Klaviyo flows: the complete guide for ecommerce brands

The welcome series is your first conversation with a new subscriber. It sets expectations, builds brand trust, and converts new signups into first-time buyers. For most brands, the welcome series generates the second-highest revenue per recipient of any flow — behind only abandoned cart.

The most important thing to understand about welcome flows: deliver the promised offer immediately. If someone signed up for a 15% discount, Email 1 should contain that discount code. Every minute of delay reduces redemption rates. Brands that delay the welcome email by more than an hour see significantly lower conversion rates than those that send within 5 minutes of signup.

Recommended sequence

• 01
  Immediately

  Welcome and deliver the offer

  Deliver the promised incentive, introduce the brand, set expectations for what's coming. Keep it focused — one job, one CTA.
• 02
  Day 2

  Brand story and bestsellers

  Why does this brand exist? What do customers love most? This is the trust-building email. Feature 3-5 bestsellers with social proof.
• 03
  Day 4

  Social proof and reviews

  Real customer reviews, UGC, or testimonials. Let customers sell for you. This is the email that overcomes the last objection before buying.
• 04
  Day 6

  Final push with urgency

  If a discount was offered, remind them it expires. Create genuine urgency. This is often the highest-converting email in the series.

What makes welcome flows work

• Suppress from welcome flow anyone who makes a purchase — send them to post-purchase instead
• Split welcome flows by signup source — popup subscribers vs checkout opt-ins behave differently
• Plain text Email 1 often outperforms designed templates — it feels personal, not like marketing
• Test with and without a discount — discounts train customers to wait for offers before buying

The abandoned cart flow is the single highest-revenue flow in ecommerce email marketing. According to Klaviyo's benchmark data, it generates an average of $3.65 per recipient — the highest of any automated flow. Top performers reach $28.89 per recipient. About 70% of shopping carts are abandoned on average, which means there is significant recoverable revenue sitting in your account right now.

The most common mistake brands make with abandoned cart flows: sending only one email. Klaviyo's analysis found that three-email sequences generated $24.9 million in revenue compared to $3.8 million for single emails — a 6.5x difference. The first email captures high-intent abandoners. The second and third recover everyone else.

Recommended sequence

• 01
  1 hour after abandonment

  The reminder

  Show the exact items left in cart. No discount yet — this person may just need a nudge. Keep copy short and the CTA direct. This email has the highest open rate in the sequence.
• 02
  24 hours after abandonment

  The objection handler

  Address why they didn't buy. Shipping cost? Free shipping offer. Not sure about the product? Reviews and social proof. Returns policy. This email does the persuasion work.
• 03
  48-72 hours after abandonment

  The incentive

  If the first two emails didn't convert, this is where a discount or incentive earns its place. Segment by cart value — only offer discounts on carts above a threshold where the margin makes sense.

What makes cart flows work

• Suppress anyone who completes a purchase immediately — nothing destroys trust faster than a cart recovery email after someone already bought
• Segment high-value carts — brands with AOV over $200 see up to $14 revenue per recipient from cart flows
• Use dynamic product blocks to show the exact items abandoned, not generic product recommendations
• Don't always offer a discount in Email 3 — test free shipping vs a percentage off vs no incentive

The post-purchase flow is the most underbuilt flow in ecommerce. Most brands stop at an order confirmation and let Shopify handle the rest. That's a missed opportunity. The period immediately after a purchase is when a customer is most engaged with your brand — excitement is high, trust has been established, and they're primed for the next interaction.

The goal of a post-purchase flow is threefold: confirm and build excitement around the purchase, educate the customer so they get the most value from the product, and generate a second purchase. Brands that run a strong post-purchase flow consistently see higher LTV, more reviews, and better repeat purchase rates.

Recommended sequence

• 01
  Immediately

  Order confirmation and excitement

  Confirm the order, set shipping expectations, and reinforce the purchase decision. This is the highest open-rate email your brand sends. Don't waste it on a generic receipt.
• 02
  Day 2

  Shipping update and what to expect

  Share tracking information and set expectations for delivery. Include a brief teaser of what's coming — unboxing tips, how to get the most from the product.
• 03
  Day 5-7 (after estimated delivery)

  Product education

  How to use the product, tips to get the most value, common questions answered. This email reduces returns, increases satisfaction, and primes the customer for a repeat purchase.
• 04
  Day 14-21

  Review request

  Ask for a review when the customer has had enough time to experience the product. Keep the ask simple — one link, low friction. Reviews are a compounding asset for future conversion.
• 05
  Day 30+

  Repeat purchase or cross-sell

  Introduce complementary products or prompt a replenishment. The timing depends on your product category — consumables reorder faster than durables. Suppress anyone who has already made a second purchase.

What makes post-purchase flows work

• Split first-time buyers and repeat buyers — they need different messages and different offers
• Time the review request carefully — too early and the product hasn't arrived, too late and enthusiasm has faded
• Use the cross-sell email to introduce category adjacency, not just top-sellers — someone who just bought X may not want another X
• Add an SMS touchpoint for shipping updates — this is one of the highest-value SMS use cases in ecommerce

Browse abandonment captures people earlier in the funnel than cart abandonment — they viewed a product but didn't add it to their cart. These are lower-intent visitors, which means conversion rates are lower than cart flows, but the volume is significantly higher. According to Klaviyo benchmark data, browse abandonment flows generate an average of $1.95 per recipient for brands with AOV between $100-200.

The browse abandonment flow requires proper tracking setup in Klaviyo. You need the Klaviyo web tracking snippet installed and the "Viewed Product" event enabled. Only identified visitors (those already in your Klaviyo list) can be triggered into this flow — anonymous visitors can't be emailed.

Recommended sequence

• 01
  4-6 hours after browsing

  The product reminder

  Show the product they viewed. Keep it simple — product image, name, price, key benefit, and a CTA. This isn't the place for a hard sell.
• 02
  24 hours after browsing

  Social proof and discovery

  Reviews from customers who bought the product they viewed, plus complementary products. This email does two jobs — overcomes hesitation and expands the basket potential.

What makes browse flows work

• Add a filter: don't trigger browse abandonment if someone has already started a cart — that should go to cart abandonment
• Set a minimum browse time threshold — someone who viewed a product for 2 seconds isn't a qualified abandoner
• Test one email vs two — for lower-AOV products, a single well-timed email often outperforms a sequence
• Don't suppress from campaigns while in browse abandonment — this is a light-touch flow, not a high-frequency one

The winback flow targets customers who have purchased before but haven't bought again in a defined period. These are your best potential customers — they've already trusted you with a purchase. The goal is to bring them back before they become fully lapsed. According to Klaviyo benchmark data, winback flows generate an average of $0.84 per recipient for brands with AOV between $100-200 — lower than cart flows, but meaningful when run against a large segment.

The timing of your winback trigger depends on your product category. For consumables or subscription-adjacent products, 60-90 days is appropriate. For durables or higher-consideration purchases, 120-180 days makes more sense. If you trigger winback too early, you're treating customers as lapsed when they're just between natural purchase cycles.

Recommended sequence

• 01
  At trigger point

  We miss you

  Acknowledge the gap without being dramatic. Remind them what they loved. Show new arrivals or what's changed since they last visited. No discount yet.
• 02
  7 days later

  New arrivals or best sellers

  Give them a reason to come back beyond nostalgia — new products, new collections, or a "most popular right now" curation. Keep it discovery-focused.
• 03
  14 days later

  The offer

  If they haven't re-engaged after two emails, make an offer. This is the right place for a discount — these are customers who already trust you and need a reason to act, not an introduction to the brand.

What makes winback flows work

• Segment by purchase history — someone who bought once 90 days ago needs a different message than someone who bought five times and went quiet
• Don't suppress from campaigns during winback — winback customers often re-engage via a campaign before the winback flow converts them
• Route non-responders to sunset — if a customer doesn't re-engage after your winback sequence, move them to sunset before suppressing
• Track winback conversion rate separately — it's a key indicator of list health and brand loyalty

The sunset flow is the most underrated flow in ecommerce email. Most brands ignore it entirely — and pay for it in deliverability. Sending to unengaged subscribers damages your sender reputation, reduces inbox placement rates, and inflates your email platform costs. The sunset flow solves all of this by giving unengaged subscribers one final chance to re-engage before being suppressed.

This isn't a revenue flow — it's a list health flow. The goal is not to convert; it's to get a clear signal: are these people still interested, or should they be removed? A clean, engaged list consistently outperforms a large, unengaged one.

Recommended sequence

• 01
  At trigger point

  Are you still interested?

  A direct, honest question. "We've noticed you haven't opened our emails in a while. Do you still want to hear from us?" Give them a clear way to say yes. Minimal design — this should feel personal, not like a campaign.
• 02
  7 days later

  Last chance

  Tell them this is the last email. Be direct about what happens next. Subscribers who want to stay will click. Those who don't are signaling they should be removed.

What happens after sunset

Subscribers who don't engage with either email should be suppressed — removed from your active sending list. This is not losing subscribers. It's protecting the deliverability of every email you send to the people who do want to hear from you. Brands that run sunset flows consistently see higher open rates, better inbox placement, and lower email platform costs over time.

• Run sunset after winback — not before. Give lapsed customers a chance to come back before you remove them
• Use a sunset-specific suppression list so you can reactivate subscribers if they come back through another channel
• Review your sunset trigger timing quarterly — if your business is seasonal, standard 90-day triggers may suppress valid customers