Playbooks • 30-Day Implementation
Shopify AI Automation Starter Playbook

A practical 30-day roadmap to ship your first 10 automations across operations, marketing, and support — without a dev team. We’ll set rails with Shopify Flow, add AI where it creates leverage, and measure outcomes weekly so you scale what works.

12 Nov 2025 • 14–18 min read • Shopify Flow • Klaviyo • Gorgias • Make/Zapier
+10–20% Repeat Rate
from lifecycle flows in 60 days
–25–40% Ticket Volume
via education + macros + routing
5–8 hrs Saved / Week
by removing busywork across teams

Why “Rails First, AI Second” Wins

AI is leverage, not a replacement for structure. Use deterministic rails (events, filters, tags) for safety, then let AI draft copy, summaries, or suggestions inside those rails. This keeps output reliable and measurable.

  • Shopify Flow: Triggers, filters, idempotent actions
  • ESP (Klaviyo/Omnisend): Messaging flows & splits
  • Helpdesk (Gorgias): Macros, intents, escalations
  • AI: Drafts blocks, summarises tickets, suggests next best action
Principle: If a step could cost money or reputation when wrong, require human approval the first week.

Week 1 — Make Events & Data Trustworthy

  • Verify carrier “delivered” events; emit a custom event if your app lacks it.
  • Create product metafields: care_level, materials, compatibility_group.
  • Tag orders: FIRST_TIME vs REPEAT; tag VIP by AOV/LTV thresholds.
  • Set up a Slack #automation-log and log every run outcome (inputs, success/fail, timing).

Flow blueprint

Trigger: Order placed
Actions:
- Tag customer cohort (first vs repeat)
- Push event to ESP with order JSON
- Write Admin note: RUN_ID + step status
- Slack log: { run_id, trigger, cohort, time_ms }

Week 2 — Ship the Non-Negotiables

Lifecycle (ESP)
  • Delivered → D+1 education (care/usage/FAQ)
  • D+7 review/UGC with photo prompt (pause if open ticket)
  • D+14 second-order bundle based on compatibility_group
Helpdesk (Gorgias)
  • Macros for top 10 questions
  • Intent routing (shipping / returns / product / billing)
  • VIP escalation rule

Quiet-period guardrail (ESP)

Max 1 marketing email per 24h per profile.
Pause promos if ticket is open.
High AOV/VIP → manual review on offer emails.

Week 3 — Add AI Where It Compounds

Keep inputs structured; force JSON output. Approve in Slack until accuracy is ≥ 95%.

Inputs
  • Product JSON: title, benefits, care_level, materials
  • Cohort: first/repeat/VIP, last order date
  • Top FAQs and objections
  • Brand tone rules (3 short examples)
Outputs
  • Email blocks (headline, paragraph, bullets, CTA)
  • Ticket summaries + suggested macro
  • Abandoned-checkout copy variants (20% test cell)

Prompt (email block draft)

Write a 140–180 word section in a calm, premium voice.
Mention 2–3 concrete benefits and 1 care tip.
Return JSON: {"headline":"","paragraphs":["",""],"bullets":["",""]}

Slack approval payload

{"run_id":"abc123","action":"approve","editor":"@ops","notes":""}

Week 4 — Reporting & Scale

  • Weekly KPI digest to Slack: revenue, AOV, MER, ROAS, movers, exceptions (+ AI commentary).
  • Alert if JSON validation fails or retries exceed threshold.
  • Promote winning abandoned-checkout variant to 100% if ≥ +5% lift.
Dashboard
Repeat %, UGC rate, ticket deflection
Quality
JSON errors < 0.5%, approval time < 10 min
Scale
Ship 1 new automation / week

Top 10 Automations to Launch First

  1. Delivered → D+1 education (per care_level)
  2. D+7 review/UGC (skip if open ticket)
  3. D+14 second-order bundle (compatibility group)
  4. Abandoned checkout AI variant (20% cell)
  5. Low-stock campaign block draft
  6. OOS waitlist block + nearest alternatives
  7. Weekly KPI digest → Slack with commentary
  8. Ticket summary + intent routing
  9. VIP unlocked → concierge macro
  10. Refund spike alert → investigation template
Rule of thumb: If it happens every week, automate it. If it’s risky when wrong, add an approval button.

Troubleshooting

  • Flows not triggering: Carrier app doesn’t emit delivered → create custom event.
  • AI drafts off-brand: Provide 3 brand examples + enforce JSON schema.
  • Over-sending: Enforce quiet period and pause on open tickets.
  • No measurable lift: Log variant cells and promote winners only.
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