If you run a Shopify store, you already know – it’s customer experience (CX) that keeps the boat afloat, encouraging shoppers to come back long after the discount banners come down.
But it can also be one of the hardest things to scale. You can automate inventory, fulfilment, and emails – but how do you automate empathy? How do you keep that “small shop” magic when you’re processing hundreds (or thousands) of orders a week?
That’s where smart automation comes in. Used well, it doesn’t replace the human touch – it amplifies it. Smoothing out friction, speeding up responses and giving your team breathing room to look after customers, rather than systems.
This playbook walks you through five core pillars of CX where Shopify automations can make a meaningful difference. We’ll look at:
- Customer Support and Service
- Site and Check Out Experience
- Communication & Order Transparency
- Returns, Exchanges & Refunds
- Trust, Social Proof & Brand Consistency
To get you started, we’ll also show the specific workflows that can make them happen.
1. Customer Support and Service
A great experience turns one-time buyers into advocates. A bad one? Screenshotted. Shared. Immortalised on Reddit before you’ve downed your first coffee.
The problem you face? Scaling service without losing soul. When your inbox’s stacked with “I have an issue” messages and your team’s Slack is on fire, even the best intentions can slip.
Automation helps by handling the repetitive stuff so you can focus on the meaningful stuff.
Three automations to try:
- Generate an internal Gorgias ticket for high-value purchases – Automatically create a support ticket when a high-value order comes in, so your team can proactively check it, ensure a flawless delivery, or add a personal thank-you touch.
- Tag and prioritise high-value customers in support tickets – Instantly flag your VIPs in Gorgias or Shopify, helping your support team prioritise their queries without combing through endless order histories.
- Notify customers by email when an order is tagged in Shopify – Keep customers informed automatically when an issue or update is logged against their order, reassuring them that it’s being handled and they haven’t been forgotten.
By automating triage, tagging and first-response tasks, you protect your team’s time – and ensure customers never feel like they’re shouting into the void.
2. Site & Checkout Experience
Your store experience is your storefront. If it loads slowly, looks messy or demands customers fill out a 12-step form to buy a single shirt, they’ll bounce faster than you can say “abandoned cart.”
Shopify’s ecosystem gives you a lot of flexibility – which is both a blessing and a curse. Automation helps by making your site smarter without overloading the system.
Three automations to try:
- Automatically tag products when they sell out – Instantly tag (or even hide) sold-out items to keep your storefront tidy and prevent shoppers from clicking into dead ends.
- Auto-send discount codes for tagged customers – Reward loyalty or re-engage specific segments with personalised discounts, automatically sent when a tag (like “repeat-buyer”) is applied.
- Send abandoned cart reminders – Bring back would-be customers with friendly, timely reminders that encourage them to finish checkout before their cart disappears into the ether.
The magic of automating these behind-the-scenes processes is that your customers experience fewer bumps – and your conversion rate quietly benefits.
3. Communication & Order Transparency
“Where’s my order?” might just be the three most common words in eCommerce. It’s not that your customers are overly impatient – they just hate uncertainty.
Automations can make your post-purchase experience as slick and reassuring as the purchase itself.
Three automations to try:
- Auto tag orders with tracking numbers – The moment a tracking number is added, tag the order to keep fulfilment organised and make it easier to trigger post-shipment messages or updates.
- Send a backorder notification – Automatically email customers when their purchase is on backorder, setting expectations early and reducing support messages before they start.
- Email an estimated shipping date after purchase – Proactively reassure customers by letting them know when to expect their order, improving trust and cutting “just checking in” emails.
It’s simple, but powerful: consistent communication turns anxious customers into confident ones – and confident customers buy again.
4. Returns, Exchanges & Refunds
Returns are part of eCommerce life, but they don’t have to be a headache. Done well, they can improve loyalty. Done poorly, they can tank it overnight.
Automating your returns flow helps you manage expectations, save time and maintain that “we’ve got you covered” feeling.
Three automations to try:
- Use Pushover to receive alerts for new return requests – Get instant mobile notifications when a return request lands, so you can act fast and keep customers impressed with your responsiveness.
- Send a coupon after processing a refund in Shopify – Turn disappointment into delight by automatically sending a discount code once a refund is processed, inviting the customer to give you another chance.
- POS: Customer Was Upset, Needs Follow-Up in Shopify – When an in-store interaction goes south, automatically flag that customer for follow-up, ensuring no negative experience slips through the cracks.
When your returns experience feels effortless, customers remember it – and often come back precisely because you made it painless.
5. Trust, Social Proof & Brand Consistency
Trust is your conversion engine. Without it, even the best discounts can’t save a sale. But building it consistently across your store, socials, and emails can be a full-time job.
Automation helps your brand feel everywhere and consistent, even when you’re just one person behind the scenes.
Three automations to try:
- Request customer reviews after order delivery – Automatically reach out for feedback once an order is marked as delivered, collecting valuable reviews while the experience is still fresh.
- Send a personalised thank you after purchase – Follow up every sale with an automated (but human-crafted, heartfelt!) thank-you message that reinforces brand warmth and builds lasting loyalty.
- Update product SEO automatically – Keep product titles and descriptions optimised by automatically syncing SEO updates whenever you edit listings, ensuring your store stays discoverable without manual effort.
Trust isn’t built in a single touchpoint – it’s built through consistency. Automating reputation, review and SEO workflows helps you maintain that consistency without losing sleep.
Bringing It All Together
Improving customer experience at scale isn’t about removing the human element – it’s about protecting it. Automation gives you the breathing room to show up as the thoughtful, creative merchant you wanted to be when you started.
Used well, workflows create a halo effect: faster responses, fewer errors, happier customers, and a team that feels less like it’s drowning when things get busy.
You don’t need to automate everything overnight. Start small. Pick one CX pillar and build from there. The wins add up fast.
Ready to Start Scaling Smarter?
If you’re ready to start scaling your Shopify customer experience – and keen to stay sane while you do it – automation is your ally.
Try Arigato for free. Start building workflows that make your store run smoother, your customers happier and your coffee breaks longer.