Shopify's Partner Directory now lists Tripster Developers as a Select Partner. It is a small line on a profile page, but it is not a badge anyone can apply for. Shopify assigns it quarterly, and only to partners who clear thresholds on two things: how many net-new merchants a partner has brought to the platform, and how much revenue sits across that partner's book of work. We did not submit an application or pay for the tier. It is a readout of ten years of builds, migrations and apps, reviewed against Shopify's own data.
What Select Partner actually means
Shopify's Partner Program has several tiers, and most agencies and freelancers sit at the base levels: Build, for partners just getting started, and Explore, for those with a handful of stores live. Select Partner and Plus Partner sit above those, and they are where Shopify's own tiering model starts weighing real outcomes instead of program membership alone.
Shopify reviews the thresholds every quarter, on a rolling trailing window. Clearing them once does not guarantee keeping the tier forever, which is exactly why it is a more honest signal than a one-time certification. A partner has to keep bringing merchants to the platform and keep producing results for the ones already there.
Why it took ten years, not ten weeks
Tripster Developers has been building on Shopify since 2016: store builds and redesigns, Shopify Plus migrations, custom apps, B2B and wholesale storefronts, and ERP integrations with systems like Odoo and Ostendo for merchants across New Zealand, Australia and the United States. Along the way that work became the Miko Apps suite, ten native Shopify apps now live on the App Store.
None of that shows up overnight in Shopify's own numbers. Net-new merchant acquisition and revenue strength are both cumulative measures, which means the tier is really a lagging indicator of a decade of client work rather than a reaction to anything we did this quarter specifically.
What changes for merchants and partners evaluating us
Nothing about how we work changes: the same team, the same pricing, and the same no-poach promise to every agency and partner who refers a client store to us. What changes is what the credential tells you before you ever talk to us.
- It is earned, not claimed. Select Partner is tied to Shopify's own acquisition and revenue data, not a self-written bio.
- It reflects volume and outcomes together. The tier rewards both bringing new merchants to Shopify and the revenue strength of the stores already on our books.
- It is reviewed, not permanent. Shopify re-checks the thresholds quarterly, so the tier keeps tracking real activity rather than freezing a single good year in place.
Where you will see it
The Select Partner mark is now live across our homepage, About page, and site navigation on both tripsterdevelopers.com and miko.co.nz, alongside our existing certified Shopify Plus Partner credential. You can also see it directly on our Shopify Partner Directory profile, next to our client reviews.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Shopify Select Partner?
Select Partner is a tier in the Shopify Partner Program, above Build and Explore and below Plus Partner. Shopify assigns it quarterly based on a partner's history of merchant acquisition and revenue, not an application a partner fills out.
How is Select Partner different from a regular Shopify Partner?
Any agency can sign up for the free Shopify Partner Program. Select Partner is assigned only to partners who clear thresholds for net-new merchants brought to Shopify and for revenue strength across their book of work, reviewed every quarter.
Does this change how Tripster Developers works with clients?
No. The team, pricing and no-poach promise to referring partners are unchanged. The tier is a credential that reflects a decade of Shopify work already done, not a change in how we operate.
Evaluating a Shopify agency?
A tier assigned from Shopify's own data is a shortcut past the usual guesswork. Talk to our team about a store build, a Shopify Plus migration, or a custom app, or see the credential for yourself on our Shopify Partner Directory profile.
