Shopify Marketing Automation: Efficiently automate processes and target customers

With increasing growth in e-commerce, the demands on marketing processes are also increasing. If you want to reach your customers in a structured and personalized way, you should ideally rely on automated processes. Marketing automation supports precisely this: it ensures predictable, comprehensible and scalable communication - both in new customer business and in existing customer care.

Shopify offers retailers various options for automating recurring tasks - directly in the system or via supplementary apps. In this article, we show which tools Shopify provides, how they can be used and which programs are also useful.

What does marketing automation mean?

Marketing automation describes the use of software-supported processes to automatically trigger marketing measures. This is based on defined events that trigger certain reactions - such as sending an email after a purchase or assigning a customer tag after an interaction.

Typical areas of application:

• Sending automated emails

• Customer segmentation

• Reactivation of inactive customers

• Campaign management based on user behavior

• Automation of internal processes

The aim is to reduce manual effort, standardize processes and at the same time be able to respond to individual customer needs.

Benefits of marketing automation:

The targeted use of marketing automation not only saves time and resources, but also sustainably improves the customer experience. As a company, you gain valuable insights into your customers' behaviour and can therefore play out personalized content at the right time via the right channel. This creates a consistent brand presence across all touchpoints - from the first action to long-term customer loyalty.

Marketing automation in Shopify: these functions are available

Shopify already offers extensive marketing automation functions as standard. Automated campaigns can be set up, workflows controlled and target groups defined via the admin panel. Integration with third-party tools is also possible and opens up additional fields of application.

The most important components at a glance:

• Shopify Flow

• Shopify Audiences

• Shopify Campaigns

• Shopify Forms

• Shopify Inbox

• Extensions through apps from the Shopify App Store

Shopify Flow - automation via workflows

Shopify Flow is the central tool for process automation within Shopify. It works on the basis of triggers, conditions and actions that can be individually combined.

Examples of possible applications:

• Customers with more than three orders automatically receive a VIP tag

• If the stock level of a product falls below a defined value, an internal notification is sent

• After the purchase of a certain product, an automated email series with recommendations starts.

Availability: Shopify Flow is only available for stores with the Shopify Advanced or Shopify Plus plan.

Shopify Audiences - target groups for advertisements

Shopify Audiences makes it possible to automatically create target groups based on existing store data and make them available for advertising platforms such as Meta or Google Ads.

For example, you can define target groups that have recently purchased similar products or have not completed their shopping cart.

Availability: Shopify Audiences is only available for Shopify Plus merchants in the USA and Canada. The tool is currently not available in Europe.

Shopify Campaigns - manage campaigns centrally

With Shopify Campaigns, marketing campaigns can be created, planned and evaluated directly in the Shopify backend. Merchants can set budgets, select target groups and determine time periods - all via a central interface.

An application example: A discount campaign for the change of season starts automatically on the desired day and ends on time. Performance can be analyzed in real time.

Availability: Shopify Campaigns is currently not available in all countries and only for selected retailers. Availability will be gradually expanded.

Shopify Forms - capture leads efficiently

Shopify Forms is used for the structured capture of contact data. Forms can be used for newsletter registrations, product notifications or discount campaigns, for example. New contacts are automatically transferred to the email marketing tool for further processing.

Examples:

• Discount voucher for first-time visitors after subscribing to the newsletter

• Registration form for restock notifications

• Input mask for pre-orders or wish lists

Availability: Shopify Forms is currently available worldwide.

Shopify Inbox - Automate customer communication

Shopify Inbox enables centralized management of customer inquiries via live chat, Facebook Messenger or Instagram. In addition to personal communication, the tool also offers automated messages and quick responses.

Examples:

• Automatic welcome greeting when visiting the store

• Answers to frequently asked questions

• Product recommendations based on the shopping cart

Shopify Inbox is available in most regions, restrictions exist in some cases for Facebook or Instagram integration due to local API limitations.

Recommended Shopify automation apps

In addition to Shopify's native functions, the App Store offers a wide range of extensions to automate marketing processes in a targeted manner. Some solutions have proven particularly successful - they are deeply integrated into the Shopify ecosystem and are also regularly used in Latori customer projects.

Klaviyo

Klaviyo is one of the leading tools for email and SMS marketing on Shopify. The app makes it possible to manage targeted campaigns based on customer behavior, purchase history or interests. Automated workflows such as welcome campaigns, abandoned cart reminders or product recommendations can be set up individually. The deep integration into Shopify data makes Klaviyo particularly interesting for retailers who value data-driven marketing.

Gorgias

Gorgias is a helpdesk system that combines customer service and marketing processes. Inquiries can be automatically answered, prioritized or forwarded - based on rules such as order status or previous interaction. In addition, targeted marketing measures can be triggered from support processes, e.g. with individual discounts or follow-up emails to win back customers.

Yotpo

Yotpo offers a comprehensive solution for the automation of customer reviews, visual UGC and loyalty programs. After a purchase, customers are automatically prompted to submit a review - via email or SMS. The collected content can then be used specifically in the store. In addition, retailers can integrate automated loyalty programs and recommendation campaigns. Thanks to the connection to Shopify Flow and Klaviyo, promotions can be flexibly linked to customer behavior.

Trustpilot

Trustpilot helps to build trust through automated post-purchase review requests. The app can be used across all platforms and contributes to the visibility of the store. Integration with Shopify allows invitations to be sent automatically according to defined triggers and feedback to be incorporated directly into the store.

Conclusion

Shopify provides extensive options for efficiently automating marketing processes. With Shopify Flow, Audiences, Campaigns, Forms and Inbox, both internal processes and customer contact can be structured.

Marketing automation is particularly effective when native Shopify functions are combined with specialized third-party apps. Tools such as Klaviyo, Georgias or Yotpo offer additional options for data-based, individual and cross-channel communication. This not only allows retailers to work more efficiently, but also measurably increase their conversion rates and customer loyalty.

The following applies: Not all functions are available worldwide. Shopify Audiences and Shopify Campaigns in particular are currently still aimed at merchants in North America or selected users. For retailers in the DACH region, however, powerful alternatives are available in the form of Flow, Forms, Inbox and numerous apps.