viewing, and managing gift cards.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot access gift cards
• View: Can see issued gift cards
• Edit: Can issue new gift cards and disable existing ones

Grant to:

• Customer Support: Edit (for refunds/goodwill)
• Finance: View (for accounting)
• Others: None

Risks:

• Can issue unlimited value gift cards
• Essentially issuing store credit
• Monitor for fraud

7. Locations

What it controls: Access to inventory locations (warehouses, stores, etc.).

Permission options:

• None: Cannot see locations
• View: Can see locations and inventory
• Edit: Can manage locations, transfer inventory

Grant to:

• Inventory Manager: Edit
• Customer Support: View (to check stock)
• Finance: View (for reporting)
• Others: None

8. Marketing

What it controls: Email campaigns, customer segments, automations.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot access marketing features
• View: Can see campaigns and results
• Edit: Can create and send campaigns

Grant to:

• Marketing Team: Edit
• Customer Support: View
• Others: None

Risks:

• Can send emails to all customers
• Can create incorrect segments
• Potential for spam/reputation damage

9. Online Store

What it controls: Themes, pages, blog posts, navigation, preferences.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot access online store
• View themes: Can view theme code (read-only)
• Edit themes: Can modify theme code and settings
• Manage: Full control of themes, pages, blog, navigation

Grant to:

• Developers: Edit themes
• Content Editors: Manage (pages/blog, not themes)
• Marketing: Manage (blog posts)
• Others: None

Risks:

• Can break site with bad code
• Can publish/unpublish store
• Can delete pages
• Theme changes can affect tracking

Recommendation: Limit "Edit themes" to technical staff only.

10. Orders

What it controls: View and manage orders, fulfillment, refunds, returns.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot see orders
• View: Can see order details
• Edit: Can modify orders, process refunds, fulfill orders
• Export: Can export order data

Grant to:

• Customer Support: Edit
• Fulfillment: Edit
• Finance: View + Export
• Marketing: View (for campaign analysis)

Risks:

• Can issue unlimited refunds
• Can mark orders fulfilled without shipping
• Can see customer payment info (last 4 digits)
• Export contains PII

11. Products

What it controls: Product catalog, variants, collections, inventory.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot see products
• View: Can see product details
• Edit: Can create, edit, delete products
• Export/Import: Can bulk import/export products

Grant to:

• Merchandising: Edit
• Marketing: Edit (for descriptions, SEO)
• Content: Edit (for images, descriptions)
• Customer Support: View (to answer questions)
• Finance: View + Export

Risks:

• Can delete all products
• Can change prices
• Can make products unavailable
• Bulk import can overwrite data

12. Reports

What it controls: Access to analytics and reports.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot see reports
• View: Can see all reports
• Export: Can export report data

Grant to:

• Most staff: View (helpful for context)
• Finance: View + Export
• Marketing: View + Export
• Customer Support: View

Risks: Minimal (read-only data)

13. Settings

What it controls: Store configuration, payments, shipping, taxes, domains.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot access settings
• View: Can see settings (read-only)
• Edit: Can modify store settings

Grant to:

• Store Owner: Edit
• Admin/Manager: Edit
• Finance: View (for billing info)
• Others: None

Risks:

• Can change payment processor
• Can modify shipping rates
• Can change domain settings
• Can access billing information
• Can modify tax settings

Recommendation: Limit to store owner and senior staff only.

14. Shopify Payments Disputes

What it controls: Managing chargebacks and payment disputes.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot see disputes
• View: Can see dispute details
• Edit: Can respond to disputes, submit evidence

Grant to:

• Finance: Edit
• Customer Support Manager: Edit
• Others: None

Risks:

• Losing disputes can affect account standing
• Requires careful evidence preparation

15. Shopify Payments Payouts

What it controls: Viewing payout information and schedules.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot see payouts
• View: Can see payout schedules and amounts

Grant to:

• Finance: View
• Store Owner: View
• Others: None

Risks: Minimal (read-only financial data)

16. Taxes and Duties

What it controls: Tax settings, exemptions, tax rates.

Permission options:

• None: Cannot see tax settings
• View: Can view tax configuration
• Edit: Can modify tax settings

Grant to:

• Finance/Accountant: Edit
• Store Owner: Edit
• Others: None

Risks:

• Incorrect tax rates can cause legal issues
• Can affect order totals
• Compliance concerns

Recommended Permission Sets by Role

Store Owner / Administrator

Full permissions to everything:

• ✓ All categories: Edit/Full access
• ✓ Can manage staff
• ✓ Can access billing

Use case: Store owner, general manager, senior administrator.

Marketing Manager

Focus on campaigns, content, products:

• ✓ Products: Edit
• ✓ Discounts: Edit
• ✓ Marketing: Edit
• ✓ Online Store: Manage (pages/blog)
• ✓ Reports: View + Export
• ✓ Customers: View + Export
• ✓ Orders: View
• ✓ Applications: View
• ✗ Settings: None
• ✗ Payments: None

Customer Support Agent

Focus on orders, customers, support:

• ✓ Orders: Edit
• ✓ Customers: Edit
• ✓ Products: View
• ✓ Gift Cards: Edit
• ✓ Draft Orders: Edit
• ✓ Discounts: Edit (if authorized to issue)
• ✓ Reports: View
• ✗ Online Store: None
• ✗ Settings: None
• ✗ Marketing: None

Content Editor

Focus on website content:

• ✓ Online Store: Manage (not themes)
• ✓ Products: Edit (for descriptions, images)
• ✓ Reports: View
• ✗ Orders: None
• ✗ Customers: None
• ✗ Settings: None
• ✗ Discounts: None

Developer (Staff Account)

Focus on technical implementation:

• ✓ Online Store: Edit themes
• ✓ Applications: Full
• ✓ Products: View (for testing)
• ✓ Orders: View (for testing)
• ✗ Customers: None (use test data)
• ✗ Settings: None (unless needed)
• ✗ Marketing: None

Better option: Use Collaborator account instead.

Developer (Collaborator Account)

Limited to technical areas:

• ✓ Themes: Edit
• ✓ Apps: Limited access
• ✗ No customer data
• ✗ No order data
• ✗ No settings

Recommended for: Agencies, freelancers, temporary contractors.

Finance / Accountant

Focus on financial data:

• ✓ Orders: View + Export
• ✓ Reports: View + Export
• ✓ Settings: View (billing/payments)
• ✓ Taxes and Duties: Edit
• ✓ Shopify Payments: View
• ✓ Shopify Payments Disputes: Edit
• ✗ Products: View only
• ✗ Customers: View only
• ✗ Marketing: None
• ✗ Online Store: None

Inventory Manager

Focus on stock and fulfillment:

• ✓ Products: Edit
• ✓ Orders: Edit (fulfillment)
• ✓ Locations: Edit
• ✓ Reports: View
• ✗ Customers: None
• ✗ Marketing: None
• ✗ Settings: None
• ✗ Online Store: None

Shopify Plus: Advanced Permissions

Location-Specific Access

Restrict staff to specific retail locations or warehouses:

• Staff can only see inventory at assigned locations
• Orders from specific locations only
• Useful for multi-location retail operations

Custom Permission Groups

Create reusable permission sets:

• Define once, apply to multiple staff
• Easier to manage large teams
• Consistent permissions across similar roles

SSO Integration

Manage permissions via identity provider:

• Centralized control
• Automatic provisioning
• Map SSO groups to Shopify permissions

Security Best Practices

1. Principle of Least Privilege

Always grant minimum permissions needed:

• Start with minimal access
• Add permissions as needed
• Review regularly

2. Separate Duties

Don't give one person too much power:

• Split financial permissions (issue refunds vs. view payouts)
• Separate marketing and customer data access
• Isolate theme edit permissions

3. Regular Access Reviews

Quarterly review checklist:

• List all staff accounts
• Verify permissions are still appropriate
• Check for unused accounts
• Verify job roles haven't changed
• Remove unnecessary permissions

4. Document Permission Decisions

Maintain a permission matrix:

5. Monitor Staff Activity

Enable activity notifications:

• Settings → Notifications → Staff activity
• Get alerts for major changes
• Review logs periodically

Common Permission Mistakes

Mistake 1: Giving Full Permissions Too Easily

Problem: "Just give them full access to make it easier."

Risk: Unnecessary access to sensitive data, billing, settings.

Fix: Take time to configure appropriate permissions.

Mistake 2: Using Staff Accounts for Developers

Problem: Creating staff account for agency/freelancer.

Risk: Costs $5/month, may forget to remove, unnecessary access.

Fix: Use Collaborator account instead (free, limited access).

Mistake 3: Sharing Accounts

Problem: Multiple people using same login.

Risk: Cannot track who did what, password sharing security issue.

Fix: Create individual accounts for each person.

Mistake 4: Forgetting to Remove Access

Problem: Staff leaves but account remains active.

Risk: Security vulnerability, potential for disgruntled employee issues.

Fix: Offboard immediately when staff leaves.

Mistake 5: Not Enabling 2FA

Problem: Relying on password only.

Risk: Account takeover, unauthorized access.

Fix: Require 2FA for all staff accounts.

Troubleshooting Permissions

Staff Can't See Feature They Need

Diagnosis:

1. Verify what they're trying to access
2. Check which permission category covers it
3. Review their current permissions

Fix:

1. Settings → Users and permissions
2. Click staff name
3. Enable necessary permission
4. Save

Staff Has Too Much Access

Diagnosis: Review their actual job duties vs. granted permissions.

Fix:

1. Document what they actually need
2. Remove unnecessary permissions
3. Test to ensure they can still do their job
4. Monitor for issues

Can't Determine Which Permission to Grant

Process:

1. Identify the specific feature/action needed
2. Check Shopify's permission documentation
3. Grant narrowest permission that enables the action
4. Test with staff member
5. Adjust if needed

Next Steps

• Adding and Removing Staff - Step-by-step user management
• Shopify Staff Management Overview - General user management guide

For general permission concepts, see User Permissions Guide.