Automate Daily Order Summaries with Airtable and Gmail in n8n

What This Automation Does

This workflow collects daily online orders automatically and sends a summary email every evening.
It solves the problem of manual, error-prone order tracking.
You get correct, easy-to-read sales reports without spending hours copying data.

The process gathers order data via a webhook, stores it in Airtable, then at 7PM retrieves the last day’s orders.
It formats this data into an HTML table, and emails it using Gmail.

How This Workflow Works (Input → Process → Output)

Inputs

• Order Data from Webhook: Orders sent as JSON with orderID and orderPrice.
• Scheduled Trigger: Fires daily at 7PM to start the summary email.

Processing Steps

• The Webhook node receives orders anytime during the day.
• Set Order Fields node adds orderID, price, and current timestamp.
• Store Order Airtable node creates a new record in the orders table.
• At 7PM, the Schedule Trigger fires.
• Yesterday Date Code node calculates date range from yesterday 7PM to now.
• Airtable Get Today’s Orders node fetches all orders within the date range.
• HTML Node builds an HTML table showing all orders.
• Send to Gmail node emails the HTML summary to you.

Output

An email arrives in your inbox at 7PM showing a clear table of the day’s orders.
Orders are saved in Airtable for records.

Beginner Step-by-Step: How to Use This Workflow in n8n

Importing the Workflow

1. Download the workflow file using the Download button on this page.
2. Inside the n8n editor, click on “Import from File” to load the workflow.

Configuration

1. Add your Airtable API Key in the Airtable Credentials section.
2. Add your Gmail OAuth2 credentials in the Gmail Credentials section.
3. Check and update the Airtable base ID and table name in the Store Order and Airtable Get Today’s Orders nodes if needed.
4. Update the recipient email address in the Send to Gmail node.
5. If your order system uses different JSON keys, update the expressions in the Set Order Fields node.

Testing and Activation

1. Send a test POST request with order data to the Webhook node URL using CURL or Postman.
2. Confirm data appears in Airtable.
3. Optionally, run the scheduled part manually or wait for trigger at 7PM to receive the summary email.
4. Activate the workflow by switching it on in n8n for production use.
5. Monitor executions to ensure orders save and emails send correctly.

self-host n8n is helpful if you want control over your workflow running environment.

Tools and Services Used

• Airtable: Stores order records and lets n8n query orders.
• n8n Automation Platform: Runs the workflow, processes data, and triggers nodes.
• Gmail API: Sends the daily HTML order summary email via OAuth2.
• Webhook API: Receives incoming orders in JSON format.

Customizations

• Change email sending time by updating the cron in the Schedule Trigger node.
• Add more order details like customerID by adjusting the Set Order Fields node and Airtable columns.
• Swap Gmail with another email service like SMTP or Outlook in n8n.
• Change the look of the email by editing the HTML table styles in the HTML Node.

Troubleshooting

• Empty Airtable results: Check Airtable date formats match filter formula. Confirm order timestamps are correct.
• Gmail authentication failed: Refresh OAuth2 credentials in n8n. Confirm Gmail API scopes are authorized.
• Webhook POST fails: Confirm JSON keys match what Set Order Fields expects.
• Schedule trigger does not run: Check cron expression and timezone settings.

Pre-Production Checklist

• Verify Airtable base and table names in all Airtable nodes.
• Test making POST requests to the Webhook node and check records in Airtable.
• Confirm Schedule Trigger runs at the right time.
• Send a manual test email with the Send to Gmail node.
• Backup workflow and Airtable data before starting production.

Summary

✓ Automatically collects and saves daily orders through webhook input.
✓ Stores orderID, price and timestamp in Airtable for safe keeping.
✓ Sends a neat HTML email summary of all orders every day at 7PM.
✓ Removes manual, error-prone reporting work and saves valuable time.
✓ Allows customization of email time and added fields for growth.