7 Shopify marketing automations every store should set up
As your Shopify store grows, so do your daily marketing tasks. Welcoming new subscribers, recovering abandoned carts, sending campaigns, and following up after a purchase can quickly take up hours every week.
The good news is that you don’t have to do these tasks manually. With marketing automation, your store can respond to customer actions automatically, helping you save time while creating a better shopping experience.
In this guide, you’ll learn what Shopify marketing automation is, why it matters, and the seven automations every Shopify store should set up to increase sales and customer retention.
What is Shopify marketing automation?
Shopify marketing automation is the process of automatically sending emails, web push notifications, or other marketing messages based on customer behavior instead of manually managing every interaction.
Rather than sending the same campaign to every customer, automation reacts to what shoppers actually do on your store. Every action becomes a trigger that starts a relevant customer journey.
For example:
- A visitor subscribes → Send a welcome email.
- A customer abandons their cart → Start an abandoned cart recovery workflow.
- A product comes back in stock → Notify interested shoppers automatically.
- A customer completes an order → Begin a post-purchase email series.
The biggest difference between automation and regular campaigns is simple.
Campaigns start because you decide to send them.
You launch a weekend sale, announce a new collection, or promote Black Friday.
Automations start because customers take action.
Instead of interrupting shoppers with messages that may not be relevant, automation responds to what they’re already interested in.
Modern Shopify automation also goes beyond email. Many merchants combine email with web push notifications, allowing them to communicate through the most effective channel depending on the situation. A push notification can remind shoppers about an abandoned cart within minutes, while a follow-up email provides more details later.
Think of automation as a system that’s always working in the background, helping every customer move naturally from their first visit to their next purchase.
Why marketing automation matters
Marketing automation isn’t just about saving time. It helps Shopify stores communicate more effectively while improving the customer experience.
1. It saves hours of repetitive work
Without automation, every follow-up message has to be created and sent manually. As your customer list grows, that quickly becomes impossible to manage consistently.
Automation handles these repetitive tasks for you, allowing your team to spend more time improving products, optimizing your website, and planning new marketing campaigns.
2. It delivers the right message at the right time
Timing is one of the biggest factors behind successful marketing.
A customer who just abandoned their cart needs a reminder, not a newsletter. Someone who completed their first purchase needs a thank-you email, not another welcome message. Automation ensures every message matches the customer’s current stage in the buying journey.
3. It recovers revenue that would otherwise be lost
Not every visitor buys during their first visit. Some leave their cart behind, wait for a product to come back in stock, or simply forget to return.
Automated workflows such as abandoned cart recovery, browse abandonment, and price-drop notifications help bring those shoppers back without requiring additional advertising spend. Instead of constantly paying for new traffic, you’re getting more value from the visitors you’ve already attracted.
4. It creates a more personalized shopping experience
Customers don’t want to receive the same email as everyone else. Someone who subscribed yesterday has different needs from a loyal customer who has placed five orders.
Automation allows you to personalize communication based on customer behavior, purchase history, and interests, making every interaction feel more relevant.
5. It keeps your marketing running 24/7
People don’t always shop during business hours. Customers may subscribe, abandon their carts, or complete purchases while you’re sleeping or focusing on other parts of your business.
Once your workflows are live, automation continues working around the clock, ensuring customers receive timely messages whenever important events happen.
6. It grows with your business
The marketing strategy that works for your first 100 customers won’t be enough when you have 10,000.
Automation scales naturally as your business grows. Whether you have hundreds or hundreds of thousands of subscribers, the same workflows continue delivering personalized experiences without increasing your workload.
7 Shopify marketing automations every store should set up
1. Welcome automation
The welcome email is often the first real interaction between your brand and a new subscriber. It sets expectations, builds trust, and encourages shoppers to take their first step toward becoming a customer.
Many Shopify stores collect subscribers but don’t contact them until the next promotional campaign. By then, customers may have forgotten why they signed up, making that first opportunity much less valuable.
How it works
A welcome automation is triggered as soon as someone subscribes to your email list or web push notifications.
Instead of sending one generic email, create a short sequence that gradually introduces your brand and helps new subscribers feel confident about shopping with you.
A simple workflow could look like this:
- Email 1: Welcome the subscriber and deliver the promised discount.
- Email 2: Introduce your brand and showcase your best-selling products.
- Email 3: Build trust with customer reviews, FAQs, or your return policy.
Best practice
Keep your first email focused on one clear goal.
Don’t overwhelm new subscribers with every product category, promotion, and announcement. Instead, help them discover your most popular products and make their first purchase as easy as possible.
If you’re using web push notifications, this is also a great opportunity to invite customers to subscribe so you can stay connected through multiple channels.
💡 Pro tip: Most first purchases happen within the first few days after someone subscribes. A strong welcome automation can have a bigger impact than sending more promotional campaigns later.
2. Abandoned cart automation
Cart abandonment is one of the biggest challenges for every Shopify store, but it also represents one of the easiest opportunities to recover lost revenue.
When a shopper adds products to their cart, they’ve already shown strong purchase intent. They’ve found a product they like and are only a few steps away from completing the order. In many cases, they don’t leave because they changed their mind—they simply get distracted, compare prices, or decide to come back later.
Instead of letting those potential sales disappear, an abandoned cart automation helps you reconnect with customers while the shopping session is still fresh.
How it works
An abandoned cart workflow starts automatically after a customer leaves without completing checkout.
A typical workflow looks like this:
- 30 minutes – 1 hour: Send a web push notification or a friendly reminder.
- 3–6 hours later: Send an abandoned cart email with product images and a link back to checkout.
- 24 hours later: Send a final reminder, adding customer reviews, shipping information, or a limited-time incentive if appropriate.
The workflow should stop immediately once the customer completes their purchase. There’s no reason to continue sending recovery messages after the order has been placed.
Best practices
Keep your first reminder simple. Instead of immediately offering a discount, remind customers about the products they left behind and make it as easy as possible to continue checkout.
Your recovery emails should include:
- Product images
- Product names
- A clear Complete checkout button
- Trust signals such as reviews, shipping information, or return policies
Remember, your goal isn’t to pressure customers into buying—it’s to help them finish a purchase they were already considering.
💡 Pro tip: Combine web push notifications with email. Push notifications grab attention quickly, while follow-up emails provide more details and answer common buying questions.
3. Browse abandonment automation
Not every interested visitor adds products to their cart.
Many shoppers spend time viewing the same product several times, compare different colors or sizes, then leave without taking the next step. Although their buying intent is lower than someone who abandoned checkout, they’re still showing genuine interest in your products.
Browse abandonment automation helps you reconnect with these visitors before they forget about your store or continue shopping elsewhere.
How it works
This workflow is triggered when a visitor views one or more products but leaves without adding anything to their cart. Rather than sending a generic promotional campaign, remind them about the exact products they viewed.
A typical browse abandonment email includes:
- The product they viewed
- Product images
- Key product benefits
- A button linking directly back to the product page
Because the message matches the customer’s recent browsing activity, it feels much more relevant than a standard marketing email.
Best practices
Don’t send browse abandonment emails too quickly. Customers often browse several products before making a decision, so giving them a little time usually creates a better experience.
It’s also a good idea to exclude customers who have already added products to their cart or completed a purchase. This keeps your automation relevant and prevents shoppers from receiving unnecessary messages.
💡 Pro tip: If you’re using both email and web push, send a push notification first to bring visitors back quickly, then follow up with an email if they still haven’t returned.
4. Back-in-stock and price-drop automation
Not every lost sale happens because customers leave your website. Sometimes they simply can’t buy what they want. The product is out of stock. Or the current price is higher than they’re willing to pay. Instead of expecting customers to keep checking your store, let automation notify them the moment something changes.
These automations work particularly well because customers have already expressed interest in a specific product. You’re not trying to create demand—you’re responding to existing demand.
How it works
There are two common workflows.
Back-in-stock automation is triggered when inventory becomes available again. Customers who requested a notification immediately receive an email or web push inviting them to return.
Price-drop automation works in a similar way. When a product’s price falls below a defined level, interested shoppers automatically receive a notification.
Because these messages are highly relevant, they often generate strong engagement and conversion rates.
Best practices
Keep these notifications short and action-oriented. Customers already know which product they want, so there’s no need for long explanations.
Include:
- Product image
- Updated price (if applicable)
- A clear Shop now or Buy now button
- A reminder that inventory may be limited
The faster customers can return to the product page, the more effective these automations become.
💡 Pro tip: Pair back-in-stock notifications with low inventory messaging to create genuine urgency—but only if stock levels are actually limited. Authentic urgency performs much better than artificial countdown timers.
5. Post-purchase automation
Many merchants stop marketing as soon as a customer places an order. In reality, that’s when one of the most important stages of the customer journey begins.
A positive post-purchase experience helps customers feel confident about their decision, reduces buyer’s remorse, and increases the likelihood that they’ll return to buy again. It’s often much easier to sell to an existing customer than to acquire a new one.
How it works
A post-purchase workflow begins automatically after an order is completed.Instead of sending only an order confirmation, create a sequence that continues supporting the customer after the sale.
A typical workflow might include:
- Immediately: Order confirmation and thank-you email.
- A few days later: Product tips, setup instructions, or care guides.
- 1–2 weeks later: Ask for a product review or customer feedback.
- Later: Recommend complementary or related products.
The goal is to continue providing value instead of immediately trying to make another sale.
Best practices
Every post-purchase email should answer one simple question:
“What does the customer need next?”
For example, someone who bought skincare products may appreciate usage tips, while someone purchasing electronics may need setup instructions or troubleshooting guides. Helpful content builds trust and naturally creates opportunities for repeat purchases.
💡 Pro tip: Don’t limit post-purchase automation to email. A web push notification announcing accessories, refill products, or complementary items can be an effective way to bring customers back without overwhelming their inbox.
6. Win-back automation
Every Shopify store has customers who slowly become inactive. Some haven’t visited your website for several months. Others made one purchase and never returned. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re lost—it may simply mean they haven’t had a reason to come back.
A win-back automation helps you reconnect with these customers before they forget about your brand completely.
How it works
This workflow is triggered when a customer hasn’t purchased or engaged with your store for a certain period of time. Instead of sending another generic promotional email, remind them why they chose your brand in the first place.
Your workflow could include:
- A personalized product recommendation.
- New arrivals related to previous purchases.
- An exclusive offer for returning customers.
- A reminder about loyalty rewards or store credits.
The message should feel personal rather than promotional.
Best practices
Focus on relevance, not discounts. If a customer previously purchased running shoes, recommend new running gear instead of sending promotions for unrelated products.
Personalized recommendations almost always perform better than broad promotional campaigns because they reflect the customer’s actual interests.
💡 Pro tip: Wait long enough before starting a win-back campaign. Contacting customers too early can feel unnecessary, while waiting too long makes it harder to rebuild the relationship. Many Shopify stores begin re-engagement after 60–90 days of inactivity.
7. Customer segmentation and behavior-based automation
As your Shopify store grows, sending the same message to every customer becomes less effective. A new subscriber has different needs from a loyal customer. Someone browsing winter jackets shouldn’t receive the same recommendations as someone shopping for skincare products.
Customer segmentation allows you to deliver messages that feel more relevant because they’re based on what shoppers actually do—not who you think they are.
How it works
Behavior-based automation groups customers using actions such as:
- Products they’ve viewed.
- Previous purchases.
- Browsing history.
- Purchase frequency.
- Customer lifetime value.
- Email or web push engagement.
Each group can then receive its own automated workflow. For example, first-time customers might enter a welcome series, repeat buyers could receive loyalty rewards, while inactive subscribers automatically move into a win-back campaign.
Best practices
Start simple. You don’t need dozens of customer segments on day one. For most Shopify stores, these segments provide the biggest impact:
- New subscribers
- Abandoned carts
- First-time customers
- Repeat customers
- Inactive customers
As your business grows, you can create more advanced segments based on customer interests, purchase history, or average order value.
💡 Pro tip: Segmentation works even better when combined with multiple marketing channels. For example, highly engaged customers may respond well to web push notifications, while inactive subscribers often benefit from a personalized email sequence first.
Start with the automations that matter most
Looking at seven different workflows can feel overwhelming if you’re just getting started. The good news is that you don’t need to build everything at once.
Begin with the automations that have the biggest impact on revenue: Welcome, Abandoned Cart, and Post-purchase. These three workflows cover the most important stages of the customer journey—turning visitors into customers, recovering potential sales, and encouraging customers to come back again.
Once those are running smoothly, you can gradually expand your automation strategy with browse abandonment, back-in-stock alerts, win-back campaigns, and behavior-based segmentation. The goal isn’t to create the most complicated automation system.
It’s to create one that delivers the right message at the right time without requiring more work as your business grows.
Common mistakes to avoid
Marketing automation can save time and increase revenue, but only if it’s built around the customer. Many Shopify stores invest in automation tools yet still see disappointing results because their workflows focus on sending more messages instead of sending better ones.
Here are some of the most common mistakes to avoid.
Trying to automate everything at once
One of the biggest mistakes new merchants make is building ten or fifteen workflows before launching their first campaign. While it sounds productive, complex automation quickly becomes difficult to manage. You’ll spend more time testing workflows than improving your customer experience.
Instead, start with a few high-impact automations and expand gradually. A simple system that runs consistently will always outperform a complicated one that’s only half finished.
Sending too many emails and notifications
Automation doesn’t mean customers should hear from your store every day. If someone receives multiple emails, several push notifications, and frequent promotional campaigns in the same week, they may stop paying attention—or unsubscribe completely.
Every automated message should have a clear purpose. If a workflow doesn’t help customers move forward in their shopping journey, it probably doesn’t need to be sent.
Using the same message for every customer
Not every customer is in the same stage of the buying journey. A new subscriber needs an introduction to your brand. Someone who abandoned their cart needs a reminder. A repeat customer may be more interested in loyalty rewards or product recommendations.
Sending identical messages to everyone makes automation feel generic. Personalization is what turns automation into a better customer experience.
Offering discounts too quickly
Discounts are useful, but they shouldn’t become your first solution for every abandoned cart or inactive customer. If shoppers learn they’ll always receive a coupon after leaving your store, some will begin delaying purchases on purpose.
Try solving hesitation first by providing helpful information, customer reviews, shipping details, or return policies. Save discounts for situations where they genuinely encourage customers to complete their purchase.
Forgetting to test and improve
Automation isn’t something you build once and never look at again. Customer behavior changes over time, and your workflows should evolve with it.
Review your subject lines, sending times, conversion rates, and click-through rates regularly. Even small improvements can make a noticeable difference when a workflow runs every day.
How to prioritize your marketing automations
If you’re just getting started, looking at seven different automations may feel overwhelming.
The good news is that you don’t need to launch everything at once. Some workflows deliver value almost immediately, while others become more important as your store grows. A simple way to prioritize is by focusing on the stages of the customer journey that have the biggest impact on revenue.
Stage 1: Build your foundation
Start with Welcome Automation, Abandoned Cart Recovery, and Post-purchase Automation.
These three workflows cover the most important moments in the customer journey. They help convert new subscribers into customers, recover potential sales, and encourage repeat purchases after an order is completed. For most Shopify stores, these automations provide the fastest return on investment.
Stage 2: Increase customer engagement
Once your core workflows are running smoothly, add Browse Abandonment and Back-in-stock or Price-drop Notifications.
These automations help you reconnect with shoppers who have already shown interest in your products, giving them another opportunity to return without relying on paid advertising. Because they’re based on customer behavior, they often generate higher engagement than general promotional campaigns.
Stage 3: Scale with personalization
As your customer list grows, introduce Win-back Automation and Behavior-based Segmentation.
At this stage, the goal is no longer simply sending automated messages. It’s delivering messages that feel relevant to each customer based on their browsing activity, purchase history, and engagement. This is where automation becomes a long-term growth strategy instead of just a time-saving tool.
Build one customer journey, not seven separate workflows
One mistake many merchants make is treating every automation as an isolated campaign.
In reality, your workflows should work together.
Imagine a customer discovers your store for the first time. They subscribe through a popup and immediately enter your welcome series. A few days later they browse several products but leave without buying, triggering a browse abandonment reminder.
They return, add an item to their cart, but don’t complete checkout, so an abandoned cart workflow begins. After purchasing, they’re automatically moved into your post-purchase journey, where they receive helpful product tips and recommendations. Several months later, if they haven’t returned, your win-back automation reconnects with them using a personalized offer.
From the customer’s perspective, this doesn’t feel like multiple campaigns. It feels like one continuous conversation.That’s exactly what great marketing automation should achieve.
Final thoughts
Marketing automation isn’t about replacing human interaction. It’s about making sure customers receive helpful messages at the moments when they matter most.
Whether someone is discovering your store for the first time, abandoning a cart, waiting for a product to return, or making their fifth purchase, every stage of the customer journey presents an opportunity to build trust and encourage the next step.
The most successful Shopify stores don’t succeed because they send more emails than everyone else. They succeed because their messages are timely, relevant, and based on real customer behavior.
You don’t need dozens of complex workflows to get started. Begin with a few essential automations, monitor how customers respond, and improve your strategy over time. As your business grows, your automation system can grow with it.
If you’re looking for an easier way to automate marketing on Shopify, Uppush brings email marketing, web push notifications, customer segmentation, abandoned cart recovery, browse abandonment, back-in-stock alerts, price-drop notifications, and other essential automations together in one platform. Instead of managing separate tools for different channels, you can create connected customer journeys that keep working around the clock.
The best marketing automation doesn’t just save time. It helps every customer receive the right message, through the right channel, at exactly the right moment.