Automate Your eCommerce Store with Shopify and Zapier

Running a Shopify store is a challenging but rewarding business. As a store owner, you know that to succeed it’s not enough to have good products and a nice-looking website. 

One of the keys to boosting your ROI is to optimize your processes and workflows. This is where the Zapier Shopify integration can help you. 

In this guide to Shopify Zapier integration, we’ll look into the benefits of using the two apps together. You’ll then see the available Zapier Shopify triggers and actions. Which create the steps that you then use in powerful Zapier automated workflows. 

Lastly, you’ll see two sample workflow use cases that you can implement in your Shopify business. 

But first, let’s take a quick look at Shopify itself.

What Is Shopify?

Shopify is a Canadian eCommerce platform and one of the leaders in the industry. It’s known for its excellent UX, website builder, and wealth of eCommerce features. What’s more, the platform runs its own app store. This allows all users to expand their stores with numerous functionalities. All that can be done in just a few clicks and without any coding. 

Another advantage is that you don’t have to worry about the technical stuff like hosting. All of that happens in the background and is managed by the Shopify team. 

It’s no surprise then, that, as of 2023, Shopify is the #1 eCommerce platform among the top 10,000 stores. It’s also #2 if we look at the top 100,000 (second only to Woocommerce). 

But, if you’re using Shopify, you already know how cool it is. Now, let’s talk about why you should use Shopify with Zapier.

The Benefits of Integrating Shopify with Zapier

As the biggest app integrator and automation platform in the world, Zapier is known as the go-to automation tool. Its position is similar to that of Shopify in the eCommerce world. 

By connecting the two platforms, your eCommerce business can gain a significant edge. Why? Here are a few benefits to using Shopify and Zapier:

• Send data to software that has no direct integration with Shopify

First, Zapier allows you to connect your Shopify store code-free with thousands of other apps. 

This opens up a wealth of opportunities for better data management. Thanks to Zapier, you can connect your store to almost all popular CRM, PM, Inventory, and Order Management tools. Doing that means you’re not reliant on Shopify native integrations. 

This, in turn, allows you to pick the best available tools for your business. You no longer have to pay for things you’re not using. And, if you pick an affordable solution, you can get a slight ROI boost. 

Moreover, if you’re already running a business (and have a pre-defined tech stack), Zapier lets you seamlessly integrate Shopify into it. 

• Streamline order and third-party inventory management

Even more important is the data management aspect of Shopify. 

With Zapier, you can send order data to your inventory management tool in an instant. The right setup allows you to automate data processing at every stage. This, in turn, helps streamline the entire order fulfillment process.

You could even connect your store to a database builder like Airtable. This would allow you to build your own customer or inventory management system. A system that you could easily customize to all your needs.  

• Automate client communication and improve user experience

Of course, order fulfillment is not the only thing worth automating. 

On top of managing order data, you can use Zapier to connect Shopify to almost all popular CRM and marketing automation tools. 

This, in turn, allows you to significantly improve customer experience. For example, you could send automated emails when your customers expect them the most. 

You can also create upsells, stay in touch with your audience, and use data to create a smooth, personalized shopping experience. Even simple personalized email messages and follow-ups can drastically increase your ROI. And, with the right Zapier and Shopify workflows, the sky’s the limit. 

• Get better insights 

One of the often underestimated advantages of using Zapier is that it can give you access to insights you wouldn’t get without it. Why?

Zapier doesn’t just allow you to send Shopify data to different tools. Even more importantly, the tool lets you connect various PM, CRM, or inventory management tools that you use. 

Sending all that data to one dashboard doesn’t just speed up data analysis. It also allows you to see things from a different perspective and draw insights that you would otherwise never get access to. 

• Boost your ROI

The more work you can let Zapier do “behind the scenes”, the more time and money you’ll save. But, even more importantly, when you don’t have to waste your time on boring, repetitive tasks, you can use that time to focus on things that matter the most.

Things that can’t be automated and that grow your business. What are those things? 

Think about testing new products or looking for better suppliers. Networking with industry experts and influencers. Planning marketing campaigns or looking at possibilities of expansion into new markets.

Doing all the high-level things that can’t be automated but which can lead to the rapid growth of your Shopify website. 

And the first step to getting that time is to integrate your Shopify store with Zapier. Here’s how to do that. 

How to Integrate Shopify with Zapier

Now that you know the WHY, let’s look at WHAT you can do with Zapier and Shopify. And it all starts with looking at the available Zapier Shopify triggers and actions. And, to be honest, Shopify developers were very generous in both departments.

Zapier Shopify Triggers

When we look at the available Shopify triggers, there are as many as 10 (yes, you read that right) available options. The majority of them relate to new orders, however, there are a few distinctions. 

What’s important is that most of those triggers related to new orders support Zapier’s line items. This allows you to create Zaps that properly process every item in each order (whether completed or abandoned). 

• New Blog Entry. This triggers whenever you add a new post to your Shopify store. Perfect if you want to streamline your social media & email communication to let your audience know about a new post. 
• New Customer. This triggers whenever a new customer gets added to your account. It’s worth noting that this is NOT an instant trigger. 
• New Abandoned Cart. Ideal for triggering cart abandonment sequences. Thanks to line item support, you can build Zaps that process multiple items left in the cart.
• New Canceled Order. This triggers whenever someone cancels an order. 
• New Paid Order. Triggers whenever there’s a new order that’s already paid.
• New Order. Triggers whenever there’s a new purchase. 

• New Order (of any status). Triggers on all kinds of orders. This is useful if you want a specific workflow to trigger on all orders, regardless of whether they’re paid or not. 
• New Product. This triggers a Zap whenever you add a new product to your Shopify store.
• Updated Customer. This triggers a Zap whenever details of a customer get updated. Interestingly, this is the only instant trigger in all of Shopify’s triggers. 
• Updated Order. Similar to the above but triggers whenever there’s an update to a specific order and not a customer. 

As you can see, the wealth of available triggers covers almost all critical things happening in your store. And, as you’re about to see, together with the available action, they allow you to build even the most advanced Zapier automations. 

Zapier Shopify Actions 

Of course, you may want to use Shopify automation in the middle of your workflow. That’s where Zapier Shopify actions come in. And, just like in the case of triggers – there’s a lot to choose from.

The actions are split into two groups: create & search. But, they could easily be split into three: create, update, and search. Let’s look at the first group.

Create a Blog Entry. This trigger allows you to create a new blog entry using the data that you pull in from other steps in the Zap.

Create a Customer. Use this action to create a new customer in your Shopify store.

Create an Order. Similarly, this allows you to create an order. Ideal if you’re selling your products elsewhere but want them to appear in your Shopify dashboard.

Create a Product. Allows you to create a product using data sent to the Zap. Very handy if you add products in a third-party tool (for example, an inventory management system).

Create a Product Variant. Same as above – but, rather than creating a new product, this step allows you to create a new product variant. 

Update Inventory Quantity. Very handy for sending new inventory data straight to your Shopify store (especially if you keep that data elsewhere). 

Update a Customer. Lets you update the data of an existing customer. 

Update a Product. Same as above but updates a product.

Update a Product Variant. Rather than updating a product, it lets you update data of a product variant.  

And, lastly, we get to the “Search” category. Here, we get the following actions:

Find a Customer. Often necessary if you want to update a specific customer (you’ve got to find them first).

Find a Product by Title. This step allows you to search for a product using its title. 

Find a Product Variant by Title. Use this to ask Zapier to search for a product variant.

As you can see, similarly to triggers, the actions let you achieve a lot of things that you might want to automate. Now that you know what you can do with Shopify, let’s look at sample ideas that’ll show you HOW to implement Shopify into your business workflow.

Connecting Shopify to Zapier

First, go to Zapier and start creating a new Zap. Then, search for Shopify in the trigger setup window. Note that Shopify is available only for paid Zapier users (but, frankly, Zapier makes little sense in its free version anyway):

Next, select the trigger event that you want to use. In this example, we’ll use the New Order event:

In the next step, you’ll be asked to connect Zapier to Shopify. Hit the blue Sign in button:

You’ll then be asked to provide your account username:

Next, you’ll be asked to log into your Shopify store:

Once you log in, you’ll then be asked to install the Zapier Shopify app. Hit Install app to proceed:

Once you install the app, you should see it inside your Shopify app dashboard:

And when you go back to Zapier, you should be able to pick your Shopify store from the drop-down list:

Now that your Shopify account is connected to Zapier, you can start creating Zaps. By connecting your store to third-party apps, you can leverage the power of automation and integrations.

But, which apps to connect your Shopify store with? Here are two popular examples of where the Zapier Shopify connection is used.

Zap Idea #1: Connect Shopify with Google Sheets

One of the most popular Shopify store integrations is that with Google Sheets. It offers great customization, formulas, and simple automations at no cost. This makes Google Sheets a perfect choice to track inventory, save orders, or even to use it as a mini CRM. 

In our example Zap, we’re using it together with a filter step and Zapier Formatter numbers event. 

That way we can make sure the Zap only fires for specific orders and that we format the currency before sending order details into Google Sheets. 

A great alternative to Google Sheets is Airtable. If you want to store your data in an environment that’s more like a real database, safer, and less prone to errors, Airtable might be a better choice. Especially since it offers quite a few automations and plenty of integrations of its own. 

Zap Idea #2: Connect Shopify with QuickBooks

Now, let’s look at another popular Zapier Shopify integration – QuickBooks. This integration can be used to automatically create sales receipts, bills, and invoices. 

What’s important is that each of those actions comes with line item support. This allows you to add multiple items from your order and present them in a separate line.

And here’s what a sample Zap with Shopify and Quickbooks could look like. In this example, we’re using Text Formatter by Zapier

Of course, the two tools could be merged into one Zap (if the filter step would allow it). Often, the Quickbooks Zap involves several more Zaps, including those that format and send the invoice or receipt to the customer. At the end of the day, the more you can automate, the less manual work you’ll have to perform.  

Start Using Zapier in Your Shopify Store Now

Running an eCommerce store can be very challenging. Just like any business, it has plenty of moving parts that may be hard to control and keep an eye on. 

By connecting your Shopify store to Zapier, you can create workflows that help you automate many of those little moving parts. 

With the right systems and processes, you can then focus on the things that matter the most. The high-level stuff that helps you grow your online store and moves you closer to your business goals.

Interested in learning how Zapier (and other tools, such as Airtable), can help you automate your eCommerce business? Hop on a quick Automation discovery call and let’s talk about your business goals.