Automation for Online Shops: Easy Wins for Shopify and Small Stores
Part of our Small Business Automation guide: what to automate first and the 10 easiest wins.
The short version
If you run a small online shop, on Shopify, Square or another platform, a lot of your week goes on small jobs: chasing carts people left behind, checking stock, answering the same questions and pulling sales numbers together. Automation takes those jobs off your plate. You set up a simple rule once (“when this happens, do that”), and it runs in the background.
You don’t need to be technical. Each guide below is free and written for complete beginners. Most use your shop platform’s built-in tools, plus Zapier or Make (to connect your apps) and Google Sheets. One has a US$19 template pack if you’d rather not build it yourself.
Where to start
For most small shops, abandoned carts are the first thing worth automating. Then add stock alerts and a weekly sales summary.
- Send a reminder email when someone leaves items in their cart.
- Get a daily list of products that are running low.
- Get a weekly sales summary in your inbox.
- Reply to website enquiries straight away.
- Ask happy customers for a review.
Win back abandoned carts
- Shopify abandoned cart email setup: set up reminder emails with Shopify’s built-in automation, Zapier or Make.
- Shopify abandoned cart email examples: a three-email flow with wording you can copy.
Stock and sales
- Supplier reorder alerts for low stock: a daily list of products below your reorder level.
- Weekly sales summary from Square: your week’s numbers emailed to you every Monday.
- Monthly KPI dashboard in Google Sheets: your key numbers in one sheet that updates itself.
Answer customers faster
- Instant reply to website form leads: every enquiry gets a reply that says you got it.
- Speed to lead: website enquiry auto-reply: reply quickly, then follow up.
- Auto-reply after hours: tell evening and weekend enquiries when you’ll be back.
- Missed-call text-back: if you take phone orders, callers you miss get a text from your shop.
Reviews and repeat customers
- Automatic Google review requests: ask for a review after an order arrives.
- Automatic review request text: ready-to-use review request texts.
- Customer birthday offers (opted-in only): a small treat for customers who signed up for it.
- Lost lead re-engagement emails: a polite check-in with people who went quiet.
- Social posts from a spreadsheet: plan a month of product posts in one sheet.
What tools do online shops need?
You don’t need all of these. Most small shops use two or three:
| Tool | What it does | Do I need it? |
|---|---|---|
| Your shop platform (Shopify, Square Online, WooCommerce or similar) | Runs your store | Use what you have. Check its built-in automations first |
| Zapier or Make | Connects your apps with “when this happens, do that” rules | Yes, pick one, for anything your platform can’t do |
| Google Sheets | A simple place for stock levels and numbers | Handy for reports and stock lists |
| Google Business Profile | Your Google listing, where reviews show up | Useful if customers find you on Google |
DIY or ready-made?
Every guide above is free. If you’d rather not build the abandoned cart flow from scratch, our US$19 Shopify abandoned cart template pack has a ready-to-import Make blueprint, an n8n workflow, a Zapier build sheet and three emails already written. Includes a step-by-step guide.
Consent, privacy and local rules
Order confirmations and shipping updates are service messages. Abandoned cart emails, offers and most follow-ups count as marketing in many countries, so only send them to customers who opted in, and include an unsubscribe link (CAN-SPAM in the US, the Spam Act in Australia, PECR and UK GDPR in the UK, CASL in Canada). Keep customer data only as long as you need it. This isn’t legal advice.
FAQ
What should an online shop automate first?
Abandoned cart reminder emails. Shopify and most other platforms have this built in, so it’s a simple first step.
Do I need Zapier or Make if I use Shopify?
Not always. Shopify handles abandoned cart emails on its own. Zapier or Make help when you want to connect Shopify to other apps, like Google Sheets or your email.
Do I need to be good with computers?
No. Each guide is written for complete beginners, with every click spelled out.
Can I email customers who didn’t tick the marketing box?
Order and shipping emails are fine. For abandoned carts, offers and newsletters, only email people who opted in, and always include an unsubscribe link.
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