Automate Shopify Email with Make.com

Using make.com, you can build powerful Shopify email automation that sends the right message at the right time without writing a single line of code. This guide walks you through how to connect Shopify, your email tools, and customer data into a seamless workflow.

The tutorial below is based on the official how-to for Shopify email automation and expands it into a clear, step-by-step process you can follow today.

Why Use Make.com for Shopify Email Automation

Many merchants start with basic email flows inside Shopify or their email platform. Over time, they hit limits. Make.com solves these limits by letting you:

Automatically react to events such as new orders, fulfilled orders, and abandoned checkouts.
Combine multiple apps in one visual scenario: Shopify, email service providers, CRM, and support tools.
Enrich customer profiles, tag customers, and branch flows based on conditions.
Avoid custom development and deploy new automations quickly.

Instead of managing dozens of separate rules in different tools, make.com becomes the single orchestration layer for your Shopify email operations.

What You Can Build with Make.com and Shopify

With Shopify and make.com connected, you can automate a wide range of communication flows:

Order confirmation and updates – Send personalized confirmation emails and shipping notifications via your preferred email platform.
Abandoned cart recovery – Trigger targeted reminders, discounts, or educational content when shoppers leave items in their cart.
Post-purchase sequences – Request reviews, share care instructions, or cross-sell complementary products.
Customer segmentation – Tag VIP customers, identify first-time buyers, and trigger specific email journeys.
Support workflows – Notify your help desk when high-value orders come in or when refunds are requested.

All of these customer journeys can run from one visual scenario inside make.com.

Prerequisites Before You Start on Make.com

Before building your Shopify email automation, prepare the following:

An active Shopify store with admin access.
A make.com account with permission to create scenarios.
Access to your email platform (for example, Gmail, Mailchimp, or another provider available as an app on make.com).
Optional apps you want to connect, such as CRM, spreadsheets, or help desk tools.

Once these are ready, you can build your first scenario in make.com.

Step 1: Connect Shopify to Make.com

The first step is to connect your store so make.com can listen to events and send data to and from Shopify.

Log in to your make.com account and go to the Scenarios section.
Click Create a new scenario.
Add the Shopify module as your starting point.
Choose a trigger, such as Watch Orders or Watch Checkouts.
When prompted, create and authorize a new Shopify connection by pasting your store URL and approving access.

After this step, make.com can receive real-time data from your Shopify store when the selected events occur.

Step 2: Define Your Email Automation Goal in Make.com

Before adding more modules, clarify what your specific scenario should do. Common goals include:

Sending a welcome email when a customer makes their first purchase.
Sending an abandoned cart reminder if a checkout is not completed.
Notifying customers when their order status changes.

Defining the goal first helps you choose the right mix of make.com modules and filters.

Step 3: Add Email Modules Inside Make.com

Now you can connect your email tool to Shopify data using make.com.

From the scenario canvas in make.com, click the plus icon next to your Shopify module.
Search for and select your email app, such as Gmail, Mailchimp, or another supported platform.
Choose an action like Send an email, Create or update a subscriber, or Add a contact to a list.
Authorize the email app connection if this is your first time using it in make.com.
Map Shopify fields (for example, customer email, first name, order ID, total price, checkout link) into the email subject and body.

This mapping step is where the power of make.com shows: every relevant data point from Shopify can be injected into your emails automatically.

Step 4: Use Filters and Routers in Make.com

Not every customer should receive the same message. Make.com lets you branch your automation using filters and routers.

Common examples include:

First-time vs. returning customers – Use conditions on order count to send different sequences.
High-value orders – Check the order total and trigger VIP messages for large purchases.
Abandoned cart delay – Wait a set amount of time after the checkout event, then only email customers who have not completed payment.

To set this up, add a router module in make.com and create separate paths, each with its own filters and email actions.

Step 5: Test and Schedule the Scenario in Make.com

Before going live, always test your automation.

Open your scenario in make.com and switch to Run once mode.
Trigger a test event in Shopify, such as a test order or a test checkout.
Review each module’s output in make.com to confirm the data mapping and email content.
Adjust any fields, filters, or conditions until the flow behaves exactly as expected.
When satisfied, set the scenario to ON and choose an appropriate schedule or webhook trigger.

This ensures your Shopify email automation is reliable before it starts sending messages to real customers.

Advanced Ideas for Make.com Shopify Workflows

Once the basic flows are running, you can expand your usage of make.com with more advanced scenarios:

Log each order to a spreadsheet and segment customers based on lifetime value.
Create support tickets automatically for orders with specific tags or notes.
Sync customer tags from Shopify to your CRM for refined targeting.
Trigger SMS or chat notifications in addition to email for urgent updates.

These ideas combine multiple apps in one visual scenario, extending Shopify far beyond native capabilities.

Learning More About Shopify Email on Make.com

To dive deeper into Shopify email automation and explore templates, visit the official how-to guide at make.com Shopify email automation guide. You will find detailed examples, screenshots, and additional configuration options there.

If you need strategic help designing customer journeys, technical implementation support, or broader automation strategy, you can also review expert consulting services at Consultevo, which covers automation and integration projects.

Best Practices for Running Make.com Automations

To keep your Shopify and make.com workflows healthy over the long term, follow these best practices:

Document each scenario’s purpose, triggers, and outputs.
Use clear naming conventions for connections, modules, and variables.
Monitor scenario logs regularly for errors or failed operations.
Set up notifications in make.com when a scenario encounters repeated issues.
Review and optimize email copy and timing based on performance metrics.

Regular maintenance ensures that your automations continue to support growth instead of creating hidden bottlenecks.

Conclusion: Scale Shopify Email with Make.com

By combining Shopify with make.com, merchants can move from basic transactional emails to sophisticated automation that reacts to customer behavior in real time. The visual scenario builder, rich app ecosystem, and flexible filters make it possible to ship reliable workflows without coding.

Start with one focused scenario—such as order confirmation or abandoned cart recovery—then gradually expand into segmentation, post-purchase journeys, and cross-channel communication. As your catalog and customer base grow, make.com scales with you, helping you deliver timely, personalized messages that improve revenue and customer satisfaction.

Need Help With Make.com?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your Make scenarios, work with ConsultEvo — certified workflow and automation specialists.

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