Short answer
Shopify Flow is Shopify's free automation app on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans. Install it, go to Apps > Flow > Create workflow, pick a trigger, add a condition and an action, then click Turn on workflow.- Where
- Shopify admin, Apps > Flow, after installing the free app.
- Building blocks
- One trigger, then any number of conditions and actions.
- Templates
- Hundreds of pre-made workflows, edited before you turn them on.
- Plan gate
- Send HTTP request needs Grow, Advanced or Plus.
- Sidekick
- Describe a workflow in plain words; it arrives turned off.
Shopify Flow watches your store for events and runs actions when they happen. For a support team, that means the tags, alerts and holds someone used to do by hand happen on their own, before a customer has to ask.
What Shopify Flow is
Shopify Flow is a free Shopify app that automates tasks with workflows. Every workflow has three parts.
- Trigger: the event that starts it, such as Order created, Refund created or Return requested. A workflow has exactly one.
- Condition: the check that decides what happens, such as "order total is over $200".
- Action: what Flow does, such as Add order tags, Hold fulfillment order, Send internal email or Send Slack message.
Install it from the Shopify App Store. Staff need Shopify Flow permissions to open the app and turn on workflows.
Build a workflow
Building from scratch takes a few minutes once you know the trigger you want.
- From your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Flow.
- Click Create workflow.
- Click Select a trigger and choose the event that starts the workflow.
- Click +, then Condition, and define what must be true.
- On the True branch, click + > Action and choose what Flow does.
- Optional: click + on the False branch to add a different step.
- Click New Workflow and give it a clear title, such as "Tag VIP customers".
- Click Turn on workflow.
Workflows run as soon as possible, but there is no fixed completion time. Some order fields fill in a moment after the order is created, so test with a real order before you rely on it.
Start from a template
The template library is the fastest start, and you can search it by describing the task.
- Go to Apps > Flow and click Create workflow.
- Click Browse templates and select a template.
- Click Install.
- Replace the placeholder values: tag names, email recipients, Slack channels.
- Optional: test it with a test trigger event.
- Click Turn on workflow.
Templates worth opening for support include "Organize customers by lifetime spend tiers", "Request or hold fulfillments based on selected criteria" and "Get notified about irregularly large order quantities".
7 workflows for a support team
Each of these uses Flow's own triggers and actions, no extra app.
- Tag high-value customers. Order created, condition on the customer's amount spent (say over $1,000), action Add customer tags "VIP". Your team sees the tag before replying.
- Alert on high-risk orders. Order risk analyzed, condition risk level is high, actions Add order tags "risk-review" and Send internal email to the person who reviews them.
- Hold fulfillment for a check. Fulfillment order ready to fulfill, condition the order is tagged "address-check", action Hold fulfillment order. Nothing ships until someone releases the hold.
- Post return requests to Slack. Return requested, action Send Slack message to #returns with the order name, so returns never sit unseen.
- Flag orders with special instructions. Order created, condition the order note is not empty, action Add order tags "has-note". Packers and support can filter for them.
- Watch large refunds. Refund created, condition amount over $200, action Send internal email to the support lead.
- Record refunds on the customer. Refund created, action Update customer note with the order number and date. This action replaces the note by default, so start the field with the existing note variable to keep what was there.
For more on notes and tags, see Shopify order timeline and notes.
Where Aide helps
Aide adds two Shopify Flow triggers, so a support conversation can start a workflow the way an order does. Aide conversation handed off to a person runs when the Aide AI Agent asks a teammate to take over. Aide conversation resolved runs each time a conversation is closed.
Both carry a link to the conversation, plus the Shopify customer and order name (such as #4831) when the conversation is linked to a verified customer or an order. Workflows teams build on them:
- Handed off with an order attached: Send Slack message to #support with the order name and the conversation link.
- Handed off: Add customer tags "needs-follow-up", so the next teammate sees it in Shopify.
- Resolved with an order attached: Add order tags "support-resolved", so the order shows support already closed the question.
Shopify Sidekick can also answer questions about your support once Aide is connected.