Automate store tasks with Shopify Flow

Before you start

Shopify Flow is Shopify's automation app. It watches your store for events and runs a sequence of actions in response¹. Every workflow has three parts¹:

• Trigger: the store event that starts the workflow, such as a change in inventory.
• Conditions: checks that decide whether the workflow continues.
• Actions: what the workflow does, such as tagging an order or sending an email.

Flow is free on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans. The Send HTTP Request action needs Grow, Advanced or Plus. Tasks created by custom partner apps are Plus only¹. Usage limits vary by plan and follow Shopify's API rate limits¹.

Example: a candle shop wants an email when any scent drops below 5 in stock, so it can reorder before it sells out. Shopify offers a template for this, called "Get notified when product inventory is low"².

Steps

1. Install Flow. Install the free Shopify Flow app from the Shopify App Store¹. Once installed, it appears in your admin under Apps > Flow³.
2. Start a new workflow. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Flow and click Create workflow³.
3. Pick a template. Click Browse templates and select one, such as "Get notified when product inventory is low"^3,2. Review it to confirm it fits, then click Install³. Templates cover orders, customers, inventory, fulfillment, risk and more².
4. Fill in your values. Edit the template's steps with your own values, such as tags and recipient email addresses³. In the low-stock template, the trigger is Inventory quantity changed. Its conditions compare the current and prior quantity, so the workflow runs only when stock first drops below your threshold².
5. Or build one from scratch. Click Create workflow, then Select a trigger and choose the event that starts it. Click +, then Condition, and define the check³. A workflow has only one trigger, but it can have any number of conditions and actions⁴.
6. Add the actions. Click + > Action on the True branch and select an action. Optionally click + on the False branch for steps that run when the condition is false³.
7. Name the workflow. Click New Workflow (or the template's name) and enter a clear title³. To leave a note for your team, click More actions > Add note³.
8. Test before you turn it on. At the trigger, click Test your workflow. Click + Add event > Create event, select the store data the trigger needs and click Save⁵. Click a condition or action, then the Preview tab, to check what it would do⁵. A test stops at the first action that would change your store⁵.
9. Turn it on. Click Turn on workflow³.
10. Watch the first runs. Go to Apps > Flow and click Recent runs. Click a run to see its status, the path it took and any errors⁶. Use Add filter > Errors to find failed runs⁶.

Check your work

• Trigger the event in your store, then open Recent runs and confirm the run shows Completed in the Run status column⁶. Results can take a few minutes to appear⁶.
• Open the run and check the highlighted path matches what you expected⁶.
• Open an order or product the workflow touched, click More actions > Search Flow runs and confirm the run is listed⁶.
• Export a copy as a backup: select the workflow and click More actions > Export⁷.

Common problems

• "I can't test my workflow." Every step must be complete and valid before you can test⁵.
• "The test didn't send the email." Tests stop at the first action that would change your store or send a notification. Turn the workflow on to run it for real⁵.
• "My test run isn't in Recent runs." Test runs don't appear there⁵.
• "An older run has disappeared." Runs are stored for 14 days after they finish, then removed⁶.
• "The workflow runs too often." Add or tighten a condition. In the low-stock example, checking the prior quantity stops repeat alerts². To stop it at once, select the workflow and click Turn off workflow⁷.
• "I can't delete a workflow." Only inactive workflows can be deleted. Turn it off first, and export it if you may need it later⁷.
• "Send HTTP Request is missing." That action needs the Grow, Advanced or Plus plan¹.

Further reading

• Workflow examples²
• Testing a workflow in Shopify Flow⁵