Most stores install apps for jobs that Shopify Flow can already do. Flow is Shopify's own automation tool: when something happens in the store, check a condition, then do something. It is free and runs inside Shopify, so there is no extra script on the storefront.
Which plans include Flow
Flow is available on Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus. Most features are the same across plans. Two exceptions matter: the Send HTTP request action, which calls an external system, is not available on Basic, and actions provided by custom partner apps are limited to Plus. So for most stores, the question is not whether you have Flow but whether you use it.
How a workflow is built
- Trigger: the event that starts it, such as order created, product stock changed, customer created or a scheduled time.
- Conditions: the checks that decide whether to continue, such as order total above a value, shipping country, a tag or a product type.
- Actions: what happens, such as adding a tag, sending an internal email, hiding a product, holding fulfilment or creating a task.
Ten workflows worth setting up
- Tag orders above a value you choose as VIP and notify the team, so they get a handwritten note or a check before dispatch.
- Hold fulfilment for orders that Shopify's fraud analysis marks as high risk, and notify whoever reviews them.
- Send an internal alert when a variant's stock falls below a threshold you set.
- Hide a product from the online store when all its variants are sold out, and show it again when stock returns.
- Tag customers by total spend or number of orders, so segments and email flows stay current without manual work.
- Tag orders by shipping country or method, so the warehouse can filter international or express orders first.
- Route B2B orders above a value to someone for review before they are fulfilled.
- Tag products missing important data, such as no image, no description or an empty metafield used for safety information.
- Notify the team when an order has a customer note, so special requests are not missed.
- Run a scheduled weekly check, for example products still marked as on sale after a promotion ended.
Shopify ships a template library inside Flow; start from a template and adjust the conditions rather than building from scratch.
Where Flow stops
Flow is good at single events with clear rules. It is the wrong tool when the logic needs memory across events, guaranteed delivery with retries, a two-way sync with an ERP or warehouse, or heavy data processing. Sending an HTTP request from Flow is fine for a notification; it is fragile as the backbone of an integration, because nobody sees a failure unless you build that too.
| Need | Flow | Custom app |
|---|---|---|
| Tag, notify, hide, hold | Yes | Not needed |
| Call another system once per event | Yes, on Grow and above | Better if failures matter |
| Two-way sync with ERP or WMS | No | Yes |
| Retries, queues and monitoring | No | Yes |
| Logic inside checkout | No, use Functions | Functions in an app |
When we build integrations instead, we follow the approach in custom app vs public app and the reliability notes in ERP and inventory integration. Building Flow workflows and custom apps is part of our Shopify app development work.