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Shopify Flow lets you build automated workflows without code. Combined with Checkout Links, you can create powerful automations that save time and drive revenue.
Shopify Flow is free for all Shopify plans. Find it in your Shopify admin under Apps > Shopify Flow.
Checkout Links creates the links—it doesn’t send emails. You’ll need an email platform like Klaviyo, Omnisend, or Shopify Email to deliver your checkout links to customers.

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What You Can Automate

Customer Triggers

Send checkout links when customers do something

Order Triggers

Follow up after purchases with targeted links

Product Triggers

Create links when inventory or products change

Tag Triggers

Segment customers and deliver personalized links

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Automation Ideas

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Reorder Reminder

Send customers a one-click reorder link after enough time has passed for consumable products. Trigger: Order created Wait: 30 days (adjust to your product’s usage cycle) Condition: Order contains [consumable product] Action: Send email with checkout link
1

Create your reorder link

In Checkout Links, create a link with:
  • The consumable product
  • Optional loyalty discount
  • UTM: source=flow&campaign=reorder
2

Build the Flow

  1. Go to Shopify Flow
  2. Create new workflow
  3. Trigger: “Order created”
  4. Add condition: “Order line items contain [product]”
  5. Add wait: 30 days
  6. Add action: Send email (via your email platform) with your reorder link
3

Test

Create a test order and verify the flow triggers correctly.
For advanced reorder reminders with automatic timing analysis, see our dedicated Reorder Reminder Flow guide.

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VIP Early Access

Give VIP customers first access to new products or sales. Trigger: Customer tags contain “VIP” Condition: New product created OR inventory restocked Action: Send checkout link before public launch
1

Create VIP link

  • Add the new product
  • Enable link scheduling (active before public launch)
  • Add VIP-exclusive discount or gift
  • UTM: source=flow&campaign=vip-early-access
2

Build the Flow

  1. Trigger: “Product created” or “Inventory quantity changed”
  2. Add action: Send email to VIP segment
  3. Include your checkout link
The link is active for VIPs but the product isn’t publicly available yet. When launch day arrives, disable the VIP link and create a public one.

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Win-Back Lapsed Customers

Re-engage customers who haven’t purchased in a while. Trigger: Customer last order > 90 days ago Condition: Customer has made at least 2 orders Action: Send win-back email with incentive checkout link
1

Create win-back link

  • Add best-selling product or their past purchase
  • Include win-back discount (15-20% works well)
  • Set expiration (7 days creates urgency)
  • UTM: source=flow&campaign=winback
2

Build the Flow

Flow can’t directly trigger on “no order for X days,” so use a workaround:Option A: Scheduled workflow
  1. Create a workflow that runs weekly
  2. Query customers with last_order_date < 90 days ago
  3. Send win-back email
Option B: Tag-based
  1. Separate Flow tags customers as “lapsed” when no order in 90 days
  2. Trigger workflow: “Customer tag added = lapsed”
  3. Send win-back email

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Post-Purchase Upsell

Offer complementary products after a purchase. Trigger: Order created Condition: Order contains [Product A] Action: Send checkout link for [complementary Product B]
1

Map product relationships

Decide which products pair together:
  • Coffee machine → Coffee pods
  • Skincare serum → Moisturizer
  • Running shoes → Performance socks
2

Create upsell links

For each pairing, create a checkout link:
  • Complementary product
  • Bundle discount (“Complete the set: 10% off”)
  • UTM: source=flow&campaign=upsell-{product}
3

Build the Flow

  1. Trigger: “Order created”
  2. Condition: “Order contains [Product A]”
  3. Wait: 3-7 days (give them time to receive/use first purchase)
  4. Action: Send email with checkout link for Product B

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Birthday/Anniversary Rewards

Celebrate customers with exclusive offers. Trigger: Customer birthday or signup anniversary Action: Send personalized checkout link with gift
1

Create celebration link

  • Add popular product or gift card
  • Include birthday discount or free gift
  • Set expiration (7 days)
  • UTM: source=flow&campaign=birthday
2

Build the Flow

  1. Trigger: “Customer date field matches today”
  2. Condition: Verify customer has birthday on file
  3. Action: Send birthday email with checkout link
Birthday automations require customer birthdays in your database. Collect via signup forms or profile updates.

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Low Stock Alert to Waitlist

Notify customers when products they want are back in stock. Trigger: Inventory quantity changed (from 0 to >0) Condition: Product has waitlist tag Action: Send checkout link to waitlisted customers
1

Set up waitlist tracking

Use a waitlist app or custom metafield to track interested customers.
2

Create back-in-stock link

  • Add the restocked product
  • Consider “thanks for waiting” discount
  • Set usage limits if inventory is limited
  • UTM: source=flow&campaign=back-in-stock
3

Build the Flow

  1. Trigger: “Inventory quantity changed”
  2. Condition: Previous quantity = 0 AND new quantity > 0
  3. Action: Send email to waitlist segment with checkout link
Track which customers use your premium checkout links. Trigger: Order created Condition: Order has utm_campaign = “vip-sale” Action: Add “vip-engaged” tag to customer This creates a self-reinforcing VIP segment: customers who engage with VIP offers get tagged, making them eligible for future VIP campaigns.
UTM attribution requires orders to be placed through your checkout link. The utm parameters need to flow through to the order data.

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Best Practices

Use descriptive link names that match your Flow workflows:
  • flow-reorder-coffee-30d
  • flow-vip-early-access-jan
  • flow-winback-15off
This makes it easy to track which links belong to which automations.

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Use UTM Parameters

Always include UTM tracking:
  • utm_source=flow
  • utm_medium=email or sms
  • utm_campaign=[workflow-name]
Track Flow-driven revenue in your Checkout Links analytics.

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Test Before Activating

  1. Create a test customer
  2. Trigger the workflow manually
  3. Verify the email sends with correct link
  4. Complete a test checkout
  5. Check attribution in analytics

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Monitor Performance

Review weekly:
  • Which Flow automations drive the most revenue?
  • Are any links expiring or underperforming?
  • Does timing need adjustment?

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Troubleshooting

Check that your trigger conditions match real data. Use Flow’s built-in testing to simulate triggers.
UTM parameters must flow through the entire checkout. Verify your link includes UTM parameters and customers are using the link (not navigating directly).
Add a condition to check if customer already received this campaign. Use Flow’s “has not received email in last X days” condition.

Reorder Reminder Flow

Advanced reorder reminders with automatic timing

Klaviyo Integration

Email platform setup for Flow actions

Link Scheduling

Time-based link activation for campaigns

Analytics

Track Flow campaign performance

Usage Limits

Control link usage for exclusive offers

Dynamic Links

Personalize links with customer data