How Do I Set Up Shopify Order Alerts for Multiple Store Locations?

Quick answer: To set up order alerts for multiple Shopify locations, you need notification routing based on order attributes—inventory location, shipping address, product type, or fulfillment method. Apps like Staff Ping let you create rules that send specific orders to specific team members, so each location only gets alerts for orders they handle.

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Running multiple store locations means different teams need different information. Your East Coast warehouse doesn't need alerts about orders shipping from the West Coast. Your retail staff don't need notifications for online-only orders.

Here's how to set up order alerts that actually make sense for multi-location operations.

Why Standard Notifications Fail Multi-Location Stores

Shopify's built-in notifications treat your store as one location. Every order notification goes to the same email addresses. This creates problems:

Notification overload: Staff receive alerts for orders they can't act on. A warehouse team member at Location A gets pinged about an order shipping from Location B. They learn to ignore notifications.

Delayed response: When everyone gets every notification, nobody feels responsible. Orders sit because each location assumes another location will handle it.

Confusion during high volume: During sales or peak seasons, irrelevant notifications bury the ones that matter. Your team wastes time filtering through alerts manually.

The solution is routing notifications based on who actually needs to act.

How Order Routing Works

Order routing sends notifications to specific people based on order attributes. Instead of broadcasting to everyone, each alert goes to the right team.

Common routing criteria:

Route By	Use Case	Example
Assigned location	Multi-warehouse fulfillment	East Coast orders → East Coast team
Shipping region	Regional fulfillment centers	West region orders → West warehouse
Product type	Specialized handling	Electronics → Warehouse A
Fulfillment method	Retail vs shipping	Local pickup → Store staff
Order value	Manager oversight	Orders over $500 → Manager

You can combine criteria. High-value electronics orders from the West region could alert both the West warehouse and a manager.

Setting Up Location-Based Alerts

Option 1: Use Shopify's Location Assignment

If you use Shopify's multi-location inventory, orders get assigned to locations based on inventory availability and fulfillment priority.

Route notifications by assigned location:

1. Configure your Shopify locations in Settings → Locations
2. Set fulfillment priority order
3. Use a notification app that reads location assignment
4. Create rules: "If assigned location is Warehouse East, notify East Coast team"

This works well when Shopify's automatic assignment matches your fulfillment workflow.

Option 2: Route by Shipping Address

For regional fulfillment centers, route based on where the customer is located.

Example setup:

• Orders shipping to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut → East Coast fulfillment center
• Orders shipping to California, Oregon, Washington → West Coast fulfillment center
• Orders shipping to Texas, Arizona, Colorado → Central fulfillment center

This approach works when you fulfill based on customer proximity rather than inventory location.

Option 3: Route by Product or Collection

Some products require specialized handling or ship from dedicated facilities.

Example setup:

• Products tagged "fragile" → Warehouse with special packaging
• Products in "Electronics" collection → Electronics fulfillment center
• Products with SKU starting "BULK-" → Wholesale team

This works for stores with diverse product lines handled by different teams.

What About Retail Pickup Orders?

Stores offering both shipping and local pickup need separate notification flows.

For local pickup orders:

• Alert retail staff immediately
• Include customer name and phone for verification
• Note the pickup location if you have multiple retail stores

For shipping orders:

• Alert warehouse team
• Include shipping address and method
• Skip retail staff entirely

With proper routing, your retail team only sees walk-in customers. Your warehouse only sees orders to pack and ship.

Avoiding Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Over-complicating rules

Start simple. Route by one criterion first—usually assigned location. Add complexity only when you see orders falling through cracks.

Mistake 2: No fallback notifications

What happens when an order doesn't match any rule? Always have a default recipient who catches unrouted orders. Usually this is a manager or operations lead.

Mistake 3: Not testing with real orders

Before going live, place test orders that should route to each location. Confirm the right people receive alerts. Adjust rules based on what you find.

Mistake 4: Forgetting time zones

If your locations span time zones, consider notification timing. A 2 AM order shouldn't wake your entire team—route to the location that's actually open.

What Should Multi-Location Notifications Include?

Each notification should give staff enough context to act without opening Shopify:

New Order Alert

Order #8842 assigned to East Coast Warehouse

Items: 2x Wireless Headphones, 1x Phone Case
Total: $89.00
Ship to: Brooklyn, NY
Payment: Prepaid

Tap to view order →

Notice the notification specifies which location is responsible. Staff immediately know this is their order to handle.

How Staff Ping Handles Multi-Location Routing

Staff Ping lets you create notification rules based on:

• Assigned Shopify location
• Customer shipping state or city
• Product collections or tags
• Order value thresholds
• Payment method (COD vs prepaid)

You add team members, assign them to location groups, and create rules for what triggers their notifications.

Example configuration:

• Create location group "East Coast Team" with 3 phone numbers
• Create rule: "Orders assigned to East Coast location → notify East Coast Team"
• Create rule: "Orders over $500 assigned to East Coast → also notify Regional Manager"

Each team member receives WhatsApp alerts only for orders they need to handle.

Staff Ping sends WhatsApp alerts to your team when Shopify orders need attention.

We're currently in early access. Join the waitlist to get notified when we launch.

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Summary

To set up Shopify order alerts for multiple locations:

1. Decide your routing logic: By assigned location, shipping region, product type, or fulfillment method
2. Use an app with rule-based routing: Standard Shopify notifications can't route by location
3. Start simple: One routing rule, then add complexity as needed
4. Set a fallback: Ensure unmatched orders still notify someone
5. Test thoroughly: Place orders that should hit each location

The goal is getting each order to the team that will fulfill it—without overwhelming everyone else with irrelevant alerts.