Easiest Ways to Start an Automated Shopify Store

Starting an automated Shopify store is a strategic approach to boost your online sales and customer satisfaction. By leveraging a variety of apps, integrations, and workflows, you can streamline processes such as inventory management, order processing, marketing, and customer support. This not only saves time but also enhances efficiency, allowing you to focus on growing your business. Here’s a comprehensive guide to get you started.

1. Automate Order Fulfillment

If you are using dropshipping or working with fulfillment centers, automating order fulfillment can significantly simplify your process. There are several apps available to handle this:

Oberlo: Integrated directly with AliExpress, Oberlo can automatically fulfill orders, track shipments, and update customers on the order status. Spocket: Offers similar functionality but specifically for US and EU suppliers, making it easier to manage inventory and order fulfillment.

For non-dropshipping stores, you can use:

ShipBob: A fulfillment service that integrates directly with your Shopify store, automating shipping and fulfillment once an order is placed. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): Another option for those already using Amazon, it can also integrate with Shopify to manage your inventory and shipments.

2. Inventory Management Automation

Accurate inventory management is crucial to prevent overselling. Here are some tools that can help:

TradeGecko: Synchronizes your inventory across various sales channels and updates stock levels automatically. Stock Sync: A similar tool that ensures your inventory levels are always up-to-date.

Additionally, if you are on Shopify Plus, you can use:

Shopify Flow: Automate inventory updates and low-stock notifications through Shopify Flow.

3. Marketing Automation

Marketing automation can save you time and improve customer engagement:

Klaviyo: Automates email marketing, sending abandoned cart emails, post-purchase follow-ups, and personalized product recommendations based on customer behavior. PushOwl: Automates web push notifications for promotions, back-in-stock alerts, and abandoned cart recovery. Automizely: Provides automation for email campaigns, referral programs, and product reviews, helping you convert visitors into customers.

4. Customer Support Automation

Efficiently handling customer queries is key to a positive experience. Use these tools to automate customer support:

Gorgias: A customer support tool that automates replies to common questions, integrates with email, social media, and live chat, and offers an AI-based response system. Tidio: Automates chat responses and connects with FAQs, allowing your store to handle customer questions even when you're offline.

5. Pricing and Discount Automation

Dynamic pricing and discounts can drive conversions. Automate these strategies with:

Bold Discounts: Allows you to schedule and automate sales or discounts based on specific triggers. Seguno: Automatically generates discounts and sends personalized offers via email to different customer segments.

6. Shipping Automation

Automated shipping can streamline order processing and reduce human error:

ShipStation: Automates label printing, tracking, and syncing shipping information with your Shopify store. AfterShip: Automates shipment tracking and sends automatic updates to customers, improving post-purchase experiences.

7. Financial Automation

Managing finances and taxes can be time-consuming, but these tools can help:

QuickBooks: Automatically syncs sales, expenses, and taxes with Shopify, helping you maintain accurate financial records. TaxJar: Automates sales tax calculations, reporting, and filing, making it easier to stay compliant with tax regulations.

8. Workflow Automation with Zapier

Zapier can connect Shopify with other apps and automate workflows. Examples include:

Automatically adding new Shopify orders to a Google Sheet. Sending notifications to Slack when a new order is placed. Syncing customer data between Shopify and your CRM tool.

9. Automating Product Reviews

Encourage customer feedback and automate the process with:

Loox or Yotpo: Automatically request reviews from customers after they’ve made a purchase and display user-generated content to boost social proof.

10. Loyalty and Rewards Automation

Automating customer loyalty programs can encourage repeat purchases:

Use loyalty programs specific to growing businesses that automate the creation of loyalty points, referral bonuses, and VIP rewards for customers, helping build long-term relationships.

11. Shopify Flow for Advanced Automation

If you are on Shopify Plus, you can use Shopify Flow to create custom automated workflows that trigger based on specific events:

Automatically tagging customers based on purchase behavior, e.g., VIP customers. Automatically sending low-inventory alerts to suppliers. Auto-creating support tickets for high-priority orders.

Conclusion

By leveraging various automation tools, you can streamline nearly every aspect of your Shopify store, from marketing and customer service to inventory and fulfillment. This not only reduces manual tasks and increases efficiency but also allows you to focus on growing your business. Start with a few key areas that require the most attention and gradually incorporate more automation tools as your store expands.