The first automation opportunity is usually not the most complicated one. It is the task someone on the operations team repeats every day: checking orders, copying information between systems, tagging exceptions or sending the same update to another person.
Start with order routing. Rules can assign orders by location, product type, delivery method or inventory state. The important part is not the trigger; it is the exception path. Every automation should make it clear what happens when data is missing or a condition does not match.
Next, automate the repetitive work around fulfilment and support. Inventory alerts, fulfilment checks, low-stock notifications and post-purchase messages are good candidates because the inputs already exist in Shopify. A small webhook service can connect the gaps when Shopify Flow is not enough.
Then look at returns and exchanges. A clear set of rules can decide whether a customer receives an exchange, store credit or a refund, while keeping unusual cases visible to the team. This is where a good runbook matters as much as the code.
Do not automate a process that nobody has agreed on yet. If three people handle the same exception in three different ways, the first job is to define the rule. Measure time saved, failure rate and the number of cases that still need a person. Those numbers tell you whether the automation is helping or merely moving work somewhere else.