How workflows work

#What are workflows

Workflows are automated processes that control how and when customers receive notifications.

Instead of sending messages manually, workflows let you build a visual flow of steps that run automatically when specific events happen.

Examples:

• Back-in-stock notification: When a product is restocked, automatically send an email to customers who subscribed to alerts.
• New subscriber welcome: When someone subscribes to the Notify me form, automatically send a welcome email or a discount code.

#Understanding workflow systems

Each workflow is a visual sequence of Triggers → Conditions → Actions that runs automatically when a restock event happens.

Examples:

1. Trigger: A product is back in stock
2. Condition: The customer has purchased before
3. Action: Send a back-in-stock email with a discount code

#How workflows work

Workflows help you automatically notify customers when a product is back in stock. Once a workflow is turned on, everything runs on its own.

#Benefits of workflows

Workflows help you automate critical customer actions, saving time and delivering better experiences at scale.

• Save time with automation: Once a workflow is set up, it runs automatically. You don’t need to manually send emails or track product restocks.
• Send timely and relevant messages: Workflows ensure customers receive messages at the right moment, when they are most likely to engage.
• Personalize customer experiences: Use conditions to send different messages based on customer behavior, purchase history, or preferences.
• Reduce missed opportunities: Automatically notifying customers when products are back in stock helps recover lost sales and increase conversions.
• Scale your communication easily: Workflows work the same way whether you have 10 subscribers or 10,000, allowing your store to grow without extra effort.
• Track and improve performance: With workflow logs, you can monitor each run, understand what’s happening, and quickly identify issues or areas for improvement.

#Common workflow use cases

Workflows can be used in many real-world scenarios to automate customer communication and actions.

• Back-in-stock notifications: Automatically notify customers when an out-of-stock product becomes available again, helping recover lost sales and drive conversions.
• New subscriber welcome flow: Send a welcome email or discount code as soon as someone subscribes, creating a strong first impression and encouraging early engagement.
• Priority emails for VIP customers: Send emails with higher priority or exclusive content to VIP or loyal customers based on their purchase history or customer tags.
• Create and send discount codes: Automatically generate discount codes and send them to customers via email to encourage purchases and increase conversions.
• Internal team reminders: Automatically notify internal teams about important leads to ensure timely follow-up and better coordination.

#Workflow best practices

Follow these best practices to build effective, reliable, and scalable workflows.

• Prevent overlapping workflows: Design workflows carefully to avoid multiple workflows triggering for the same user at the same time, which can result in duplicate emails or conflicting actions.
• Use conditions strategically: Apply conditions only when they add meaningful personalization, avoiding unnecessary complexity or over-segmentation.
• Test before enabling: Always test workflows to ensure triggers, conditions, and actions work correctly before turning them on for all customers.
• Monitor workflow logs regularly: Review logs to track workflow performance, understand customer paths, and quickly identify issues.
• Optimize message timing and content: Send messages at the right moment with clear, relevant content to maximize engagement.
• Review and update workflows over time: Continuously improve workflows based on performance data and changing business needs.

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