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For a Shopify store you manage, use Shopify Flow to react to product creation, new variants, and out-of-stock changes; for custom systems, subscribe to the matching Shopify webhooks. These signals mean different things: a product can be created without being published to your storefront, and adding a variant is not the same event as creating a product.
Choose the signal that matches what you want to monitor
| What happened | Shopify Flow option | Integration event | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| A product was added | Product created | Product creation topic | A product record was created; it may not be available on the Online Store. |
| A variant was added to an existing product | Product variant added | Product update topic | An existing product gained a variant. Product created does not cover this case. |
| Inventory changed | Use a suitable Flow workflow, such as an out-of-stock trigger for that condition | Inventory-level update topic | An inventory level changed; apply your own threshold or routing logic if needed. |
| A product was published | Use a publication signal appropriate to your workflow | Product publication topic | A publication event occurred, subject to webhook delivery limitations. |
Shopify’s inventory guidance covers native inventory workflows, notifications, and inventory history. The event options for integrations are documented in Shopify’s webhook documentation.
Set up automatic alerts in your own store with Shopify Flow
Flow is the simplest documented route for a merchant who wants a Shopify workflow to respond to store activity. A workflow starts with a trigger, can check conditions, and then performs actions such as sending a notification or tagging or routing a product.
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- In Shopify admin, open Shopify Flow and create a workflow.
- Select the Product created trigger.
- Add any conditions needed to limit the workflow, then add an action such as sending a notification.
- Review the workflow and turn it on.
The trigger applies when a user in your organization or a third-party app adds a product in Shopify admin or via API. It does not mean the product has launched on the Online Store: a product may exist without being added to that sales channel. Shopify describes the trigger in its Product created trigger documentation.
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Alert when a variant is added
For a new size, color, or other variant attached to an existing product, choose Product variant added instead. Shopify explicitly distinguishes this from product creation: adding a variant does not fire the Product created trigger. Use the separate trigger when that is the change you need to catch.
Alert when a variant goes out of stock
Choose Product variant out of stock for an out-of-stock alert. Shopify documents that it runs when tracked inventory falls from one or more to zero or less. Inventory tracking must be active for the condition to be meaningful. This is an out-of-stock alert, not a configurable low-stock threshold. See Shopify’s Product variant out of stock trigger documentation.
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- Works with Android and iPad.
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- SETUP: 1-On your device, Search for Bluetooth devices, and pair. 2-In Shopify POS app, go the Settings, and enable "Allow HID mode". 3-Android only- On device, go to Settings > System > Keyboard > Physical keyboard and turn on "Show on-screen keyboard"
Get low-stock notifications
If you need an alert before stock reaches zero, choose a workflow or app that supports the threshold and notification route you need. Shopify says Flow can send low-stock notifications and points merchants to inventory alert apps for direct notifications. The cited Shopify guidance does not compare individual apps, so verify an app’s capabilities rather than assuming it supports your exact setup.
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- Confirm where notifications go and who receives them.
- Check that the workflow covers the products, variants, and locations relevant to your store.
Shopify’s inventory guidance is the starting point for the native options and inventory alert apps.
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Build a custom integration with Shopify webhooks
Use webhooks when an external application or service must react to Shopify events. Subscribe to the topic that matches the event you need, receive and process its payload, and fetch further details from Shopify when the payload does not contain enough information.
- Use a product creation topic for newly created products.
- Handle product updates when your integration needs to detect changes such as a variant being added to an existing product.
- Use an inventory-level update topic for inventory changes.
- Use a product publication topic when you need to respond to publication.
Do not treat creation, update, inventory change, and publication as interchangeable. Product webhook payloads can have limits on variant details for large products, so an integration may need to request additional variant data. Shopify also notes a caveat for publication webhook delivery: a third-party subscriber should not assume it will receive every Online Store publication change. Check Shopify’s webhook documentation for the relevant topic behavior and payload details before relying on an event as a complete record.
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- 【Anti-Shock Silicone】 The orange anti-shock silicone protective cover can avoid scratches and friction while falling from the height of 6.56 feet. IP54 technology protects the wireless barcode scanner from dust.
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- 【Digital and Printed 1D 2D QR Bar Code Symbologies】1D: Codabar, Code 11, Code93, MSI, Code 128, UCC/EAN-128, Code 39, EAN-8, EAN-13, UPC-A, ISBN, Industrial 25, Interleaved 25, Standard25, Matrix 2D: QR, DataMatrix, Aztec, Hanxin, Micro PDF417. (Note: Not compatible with Square.)
Review stock changes that already happened
Triggers and webhooks are for future activity. To investigate past inventory movements, Shopify’s inventory page supports inventory adjustment history and reports. Use that view to review prior changes; it is not a substitute for configuring notifications for changes going forward.
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Pick the right monitoring approach
- New products in a store you manage: Start with Flow’s Product created trigger, and add conditions if you only want certain products.
- New variants on existing products: Use Product variant added; Product created will not catch it.
- Out-of-stock alerts: Enable inventory tracking and use Product variant out of stock.
- Low-stock alerts: Configure an appropriate Flow workflow or assess an inventory alert app against your threshold, destination, and coverage requirements.
- External systems or event processing: Subscribe to the relevant webhooks and account for payload and publication-delivery limitations.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
