Shopify line items carry critical information, including product options, customizations, and notes that impact fulfillment. By tagging orders based on these line item properties, you can simplify how you route, prioritize, and process orders without adding manual steps.
In this guide, we’ll show you how to turn those hidden details into actionable tags using automation.
Topics:
What are Shopify order line items?
Shopify order line items refer to the individual products within a single Shopify order. Each line item contains detailed information about a specific product variant a customer has purchased. While Shopify doesn’t support tagging at the line item level by default, these are essential components of any order, as they help merchants and apps like MESA understand precisely what was sold.
Want to skip the setup?
Use our pre-built template to tag Shopify orders with line items:
MESA Template ID
tag-shopify-orders-by-line-item-properties
Step-by-step: Tag Shopify orders based on line item properties
Time needed: 5 minutes
This workflow automates the process of tagging Shopify orders based on custom properties within each line item. It’s ideal for merchants offering personalized products, build-your-own bundles, or special-order items, making it easier to route and fulfill orders accurately.
Order created
The workflow is triggered when a new order is created in Shopify.
Loop over line items
Each line item in the order is processed individually to examine its associated properties.
Loop over line item properties
The workflow inspects each line item’s properties to identify any custom input from the customer.
Filter line item properties
The workflow filters for properties that meet specific conditions. For instance, you might only want to tag orders that match a particular color.
Does the line item property pass the condition?
A final check confirms whether the property meets the exact criteria.
Example: If "value" equals "blue" → apply a "special packaging" tag.
Tag order
A tag is added to the Shopify order if the conditions are satisfied. These tags make it easy for your fulfillment team to identify personalized orders or apply special production steps.
Example tag applied:special packaging
Turn “On”
Be sure to save any changes and enable this automation.
Make your life easier…
Grab the template to automatically tag orders with just a few clicks.
MESA Template ID
tag-shopify-orders-by-line-item-properties
Why tag Shopify orders with line items properties?
Tagging Shopify orders based on line item properties gives you powerful tools for customizing fulfillment workflows. Customers add properties such as personalized text, custom sizes, or engravings during checkout, and they are stored within each line item.
Segment orders containing personalized or custom items Automatically tag orders with custom fields like “Name” or “Color Choice,” so your team can quickly identify orders requiring special attention.
Ensure correct handling for unique product configurations Use tags like “Custom Engraving” or “Special Instructions” to signal fulfillment teams when items require manual checks or additional lead time.
Route orders based on line item inputs For example, if a property indicates the order is a gift (e.g., “Is Gift: Yes”), you can tag it with “Gift Order” and apply a different packaging process.
Track and analyze customization trends Tags based on line item properties can help you spot common custom requests, which can inform product development or upsell opportunities.
Establish clear tagging conventions
Creating a consistent and intuitive tagging system that matches your business goals is essential to get the most value from tagging Shopify order line items. Tags should be easy to understand, scalable as your store grows, and immediately actionable by staff or automation tools like MESA.
Define a clear, repeatable rule for how line item attributes (SKU, product type, or variant title) should trigger specific order tags.
Standardize your tag format using lowercase letters and hyphens for consistency (e.g., custom-engraving, not CustomEngraving).
Document your tagging logic so your team and your automation platform understand what each tag means.
Examples:
Line Item Condition
Order Tag Applied
Use Case
Line item has variant_title = “Preorder”
contains-preorder
Flag orders that contain at least one preorder item.
Line item SKU starts with GIFT-
contains-gift-item
Used for special gift packaging or messaging.
Line item product_type = “Subscription”
subscription-order
Helps route recurring orders differently in fulfillment or support.
Line item includes vendor = “Acme Co.”
vendor-acme
Useful when drop shipping or fulfilling by the supplier.
Any item with tags including fragile
fragile-items
Triggers special packing or handling steps.
Line item quantity > 5
bulk-order
Identifies large quantity orders that may need approval or special fulfillment.
Pro Tip:
Avoid tagging based on volatile attributes (like sale price) unless there’s clear, reliable logic. Instead, focus on stable product data like tags, SKUs, or variant titles.
Related:
Ultimate Guide To Shopify Tags For Managing Store Data
Tagging Shopify orders based on line item properties is a powerful way to enhance order management and unlock valuable insights. Using details like custom inputs or product configurations collected at checkout, you can apply meaningful order tags that expedite fulfillment, flag special handling requirements, and support smarter automation.
While Shopify doesn’t support native tagging at the line item level, automation tools like MESA make it easy to tag orders dynamically based on the contents and properties of each line item, so you have more control and visibility across operations.
Frequently asked questions
Can I manually add tags to individual line items in Shopify?
Shopify does not support tags on individual line items. However, you can use line item properties to add custom data to specific products within an order. If you need to categorize orders based on line item details, you can apply order tags using automation tools like MESA.
What’s the difference between order tags and line item properties in Shopify?
Order tags label and organize the entire order. They’re typically used for fulfillment workflows, segmentation, and automation. Line item properties are custom fields attached to individual products in the cart. They are often used for personalization or product-specific details (e.g., custom engravings, gift messages). However, line item properties are not searchable or filterable, unlike order tags.
What you should do now
Whenever you’re ready…here are 4 ways MESA can help you get more done:
Sign up for MESA. The best way to get started is sign up for MESA today. Every plan includes the first 7-days free so you can be assured your workflow is running properly.
Browse pre-made templates. Our customizable workflow templates are a great way to get started more quickly.
Talk to our automation experts. If you need help personalizing any workflow template, guidance how to make any automation or, simply want us to make your workflow, we can help.
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Skip the setup. Get the template.
Use our pre-built template to tag Shopify orders with line items.
