Workflow Automations · for Ecommerce operators
Workflow Automations for Ecommerce Ops
In short
Aqib Ops automates ecommerce ops in 1–3 weeks per workflow. We connect Shopify, your 3PL, your ERP, and your support tooling so order routing, inventory sync, returns, and supplier ops happen without humans copy-pasting between five tabs.
The problem
Ecommerce operators spend most of their day in Excel reconciling Shopify, the 3PL, and the accounting system. Off-the-shelf Zapier templates break when SKUs go out of stock or a refund comes in. The result is ops cost growing linearly with revenue.
Our approach
We start by auditing the actual workflow — five hours shadowing your ops lead. We pick the right tool per job (n8n for complex branching, Zapier for simple linear flows, custom Node when the ROI demands it). Every automation has retries, observability, and a Slack escalation when it fails.
Stack we'd reach for
n8n (self-hosted)
Complex branching and loops without per-task pricing pain.
Zapier
Right for simple linear flows where the team will own iteration.
Inngest or Trigger.dev
Durable, observable jobs when off-the-shelf hits its ceiling.
Custom Node / Python
When the ROI of bespoke beats the simplicity of off-the-shelf.
Slack + PagerDuty
When automations fail, humans need to know within 60 seconds.
What you'd get
- Order → 3PL routing with SKU + region rules
- Inventory sync across Shopify, ERP, marketplace listings
- Returns intake → restock → refund workflow
- Supplier PO generation from low-stock thresholds
- Customer support triage and macro auto-fill
- Slack alerts + observability for every automation
Recent example
An $8M DTC apparel brand
Eliminated 22 hours/week of manual Shopify ↔ 3PL ↔ NetSuite reconciliation. Returns processing time dropped from 4 days to 36 hours. Hired one fewer ops associate this year.
Frequently asked
How much can ecommerce automation save?
Typical Aqib Ops engagements save 15–30 hours per week of operational labor. For a team paying $25/hr loaded for ops, that's $20k–$40k/yr per workflow — usually paying back the build in 2–4 months.
Should we use n8n, Zapier, or custom code?
Zapier wins for simple, linear flows your team will own. n8n wins for complex branching at lower per-task cost. Custom Node wins when the ROI is large enough to justify owning the code. We pick per workflow, not religiously.
Can you connect to NetSuite / SAP?
Yes. NetSuite via SuiteTalk or RESTlets; SAP via OData or middleware. These integrations take longer than Shopify (1–2 extra weeks) because their APIs are more idiosyncratic.
What about edge cases — stockouts, partial refunds, B2B orders?
Edge cases are 80% of automation work. We map them in discovery and design retries, fallbacks, and human-escalation paths. Every automation that touches money has a Slack alert when it deviates.
Will the automations break when Shopify or our 3PL changes?
We use versioned APIs and write integration tests. When a partner releases a breaking change, we get alerted before customers do. Most clients keep us on a small monthly retainer for this monitoring.
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