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Method 1: the native inventory view

Free, available right now, nothing to set up. Also the weakest of the three, because it only works when you remember to look.

1. Go to Products › Inventory in Shopify admin.
2. Choose the location you want in the location selector.
3. Sort by available quantity, lowest first.
4. Anything near the bottom is what needs attention.
5. Export the view if you want it in a spreadsheet.

The catch: nothing ever reaches you. This works only if you really do check on the same day every week. Most people mean to and then have two busy weeks.

Method 2: a Shopify Flow workflow

Free on the Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus plans. This is Shopify's own way to get an email that arrives without you asking for it.

1. Install Shopify Flow from the App Store if it is not already there.
2. Create a workflow and choose the inventory quantity changed trigger.
3. Add a condition on productVariant/inventoryQuantity, set to less than or equal to your threshold number.
4. Add a send internal email action with the recipients you want.
5. Turn the workflow on and test it against a real product.

The catch: the number lives inside the workflow, so every product that needs a different number needs its own workflow. Flow also fires per variant rather than per product. The full walkthrough is in the Shopify Flow low stock alert guide.

Method 3: a dedicated alerts app

This is the route once your products need different numbers, your stock sits in more than one place or more than one person needs to know.

1. Install the app from the Shopify App Store.
2. Choose which SKUs to watch. Start with the ones that hurt when they run out, not the whole catalog.
3. Set one default number, then change it on the products that sell faster or take longer to restock.
4. Add the people who should hear about it, not only yourself.
5. Decide between instant alerts, a daily summary or both.
6. Test on one product before trusting it across the catalog.

Test your alert before you rely on it

Whichever method you picked, prove it works once. Pick a product that does not matter, set its number just above the stock it has now, wait for the alert and check it reached everyone it should have. Then put the number back.

Check the spam folder on that first alert too. Alerts that quietly land in spam are worse than no alerts at all, because you think you are covered when you are not.

Pick your number before you pick your tool

The tool decides how the email reaches you. The number decides whether the email is worth opening. Getting that number wrong is the single most common reason people switch alerts off again.

Multiply the units you sell per day by the days it takes to restock, then add a buffer. The full method with examples is in how to set a low stock threshold.

Know before a SKU hits zero

Stockwell watches every variant at every location and emails your team when stock falls under the level you set. Install it from the Shopify App Store and the first alert is running in a couple of minutes.

Get it on the Shopify App Store Free plan covers 50 SKUs with a daily summary. Paid plans add instant alerts and more recipients. No card needed to start.