Shopify Overhauls Return Management with New APIs and Deprecation of Legacy Systems

Shopify is implementing significant updates to its return management system, introducing new APIs designed to streamline the process for merchants and developers. These changes aim to simplify return lifecycles, enhance accuracy in financial processing, and improve the overall user experience for handling returns and exchanges.

Key Takeaways

• The returnRefund mutation is deprecated and replaced by the returnProcess mutation.
• Return.suggestedReturnRefund is replaced by Return.suggestedFinancialOutcome.
• Exchange fulfillment orders are now generated only upon processing exchange line items.
• Refunds and return processing offer improved precision for returned items.

Streamlining the Return Lifecycle

The core of these updates involves the deprecation of the returnRefund mutation, which is now superseded by the more robust returnProcess mutation. This new mutation consolidates disposition decisions and financial processing into a single, efficient API call. This integration is expected to significantly simplify the management of the entire return lifecycle for merchants.

Enhanced Financial and Exchange Accuracy

Alongside the mutation changes, Shopify is also updating how suggested outcomes are presented. The Return.suggestedReturnRefund field is being deprecated in favor of the new Return.suggestedFinancialOutcome field. This change provides a more comprehensive view of the financial implications of a return. Furthermore, exchange fulfillment orders will now be created exclusively when exchange line items are processed, ensuring greater accuracy and preventing premature order generation.

Action Required for Developers

Developers utilizing Shopify's Admin API for return creation or approval will need to take action. Apps that currently use returnCreate or returnApproveRequest must migrate to the new returnProcess mutation. The older mutations (refundCreate, returnRefund) and the query field (Return.suggestedRefund) are now deprecated. The updated APIs are available now in the unstable API version and will be officially launched in API version 2025-07.

Availability and Future Impact

These enhancements are available immediately in the unstable API version, with a full launch planned for API version 2025-07. This proactive update by Shopify demonstrates a commitment to providing merchants with more powerful and efficient tools for managing returns, a critical aspect of e-commerce operations.