Shopify Automation Best Practices: 10 Workflows Every Store Should Automate

Running a Shopify store means juggling dozens of repetitive tasks every day. From order processing to inventory management, these manual workflows eat up hours that could be spent growing your business.

The good news? Most of these tasks can be automated.

In this guide, we'll cover the 10 most impactful workflows to automate in your Shopify store, along with practical implementation tips.

1. Order Fulfillment Status Updates

The Problem: Orders stuck in "In Transit" forever because your local courier doesn't integrate with Shopify.

The Solution: Use apps like Mark Delivered to bulk update fulfillment statuses. This triggers post-purchase flows (review requests, loyalty points) and keeps customer-facing status pages accurate.

Impact: Save 2.5 hours/week on manual updates.

2. Low Stock Alerts

The Problem: Running out of bestsellers without warning.

The Solution: Set up Shopify Flow to send Slack/email alerts when inventory drops below a threshold. Even better, auto-create purchase orders in your ERP.

Impact: Prevent stockouts and lost sales.

3. Abandoned Cart Recovery

The Problem: 70% of carts are abandoned. That's revenue walking away.

The Solution: Automate email sequences (1 hour, 24 hours, 72 hours) with personalized product images and discount codes. Use Klaviyo or Shopify Email.

Impact: Recover 10-15% of abandoned carts.

4. Customer Segmentation

The Problem: Sending the same email to everyone = low engagement.

The Solution: Auto-tag customers based on behavior (VIP, at-risk, first-time buyer). Use these segments for targeted campaigns.

Impact: 2-3x higher email open rates.

5. Returns Processing

The Problem: Manual RMA creation, refund processing, restocking.

The Solution: Use return portals that auto-generate RMAs, trigger refunds, and update inventory. Loop Returns or Returnly work well.

Impact: Cut returns processing time by 60%.

6. Review Request Campaigns

The Problem: Customers don't leave reviews unless asked.

The Solution: Auto-send review requests 7-14 days after delivery. Judge.me and Yotpo integrate with Shopify's "Delivered" status.

Impact: 3-5x more reviews.

7. Fraud Detection

The Problem: Chargebacks and fraudulent orders drain profit.

The Solution: Use Shopify's built-in fraud analysis + apps like Signifyd to auto-flag high-risk orders. Set rules to auto-cancel or hold for review.

Impact: Reduce chargebacks by 40%.

8. Inventory Sync Across Channels

The Problem: Overselling on Amazon because Shopify inventory wasn't synced.

The Solution: Use multichannel inventory apps (Sellbrite, Linnworks) to sync stock in real-time across Shopify, Amazon, eBay, etc.

Impact: Eliminate overselling errors.

9. Customer Support Tier 1

The Problem: "Where is my order?" tickets flooding your inbox.

The Solution: Use chatbots (Gorgias, Tidio) to auto-respond with tracking links, order status, and FAQs. Escalate complex issues to humans.

Impact: Resolve 40% of tickets instantly.

10. Post-Purchase Upsells

The Problem: Leaving money on the table after checkout.

The Solution: Show one-click upsells on the thank-you page (ReConvert, Zipify OCU). Offer complementary products or warranties.

Impact: Increase AOV by 10-15%.

How to Get Started

Don't try to automate everything at once. Pick 2-3 workflows that cause the most pain right now and start there.

Recommended First Steps:

1. Automate order status updates (Mark Delivered)
2. Set up abandoned cart emails (Klaviyo)
3. Implement low stock alerts (Shopify Flow)

Once these are running smoothly, layer in the rest.

For stores with unique workflows that off-the-shelf apps can't handle, consider building a custom Shopify app. Learn more about when to build vs buy custom apps.

The Bottom Line

Automation isn't about replacing humans—it's about freeing them up to do high-value work. Every hour you save on manual tasks is an hour you can spend on strategy, customer relationships, and growth.

Start small, measure impact, and scale what works.

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Need help automating your Shopify workflows? Check out our Shopify Apps or talk to us about custom automation.