A Transformative Impact
Hours Saved Weekly
Team time unlocked from manual data entry.
Reduction in Manual Work
Manual order processing virtually eliminated.
Order Accuracy
Zero overselling or data entry errors since launch.
The Challenge: Overwhelmed by Manual Processing
Artisan Goods Co. was a victim of its own success. As their unique, handcrafted products grew in popularity, their small team became overwhelmed by the sheer volume of orders. Their existing process was entirely manual, inefficient, and prone to costly errors.
- Manual Data Entry: A team member had to manually monitor an email inbox 24/7, copying order details into a separate fulfillment spreadsheet.
- Inventory Lag: Manually updating stock levels in Shopify was slow, often leading to overselling popular products, resulting in customer dissatisfaction and refunds.
- Time Sink: This process consumed 2-3 hours every single day, totaling over 15 hours per week of skilled employee time.
- Lack of Scalability: The business had hit a ceiling. They couldn't run sales or promotions because any spike in orders would bring their manual process to a complete standstill.
The Solution: An Intelligent Automation Pipeline
I designed and built a robust, self-sufficient automation pipeline that acts as a dedicated digital employee. The system runs 24/7 on a secure server, completely removing the client from the process.
Pipeline Workflow:
-
Secure Email Parsing:
The Python script connects to the orders inbox, identifies new order confirmations, and extracts critical data points (Order ID, Customer Name, Address, SKU, Quantity).
-
Real-Time API Integration:
For each product, the script makes an immediate, secure call to the Shopify REST API to update inventory levels, ensuring the storefront always displays accurate stock counts.
-
Daily Summary & Reporting:
All orders are compiled into a single, clean CSV file and automatically emailed to the fulfillment manager at 8 AM daily, providing a clear manifest for shipping.
-
Containerized Deployment with Docker:
The entire application was containerized using Docker and configured with a Cron job to run every 5 minutes. This ensures the pipeline runs in a stable, isolated, and consistent environment without manual oversight.
Secure Deployment on Existing Infrastructure
The client already had a dedicated PC running 24/7 for their business operations, which provided the perfect foundation for this automation pipeline. I leveraged their existing hardware while implementing enterprise-grade security measures.
Security Implementation:
-
Environment Isolation:
All sensitive credentials (email passwords, API keys) stored in encrypted environment variables, never hardcoded in the application.
-
Docker Containerization:
The entire pipeline runs in an isolated Docker container with minimal system permissions, preventing any interference with existing business applications.
-
Encrypted API Communications:
All API calls to Shopify use HTTPS with OAuth 2.0 authentication and rate limiting to prevent unauthorized access.
-
Automated Backups:
Daily order data is automatically backed up to a secure local directory with rotation policies to prevent storage overflow.
-
Error Monitoring:
Built-in logging and error alerting system notifies the team immediately if any component fails, ensuring 99.9% uptime.
Technology Stack
Client Testimonial
Before this, we were spending hours every day just manually processing orders from our inbox. It felt like we were constantly one step behind, and mistakes were starting to happen. The pipeline </Azlo> built for us has been a lifesaver. The biggest difference is that we're no longer afraid of a successful sales day. It just works, and has freed us up to actually focus on growing the business.