Zapier is one of the most popular automation platforms, but if you’ve ever tried connecting it directly to Shopify, you’ve probably hit a wall. While it supports a few basic triggers, the native integration is surprisingly shallow.
You quickly run into frustrating limitations that force you to compromise or give up altogether.
If you're wondering exactly where the Zapier Shopify integration falls short, keep reading to find out, and to see how purpose-built ecommerce automation apps like Arigato step in as the missing link between Shopify and the rest of your tech stack.
What Zapier can (and can’t) do with Shopify
Zapier makes it easy to connect thousands of apps without code. But when it comes to Shopify, the integration is minimal.
Limited Shopify triggers and actions
Zapier only supports a handful of Shopify triggers out of the box, things like:
- New order
- New customer
- New paid order
- Order cancellation
That might work for the simplest workflows. But you won’t find triggers for things like:
- Fulfillment status changes
- Line item-level details
- Product tag changes
- Customer tag updates
- Metafield edits
And even when you do get a supported event, the data can be inconsistent or missing fields. That makes it tough to send clean, useful information to other apps.
Why this matters for real-world automation
Most Shopify merchants don’t just want to know when any order is placed. They want workflows based on specific products, customers, tags, fulfillment states, or payment methods. They want to filter out junk and act only on the orders that matter.
Zapier doesn’t give you the tools to do that on its own. You’re left trying to build fragile workarounds or manually patch missing logic with extra apps — which defeats the whole point of automation.
How to fill the automation gap
That’s where purpose-built ecommerce automation apps come in. With a powerful automation app built specifically for Shopify, integrated directly with Zapier via webhooks, you unlock real automation across your entire toolset.
Deep Shopify integration
Specifically, the Shopify automation app Arigato gives you access to hundreds of Shopify triggers, conditions, and data points. You can build workflows around:
- Order tags
- Product SKUs or vendors
- Fulfillment and delivery status
- Line item details
- Customer properties and tags
- Metafields and custom logic
That level of control just doesn’t exist in Zapier’s native integration.
Use Arigato as a Zapier launchpad
Here’s where it gets interesting: Arigato lets you send webhook requests directly to Zapier. That means any Arigato workflow, based on any Shopify condition, can become a Zap trigger.
You get the best of both worlds:
- Shopify-native automation logic in Arigato
- Thousands of app connections in Zapier
Want to notify your team in Slack when a VIP customer places a large order? Or add a row to Google Sheets only when a specific SKU is fulfilled? Arigato can handle the Shopify-side logic and hand things off to Zapier when it’s time to connect beyond Shopify.
Flexible, low-latency execution
Arigato workflows run fast. You can add delays, branch logic, filters, and conditions, all before firing off a webhook. That’s a big step up from Zapier’s flat trigger-action format, especially if you need precision or scale.
Real-world examples of Arigato + Zapier in action
It's easy to say that an app helps extend the Zapier Shopify connection, but it's something else to detail exactly how it makes that happen. Here are a couple of use-cases you might want to use if you're currently experiencing a headache using Zapier with Shopify directly.
Send tagged customers to your CRM
When a customer is tagged “VIP” or “Wholesale,” Arigato can detect the tag change and send their info to your CRM via a Zapier webhook. Zapier works with tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, or ActiveCampaign, and only triggers when the right tag is applied.
Trigger Google Sheets rows only for refunded orders
Zapier can’t trigger off refund events in Shopify. But Arigato can, and it can send structured data (like line items and refund amounts) directly into a database of your choosing with a Zap.
Notify Slack when specific SKUs are fulfilled
Let’s say you want to ping your logistics channel in Slack whenever a certain product is fulfilled. Arigato can check the line items, filter for specific SKUs, and send the payload to Slack using a Zap.
These are just a few use cases. Once Arigato is in the mix, the possibilities expand dramatically.
Why not just use Zapier directly?
Shopify’s Zapier app is too limited
It’s great for very basic use cases. But once you need even moderate complexity —like filtering based on tags, metafields, or partial fulfillments — it breaks down.
Arigato turns Shopify into a true automation engine
Arigato gives you full visibility and control over Shopify data. You can build complex automations that reflect how your business actually works and only loop in Zapier when it’s time to talk to other tools.
If Zapier is the highway, Arigato is the on-ramp that gets you there with precision.
Go beyond native Shopify and Zapier limits with Arigato
If Zapier alone doesn’t give you the automation power you need, you’re not alone. Most serious Shopify stores need more control, more triggers, and better data handling than the native Zapier integration provides.
Arigato makes it possible. With deep Shopify integration and seamless webhook support, it becomes the smart middle layer between your store and the rest of your stack.
To learn more and start building better workflows, check out the Arigato integration with Zapier.