Create dynamic Shopify product ad variants with Zvid

1. Runs manually or every Monday at 9:00 AM.
2. Queries recently updated Shopify products that match the configurable Admin API search expression.
3. Selects products with a title, priced variant, and public image, and reports products that cannot be used.
4. Creates up to three creative angles per product: product-first, benefit-first, and offer-first.
5. Uses only real Shopify data. A discount is mentioned only when the compare-at price is higher than the current price.
6. Builds each concept with the approved Atelier Editorial · Contrast Fix square design, using up to three Shopify product images. If a product has fewer images, the workflow safely reuses the available image.
7. Validates the first resolved ad for free and returns the per-video and total credit quote.
8. In dry-run mode, saves the first ad as an editable Zvid project without rendering the batch.
9. In live mode, sends all concepts in one Zvid bulk render and polls until the batch finishes.
10. Downloads each completed MP4 for inline playback in n8n and builds a delivery manifest with stable tracking keys and empty performance fields.
11. Returns the manifest for review when no webhook is configured, or posts it to an HTTPS asset-store or social-scheduler endpoint.

Configuration

All merchant-facing controls live in Config.

Setting	Default	Purpose
shopDomain	your-store	Shopify store prefix only.
shopifyApiVersion	2026-07	Shopify Admin GraphQL API version.
shopifyProductQuery	status:active	Shopify Admin product search expression.
scanLimit	50	Maximum matching products read from Shopify.
maxProducts	3	Maximum eligible Shopify products selected.
variantsPerProduct	3	Maximum creative variants generated for each selected product.
maxTotalAds	5	Total video-output cap across every selected product.
brandName	YOUR BRAND	Brand label displayed in the opening scene.
website	your-store.com	Website displayed on the CTA end card.
ctaText	Shop now	CTA button copy.
accentColor	#C96F4A	Terracotta accent used for editorial details and benefit icons.
paleAccentColor	#F1C7B3	Light accent used over dark or photographic scenes.
backgroundColor	#2B1D18	Deep brown used for the branded end card and overlays.
creamColor	#FAFAF7	Warm neutral used for light editorial scenes.
resolution	instagram-post	Square 1080 x 1080 output.
hookTemplates	three examples	Product-first hook rotation.
creativeFormats	three formats	Product-first, benefit-first, and offer-first.
musicUrl	blank	Optional licensed audio URL. Blank produces a silent video.
dryRun	true	Free validation, quote, and editor draft when enabled.
deliveryWebhookUrl	blank	Optional endpoint that receives the finished manifest.
pollSeconds	10	Delay between bulk status checks.
timeoutMinutes	20	Maximum workflow polling time; it does not cancel server-side renders.

The default maxTotalAds is 5 so the workflow remains suitable for plans with a five-item bulk limit. Increase it only when the connected Zvid plan supports a larger request.

Variants are allocated round-robin across selected products. Every product receives its first variant before any product receives a second. Therefore:

• maxProducts: 2, variantsPerProduct: 2, maxTotalAds: 4 creates four ads: two variants for each of two products.
• The same settings with maxTotalAds: 2 create two ads total: the first variant for each product.

maxTotalAds is not a per-product value. It is the final cost and batch-size limit after applying the other two settings.

Older imported copies may still contain the former name maxAdVariants. The planner continues to read it as a backward-compatible fallback, but new publication JSON uses maxTotalAds because its global meaning is clearer.

Selecting products

The workflow sorts matching products by UPDATED_AT in descending order and then applies shopifyProductQuery. Useful Shopify search expressions include an active catalog, a vendor, a tag, a product type, or a collection-oriented tagging convention.

Shopify's product GraphQL connection does not provide a BEST_SELLING sort key. For true sales-ranked selection, use an upstream Shopify orders or analytics workflow to tag products or pass product IDs into this workflow. Do not change the GraphQL sort key to BEST_SELLING; Shopify rejects it.

Creative strategy

For each selected product, the workflow rotates through three messaging angles:

• Product-first: introduces the product using one of the configured hook templates.
• Benefit-first: opens with a shortened version of the Shopify product description.
• Offer-first: leads with the current price, or a real savings percentage when compareAtPrice exceeds price.

The total concept count is capped by maxTotalAds. With the defaults, the first creative round gives one product-first ad to each of the first three products. The remaining two slots become benefit-first ads for the first two products, producing five ads total.

Each format supplies different visible copy—not merely a different internal label:

• Product-first uses the product name as the opener and the matching configurable hookTemplates entry as its visible subheadline.
• Benefit-first uses a benefit-led opener, Shopify description copy, and benefit-specific story labels.
• Offer-first leads with the current price or real savings and uses the product name as supporting copy.

Every angle uses the approved Atelier Editorial · Contrast Fix structure:

1. An image-led product opener with the brand and creative angle. A full-frame dark wash and stronger bottom gradient protect the white copy against both light and visually busy product photography.
2. A second product-image scene with white copy over a dark two-axis overlay. The overlay is strongest behind the left-aligned copy and along the bottom, preserving product visibility while fixing text contrast.
3. Two animated benefit cards derived from the selected creative angle and Shopify description.
4. A photographic offer scene using the third image when available.
5. A branded CTA end card with product name, price, website, tracking key, and creative format. The brand name is contained in a wide bordered capsule rather than the earlier undersized circle.

Shopify's first three unique public product images are mapped to the opener, story, and offer scenes. Products with one or two images remain eligible; the workflow repeats the best available image instead of emitting a broken media URL.

Delivery manifest

The workflow sends one JSON object containing campaign metadata, all completed assets, failures, and total credits used. Each asset includes:

• trackingKey
• Shopify productId, product name, and storefront URL
• creativeFormat, hook, and offer
• Zvid videoUrl and jobId
• zeroed performance fields for status, impressions, clicks, conversions, spend, and revenue

Store the trackingKey beside the platform post or ad ID in the destination. A later reporting workflow can then join platform metrics back to the exact creative variant.

Why Shopify uses an HTTP Request node

The Shopify call uses an n8n core HTTP Request node because this workflow needs a precise Admin GraphQL query, transformed image URLs, shop currency and domain data, and configurable product search in one request. All Zvid API calls use the published @zvid/n8n-nodes-zvid action node: Render → Validate, Project → Create Editor Project, Render → Create Bulk, and Render → Get Bulk. The workflow therefore needs only one Zvid API credential for every Zvid step.

Safety and cost

• dryRun defaults to true.
• Validation and the editor draft do not render the full batch.
• The dry run reports the exact credit price before the live branch can run.
• The approved 18.9-second square design was quoted at 19 credits per video in the current dry run. Users should rely on their own validation result because project changes can change the price.
• A timeout stops n8n polling; it does not cancel renders already queued in Zvid. Check app.zvid.io before re-running.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Resolution
Shopify returns 401 Unauthorized	Confirm the Header Auth value is the returned access_token, not the client ID or secret. For a Dev Dashboard client-credentials app, request a new token if the current one is more than 24 hours old.
Shopify returns 403 or a scope error	Add read_products to a new app version, release it, and approve the changed access for the installed store.
Token request returns shop_not_permitted	The client-credentials grant requires the app and store to belong to the same Shopify organization. Verify both in the same Dev Dashboard organization, or use Shopify's OAuth flow for another merchant's store.
No eligible Shopify products matched	Broaden shopifyProductQuery, increase scanLimit, and confirm matching products have a priced variant and public image.
maxProducts: 2 still yields one video	Confirm at least two eligible products match the query, then check maxTotalAds. A value of 1 means one video total. Set it to at least 2 to produce one video for each of two products.
Two variants appear to have the same copy	Use the current workflow JSON. Each format now passes distinct opener, story, benefit, and offer variables. Confirm creativeFormats contains at least two different values.
Shopify rejects the GraphQL sort key	Keep sortKey: UPDATED_AT; BEST_SELLING is not supported for the product connection.
Zvid validation fails	Open the error details in Check validation. Malformed image URLs or unsupported project values are common causes.
Project limit reached in the dry-run summary	Delete an unneeded saved project in Zvid, then run again with dryRun: true. Validation still completed, but an editor draft could not be saved.
Bulk item name is rejected	Use the published workflow unchanged; it already normalizes internal names while preserving display text.
Insufficient credits	Reduce maxTotalAds, add credits, or keep dryRun: true. Nothing is queued by a rejected request.
Polling times out	Renders continue server-side. Check app.zvid.io before re-running, or raise timeoutMinutes.
No external delivery occurs	This is expected when deliveryWebhookUrl is blank. The review branch returns all asset URLs inside n8n.

For Zvid help, see docs.zvid.io or email help@zvid.io.

Setup

Required community node: Before configuring credentials or running the workflow, an n8n workspace owner or admin should open Settings → Community nodes → Install and install the exact package @zvid/n8n-nodes-zvid.

1. In Shopify Admin, open Settings → Apps → Develop apps → Build apps in Dev Dashboard. New custom apps can no longer be created directly in Shopify Admin; existing admin-created apps remain supported.
2. In Dev Dashboard, select Apps → Create app → Start from Dev Dashboard, name the app, and create a version from its Versions tab.
3. For an API-only integration, keep Shopify's default app-home URL. Add only the Admin API scope read_products, and release the version.
4. Open the app's Home page, select Install app, choose the target store, and approve the installation.
5. Open the app's Settings page and copy its Client ID and Client secret. These identify the app, but neither value is the access token.
6. Exchange them for an Admin API access token. Replace the placeholders below locally; never paste real credentials into the workflow JSON.

curl -X POST \
  "https://YOUR_STORE.myshopify.com/admin/oauth/access_token" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials" \
  -d "client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID" \
  -d "client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET"

7. Copy access_token from Shopify's JSON response. Dev Dashboard client-credentials tokens expire after 24 hours. Request another token and update the n8n credential before a later run; unattended schedules require a secure token-refresh process. Existing admin-created apps can continue to use their supported installed token.
8. In n8n, create a Header Auth credential with header name X-Shopify-Access-Token and the returned access_token as its value. Assign it to Get Shopify catalog.
9. After the required community package is installed, create a Zvid API key at app.zvid.io/api-keys, then create a Zvid API credential in n8n. Paste the zvid_... key into API Key and keep Base URL set to https://api.zvid.io.
10. Assign that one Zvid API credential to Validate project (free), Save draft to editor, Submit bulk render, and Get batch status.
11. Open Config and replace shopDomain, brandName, website, colors, CTA, product query, and batch limits. Enter only the Shopify store prefix in shopDomain; for example, use example for example.myshopify.com.
12. Keep dryRun set to true for the first execution. Review the validation warnings, credit quote, concepts, and Zvid editor link.
13. Set dryRun to false when ready to spend credits and render the batch.
14. Leave deliveryWebhookUrl blank to review the assets in n8n. Add an HTTPS endpoint only when the destination is ready to accept the manifest. Add any required destination authentication directly to Send to asset store or scheduler.
15. Activate the workflow only after the manual test succeeds, you want the weekly schedule to run, and Shopify token refresh is handled.

Shopify's official instructions are available in Create apps using the Dev Dashboard and Get API access tokens for Dev Dashboard apps.

Requirements

• A Shopify store and a Dev Dashboard app with Admin API read_products access, installed on a store owned by the same organization when using the client-credentials grant. Apps intended for other merchants need Shopify's appropriate OAuth installation flow instead.
• Shopify products with a title, a priced variant, and a public product image.
• A Zvid account and API key; live renders require sufficient credits.
• An n8n Cloud or self-hosted workspace where a workspace owner or admin has installed the @zvid/n8n-nodes-zvid community package.
• An optional HTTPS webhook if assets should be sent to external storage or a social scheduler.