How many hours a week do you lose doing repetitive tasks in your store?
Manually tagging orders. Sending follow-up emails one by one. Checking inventory and pausing out-of-stock products. Changing prices for a promotion. If you identify with any of these tasks, this article is for you. I've seen it in dozens of stores in LATAM: e-commerce owners work in the business instead of working on the business. And the solution is already included in your Shopify plan.
It's called Shopify Flow, and it's probably the most underutilized tool in the entire Shopify ecosystem in Latin America. You don't need to know how to code. You don't need to hire a developer. You just need to understand the logic behind automation, and in this guide, I'm going to explain it to you from scratch.
I've been working with Shopify stores for years in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, and other countries in the region. And I can tell you with certainty: stores that automate with Flow scale faster, make fewer operational errors, and free up time for what really matters: selling.
📋 Article Index
- What is Shopify Flow and how does it work?
- The Logic of Trigger, Condition, and Action
- 5 Shopify automation flows you should have today
- How to create your first flow in Shopify Flow step by step
- Shopify Plans and Flow Limits: What no one tells you
- Frequently Asked Questions about Shopify Flow
- Conclusion
What is Shopify Flow and how does it work?
Shopify Flow is Shopify's native automation tool. It's available directly from the admin panel and allows you to create automatic workflows that respond to specific events within your store, without writing a single line of code.
Think of it this way: it's like having a virtual assistant who works 24/7, never gets tired, never forgets a task, and executes exactly what you tell them to. Every time something happens in your store (an order, a new customer, an out-of-stock product), Flow can react automatically.
Go to your Shopify dashboard → Apps → Flow. If you don't have it installed, search for it in the Shopify App Store. It's an official Shopify app and is free for Shopify, Advanced, and Plus plans.
Flow isn't just for large businesses. I've implemented it in stores selling everything from handicrafts to sports supplements, and in all cases, the result is the same: less manual work, fewer errors, and more time to grow.
What makes Shopify Flow special compared to other automation tools like Zapier or Make is that it is deeply integrated with your store's data. It has native access to orders, customers, products, inventory, discounts, and much more, without the need for external connectors.
Shopify Flow was originally launched only for Shopify Plus in 2017. In 2022, Shopify opened it up to all paid plans (Shopify and Advanced), democratizing automation for thousands of stores in LATAM. Today, it is one of the platform's biggest competitive advantages.
The Logic of Trigger, Condition, and Action: the heart of Shopify automation
Every flow in Shopify Flow is built with three fundamental blocks. Once you understand this logic, you can create virtually any automation you imagine.
I always explain this to my clients with a simple analogy: it's like a cooking recipe. The trigger is the main ingredient, the condition is the quality filter, and the action is what you do with all of that.
- 🔵 Trigger: The event that starts the flow. Examples: "Order created," "Product out of stock," "Customer registered."
- 🟡 Condition: The filter that determines if the flow should continue. Examples: "Only if the order exceeds $1,000 MXN," "Only if the customer is from Mexico," "Only if the product has the 'premium' tag."
- 🟢 Action: What Flow does automatically. Examples: "Add a tag to the order," "Send an internal email," "Pause the product," "Add a note to the customer."
You can chain multiple conditions and actions in a single flow. For example: when a high-value order is created (trigger) → if the customer is new (condition) → add VIP tag + send internal notification + add note to order (3 actions in parallel). This is where Flow becomes really powerful.
The triggers available in Flow cover practically the entire lifecycle of your store: orders, customers, products, inventory, payments, fulfillment, and more. And with each Shopify update, new triggers are added.
| Trigger Category | Event Examples | Typical Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| Orders | Order created, paid, canceled, refunded | Tagging, notifications, tracking |
| Customers | Customer created, updated, first order | Segmentation, loyalty programs, VIP |
| Products | Product created, updated, variant out of stock | Inventory management, alerts, publishing |
| Inventory | Inventory level changes, reaches zero | Pause products, restock alerts |
| Fulfillment | Order shipped, delivered, returned | Post-sale communication, reviews |
| Scheduled | Hourly, daily, weekly | Reports, data cleansing, promotions |
5 Shopify automation flows you should have today
This is where theory turns into money. These are the flows I implement in almost all the stores I work with in LATAM. They are simple, effective, and have an immediate impact on operations.
1. Automatically pause out-of-stock products
When a variant reaches zero inventory, the product is automatically hidden from your store. When it's back in stock, it's published again. This prevents customers from buying products you can't ship.
🔵 Trigger: Inventory reaches 0 🟢 Action: Unpublish product2. Identify and tag VIP customers
When a customer exceeds a certain number of orders or total purchase amount, they are automatically tagged as "VIP." This allows you to segment them for exclusive campaigns, special discounts, or priority attention.
🔵 Trigger: Order paid 🟡 Condition: Historical total > $5,000 🟢 Action: Tag customer as VIP3. High-risk fraud order alerts
Shopify has an integrated fraud detection system. With Flow, you can have a notification automatically sent to your team for manual review before processing when an order has a high risk.
🔵 Trigger: Order created 🟡 Condition: Fraud risk = High 🟢 Action: Send internal email + Tag order4. Special welcome for first-time buyers
When someone places their first order, a flow is triggered that adds a personalized note to the order (so the packing team can include a welcome card) and tags the customer as "new-buyer" for future retention campaigns.
🔵 Trigger: Order paid 🟡 Condition: Customer order count = 1 🟢 Action: Add note + Tag customer5. Daily report of unfulfilled orders
Every morning at 8 am, Flow checks for paid orders that have been unprocessed for more than 24 hours and sends a summary to your email. You'll never miss an order again.
🔵 Trigger: Scheduled (daily) 🟡 Condition: Order paid >24h ago without fulfillment 🟢 Action: Send summary emailAccording to Shopify data, stores that implement inventory automations reduce out-of-stock orders by up to 73%. This directly translates to fewer refunds, fewer dissatisfied customers, and better brand reputation.
How to create your first flow in Shopify Flow step by step
Let's get practical. I'm going to show you exactly how to create a flow from scratch. We're going to make the "tag VIP customers" flow because it's one of the most useful and easy to understand.
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Access Shopify Flow
From your Shopify dashboard, go to Apps → Flow. If you don't have it, install it for free from the Shopify App Store. Once inside, click on "Create workflow."
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Choose your Trigger
Click "Select trigger" and search for "Order paid." This is the event that will start your automation every time a payment is completed in your store.
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Add a Condition
Click the "+" button and select "Condition." Here you will filter: choose "Customer" → "Total number of orders" → "is greater than or equal to" → 3. This means the flow will only continue for customers with 3 or more orders.
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Define the Action
Click "+" below the condition and select "Action." Search for "Add customer tags." In the tag field, type "VIP." It's that simple.
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Name and activate the flow
Give it a descriptive name like "Tag VIP customers - 3+ orders." Then toggle the switch to set the flow to "Active." Done! Your automation is now running.
Before creating a flow from scratch, check out the Flow template library. There are over 200 pre-built flows you can install with a click and customize to your needs. I always start there with my clients to save time.
- Creating flows without conditions → they execute for ALL events and can cause chaos in your data
- Not testing the flow before activating it → use Flow's test mode to verify it works correctly
- Forgetting that Flow is not retroactive → it only acts on events that occur AFTER it is activated
- Creating too many overlapping flows → they can cause conflicts and unexpected behavior
- Not documenting your flows → in 3 months you won't remember what each one is for
Prefer to learn by watching?
On my YouTube channel, I explain Shopify Flow with real examples, live screens, and cases from Latin American stores. Subscribe so you don't miss the most complete Shopify tutorials in Spanish.
▶ Watch on YouTubeShopify Plans and Flow Limits: What no one tells you
Here's the part that many blogs omit and that I think is fundamental for you to know before planning your automation strategy.
Shopify Flow is available on the Shopify, Advanced, and Plus plans. If you're on the Basic plan, unfortunately, you don't have access to Flow. But there's good news: if you're considering upgrading, Flow alone can justify the cost of the higher plan.
| Feature | Basic | Shopify | Advanced | Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flow Access | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Active flows | — | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| App triggers | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| App actions | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| B2B Flows | — | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ Plus only |
| Execution history | — | 30 days | 30 days | 90 days |
Shopify Flow has per-minute execution limits to prevent overload. In high-volume situations (like a launch or Black Friday), some flows may run with a delay. For critical events, consider complementing Flow with other tools or planning ahead.
One thing I get asked a lot: Does Flow replace Zapier or Make? My answer is: it depends. For everything that happens within Shopify, Flow is superior because it has native access to all data. To connect Shopify with external tools (Google Sheets, Slack, Notion, etc.), Zapier or Make are still necessary. The ideal is to use both complementarily.
You can learn more about Flow's technical capabilities in the official Shopify documentation and explore advanced integrations in the Flow listing in the App Store.
🚀 Ready to automate your Shopify store?
If you want to implement these flows in your store but don't know where to start, on my YouTube channel I have step-by-step tutorials with real cases of stores in LATAM.
▶ Watch tutorials on YouTubeFrequently asked questions about Shopify Flow
Conclusion: Shopify Flow is your competitive advantage in LATAM
If you've made it this far, you already have everything you need to start automating your store with Shopify Flow. And if there's one thing I want you to take away from this article, it's this: automation is not a luxury, it's a necessity for any store that wants to scale.
I've seen it in dozens of stores in LATAM: businesses that continue to do everything manually hit a ceiling very quickly. Not because they lack customers or products, but because the team can't keep up with operations. Flow breaks that ceiling.
Start with a simple flow. The out-of-stock or VIP customer tagging flow are perfect for getting started. Once you see how it works, you'll want to automate everything.
And remember: Shopify Flow does not replace your judgment as an entrepreneur. It frees you from repetitive tasks so you can focus on the strategic decisions that truly grow your business.
Learn more about Shopify in Spanish
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▶ Subscribe to the channelGo to your Shopify admin now, install Flow if you don't have it, and create your first automation flow. Don't put it off until tomorrow. The best time to automate your store was 6 months ago. The second best time is today.
