How to organize Etsy orders with Shopify tags

Shopify tags are simple, which is why they work. A tag is a label on the order. Saved views and filters in Shopify Orders can show only orders that have that label.

You can do this without Orderflow. Many shops type tags by hand: needs-photo, proofing, ready-to-ship. The failure mode is forgetting to update the tag when the work moved.

Shopify tags, filters, and saved views

On an order, tags are a comma-separated list. In Shopify Orders, you can search or filter by tag and save that as a view your team opens every afternoon.

Production-stage tags are most useful when:

• One tag means one stage
• Old stage tags are removed when the stage changes
• Everyone uses the same spelling

Hand-entered tags drift. Ready to ship, ready-to-ship, and RTS are three views.

What Orderflow writes

When you change an order’s status in Orderflow, Orderflow updates Shopify tags. It removes previous status- tags it manages and adds status- plus the Orderflow status name. A status named Ready to Ship becomes the Shopify tag status-Ready to Ship. Changing Ship by writes a due-date: tag.

That happens when you save the status in Orderflow. Customer actions such as approving a proof update Orderflow’s own status; they do not currently rewrite the Shopify tag by themselves. If you need the Shopify view to move, change or re-save the status in Orderflow, or wait until you move it to Ready to Ship yourself.

Using the tag in Shopify

Create a Shopify Orders view whose filter is the tag you actually have, for example status-Ready to Ship. Open that view when it is time to print labels. Leave the rest of unfulfilled alone.

Explore Orderflow for Etsy sellers using Shopify if you want the status change to keep that tag in sync.

Related: How to create a ready-to-ship workflow in Shopify, How to print shipping labels only for orders that are ready.

Existing users: Creating and ordering statuses.