Shopify automations and their implementation are among the key factors that make Shopify stand out from the competition in the eCommerce industry. Shopify Flow and Shopify Messaging are very important, native solutions within Shopify and Shopify Plus. Find out what has changed within them.
Shopify Automations - what has changed
In 2026, within Shopify automations in Shopify Flow, we had the following changes (as of July 2027):
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Flow adapted to version 2026-01 of the GraphQL Admin API,
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Flow enabled sending emails using the sender's email address,
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Flow enabled creating notes for specific automations (what it does, what needs to be configured, what can and cannot be changed),
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Ability to retrieve data on markets and articles,
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Increased availability of Shopify Admin API fields,
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New action to retrieve data on flow runs, abandoned carts, inventory levels, and pages,
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Creating test data work events that exist in the store,
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Ability to retrieve analytical data using ShopifyQL,
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Displaying information about who edited, activated, or deactivated a given version of a specific flow,
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New trigger for two variables: inventory transfer completed and inventory transfer ready to ship,
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'Copy and store' specific steps in a flow while preserving their configuration.
Within Shopify Messaging, the changelog for 2026 indicates one change, namely new shipping settings in Shopify Messaging, where the system prioritizes sending and pausing messages, which is intended to increase campaign efficiency.
What is Shopify Messaging and how to use it
Shopify Messaging is a tool for creating email and SMS campaigns based on ready-made templates, which translates into time savings in work and content creation.
How to use Shopify Messaging? It's very simple. First, you need to add brand information, and then select one of the available templates (as of July 2026, there are 81 templates), which can be customized in terms of style and content:
Then, we can send a given campaign to specific segments:
Shopify Messaging Communication Personalization
Every message within Shopify Messaging can be personalized. This doesn't just mean addressing customers by name, but also tailoring communication, for example, by considering what products the customer recently bought or when they were born.
Automatic Messages for Shopify Customers
Automatic messages for Shopify customers allow for the automation of a highly critical area. Why? Because often the lack of a promotional code message that was expected, or an abandoned cart email, can translate into a real decrease in conversion, revenue, and ultimately profit. Automatic messages are no longer just so-called status messages with order information, but also subsequent communication – with a request for feedback, encouraging repeat purchases, or supporting customer loyalty.
Automating Processes in a Shopify Store
Automating processes in a Shopify store usually applies to these segments: order management, inventory management, product and logistics management, marketing, customer service, and reporting.
What do we gain by automating processes? Less manual work and the certainty that without our involvement (not counting the time and effort required to set up automations in Shopify), certain processes occur and necessary actions are triggered.
Shopify Flow Automation Scenarios
Given that Shopify Flow is a built-in solution for automating internal store processes, as store owners, we are not forced to use external systems and tools for this purpose.
Shopify Flow automation scenarios are based on three main elements: trigger, condition, action. Something must happen for the flow to be triggered and for a specific action to take place, e.g., a customer places an order for a specific amount, the flow checks if the indicated condition has been met, and if so, assigns the customer to a specific group.
There can be hundreds, thousands of Shopify Flow automation scenarios. Below we present examples of Shopify Flow workflows.
Shopify Flow workflow examples
Above, we indicated what three elements are essential and make up a workflow. Now it's time to give examples for marketing and customer service, which are the two areas that store owners in Shopify Poland want to automate most often.
Shopify Marketing Automation
Shopify marketing automation using Shopify Flow can be created in such a way as to, for example:
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Provide customers who have placed at least 10 orders in the store with a discount code of a specific value – this can build customer loyalty.
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Remind customers after a month from purchase that the stock of a given product may be running out and it is worth placing an order.
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Assign customers to specific marketing groups.
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Activate email and SMS campaigns for customers who have consented to it.
Shopify Customer Service Automation
Shopify customer service automation can apply to any group – new, regular, returning customers. Here are some helpful automations:
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When the first order is placed, a specific tag is assigned to the customer, which will trigger a welcome action.
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If an order exceeds a specified amount (e.g., PLN 10,000), store staff will be notified of the need for additional contact with such a customer.
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When a customer returns a product, the service department receives a notification.
How to increase sales with Shopify automation
So, how to increase sales with Shopify automation? There is no ready-made 'recipe' or single rule that will guarantee that the application of specific actions using Shopify Flow and automation mechanisms will quickly translate into increased sales. However, the following automations are certainly worth implementing and testing:
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assign customers to specific segments to which a planned marketing campaign is directed,
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send communication to customers related to abandoned carts.
Shopify Flow Integrations with Apps
Shopify Flow integrates with a range of apps from the Shopify App Store. What does this mean? It means that automations in Shopify, using Shopify Flow, can interact with tools for, among others, marketing automation, loyalty programs, or reviews.
The most commonly integrated apps with Shopify Flow include: Klaviyo, Omnisend, Love Loyalty, Yotpo, Judge.me, and Georgias.
Shopify Flow vs. Other Automation Tools
Shopify Flow is a leading automation tool, but it is not the only system of its kind. Besides Shopify Flow, we can highlight Zapier or Make.
Make is a paid tool but has a very extensive scenario scheme and offers great flexibility. However, it requires a lot of knowledge in configuration, and the cost of the tool can quickly increase.
Zapier has a less complex logic than Make, but at the same time has many integrations and an intuitive configurator.
Shopify Flow performs best compared to other automation tools because, considering it is a system created strictly by Shopify, we can guarantee continuous development and compatibility with the entire ecosystem.
