5 Make automations for a Shopify store, step by step

Make (formerly Integromat) connects Shopify to almost anything: email, Slack, Google Sheets, text messages, accounting. The free plan is enough for a small store, and no code is needed. Here are the five scenarios that come up with every merchant I work with, and what you need to know about each one.

1. Low-stock alert → email or Slack

Logic: every morning, Make queries Shopify (productVariants with inventory_quantity:<5), builds the list and sends it. Nothing is sent if everything is in order.
Pitfall: do not loop through every product one by one: a single filtered GraphQL query is enough and uses only one operation.

2. Abandoned cart → reminder after 2 hours

Logic: every hour, Make retrieves the abandoned checkouts created 2 to 3 hours earlier (abandonedCheckouts) and sends an email with the abandonedCheckoutUrl link, which restores the cart.
Pitfall: the scenario must leave out carts that have already been converted (completedAt not empty).
Anti-spam law: a cart reminder is a commercial electronic message under Canada’s anti-spam law, and an abandoned cart does not create a business relationship. Only send it to customers who gave their express consent (for example, an unchecked box they tick when they enter their email, with wording that says who you are and that they can unsubscribe) or who have bought something from you in the last two years. Every message identifies your business, gives a way to reach you and offers a simple way to unsubscribe. An unsubscribe request must be processed within 10 business days. Keep proof of consent (date, wording of the box): if there is a complaint, the burden of proof is on you.

3. New order → row in Google Sheets

Logic: a Shopify “Order created” webhook triggers Make, which adds a row: date, number, customer, city, items, total, payment status. Your accountant works directly in the sheet.
Pitfall: the items in an order are a list; you have to aggregate them (join) before writing the cell, otherwise only the first one appears.

4. New order → Slack notification

Logic: same webhook, with a formatted message in the team channel: “Order #1234 | $189.00 | Marie T. (Québec City) | 3 items”.
Pitfall: do not show the customer’s full address or email in a shared channel: it is personal information (Law 25).

5. Order delivered → review request 7 days later

Logic: every day, Make looks for orders delivered exactly 7 days earlier (fulfillments.deliveredAt) and sends an email with a link to your review page. An avis-demande tag is added to the order so the request is never sent twice.
Pitfall: without that tag, an outage or a manual rerun creates duplicates, and a customer asked twice rarely leaves a good review.
Anti-spam law: the customer bought something from you, and that purchase counts as implied consent for two years. A review request can still be a commercial electronic message, especially if it invites the customer to buy again. When in doubt, treat it as one: your business identified, a way to unsubscribe in every message, and nothing sent to a customer who has unsubscribed.

What about the emails?

A plain-text reminder email with a link converts. The same email with your logo, your colours and photos of the items left in the cart converts noticeably better and strengthens your brand. It is the first investment to make once the scenarios are running.

Need a custom solution (branded emails, advanced automations, adding your own text and notices)? Send a request.