Do not automate exceptions until policy and risk rules are clear.
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Shopify Returns Workflow Checklist
Shopify merchants and ecommerce operators reviewing return friction. Use this checklist before choosing a returns app or building a custom workflow. The goal is to understand where returns create support load, customer confusion, or operational blind spots.
Checklist
- Map how customers start a return today.
- List the order, product, payment, and customer data required for eligibility.
- Separate returns that can be automated from returns that need review.
- Define every return status a customer or operator needs to see.
- Document how returns affect inventory, refunds, support, and reporting.
- Identify the top three return reasons and where they appear in data.
How to use this
Use the checklist to improve decisions before build
If support is the status system, the workflow needs more structure.
If return reporting is manual, the process is not ready to scale.
Internal proof cluster
