Shopify returns automation with four free Flow templates

What you need

• Opus Returns & Exchanges installed and configured
• The free Shopify Flow app installed on your store
• A Shopify order you can safely use for a test request

Shopify Flow is available to merchants on paid Shopify plans. Shopify documents app-provided triggers, actions, and templates in its current Flow integration guide.

Shopify native return automation or an Opus trigger?

Use Shopify's native Return requested trigger when the request begins in Shopify's self-serve return flow. Use an Opus trigger when the request begins in the Opus guest portal, includes a customer-requested exchange or replacement, or needs a second workflow after the merchant completes the real outcome.

Shopify documents the data and actions available from its native Return requested Flow trigger. Opus does not replace that trigger. It adds automation for the separate Opus request lifecycle.

Start with a Shopify-approved template

Opus has four live workflows in Shopify's public Flow Template Library. Pick the closest starting point and Shopify opens it in Flow for your store:

• Tag an order when a return request is created
• Tag an order when an exchange request is created
• Email staff when a return request is created
• Tag an order when an Opus return request is completed

Or build the workflow manually

1. In Shopify admin, open Flow and choose Create workflow.
2. Choose Select a trigger, open Opus Returns & Exchanges, and select Return request created.
3. Add an action, search for Add order tags, and select Shopify's action.
4. Keep the order field connected to order.id. Add opus-return-requested in the Tags field.
5. Name the workflow, turn it on, and create one test request in Opus.
6. Open Flow → Recent runs. The run should show as completed, and the tag should appear on the original order.

Other workflows you can build from the same trigger

The trigger includes the request type, preferred resolution, submission source, request number, and the Shopify order reference. These fields can be used in Flow conditions and actions.

Automate what happens after the return is finished

Choose the Return request completed trigger when another app or team should act only after Opus has completed the real Shopify outcome. This is separate from the request-created trigger and does not fire for demo requests.

Shopify returns automation questions

Can Shopify Flow automate returns?

Yes. Shopify's native Return requested trigger covers requests that begin in Shopify's self-serve return flow. Opus adds separate triggers for requests created through its guest portal and for real outcomes completed by the merchant.

Do I need the Send HTTP request action?

No. The Opus triggers and Shopify actions used here appear directly in Flow. The basic templates do not require a custom webhook, server, or Send HTTP request action.

When is an Opus trigger useful?

Use it when a guest shopper starts the request in Opus, asks for a different variant or product, requests a replacement, or when a downstream workflow should run only after the real Shopify outcome is complete.

What Opus sends to Shopify Flow

The trigger is intentionally narrow. Opus sends the Shopify order reference and non-personal request fields. It does not include a customer name, email address, phone number, shipping address, or merchant contact details in the Flow event.