Two things happen automatically once a customer starts a return conversation, or once Shopify reports a change to an order: Arbyn gathers everything you need to decide on the return and puts it right on that conversation for you to resolve, and it turns Shopify's fulfilment and order events into readable updates instead of raw system text.

Returns. Arbyn never decides the outcome of a return and never moves money on its own. What it does is talk the customer through picking the order, the reason, and (when a photo actually helps, like damage or the wrong item arriving) a quick photo, then hands you a complete request to approve or decline. You'll find this directly on the conversation itself, not in a separate queue, because a return is really a decision about that one specific conversation.

Fulfilment updates. When Shopify fulfils an order, updates a shipment, cancels an order, edits an order, or issues a refund, that update shows up on the conversation's timeline as a clear card, for example "Order fulfilled" with the tracking number, carrier, and a Track shipment link, rather than a raw system code.

Open the conversation. The return summary appears as its own card in the right-hand panel the moment a return is in progress on that thread, and fulfilment updates appear inline in the conversation's timeline as they happen. Nothing needs to be turned on for either.

The return summary card. Once a customer starts a return, a card builds up as they go: which order and item, the reason they gave, a photo if they uploaded one (with Arbyn's own read of what it shows), and the resolution they're asking for (a refund, an exchange, store credit, a replacement, or a prepaid return label with the refund following once it's scanned). A status pill tracks where things stand: in progress while the customer is still working through it, "Awaiting your action" once it's been sent to you, and a final outcome (refunded, exchanged, credited, or declined) once you've resolved it. When the request is ready for your decision, Arbyn also shows its own suggestion, approve, or take a closer look first, along with the reasons behind it, so you can act on it at a glance without re-reading the whole thread.

Approving or declining. You'll see an Approve return and a Decline button alongside a note field. Approving grants the customer exactly the resolution they asked for; if you want to give them something different, say so in your note and complete that difference yourself in Shopify. A note is optional when you approve (it's handed to Arbyn as extra context for what it says next) and required when you decline (it becomes the reason shared with the customer). You don't need to write either one in customer-ready language. Something like "replacement going out, ask what size" is plenty. Arbyn turns your note into one short, natural sentence addressed directly to the customer, in their own language, and it never changes the facts you set (approved or declined, what they're getting, which order). If Arbyn can't safely turn your note into a customer-facing sentence for any reason, it simply sends the clean confirmation without your note rather than risking your internal wording reaching the customer. Resolving a return works regardless of whatever else is going on with that conversation (AI handling it, escalated, or a person on your team is in the middle of it), and it clears the return's own pending flag the moment you decide.

Other actions Arbyn is waiting on you for. Returns and address changes are resolved right on the conversation, as above. Refunds, cancellations, discounts and order edits work slightly differently: the conversation shows you a card telling you an action is waiting, with a count and a link straight through to your Approvals queue filtered to that one conversation. You approve or decline it there, not on the conversation itself.

That split is deliberate rather than an omission. Approving a refund is the same decision wherever you make it, and having two places to make it is how two screens end up disagreeing about what you already decided. So the conversation's job is to make sure you never miss that something is waiting, and the Approvals queue stays the single place the decision actually happens.

Fulfilment and order updates. Beyond returns, your inbox timeline also turns Shopify's own order events into cards a person can actually read at a glance: a fulfilment shows tracking number, carrier, and current shipment status, with a Track shipment link whenever the carrier provides one; cancellations, refunds, and order edits get their own clear one-line update. Arbyn already has this same information on hand when it's talking to a customer, so "where's my order?" gets a real, current answer pulled from Shopify, not a guess.

Can I offer a customer something other than what they asked for on their return? Yes. Approving currently grants exactly what they requested, so if you'd rather offer something different, note that in your message and make the change yourself in Shopify; Arbyn will pass along whatever you write, in its own words.

What happens if I decline a return without writing a note? You won't be able to submit a decline without one. A reason is required precisely because it becomes the explanation Arbyn shares with the customer.

Does the customer see my exact wording when I approve or decline? No. Arbyn rewrites your note into a short, natural sentence in the customer's own language. It never changes the facts (approved or declined, what they're getting, the order), only how it's phrased.

Will I still see this if the return is on an escalated or a human-handled conversation? Yes. The resolve buttons for a return work no matter what else is happening on that conversation.

Where do I see tracking information for a shipped order? Right on the conversation's timeline as soon as Shopify reports the fulfilment, with a Track shipment link when the carrier supports one. Arbyn can also answer a customer's tracking question directly using that same live information.