Automating Shopify Store Tasks with Custom Scripts

Shopify Development Series

Running a Shopify store involves countless repetitive tasks—from updating inventory and processing orders to managing discounts and shipping rules. While Shopify’s interface is user-friendly, manually performing these tasks can be time-consuming and prone to error, especially as your store scales.

In today’s Shopify Development Series post, we’ll show you how to automate essential store operations using custom scripts, saving you time, reducing errors, and improving your store’s efficiency.

⚙️ Why Automate Shopify Tasks?

Manual workflows may work for small stores, but as order volumes and product catalogues grow, automation becomes essential.

Benefits of Shopify automation include:

• Increased productivity
• Faster order fulfilment
• Real-time stock updates
• Fewer human errors
• Enhanced customer experience

With the right scripts in place, you can shift your focus from routine admin work to growing your business.

🛠️ What Are Shopify Scripts?

Shopify Scripts are small pieces of code written in Ruby that allow you to customise parts of the Shopify checkout experience. However, when we talk about automation beyond checkout (like inventory or order workflows), we often use:

• Shopify Flow (for Plus merchants) – a no-code automation tool
• Shopify API & Webhooks – for developers and advanced custom automation
• Shopify Functions – for more advanced logic in discounts and delivery
• Private Apps or Custom Apps – for integrating with external systems

In this guide, we’ll explore how to use custom scripts and apps to automate common store tasks.

🔁 Automating Inventory Updates

Keeping product inventory accurate is critical—especially if you sell across multiple channels.

🔹 Scenario: Auto-Restock Best-Selling Items

Use Case: When stock drops below a certain threshold, automatically notify your supplier or adjust stock levels.

Solution 1: Using Shopify Flow (Plus Only)

• Trigger: Inventory quantity changes
• Condition: Inventory less than X
• Action: Send notification (email/Slack/webhook)

Solution 2: With Custom Script (API + Webhook)

rubyCopyEdit# Pseudo-code for low inventory trigger
POST /admin/api/2023-01/webhooks.json

{
  "webhook": {
    "topic": "inventory_levels/update",
    "address": "https://yourserver.com/low-inventory",
    "format": "json"
  }
}

You can then write a backend script to:

• Send alerts
• Auto-generate purchase orders
• Update inventory from a supplier feed

📦 Automating Order Processing

Automating how orders are fulfilled can streamline operations—especially for high-volume stores.

🔹 Scenario: Auto-Fulfil Digital Product Orders

Use Case: Immediately fulfil digital products upon successful payment.

Solution: Use Shopify API with a webhook for orders/paid

jsonCopyEdit{
  "webhook": {
    "topic": "orders/paid",
    "address": "https://yourserver.com/auto-fulfil",
    "format": "json"
  }
}

Script logic example:

• Check if the product is digital
• Trigger fulfilment and send download link via email
• Mark order as fulfilled in Shopify

You can also use third-party services like SendOwl or FetchApp, but a custom script gives you full control.

💸 Automating Discounts & Promotions

Shopify Scripts (in the Script Editor app) allow Plus merchants to automate discounts, BOGO offers, tiered pricing, and shipping logic at checkout.

🔹 Example: Tiered Discounts Based on Cart Value

rubyCopyEditif Input.cart.subtotal_price >= Money.new(cents: 5000)
  Input.cart.line_items.each do |line_item|
    line_item.change_line_price(line_item.line_price * 0.9, message: "10% off for orders over £50!")
  end
end

Output.cart = Input.cart

This script automatically applies a 10% discount to the cart when the total exceeds £50, without requiring coupon codes.

📨 Automating Customer Notifications

Custom scripts and flows can also keep customers in the loop, improving trust and satisfaction.

🔹 Scenario: Send Personalised Thank-You Emails to Repeat Buyers

With Shopify Flow:

• Trigger: Order created
• Condition: Customer has placed ≥ 2 orders
• Action: Send custom email via Klaviyo/Mailchimp webhook

This can also be built using the Shopify Admin API and a third-party email API like SendGrid or Postmark.

🔄 Automating Product Sync from Suppliers

If your inventory is tied to a supplier’s feed or ERP system, automate syncing with a scheduled job (cron) or webhook.

Tools to Use:

• Shopify Admin API
• Supplier’s product feed (CSV, XML, API)
• Middleware platform (like Zapier, Make.com, or a custom Node.js/Python script)

Example script logic:

• Fetch supplier stock every 6 hours
• Match SKUs with Shopify product IDs
• Update inventory levels using the InventoryLevel API

🛠 Recommended Tools for Shopify Automation

✅ Final Thoughts

Automating your Shopify store isn’t just about saving time—it’s about scaling smartly. Whether you’re managing thousands of SKUs or processing hundreds of orders per day, custom scripts and automation tools empower you to work more efficiently and focus on growth.

Start small by automating low-risk tasks like inventory alerts or order tagging. As your comfort level increases, build out full systems that integrate your store with suppliers, marketing tools, and customer service platforms.

Need help writing or deploying custom scripts? Shopify Partners and developers can tailor solutions to your exact workflow.