How much commission do partners earn?

Referral Partners: 15-20% commission on first project value + 5-10% recurring on monthly retainer (for the lifetime of the engagement, typically 12-24 months). Whitelabel Partners: you set the price to your client, we deliver at our wholesale rate — typical partner margin is 30-45% per project. No floor or ceiling on whitelabel earnings. Both models pay out within 7 days of receipt of client payment.

How quickly can I start earning as a Cognito IT partner?

5-7 business days from application to signed SOW. Day 1: apply. Day 2-3: 30-min discovery call. Day 3-5: sign NDA + MSA, choose Referral or Whitelabel model. Day 5-14: bring your first lead — we scope and quote within 48 hours. Commission or margin paid within 7 days of client payment receipt.

Referral + Whitelabel · Updated July 2026

Shopify Partner Program India — Refer or Whitelabel & Earn

Q: What is the difference between Referral and Whitelabel partnership?

Referral Partner: You introduce the client, we handle everything end-to-end with the client. They know we're delivering. You earn commission on their spend. Best for agencies / freelancers who don't want delivery ownership. Whitelabel Partner: You're the client-facing brand. We deliver under NDA, use your project management tools (Slack / Asana / Notion), reports go through you. The client never sees us.

Two ways to grow: refer Shopify clients and earn 15-25% commission, or whitelabel our delivery under your brand at 30-45% margin. Built for agencies, freelancers, design studios, and international shops that need an India D2C + Shopify execution partner. Every project ships using our 5-Stack D2C Method.

Apply to Partner Chat on WhatsApp

100+ stores shipped Fixed-price SOWs NDA + MSA 7-day payout India · US · UK · UAE · AU

Two Partnership Models

Pick the Model That Fits Your Business.

Refer and earn, or whitelabel and own the relationship. Switch models per project.

Easiest to start

Referral Partner

You introduce · we deliver direct

15-20%

Commission on first project
+ 5-10% recurring on retainer

Introduce a client via email or WhatsApp
We pitch, scope, sign, and deliver directly
Client knows Cognito is delivering — you stay in the loop
Commission paid within 7 days of client payment
Lifetime commission on retainer / maintenance
No commitment, no minimum referrals, no exclusivity

Best for: Marketing agencies, freelancers, consultants without dev capacity.

Higher margin

Whitelabel Partner

You own the client · we deliver behind the scenes

30-45%

Your margin per project
You set client price · we deliver at wholesale

NDA + MSA signed once, covers all future projects
We quote wholesale to you; you mark up and quote your client
Project management in your Slack / Asana / Notion / Linear
Deliverables branded as your team (proxy mode default)
Optional shadow mode: we attend calls as your team
Client never sees Cognito branding or names

Best for: Agencies adding Shopify to their service mix without hiring devs.

Partner ICP

Who This is Built For.

Branding / Design Studios

You do brand + visual identity. You need a dev partner for the Shopify implementation.

Marketing Agencies

You run Meta / Google ads. Bigger retainers if you can deliver the storefront too.

Freelancers + Consultants

You have clients but limited bandwidth. Refer and earn without scoping.

International Agencies

US / UK / AU agencies wanting an India delivery partner with 55-65% cost advantage.

CRO + Performance Shops

You optimise. You need a build partner for theme rebuilds, Hydrogen, app stacks.

5-Step Onboarding

From Apply to First Project.

From application to signed SOW in 5-7 business days.

Day 1

Apply

Submit form: agency / freelancer details, services, ICP, current client mix.

Day 2-3

Discovery Call

30-min call. We learn your business, you learn our delivery model. Mutual fit check.

Day 3-5

NDA + MSA

Sign legal docs. Choose Referral or Whitelabel. Add wholesale rate card if whitelabel.

Day 5-14

First Lead

Introduce your first client. We scope and quote within 48 hours of intro.

Ongoing

Deliver + Get Paid

Project ships in 3-16 weeks based on scope. Commission / margin paid within 7 days.

Responsibilities Split

Who Does What.

Whitelabel split shown below. Referral is similar but client communication is direct.

Task	Partner	Cognito IT
Client acquisition + sales	YOU
Pricing the client	YOU
Brand strategy + creative direction	YOU
Project scoping + SOW		US
Shopify dev + theme build		US
Hydrogen headless build		US
India D2C stack (Razorpay / COD / GST)		US
QA + soft launch + cutover		US
Status reports + weekly updates		US
Client-facing comms (proxy mode)	YOU
Invoicing the client	YOU
30-day post-launch on-call		US
Maintenance / retainer ops		US

Track Record & Promise.

100+

Shopify stores shipped

10+

Years on Shopify

2-3 wk

Standard theme build

100%

Fixed-price SOWs

FAQ

Partner Questions.

Specific question? Email partners@cognitoitconsultancy.com →

Referral Partners: 15-20% commission on first project value + 5-10% recurring on monthly retainer (lifetime of engagement, typically 12-24 months). Whitelabel Partners: you set the client price, we deliver at wholesale — typical partner margin is 30-45% per project. No floor or ceiling on whitelabel earnings. Both models pay out within 7 days of receipt of client payment.

Referral: you introduce the client, we handle everything end-to-end with the client. They know we're delivering. You earn commission on their spend. Best for agencies / freelancers who don't want delivery ownership. Whitelabel: you're the client-facing brand. We deliver under NDA, use your project management tools (Slack / Asana / Notion), reports go through you. The client never sees us. Best for agencies who want to add Shopify to their service mix without hiring a dev team.

5 partner archetypes: (1) Marketing / branding agencies without an in-house Shopify team. (2) Design studios who need a dev partner for client implementations. (3) Performance marketing agencies (Meta / Google) who want to land bigger retainers. (4) Freelancers with a client base but limited execution capacity. (5) International agencies (US, UK, AU) looking for an India dev partner with cost leverage. We work with all of these — including top-tier India D2C brand builders.

After NDA + MSA, you bring the client. We scope and quote you at wholesale. You quote your client at your price. Once signed, we deliver under your brand: project management in your Slack / Asana / Notion, all communications branded as your team, design files in your shared drive, code in your repo. You can choose proxy mode (we never speak to client directly) or shadow mode (we attend calls as your team member). Most whitelabel partners run proxy mode.

Full Shopify scope: Theme builds (Dawn-based or premium), Hydrogen headless, Shopify Plus B2B, Markets international setup, subscription setup, Razorpay + COD OTP + Shiprocket + GST (India D2C stack), Klaviyo flows + WhatsApp integration, migrations (WooCommerce / Magento / Squarespace → Shopify), retainer support and maintenance. Partner can sell any combination.

5-7 business days from application to signed SOW. Day 1: apply. Day 2-3: 30-min discovery call. Day 3-5: sign NDA + MSA, choose Referral or Whitelabel. Day 5-14: bring your first lead — we scope and quote within 48 hours. Commission or margin paid within 7 days of client payment receipt. See our ecommerce agency Bangalore page for scope examples.

Apply · 5-day onboarding

Become a Partner. Earn or Whitelabel.

30-minute discovery call. We'll align on the model (Referral or Whitelabel), sign NDA + MSA, and have you ready to bring your first lead in 5-7 days. Email partners@cognitoitconsultancy.com or book direct below.

Apply Now WhatsApp +91 81477 17676