Shopify


Shopify is a powerful e-commerce platform that allows you to easily manage your online store. With the Returnless integration, you can automate and streamline the return process efficiently.


Good to know: connecting Shopify is currently a bit more complicated. In January, Shopify discontinued the old connection method. Since then, we’ve been working with a new setup flow on Shopify’s side.

Email support@returnless.com to request the PDF documentation.


Features of the Shopify Integration

The Shopify integration offers the following capabilities:

  • Search order: Customers can easily find their order in the return form.
  • Create return: Returns are processed directly within Shopify.
  • Process refund: Easily process refunds via Shopify.
  • Generate discount code: Offer customers a discount code as an alternative to a refund.
  • Create gift card: Provide customers with a gift card as an alternative to a refund.

Please note that you need a Shopify Grow, Shopify Advanced or Shopify Plus plan to use Returnless (so Shopify Basic is not supported).

How to install

The connection with Shopify is set up via the Shopify GraphQL API.

Retrieve Shopify store domain

To establish the integration, the Shopify store URL is required. Follow these steps:

  1. Log in to your Shopify account.
  2. Go to Settings > Domains.
  3. Note your store URL in the format <brand>.myshopify.com . This will be needed later in Returnless.

Set up the integration

Next, an integration will have to be created in Returnless.

  1. Log in to the Returnless panel

  2. Navigate to Settings > Integrations page.

  3. Click on the Add new integration button in the e-commerce platform section.
  4. Select the Shopify integration. A modal will open, follow the instructions to install a new Shopify integration to your Returnless account.
  5. After following all the steps, select Verify integration.

How to use features

By default, all features will be disabled for the integration. Make sure to activate the features you wish to use.

Activate features

By default, all features will be disabled. In order to start using a feature, make sure to enable the integration in a return form.

To view the feature settings, follow these steps:

  1. In the return panel navigate to Settings > Return forms and open the settings of the applicable return form.
  2. Go to the Integrations tab.

Here you will be able to define the default search integration and enable features.

Default search integration

Only a single integration will be used as the main source when searching for orders. If consumers need to look up the order in Shopify, make sure to set this in the default search integration setting. Doing this will automatically enable the Search order feature in the integration features overview for the integration.

Enable other features

Other features can be toggled in the same overview. Scroll down to the Shopify section. Here you will see all available features and whether they are on or off. If you want to enable or disable a feature you can change it here and then click on Save.

Search order

With the search order feature, consumers will be able to find their Shopify order in the Returnless return form by using their sales order number.

Search order settings

Setting Description Options
Order number prefix In Shopify it's possible to set a prefix for your orders. For example ORD00123 has the prefix ORD. In case you enter prefix NL and a consumer searches for order 1234, we will search for both 1234 and NL1234 in Shopify, improving the success rate of finding the order. For example #, ORD, NL, DE, etc. Leave empty if you do not use a prefix.
Validation method What field should the consumer fill in when looking up the order Email address  Postcode

Meta fields

By default, Shopify does not have any dimension fields. However, Returnless can use product dimensions to show the correct shipping methods that meet the specifications. If you know the dimensions of your products, it's possible to send them to Returnless by configuring the meta fields where the dimensions are saved.

Setting Description Options
Length unit Select which unit you're using to set the dimensions in Shopify millimeter  centimeter
Length / Width / Height Specify the way the meta data is saved in Shopify. For example product.width , variant.height

Sales order tags

In shopify it is possible to add tags to orders. These orders are imported by Returnless and can be used for conditions in both return rules and automations. The tags are added as metadata to the sales order under the key sales_order_tags . For information on how to use the meta data conditions, see the conditions section for return rules and automations.

Advanced settings

We offer some advanced settings which you normally only need when requested by Returnless support.

Setting Description Options
Order number parameter Shopify makes a difference between an Order number (123) and Order name (NL123). The name includes a prefix and suffix that you can configure in Shopify. Based on the setting, we will either save the number or the name in Returnless. Order number  Order name
Line item custom attributes In Shopify, line item custom attributes are additional data fields attached to individual items in an order. They’re typically used to collect extra information from customers about specific products when they add them to the cart. This is useful for customizations, personalization, or any extra input that’s relevant on a per-item basis. Returnless allows you to save custom attributes by adding the attribute keys. The values will then be saved as meta data on the sales order item level, which can be used in Return rules. For example _product.vendor , _product.size
Bundled products If you're using bundles in Shopify, this setting will allow you to decide if customers can only return a bundle in full, or if they can partially return a bundle (child produdcts). Hide child products, only allow bundle to be returned in full  Show child products, allow bundle to be partly returned

Create return

Creating returns in Shopify is optional and not required for normal usage of Returnless. It can be useful in case you want to keep track of your returns in Shopify as well. Returns that are created in Shopify will also appear in the returns overview for the consumer. Creating a return in Shopify will not create a refund for it yet. To issue a refund, follow the steps in Process a refund or Create gift card.

Returns can be created in two ways:

  • Manually create a return by clicking the Create return button in the return detail page.
  • Automatically by setting up an automation.

Once a return is created in Shopify, it will appear in the sales order view in your Shopify admin, as well as in the customer account.

Create return settings

To change the settings for creating a return, follow these steps:

  1. In the return panel go to Settings > Integrations > Settings.
  2. In the Return settings block you will find the following settings:
Setting Description Options
Return status Decide which status the return has when it is created in Shopify. When the return is In progress, you will manually need to close the return once it has been processed. We recommend the Closed setting, which means that the return has already been processed (which you will do within Returnless). Closed , In progress

Process refund

Returnless allows processing refunds in Shopify directly from the return panel.

Refunds can be created in two ways:

  • Manually create a refund by clicking the Create refund button on the return detail page.
  • Automatically by setting up an automation.

Once a refund is created in Shopify, Shopify will refund the value of the selected items to the payment method which was used when the consumer placed the order. The refund will appear in the sales order view in your Shopify admin.

Process refund settings

To change the settings for creating a refund, follow these steps:

  1. In the return panel go to Settings > Integrations > Settings.
  2. In the Refund settings you will find the following settings:
Setting Description Options
Send Shopify email to customer When enabled, Shopify will send the Order refund email notification to the customer once the refund is created. true  false
Re-stock items When enabled, we will restock all items based on the "Qty back to stock" (manual refund) or all items based on the "Qty returned" (automatic refund) by marking the sales order as (partially) refunded. true  false

Generate discount code

Returnless allows generating discount codes in Shopify directly from the return panel.

Discount codes can be generated in two ways:

  • Manually generate a discount code by clicking the Generate coupon button on the return detail page.
  • Automatically by setting up an automation.

Once a discount code is generated in Shopify, the discount code will appear in the Discount code section in your Shopify admin.

Generate discount code settings

To change the settings for generating discount codes, follow these steps:

  1. In the return panel go to Settings > Integrations > Settings.
  2. In the Coupon settings you will find the following settings:
Setting Description Options
Coupon expiration Set an expiration date for the discount code. 7 days  1 month  3 months  6 months  1 year  2 years  3 years  5 years  No expiration
Prevent combination with other promotions Decide if the coupon code may be used together with product discounts, order discounts or shipping discounts in Shopify. true  false
Re-stock items When enabled, we will restock all items based on the "Qty back to stock" (manual refund) or all items based on the "Qty returned" (automatic refund) by marking the sales order as (partially) refunded. true  false

Create gift card

Returnless allows creating gift cards in Shopify directly from the return panel.

Gift cards can be created in two ways:

  • Manually create a gift card by clicking the Create gift card button on the return detail page.
  • Automatically by setting up an automation.

Once a gift card is created in Shopify, the gift card will appear in the Gift cards section in your Shopify admin.

Create gift card settings

To change the settings for creating gift cards, follow these steps:

  1. In the return panel go to Settings > Integrations > Settings.
  2. In the Coupon settings you will find the following settings:
Setting Description Options
Coupon expiration Set an expiration date for the discount code. 7 days  1 month  3 months  6 months  1 year  2 years  3 years  5 years  No expiration
Re-stock items When enabled, we will restock all items based on the "Qty back to stock" (manual refund) or all items based on the "Qty returned" (automatic refund) by marking the sales order as (partially) refunded. true  false

In the integration settings you can set a version to use when connecting to Shopify. Currently Returnless supports two API versions of Shopify: 2024-07 (REST) and 2025-01 (GraphQL).

We recommend using version 2025-01 as it's the newest version available. To switch from 2024-10 to 2025-01 you can take these steps:

  1. In your Shopify admin, navigate to Apps > App and sales channel settings, click Develop apps and open the Returnless app.
  2. Click Configuration and within the Admin API integration click the Edit button to change the configuration of the scopes.
  3. You can disable the following scopes:

  4. You should enable the following scopes

    Here is a full list of the permissions you should have: Create custom Shopify app.

  5. Click Save
  6. Within Returnless, navigate to Settings > Integrations > Platform integrations and open your Shopify integration.
  7. In the API Version settings, select version 2025-01  and Save the integration.
  8. Optional: after saving your integration, we recommend searching for an order in the return form to make sure that the new integration is setup correctly.
Scope Permissions
Price rules write_price_rules  read_price_rules
Scope Permissions
Customers write_customers  read_customers
Discounts write_discounts  read_discounts
Locations read_locations

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a coupon code and a gift card?

In Shopify, both coupon codes and gift cards provide discounts or store credit, but they function differently. The biggest difference between the two is the fact that gift cards have a balance. This balance works like cash in the store and can be used across multiple purchases until the balance reaches zero. Coupons however, can only be used once. In case the consumer has a coupon code of €100 and they purchase something for €80, the rest of the coupon code (€20) is gone.

What happens when a customer creates a new return?

The return is directly linked to the correct order in Shopify. You can decide to create a return in Shopify as well, or simply wait till you have received the return in your warehouse. Once you have processed the return, you can create a refund or a gift card.

Is the stock automatically updated in Shopify?

Yes, when a refund is created, the stock is also updated in Shopify when you have enabled the Re-stock items setting.

Can I set an expiration date for coupons and gift cards?

Yes, by default we will set an expiration date of 2 years. You can change this to:

  • 7 days
  • 1 month
  • 3 months
  • 6 months
  • 1 year
  • 2 years
  • 3 years
  • 5 years
  • No expiration date

Support

For further inquiries, visit our helpdesk or contact us at support@returnless.com.

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