What flows are and why they matter

Before we build anything, let’s make this simple.

A flow is just an automated sequence triggered by customer behavior.

So instead of blasting your full list with the same message, Klaviyo sends the right email based on what that person actually did.

For example:

• joined your list -> Welcome series
• viewed a product -> Browse Abandon
• added to cart -> Cart Abandon
• started checkout -> Checkout Abandon
• placed an order -> Post Purchase
• or stopped buying -> Winback or Sunset

There are about 15 different flows we always set up plus some advanced ones.

But the 80/20 of flows? Just 6-7 flows thatI am going to share with you today. 

And they matter because timing is everything in email.

A new subscriber needs a very different message than someone who abandoned checkout five minutes ago.

A first-time customer needs a very different message than someone who hasn’t bought in 90 days.

Flows let you match the message to the moment.

That’s why they convert so well.

And for most brands, these core flows are enough to capture the majority of your automation revenue without overcomplicating the account.

Watch the full video tutorial: 

What You’ll Get From This Guide

• Build Your Core Flow Foundation (The 80/20) -Learn how to set up the essential flows that drive the majority of email revenue for most (if not all) DTC brands.

• Turn Email Into a Consistent Revenue Channel - Implement flows that can generate 20–30% of your store’s revenue, without relying on constant campaigns.
• Reduce Campaign Pressure - Take the load off manual promotions by building a system that runs in the background.
• Personalized Customer Journeys at Scale - Deliver the right message at the right time based on customer behavior and intent (on auto-pilot)
• Step-by-Step Klaviyo Setup (No Tech Skills Needed) - Follow a clear, beginner-friendly process to build your core flows from scratch.
• Proven Email Structures & Real Examples - See exactly what to send inside each flow, without guessing.
• Guided Video Walkthroughs & Expert Insights Follow along with tutorials and learn the key details that most brands miss.

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This is what we will be covering:

There are 3 stages in your customer journey:

The Pre-Purchase Flows (Trust Building)

These target new customers

1. Welcome series
2. Browse Abandon flow
3. Cart Abandon flow
4. Checkout Abandon flow

The Post-Purchase Flows (Retention) 

These target existing customers

1. Post Purchase (1st-time buyers)

The Rescue Flows (Lapsed)

These target customers that are about to churn

1. Win-back
2. Sunset

So let’s start with the most important one.

The Welcome Flow

What it does

The welcome flow triggers when someone joins your email list.

And this is usually your hottest subscriber.

They just gave you their email.
They’re aware of your brand.
They’re curious.
And in many cases, they signed up because they want a discount.

So if your welcome flow is weak, delayed, or just one lazy “thanks for joining” email, you’re wasting the highest-intent moment in the entire pre-purchase journey.

How many emails to send

For most brands, I like a 4-email welcome flow.

Simple.

Email 1 — Deliver the offer

Send immediately.

This email should do one thing first:
deliver what they signed up for.

If they gave you their email for 10% off, give them the code immediately.

Don’t hide it.
Don’t make them hunt for it.
Don’t bury it under your life story.

Then underneath that, you can briefly introduce the brand and direct them back to shop.

Email 2 — Brand story and differentiation

Send 1 day later.

Now that they have the offer, this is where you explain:

• who you are
• why you started
• what makes the product different
• why they should trust you over the alternatives

This is where you start building belief.

Email 3 — Urgency + social proof

Send 1 day later.

Now you remind them the offer is ending soon.

This is where urgency works best when paired with proof:

• reviews
• testimonials
• press
• before-and-afters
• UGC
• product results

Urgency without trust feels pushy.
Urgency plus proof converts.

Email 4 — Founder plain-text email

Send 1 day later.

This should feel personal.

Short.
Natural.
Low-design.

Something that sounds like a real human reaching out, not another polished brand email.

These plain-text style emails often perform incredibly well because they cut through the noise and invite replies.

Technical side:

Trigger: Somebody joins your list

Filter:

• Placed Order = 0 since starting flow
• Bounced Emai= 0 since starting flow
• Marked email as spam = 0 since starting flow
• Clicked email to unsubscribe since starting this flow

That last one matters a lot. These are high-intent emails. You usually do not want Klaviyo suppressing them because the subscriber got another email recently.

Re-entry: usually off‍

Turn off Smart Sending on these emails so subscribers don’t get skipped

Email Examples:

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Browse Abandonment Flow

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What it does

This flow triggers when someone views a product but leaves without adding to cart or starting checkout.

This person has shown product-level interest.

They didn’t just land on the site.
They looked at something specific.

So the goal here is not to reintroduce the whole brand.

The goal is to bring them back to the product they were already considering.

How many emails to send

I like 2-3 emails here.

Email 1 — Product reminder

Send around 1 hour later.

Keep this one simple.

First - Show them the product they viewed (Use dynamic product blocks) 
Then - tackle any objections they might have with adding the product to cart + offer a discount

Lastly, add some social proof (reviews of happy customers) 

Email 2 — Make the offer better or Plain-text follow-up

Send 1 day later.

This is a softer nudge.

Something like:
“Wanted to make sure you didn’t miss this.”
Or:
“Our most popular products tend to move quickly.”

Or (as in the example below)

"Flash Sale"

This can give someone who browsed a product a reason to come back

Email 3 — Incentive or last nudge

Send 1 day later.

Depending on brand strategy, this can be:

• a discount
• free shipping
• social proof
• FAQ handling
• guarantee/reminder
• or just a final reminder

Not every brand should discount here.

If the brand is premium, strong on demand, or intentionally avoids incentives, use reassurance instead.

Technical Side: 

Trigger:
Viewed Product

Filters:

• Added to Cart = 0 since starting flow
• Checkout Started = 0 since starting flow
• Placed Order = 0 since starting flow
• Bounced Email = 0 since starting flow

Re-entry:
Usually allow after 30 days

And make sure your first email uses the dynamic product the customer actually viewed.

That’s one of the biggest advantages of this flow.

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Full Flow Outline/Email Examples:

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Abandoned Cart

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What it does

This triggers when someone adds to cart but doesn’t purchase.

Now intent is much higher.

This person didn’t just browse.
They made a buying move.

So the messaging should reflect that.

This is no longer “hey, want to explore?”
This is more “you were close — here’s why you should finish.”

How many emails to send

I like 3 to 4 emails here.

Email 1 — Reminder + support

Send 30 minutes later.

This should:

• remind them they left something behind
• show the item
• reduce friction
• answer objections
• offer support if they had a question

Often the best first cart abandon email is not aggressive.
It’s helpful.

Email 2 — Plain-text check-in

Send 1 day later.

This can be a very simple:
“Was everything okay with checkout?”
or
“Just wanted to make sure you didn’t run into any issues.”

Sometimes people need reassurance, not pressure.

Email 3 — Social proof / objection handling / incentive

Send 1 day later.

Now you can lean more into:

• why customers love the product
• guarantees
• shipping clarity
• returns
• product education
• or an offer if that fits the brand

Optional Email 4 — Final plain-text urgency

Send 1 day later.

Very short.
Very direct.
Very human.

This often performs better than one more designed email.

Key setup rules

Trigger:
Added to Cart

Filters:

• Placed Order = 0 since starting flow
• Checkout Started = 0 since starting flow
• Bounced Email = 0 in the last 30 days
• Clicked Email to unsubscribe = 0 in the last 30 days
• Person can receive email marketing

Re-entry:
Usually after 30 days

And make sure the CTA reduces friction.

For many brands, sending the customer back to the cart page is better than sending them back to the product page.

Full Flow Outline / Email Examples:

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Abandoned Checkout

What it does

This is your highest-intent pre-purchase flow.

These people started checkout and still didn’t buy.

So this is where the objections are usually very specific:

• price
• shipping
• payment hesitation
• trust
• timing
• distraction

This flow matters a lot because these are the closest people to conversion.

How many emails to send

Usually 3 to 4 emails, very similar to cart abandon.

You can even reuse parts of the cart content if needed.

Email 1 — Finish your order

Send 30 minutes later.

Very direct.

They were almost done.
Act like it.

Use copy that reinforces proximity:

• You’re almost there
• Your order is still waiting
• Complete your purchase

Email 2 — Support / reassurance

Send 1 day later.

Address practical friction:

• shipping
• returns
• guarantee
• customer support
• checkout issues

Email 3 — Offer or stronger nudge

Send 1 day later.

This is where you test whether an incentive helps.

Some brands do very well with:

• free shipping
• a small discount
• bundle value reminder

Others do better holding margin and relying on trust and urgency.

Email 4 — Plain-text final reminder

Send 1 day later.

Again, short and personal often beats over-designed here.

Key setup rules

Trigger:
Checkout Started

Filters:

• Placed Order = 0 since starting flow
• Checkout Started = 0 since starting flow
• Bounced Email = 0 in the last 30 days
• Marked Email as spam = 0 in the last 30 days
• Clicked Email to unsubscribe = 0 in the last 30 days

Re-entry:
Usually after 14 days

Optional:
You can add logic to reduce overlap with cart abandon if that matters to you.

But personally, if someone is showing that much intent, I usually care more about converting them than overprotecting against a bit of overlap.

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Full Flow Outline / Email Examples:

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Post Purchase Flow

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What it does

Most brands stop selling the moment the order is placed.

That’s a mistake.

The post-purchase flow is where your retention starts. 

Your post-purchase flow should do three things:

• make customers feel good about their purchase
• keep them engaged while they wait for the product
• and turn that first order into a second one

This is one of the most important flows in your account because it helps you reduce buyer’s remorse, improve the customer experience, drive cross-sells, and collect valuable feedback after delivery.

And the best post-purchase flows do all of that in phases.

How this flow works

I like to think of post-purchase as 3 separate phases:

Phase 1 — Before their package arrives
These emails build excitement, reinforce the buying decision, and keep the customer engaged while they wait.

Phase 2 — After their package arrives
These emails shift into cross-sell mode and help create the next purchase opportunity.

Phase 3 — Feedback and review collection
These emails help you gather customer insights, reviews, and UGC you can use across the rest of your marketing.

For this flow, you’re usually looking at 6–8 emails total, depending on the brand and product.

Phase 1: Before Their Package Arrives

These first 3 emails are triggered by the Placed Order metric.

Their job is simple:

• welcome the customer
• build excitement
• reduce buyer’s remorse

Email 1 — Thanks and welcome to [Brand Name]

Send immediately after purchase

This is your thank-you email.

Keep it warm, simple, and human.

The goal here is to:

• thank them for the order
• make them feel confident in their decision
• welcome them into the brand

This shouldn’t feel overly promotional.
It should feel like a strong first impression.

Email 2 — What [USP or product] is all about

Send 1 day later

Now you start building excitement.

This email should explain:

• what makes the product special
• why people love it
• what problem it solves
• why your brand is different

You can include a CTA back to the store here, especially if there are related products worth browsing.

Email 3 — [Ingredient / feature / concept] in the media, press, or backed by experts

Send 2 days later

This email is about reassurance.

At this point, some customers start second-guessing their purchase.
So use this email to reduce buyer’s remorse by reinforcing credibility.

This could be:

• press mentions
• expert validation
• science-backed ingredients
• social proof
• endorsements
• founder authority

The goal is to make them think:
“Yep, I made the right choice.”

Phase 2: After Their Package Arrives

These next 3 emails are triggered by the Fulfilled Order metric.

This is where the flow becomes more revenue-focused.

Now that the customer has the product, you can start introducing the next purchase.

Email 4 — Your [Product] journey

Send 1 day after fulfillment or around delivery

This is the bridge email between the first purchase and the next one.

Use it to help the customer get the most out of what they bought.

Depending on the brand, this can include:

• how to use the product
• what to expect
• best practices
• routines or use cases
• next steps

You can also include a discount here if that fits your strategy.

Email 5 — Our difference

Send 21 days later

This email should reinforce why your brand is worth coming back to.

This is a strong place to highlight:

• what makes your formula, product, or quality better
• why customers stay loyal
• what separates you from competitors

This email can also include a discount and CTA back to the store.

Email 6 — Claimed your 10% off yet? It’s the last day

Send 2 days later

This is your urgency email.

By this point, they’ve had time to experience the product and understand the brand.
Now you give them a reason to act.

This email should:

• remind them of the offer
• create urgency
• push the second purchase

Keep it direct.
This one is meant to convert.

Phase 3: Feedback and Review Collection

Once the customer has had enough time with the product, move into feedback and review requests.

These emails are less about immediate revenue and more about strengthening the business long term.

Email 7 — Got a minute? We could really use your help

Send after they’ve had time to try the product

This is your survey email.

Use it to collect feedback through:

• a Shopify survey app
• Google Form
• post-purchase questionnaire

This helps you learn:

• what customers liked
• what confused them
• what objections still exist
• what messaging you can improve

This is hugely valuable for retention and conversion optimization.

Email 8 — Want a free $10 gift card to our store?

Send after the survey or as a separate review ask

This is your review / UGC email.

Ask for:

• a written review
• a video review
• user-generated content

You can offer a small reward like a gift card to increase participation.

Tools like Klaviyo Reviews or Shopify review apps work well here.

This email helps you generate the proof you’ll use in:

• welcome flows
• abandoned checkout flows
• product pages
• ads
• future campaigns

Technical setup

Because this flow has multiple phases, it’s usually not built as one single sequence.

You’ll typically split it by trigger:

Flow 1 — Pre-delivery sequence

• Trigger: Placed Order
• Purpose: welcome, excitement, reassurance

Flow 2 — Post-delivery / cross-sell sequence

• Trigger: Fulfilled Order
• Purpose: education, cross-sell, urgency

Flow 3 — Feedback / review sequence

• Trigger timing depends on product usage window
• Purpose: surveys, reviews, UGC

Important note

Each email in this flow serves a different role in the customer journey.

That’s why this should not be treated like one random batch of post-purchase emails.

It’s a sequence of phases:

• first, make them feel good about buying
• then help them engage with the product
• then move them toward the next purchase
• then collect feedback and proof

That’s how a strong post-purchase flow actually works.

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Full Flow Outline/Email Examples:

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VIP Flow

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VIP Flows reward and engage high-value customers with exclusive deals and brand engagement. These flows typically include 3 or more emails and are triggered by multiple purchases or high order values.

Framework:

• 3+ emails welcoming someone to the VIP program and rewarding them

Content:

• We like to provide an immediate discount in the first email
• First dibs on new product releases
• Reward them with VIP-only deals (Make them fans of the brand)
• 50% of your revenue comes from 10% of customers, treat them well.

Goal:

• Make client use their VIP flow discount

Technical side:

• Trigger: Somebody places an order 3+ times over all time
  • OR when someone places an order with a higher than usual AOV.
• Filter:
  • Someone has been in this flow over all time
  • Bounced Email zero times over all time

Full Flow Outline:

Email Examples:

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Ongoing Customer Engagement Flows

Anniversary Flow

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Anniversary emails help maintain customer loyalty by acknowledging purchase anniversaries. These emails remind customers of their past purchases and recommend related products, encouraging repeat business. When incentives like bonus points and exclusive sales are offered, you maximize the potential of this campaign.

Framework:

• 1-2 emails reminding the customers that it has been a year since their first purchase

Content:

• Recommend related products (What's new in our store) 
• Offer a special birthday gift

Technical side:

• Trigger: Placed an order (wait 365 days) 

Full Flow Outline:

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Email Examples:

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Back in Stock Flow

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These ongoing engagement flows notify customers about product availability and replenishment needs. The content strategy includes product reminders and purchase incentives. These flows are triggered by product stock updates and past purchases, ensuring customers are informed about items they might need. Integrated with your inventory, Klaviyo AI does the hard math for you.

Framework:

• 3+ email reminders to customers when a product is back in stock

Content:

• Confirmation + offer to buy something currently in stock

• Back in stock reminder of the original item
• Discount

Technical side:

• Trigger: Back in Stock
• Filter:
  • This email will only be sent to customers who haven't made a purchase since starting this flow

Full Flow Outline:

Email Examples:

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Replenishment Flow

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The Replenishment flow in Klaviyo is designed to remind customers to repurchase products they've previously bought or may need to restock. This automated flow targets customers based on their past purchase behavior and the expected usage timeline of the products. Here's a quick breakdown of how it works:

Framework:

• 3+ email reminders to customers when they are running low or have run out of products they previously bought

Content:

• Email 1 - Send 1 week before they’re due to run out. (Running low?)
• Email 2 - Send it on the day your product is set to last (Critical levels + discount)
• Email 3 - Send a 1-3 days after the previous email (discount reminder) 

Technical side:

• Trigger: Placed an order
• Filter:
  • This email will only be sent to customers who haven't made a purchase since starting this flow

Full Flow Outline:

Email Examples:

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Klaviyo AI Flow

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These ongoing engagement flows notify customers about product availability and replenishment needs. The content strategy includes product reminders and purchase incentives. These flows are triggered by product stock updates and past purchases, ensuring customers are informed about items they might need. Integrated with your inventory, Klaviyo AI does the hard math for you.

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Framework:

• 1 email

Content:

• Offer assistance and provide a tempting offer

Technical side:

• Trigger: Predictive Analysis

Full Flow Outline:

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Re-Engagement and List Management Flows

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Winback Flow

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What it does

This flow targets customers who bought before but haven’t purchased again within your normal buying window.

This is important:
the timing should match the product.

A winback for supplements might be 45 to 90 days.

A winback for skincare might be 60 to 120 days.

A winback for furniture might be much longer.

There is no universal number.
It depends on the actual repurchase cycle.

How many emails to send

I like 3 emails.

Email 1 — We miss you / what’s new

Send when they hit your winback window.

Acknowledge it’s been a while.

Show them:

• what’s new
• what’s popular
• what they may have missed
• why now is a good time to come back

Email 2 — Offer or reason to return

Send 7 days later.

This is where you can test:

• discount
• free shipping
• free gift
• bundle offer

Winback is one of the best places to test incentives because the customer has already bought before.

Email 3 — Final plain-text reminder

Send 3 days later.

Simple.
Personal.
Direct.

A short founder/team email often works well here too.

Important setup note

Do not build this as “Placed Order → wait 90 days.”

Why?

Because then you only start collecting revenue 90 days after activating the flow.

Instead, use a segment-triggered flow.

So create a segment of people who:

• placed order at least once within a certain past window
• but have not placed order within the more recent window

That way Klaviyo can pull in people who already qualify now.

That gets the flow working immediately.

Technical Setup Best Practices

Before you go build these, here are a few rules that matter across almost every flow:

1. Turn off Smart Sending for most flow emails

Especially high-intent ones.

Welcome, cart, checkout, and other behavior-based emails should usually not be skipped just because someone got another message recently.

2. Always use flow filters

At minimum, most pre-purchase flows should stop when someone purchases.

That prevents people from getting awkward emails after conversion.

3. Separate intent levels

Site visitor, product viewer, cart abandoner, and checkout abandoner are not the same person psychologically.

Don’t message them the same way.

4. Use plain-text emails more often

Not for everything.
But strategically, they work.

They feel more personal, get more replies, and often outperform heavily designed emails in the later stages of flows.

5. Don’t overbuild

You do not need 17 automations before your account starts working.

For most brands, these core flows do the heavy lifting.

Build these first.
Make them good.
Then optimize.

Recommended Core Flow Stack Recap

If you want the simplest possible version, here’s the stack:

• Welcome Flow: 4 emails
• Browse Abandon: 3 emails
• Cart Abandon: 3 to 4 emails
• Checkout Abandon: 3 to 4 emails
• Post-Purchase: 3 emails
• Winback: 3 emails

That’s the foundation.

Not flashy.
Just effective.

Outro / CTA

So that’s the full Klaviyo flow setup I’d recommend for most ecommerce brands in 2026.

If you build these correctly, you’ll have a system that:

• captures new subscribers better
• recovers more abandoned revenue
• improves customer experience after the sale
• and brings old customers back more consistently

And the biggest mistake I see is not that brands don’t have Klaviyo.

It’s that they either:

• haven’t set these flows up at all
• or they have them live, but the strategy is weak

So don’t just install the template and call it done.

Think about the customer’s level of intent.
Think about what question they need answered.
Think about what would actually move them to the next step.

That’s where the money is.

If you want, next I can turn this into a more entertaining, high-retention YouTube script with better pattern interrupts, punchier lines, and stronger CTA transitions.

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Email Examples:

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Sunset Flow

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Sunset Flows help manage your email list by re-engaging inactive subscribers or cleaning the list to improve deliverability. These flows typically include a single re-engagement email and are triggered by prolonged email inactivity.

Framework:

• 2-5 email sent to someone who hasn't engaged with emails in a while

Content:

• Add a hint of FOMO (Let them know you're about to unsubscribe them) 
• Update their preferences (Make it easy for them to do so) 
• Put easily accessible unsubscribe

Benefits:

• Auto-clean your list to remove dead profiles
• Improve deliverability
• Reengage more profiles

Technical Side

• Trigger: Somebody joins the Sunset segment:

If someone is not suppressed for email 

AND

When someone has received email equals greater than 15 in the last 365 days

AND

When someone has opened email zero times in the last 365 days

AND

When someone has clicked email zero times in the last 365 days

These timeframes can be adjusted from 365 days to a smaller number, like 180 days.

• Filter:
  • • Opened or Clicked Email ZERO times since starting this flow 
    AND
    • Placed Order zero times since starting this flow 
    AND
    • Active on site zero times since starting this flow

Full Flow Outline:

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Email Examples:

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Maximize Profits with Sniper-Like Precision

Think of your email marketing strategy as the difference between a shotgun and a sniper. Klaviyo flows are your sniper, delivering precise, automated messages that significantly boost revenue. By continuously testing and optimizing these sequences, businesses can maximize their engagement and sales.
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Ready to master these highly precise flows? Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more in-depth resources or book a call for personalized strategy assistance. We’re here to help you use Klaviyo to achieve boundless e-commerce growth.

Did you like what you saw but don't want to spend the hours writing copy, designing emails, installing, etc…

Book a call!

We guarantee to make you an extra $50k-100k in monthly recurring revenue in 60 days or you don't pay.

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FAQ Section

How Many Flows Do You Need?

In theory, you don't need any flows. You could depend solely on your weekly campaigns for your revenue, but that would put a lot of pressure on those campaigns. My recommendation is to have 13 flows, consisting of approximately 20-40 emails.

How do they work?  

Once set up, your flows will automatically ping specific customers at whatever point they're at in the customer journey.

We'll want to frequently test what content resonates with them the most.

Use Klaviyo triggers (more on this below) and turn "active" so the emails automatically start firing.

What is the difference between Flows and Campaigns?

• Flows are a series of emails sent to a recipient after they complete a specified action (ex. someone abandon cart).
• Flows are triggered automatically.
• These differ from campaigns, which are sent manually to the whole list.
• Flows are specific, Campaigns are broad.

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What is the purpose of the in your eco system:  

Klaviyo flows can help you:

1. Drive more purchases automatically from each customer AKA Life Time Value (LTV)
2. Increase Average Order Value via cross-sales/Upsells.
3. Turn your first time shoppers to raving fans via nurturing sequences.
4. Clean your list and maintain good sender reputation
5. Reduce churn from unengaged customers

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