The Complete E-commerce Automation Checklist

Running an e-commerce business means juggling orders, inventory, shipping, customer communication, accounting, and marketing simultaneously. When you are processing dozens or hundreds of orders per day, any manual step becomes a bottleneck that threatens growth and customer satisfaction.

This checklist breaks down every automatable e-commerce task into six operational categories. Use it as your roadmap to systematically eliminate manual work from your online store. Check off what you have already automated, and prioritize what comes next.

Six interconnected domains make up the complete e-commerce automation ecosystem.

Category 1: Order Management (8 Tasks)

Order processing is the heartbeat of your e-commerce operation. Every manual touchpoint here slows fulfillment and increases error rates.

• Auto-import orders from all sales channels into a centralized system
• Validate order data (address verification, payment confirmation) before processing
• Route orders to the correct warehouse or fulfillment partner based on SKU or geography
• Generate pick lists and packing slips automatically
• Update order status across all channels in real time
• Flag high-value or suspicious orders for manual review
• Auto-split orders when items ship from different locations
• Create backorder records and notify customers when items are out of stock

If you sell on multiple channels, centralizing orders is the single most impactful automation. Our e-commerce automation solutions page details how we handle multi-channel order sync.

Category 2: Inventory Management (7 Tasks)

• Sync inventory counts across all sales channels in real time
• Deduct stock automatically when orders are placed
• Trigger low-stock alerts at customizable thresholds
• Auto-generate purchase orders when reorder points are hit
• Update product availability on storefronts instantly
• Reconcile physical counts with system counts on a schedule
• Track inventory across multiple warehouses with location-level accuracy

Overselling is one of the costliest e-commerce mistakes. Automated inventory sync eliminates the gap between what your store shows and what your warehouse actually has.

Category 3: Shipping and Fulfillment (6 Tasks)

• Auto-select the cheapest or fastest carrier based on order rules
• Generate shipping labels and tracking numbers without manual entry
• Send tracking information to customers via email and SMS
• Update order status to "shipped" across all platforms
• Flag delayed shipments and alert the operations team
• Batch-process end-of-day manifests for carrier pickup

Connecting your store to ShipStation or a similar shipping platform handles most of these tasks out of the box. The key is ensuring the data flows bidirectionally so tracking numbers get back to your customers and sales channels.

Category 4: Returns and Refunds (5 Tasks)

• Provide customers with a self-service return portal
• Auto-generate return shipping labels
• Update inventory when returned items are received and inspected
• Process refunds or store credits automatically based on return reason
• Flag serial returners or fraud patterns for review

Category 5: Customer Communication (8 Tasks)

• Send order confirmation emails immediately after purchase
• Trigger shipping notification with tracking link
• Send delivery confirmation and feedback request
• Automate review request emails 5-7 days post-delivery
• Trigger win-back campaigns for lapsed customers
• Send abandoned cart recovery sequences
• Automate loyalty program updates and reward notifications
• Route customer service inquiries to the right team based on keywords

Category 6: Finance and Accounting (6 Tasks)

• Auto-create invoices in QuickBooks or Xero for each order
• Reconcile payment gateway deposits with individual orders
• Calculate and remit sales tax automatically
• Generate daily revenue and COGS reports
• Sync refunds and adjustments to your accounting system
• Auto-categorize marketplace fees and shipping costs

Tackle categories in order of operational impact. Orders and inventory first, then layer on the rest.

How to Use This Checklist

Print it, share it with your team, and start by marking every task you currently do manually. Count them. That number times the average minutes per task times your hourly cost gives you a concrete dollar figure for what manual operations are costing your business each month.

Then prioritize ruthlessly. Start with the category that has the most manual tasks and the highest volume. For most e-commerce businesses, that is order management and inventory. Once those are humming, the downstream categories like shipping and finance become dramatically easier to automate because the data is already clean and flowing.

Need help building your automation roadmap? Check out our guide on automation readiness, or jump straight to our free process audit to get expert eyes on your specific workflows.