Email marketing should generate 20-30% of your ecommerce revenue. If it does not, you are leaving money on the table — and automated flows are where most of that money lives.
Flows are automated email sequences triggered by specific customer actions: signing up, abandoning a cart, making a purchase, going quiet. Unlike campaigns (which you send manually to your list), flows run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, generating revenue while you focus on everything else.
After setting up Klaviyo for dozens of Shopify stores through our Klaviyo email marketing service, we have identified seven flows that every ecommerce store needs. Not seven flows that would be nice to have — seven flows that directly impact revenue and that we set up for every client.
This guide covers each flow in detail: what it does, how to set it up, the timing that works, and the revenue benchmarks you should expect.
Why flows matter more than campaigns
Most brands focus on campaigns — weekly newsletters, sale announcements, new product launches. Campaigns are important, but they are manual, one-to-many, and their relevance degrades quickly.
Flows are different. They are:
- Triggered by behaviour. A flow email arrives because the customer did something — they signed up, they browsed a product, they abandoned a cart. This makes the email inherently relevant.
- Personalised by default. Because flows are triggered by individual actions, they can include the specific products, categories, and content that each customer is interested in.
- Revenue-generating on autopilot. Once set up and optimised, flows generate revenue without ongoing manual effort. The upfront investment in setup pays dividends for months and years.
- Higher performing. Flow emails consistently outperform campaigns: 3-5x higher click rates, 2-4x higher conversion rates, and significantly higher revenue per recipient.
We have seen stores go from £0 email revenue to £8,000 per month within 60 days of launching their first flows. That is not exceptional — it is what happens when you put the right automated emails in front of the right people at the right time.
Flow 1: Welcome series
The welcome series is your first impression. It triggers when someone joins your email list — typically through a popup offer, footer signup, or account creation. This is the highest-engagement moment in your entire email relationship. Open rates of 50-70% are normal for welcome emails.
Structure (4-6 emails over 10-14 days)
Email 1 (Immediate): Deliver the promised incentive (discount code, free shipping, free guide). Introduce the brand briefly. Include a clear CTA to shop. This email has one job: convert the signup into a first purchase.
Email 2 (Day 2): Tell your brand story. Why does your brand exist? What problem do you solve? What makes you different? This is not about selling — it is about building connection and trust.
Email 3 (Day 4): Social proof. Customer reviews, UGC, press mentions, bestseller highlights. Show the new subscriber that other people love your products.
Email 4 (Day 7): Education. Help the subscriber get value from your products. Sizing guides, how-to content, care instructions, or styling tips depending on your vertical.
Email 5 (Day 10): Reminder of the welcome offer (if unused). Create urgency: "Your 10% off expires in 48 hours." Include bestsellers and the discount code prominently.
Email 6 (Day 14): Transition email. Thank them for joining, set expectations for future emails (frequency, content type), and invite them to follow on social media or join a loyalty programme.
Key benchmarks
| Metric | Good | Great |
|---|---|---|
| Open rate (email 1) | 50%+ | 65%+ |
| Click rate (email 1) | 8%+ | 15%+ |
| Flow conversion rate | 3%+ | 8%+ |
| Revenue per recipient | £1.50+ | £4.00+ |
Flow 2: Abandoned cart recovery
This is typically the highest-revenue flow. It targets people who added products to their cart but did not complete checkout. With average cart abandonment rates of 70-80%, this flow recovers revenue you have already earned the right to claim.
Structure (3-4 emails over 3-7 days)
Email 1 (1 hour after abandonment): Simple reminder. Show the abandoned products with images and prices. No discount — many people simply got distracted. A gentle nudge converts 5-10% of abandoners without any incentive.
Email 2 (24 hours): Address objections. Include trust signals: free returns, customer reviews, secure checkout badge, customer service contact. Show the abandoned products again.
Email 3 (48-72 hours): Introduce a small incentive if your margins allow it. 5-10% off or free shipping. Create mild urgency: "We are holding your items, but stock is limited."
Email 4 (5-7 days, optional): Final reminder with a stronger incentive or a completely different angle — perhaps a customer testimonial about the specific product they abandoned, or a "last chance" message before the cart expires.
Critical setup details
- Exclude recent purchasers. If someone abandons a cart but then completes the purchase before the flow triggers, they should not receive the abandoned cart emails. Klaviyo handles this with flow filters.
- Show the actual products. Use dynamic product blocks that pull in the exact items from the abandoned cart. Generic "you left something behind" emails perform 40% worse than product-specific ones.
- Mobile-optimise. 65-70% of abandoned cart emails are opened on mobile. If your email is not optimised for mobile viewing, you are losing the majority of your recovery opportunity.
- Do not over-discount. If you train customers to expect a discount every time they abandon, they will abandon intentionally. Start without a discount and only add one to later emails in the sequence.
Flow 3: Browse abandonment
Browse abandonment targets people who viewed products but did not add to cart. This is a higher-funnel flow than abandoned cart — the intent is lower, so the approach needs to be softer.
Structure (2-3 emails over 3-5 days)
Email 1 (2-4 hours): Show the browsed products with a soft touch: "Still thinking about these?" Include social proof (review count, bestseller badge) to build confidence. No discount.
Email 2 (24-48 hours): Show related or complementary products alongside the browsed items. The customer might not have found exactly what they wanted — broaden the selection.
Email 3 (72 hours, optional): Category-level content. If they browsed three different dresses, send a "dress edit" or styling guide rather than specific product reminders.
Important considerations
- Frequency cap. If a customer browses your site daily, you do not want to send browse abandonment emails daily. Set a maximum frequency of one browse abandonment email per 7 days.
- Minimum browse threshold. Trigger only when someone views a product page at least twice, or spends more than 30 seconds on a product page. This filters out casual browsers and targets genuine interest.
- Suppress cart abandoners. If someone has entered the abandoned cart flow, suppress them from browse abandonment to avoid email overload.
Browse abandonment is often underestimated. For stores with high traffic but lower add-to-cart rates, this flow can generate 10-20% of total flow revenue. It is particularly effective for fashion, beauty, and homeware brands where browsing behaviour is aspirational. If you sell to the UK ecommerce market, getting this flow right is a significant competitive advantage.
Flow 4: Post-purchase
The post-purchase flow is where you turn a buyer into a repeat customer. First-time customers who receive a strong post-purchase sequence are 27% more likely to make a second purchase — and the second purchase is where customer lifetime value really begins.
Structure (4-5 emails over 30 days)
Email 1 (Immediate): Order confirmation and thank you. Reinforce the purchase decision: "Great choice." Include expected delivery timeline and customer service contact. This is not the transactional receipt — it is a branded experience.
Email 2 (3-5 days, post-delivery): Check in. "How is your order?" Provide product care tips, usage guides, or getting-started content. This email builds goodwill and preempts support tickets.
Email 3 (7-10 days): Ask for a review. Make it easy — a direct link to the review form with a one-click star rating. Reviews are social proof that drives future sales. Consider a small incentive (5% off next order) for leaving a review.
Email 4 (14-21 days): Cross-sell or upsell. Based on what they purchased, recommend complementary products. "Customers who bought X also love Y." Use Klaviyo's product recommendation engine.
Email 5 (28-30 days): Replenishment reminder (if applicable) or new arrivals relevant to their purchase category. For consumable products, time this based on the typical usage cycle.
Segmentation matters
Split your post-purchase flow by customer type:
- First-time buyers need more brand education and trust-building.
- Repeat buyers already trust you — focus on loyalty, VIP treatment, and higher-value products.
- High-value orders deserve a more personal touch — consider a handwritten-style thank you email.
Flow 5: Win-back
The win-back flow targets customers who have not purchased in a defined period — typically 60-120 days depending on your product's purchase cycle. It is the last attempt to re-engage before a customer churns completely.
Structure (3-4 emails over 14-21 days)
Email 1 (Day 0 — trigger at 60-90 days inactive): "We miss you" without the desperation. Highlight what has changed since their last purchase — new products, new collections, site improvements. Remind them why they bought in the first place.
Email 2 (Day 5): Social proof and bestsellers. Show what other customers are buying right now. Use dynamic content to feature products relevant to their past purchase history.
Email 3 (Day 10): Offer an incentive. A discount, free shipping, or a gift with purchase. This is the appropriate time for a discount — you are fighting churn, not rewarding a new customer.
Email 4 (Day 21): Final email. "We will stop emailing you if we do not hear back." This creates urgency and also serves as a precursor to your sunset flow — if they do not engage, they move to the sunset sequence.
Revenue impact
A well-built win-back flow typically recovers 3-8% of churning customers. On a store with 10,000 past customers, that is 300-800 recovered customers. At a £60 AOV, that is £18,000-£48,000 in recovered revenue per year — from a single automated flow. We discuss these kinds of revenue recovery strategies regularly with our clients.
Flow 6: Sunset (list cleaning)
This flow is different from the others — its purpose is not to generate revenue directly, but to protect your email deliverability. A sunset flow identifies subscribers who have not engaged (opened or clicked) in 90-180 days and gives them a final chance to stay on your list.
Why this matters
Sending emails to people who never open them damages your sender reputation. Email providers like Gmail and Outlook track engagement rates — if a large percentage of your emails go unopened, your emails start going to spam for everyone, including your engaged subscribers.
Structure (2-3 emails over 7-14 days)
Email 1 (Day 0 — trigger at 120-180 days no engagement): "Do you still want to hear from us?" Make it easy to stay — a single click to confirm they want to remain subscribed. Use a compelling subject line — this is your last shot at getting an open.
Email 2 (Day 7): "Last chance to stay on our list." Include a summary of what they will miss — exclusive offers, new product launches, insider content. One-click to stay.
Email 3 (Day 14): "We have removed you from our list." This email confirms suppression and includes a re-subscribe link in case they change their mind. Suppress anyone who does not engage with any of the three emails.
The psychology of letting go
Most brands resist sunset flows because they do not want to shrink their list. But a list of 50,000 subscribers with 15% open rates performs worse than a list of 30,000 with 35% open rates. Smaller, healthier lists generate more revenue because your emails actually reach the inbox.
Flow 7: VIP / loyalty
Your best customers deserve special treatment. A VIP flow identifies and rewards customers who have crossed a spending threshold — typically 3+ orders or £200+ lifetime spend — with exclusive benefits.
Structure (ongoing, trigger-based)
Email 1 (Triggered when customer reaches VIP threshold): Congratulations and welcome to VIP status. Outline the benefits: early access to sales, exclusive discounts, free shipping, priority support.
Email 2 (Next product launch): VIP early access. Give them 24-48 hours' head start on new collections or restocks before the general list. This makes VIP status feel genuinely exclusive.
Email 3 (Birthday / anniversary): Personal touch. A discount or free gift on their birthday or the anniversary of their first purchase. These small gestures drive outsized loyalty.
Email 4 (Quarterly): VIP-exclusive offers. Not just discounts — early access, behind-the-scenes content, product development input, or invitation to events. The goal is making them feel valued, not just discounted.
Why VIP matters commercially
The top 10% of your customers typically generate 40-50% of your revenue. Losing a VIP customer costs 5-10x more in revenue than losing an average customer. This flow is not about generosity — it is about retention of your most valuable relationships. For a comprehensive approach to email and post-purchase strategy, combining VIP flows with smart post-purchase sequences creates a powerful retention engine.
Revenue benchmarks for each flow
Here is what each flow should generate as a percentage of total flow revenue for a well-optimised Klaviyo setup:
| Flow | % of flow revenue | Monthly revenue (£500k store) |
|---|---|---|
| Abandoned cart | 30-40% | £1,500-£2,500 |
| Welcome series | 20-30% | £1,000-£1,800 |
| Browse abandonment | 10-15% | £500-£900 |
| Post-purchase | 10-15% | £500-£900 |
| Win-back | 5-10% | £250-£600 |
| VIP / loyalty | 5-8% | £250-£500 |
| Sunset | Indirect | Protects deliverability |
For a store doing £500k per year, well-optimised flows should contribute £4,000-£7,000 per month — or £48,000-£84,000 per year. That is the ROI of a proper Klaviyo setup.
Setup priorities: where to start
If you are starting from scratch, do not try to build all seven flows simultaneously. Prioritise by revenue impact:
- Week 1: Abandoned cart flow — highest immediate revenue impact.
- Week 2: Welcome series — captures every new subscriber.
- Week 3: Post-purchase flow — turns buyers into repeat customers.
- Week 4: Browse abandonment — captures mid-funnel interest.
- Week 5: Win-back flow — recovers churning customers.
- Week 6: Sunset flow — protects deliverability.
- Week 7: VIP flow — rewards and retains best customers.
Each flow should be live and generating data before you move to the next. This lets you learn from real performance data and apply those learnings to subsequent flows.
Email flows are not set-and-forget. They require ongoing testing and optimisation — subject lines, send times, content, offers, and segmentation all need regular review. But the foundational seven flows outlined here will generate revenue from day one and continue compounding as you refine them.
If you want help setting up or optimising your Klaviyo flows, get in touch. We set up complete flow systems for Shopify stores and manage ongoing optimisation to ensure they keep performing. Our Klaviyo service covers everything from initial setup to ongoing management and A/B testing.
