Best Practices

Proven trigger configurations for the most common Shopify store alerts

Overview

This guide covers the most popular alert setups that Shopify store owners rely on daily. Each recipe includes the exact trigger configuration, recommended conditions, and a suggested custom template — all achievable with Alius’s current feature set.

---

1. Low Stock Alert

Why it matters: Running out of stock on a best-seller means lost revenue and disappointed customers. A low-stock alert gives you lead time to reorder before it’s too late.

Configuration

Setting	Value
Title	Low Stock Warning
Type	Product updated
Condition Mode	All conditions must match

Conditions:

Field	Operator	Value
Total Inventory	Less than	10
Inventory Tracked	Equals	true

Suggested Template

🚨 Low Stock Alert: {{product.title}}

Inventory is running low!
  Current Stock: {{product.inventoryTotal}}
  Previous Stock: {{product_previous.inventoryTotal}}

Vendor: {{product.vendor}}
Product Type: {{product.productType}}
Status: {{product.status}}

⚡ Reorder now before it's too late!
View Product: {{product.adminUrl}}

Why This Works

• The Total Inventory field is the sum of all variant inventory quantities, fetched via the Shopify GraphQL API.
• Adding Inventory Tracked = true prevents false alerts for products where inventory isn’t tracked (e.g., digital goods, services).
• Alius only fires this alert when the inventory value actually changes (thanks to snapshot-based change detection), so you won’t get spam from unrelated product updates.

Variations

Variation	Condition Change
Critical stock (almost out)	Total Inventory < 3
Warehouse buffer	Total Inventory < 50
Per-vendor monitoring	Add condition: Vendor Equals “[Vendor Name]“

---

2. High-Value Order Alert

Why it matters: Large orders deserve immediate attention — faster fulfillment, personalized thank-you notes, and fraud review.

Configuration

Setting	Value
Title	High-Value Order
Type	Order created
Condition Mode	All conditions must match

Conditions:

Field	Operator	Value
Total Price	Greater than	200

Suggested Template

💰 High-Value Order: {{order.name}}

Total: {{order.totalPrice}} {{order.currency}}
Customer: {{order.customerFirstName}} {{order.customerLastName}}
Email: {{order.email}}

Financial Status: {{order.financialStatus}}
Fulfillment: {{order.fulfillmentStatus}}

Shipping To:
  {{order.shippingName}}
  {{order.shippingCity}}, {{order.shippingProvince}} {{order.shippingCountry}}

View Order: {{order.adminUrl}}

Variations

Variation	Condition Change
VIP threshold ($500+)	Total Price > 500
Specific currency	Add: Currency Equals “USD”
Exclude test orders	Add: Test Order Equals “false”

---

3. New Customer Welcome Alert

Why it matters: New customers are a growth signal. Alerting your team lets you welcome them, trigger onboarding sequences, or flag trends in acquisition.

Configuration

Setting	Value
Title	New Customer Signup
Type	Customer created
Condition Mode	(No conditions — fire for all new customers)

Suggested Template

👋 New Customer: {{customer.firstName}} {{customer.lastName}}

Email: {{customer.email}}
Phone: {{customer.phone}}
Accepts Marketing: {{customer.acceptsMarketing}}

View Customer: {{customer.adminUrl}}

With Conditions (Marketing-Opted-In Customers Only)

Field	Operator	Value
Accepts Marketing	Equals	true

This filters to only customers who opted in to marketing — ideal for triggering welcome email sequences.

---

4. Order Fulfillment Status Change

Why it matters: Tracking fulfillment status changes helps operations teams stay on top of shipping, identify delays, and update customers proactively.

Configuration

Setting	Value
Title	Order Fulfilled
Type	Order updated
Condition Mode	All conditions must match

Conditions:

Field	Operator	Value
Fulfillment Status	Equals	fulfilled

Suggested Template

📦 Order Fulfilled: {{order.name}}

Customer: {{order.customerFirstName}} {{order.customerLastName}}
Email: {{order.email}}
Total: {{order.totalPrice}} {{order.currency}}

Shipped To:
  {{order.shippingCity}}, {{order.shippingCountry}}

View Order: {{order.adminUrl}}

Variations

Variation	Condition Change
Partially fulfilled	Fulfillment Status Equals “partial”
Not yet fulfilled	Fulfillment Status Equals “unfulfilled”

---

5. Refund & Cancellation Monitor

Why it matters: Spotting refunds and cancellations quickly lets you reach out to unhappy customers, investigate quality issues, and track return rates.

Configuration (Refund Alert)

Setting	Value
Title	Order Refunded
Type	Order updated
Condition Mode	All conditions must match

Conditions:

Field	Operator	Value
Financial Status	Equals	refunded

Configuration (Cancellation Alert)

Setting	Value
Title	Order Cancelled
Type	Order updated
Condition Mode	All conditions must match

Conditions:

Field	Operator	Value
Financial Status	Equals	voided

Suggested Template (Refund)

⚠️ Order Refunded: {{order.name}}

Total Refunded: {{order.totalPrice}} {{order.currency}}
Customer: {{order.customerFirstName}} {{order.customerLastName}}
Email: {{order.email}}

Cancel Reason: {{order.cancelReason}}

View Order: {{order.adminUrl}}

---

6. Product Price Change Alert

Why it matters: Unintended price changes can cost revenue or erode customer trust. Monitoring price changes catches mistakes before they impact sales.

Configuration

Setting	Value
Title	Price Change Monitor
Type	Product updated
Condition Mode	(No conditions — monitor all price changes)

Suggested Template

💲 Price Change: {{product.title}}

Current Price: {{product.price}}
Previous Price: {{product_previous.price}}

Compare at Price: {{product.compareAtPrice}}
Previous Compare at: {{product_previous.compareAtPrice}}

Cost per Item: {{product.costPerItem}}
Vendor: {{product.vendor}}

View Product: {{product.adminUrl}}

Since Alius’s snapshot system tracks all product fields, this trigger will fire whenever any product field changes. The template ensures the price information is always visible even if the change was to a different field. For true price-only alerts, add a condition: Price Doesn’t Equal 0 (to filter out products without prices), or use multiple triggers with specific price thresholds.

Variation: Significant Price Drop

Field	Operator	Value
Price	Less than	20

This alerts you when any product’s price drops below $20 — useful for catching accidental discounts.

---

7. International / Regional Order Routing

Why it matters: If you ship internationally, certain countries may require customs documentation, different carriers, or longer handling times. Routing these orders to a dedicated Slack channel keeps your logistics team organized.

Configuration

Setting	Value
Title	International Order (Non-US)
Type	Order created
Channel	#international-orders
Condition Mode	All conditions must match

Conditions:

Field	Operator	Value
Shipping Country	Doesn’t Equal	US

Suggested Template

🌍 International Order: {{order.name}}

Shipping To: {{order.shippingCountry}}
  {{order.shippingName}}
  {{order.shippingAddress1}}
  {{order.shippingCity}}, {{order.shippingProvince}} {{order.shippingZip}}

Total: {{order.totalPrice}} {{order.currency}}
Customer: {{order.customerFirstName}} {{order.customerLastName}}

View Order: {{order.adminUrl}}

Variation: Specific Country Alerts

Goal	Condition
Orders from Canada	Shipping Country Equals “CA”
EU orders	Shipping Country Contains “DE” (repeat for each EU country, condition mode = Any)

---

8. VIP Customer Activity Tracker

Why it matters: Your biggest spenders deserve VIP treatment. Track when their profiles are updated so you can maintain personalized service.

Configuration

Setting	Value
Title	VIP Customer Change
Type	Customer updated
Condition Mode	All conditions must match

Conditions:

Field	Operator	Value
Lifetime Amount Spent	Greater than	1000

Suggested Template

⭐ VIP Customer Update: {{customer.firstName}} {{customer.lastName}}

Email: {{customer.email}}
Lifetime Spent: {{customer.amountSpent}}
Total Orders: {{customer.numberOfOrders}}
Tags: {{customer.tags}}

View Customer: {{customer.adminUrl}}

---

9. Product Deleted / Unpublished Monitor

Why it matters: Accidental product deletions or status changes to “draft” can make products disappear from your storefront. Catching these immediately prevents lost sales.

Configuration (Deleted)

Setting	Value
Title	Product Deleted Alert
Type	Product deleted
Condition Mode	(No conditions — fire for all deletions)

Configuration (Unpublished/Archived)

Setting	Value
Title	Product Archived
Type	Product updated
Condition Mode	Any condition can match

Conditions:

Field	Operator	Value
Status	Equals	draft
Status	Equals	archived

Suggested Template (Deleted)

🗑️ Product Deleted: {{product.title}}

This product has been permanently removed from your store.

Vendor: {{product.vendor}}
Type: {{product.productType}}
Tags: {{product.tags}}

---

10. Tagged Order Routing

Why it matters: Many merchants use order tags to flag special handling — wholesale orders, subscription renewals, gift orders, etc. Routing tagged orders to dedicated channels keeps workflows clean.

Configuration

Setting	Value
Title	Wholesale Order
Type	Order created
Channel	#wholesale
Condition Mode	All conditions must match

Conditions:

Field	Operator	Value
Tags	Contains	wholesale

Suggested Template

🏷️ Wholesale Order: {{order.name}}

Tags: {{order.tags}}
Total: {{order.totalPrice}} {{order.currency}}
Customer: {{order.customerFirstName}} {{order.customerLastName}}

Source: {{order.sourceName}}
Payment: {{order.paymentGatewayNames}}

View Order: {{order.adminUrl}}

Variations

Goal	Condition
Gift orders	Tags Contains “gift”
Subscription renewal	Tags Contains “subscription”
Priority shipping	Tags Contains “rush” or “express”

---

Free Plan Strategy

On the Free plan (1 trigger limit), here’s how to maximize value:

Use a broad trigger with a well-crafted template to cover the most ground. The best single-trigger options are:

1. “Order created” (no conditions) — Captures every new sale. The most universally useful alert for solo merchants.
2. “Order created” with Total Price > [threshold] — If you get high volume, filter to only significant orders.
3. “Product updated” with Total Inventory < 10 — If inventory management is your top priority.

When you’re ready for more granular control, upgrade to Pro for unlimited triggers and create targeted alerts for each scenario in this guide.

---

Channel Organization Tips

1. Create dedicated channels

   Use channels like #orders, #inventory-alerts, #customer-activity to keep different alert types separated.

2. Route by urgency

   Send critical alerts (low stock, high-value orders) to a channel with Slack notifications enabled. Send informational alerts (new customers, product updates) to a channel with notifications muted.

3. Team-specific routing

   Send order alerts to the fulfillment team’s channel, inventory alerts to operations, and customer alerts to customer success.

4. Use Slack's notification settings

   Configure per-channel notification preferences in Slack so team members are only interrupted by truly urgent alerts.