Ecommerce Email Flows: The 8 Klaviyo Flows Every DTC Brand Needs
Direct Answer: Ecommerce email flows are automated Klaviyo sequences triggered by what a shopper does: signing up, browsing, abandoning a cart or checkout, buying, running low or going quiet. The core eight are welcome, browse abandonment, cart and checkout abandonment, post-purchase, cross-sell, replenishment, win-back and sunset, each with SMS added where intent is highest.
Email flow: An automated series of emails (and often SMS) sent when a subscriber triggers an event or joins a segment, such as starting checkout or not buying for 90 days. Unlike campaigns, flows run every day without anyone pressing send.
What are ecommerce email flows?
Ecommerce email flows are the automated messages that go out when a shopper does something on your store: joins your list, looks at a product, leaves a cart, places an order or stops buying. In Klaviyo each flow starts from a trigger (a list, a segment, a metric such as Started Checkout, or a date property) and then runs a fixed sequence of emails, SMS, delays and conditional splits.
Flows matter more than campaigns for most DTC brands because they talk to people at the moment their intent is highest, and they keep working while the team is busy with launches. Every customer you pay Meta or TikTok to acquire passes through them. When the flows are thin, a large share of the traffic you bought leaves without a second touch.
This guide covers the eight flows we build first, how many messages each needs, when SMS earns its place, and how to read flow revenue without fooling yourself.
The core flows, timing and email count
These are the starting points we use. Treat the timing as a default to test against, not a rule. A low-priced consumable buys faster than a considered purchase like furniture or jewelry, so the delays stretch as price and consideration go up.
| Flow | Trigger | Emails | Typical timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome | Joins list or signup form | 3 to 5 | Immediately, then day 1, 3, 5 and 7 |
| Browse abandonment | Viewed product, no cart | 2 to 3 | 2 to 4 hours, then day 1 and day 3 |
| Cart abandonment | Added to cart, no checkout | 2 to 3 | 1 to 4 hours, then day 1 |
| Checkout abandonment | Started checkout, no order | 3 | 1 hour, 24 hours, 48 to 72 hours |
| Post-purchase | Placed order | 3 to 5 | Order day, shipping, delivery, day 14 |
| Cross-sell | Order of product A | 2 to 3 | 10 to 30 days after delivery |
| Replenishment | Expected run-out date | 2 to 3 | 5 to 7 days before run-out |
| Win-back | No order in 60 to 180 days | 3 to 4 | Spread over 2 to 3 weeks |
| Sunset | No opens or clicks in 90 to 180 days | 1 to 2 | Over one week, then suppress |
Welcome, browse, cart and checkout flows
The pre-purchase flows turn interest into a first order. Build them in order of intent: checkout first, then cart, then welcome, then browse.
Welcome series
The welcome series does the job your product page could not finish. Email one delivers whatever the signup promised, usually a first-order offer, within minutes. The next emails explain why the product works, answer the top three objections from your reviews and support tickets, and show proof. Split the flow on Placed Order so buyers exit into post-purchase instead of receiving a discount they no longer need.
Browse abandonment
Browse abandonment only fires for identified visitors, so its size depends on how many subscribers you have. Keep it light: the product they viewed, two or three reviews and related items. A discount here trains people to browse and wait, so save incentives for later stages.
Cart and checkout abandonment
Run these as separate flows with flow filters so a shopper never receives both. Checkout abandoners are closer to buying, so they get the stronger sequence: a plain reminder, then objection handling (shipping times, returns, guarantee), then an incentive in the last message only if your margins allow it. Show the exact items left behind with a link back to a restored checkout.
Post-purchase, cross-sell and replenishment
After the first order the job changes from conversion to lifetime value. This is where most stores leave the most money, because a second purchase costs far less to win than a new customer.
The post-purchase flow reduces regret and refunds: confirm the order, set delivery expectations, send how-to-use content timed to delivery, then ask for a review once the customer has had time to see results. Split first-time buyers from repeat buyers, since a fifth-time customer does not need onboarding.
The cross-sell flow recommends the product most often bought second. Pull this from your order data rather than guessing. A cleanser buyer might get the moisturizer, a hoodie buyer the matching joggers.
Replenishment only works for consumables. Set the delay from the real usage period of each SKU (a 30-day supply gets a reminder around day 23 to 25) and offer a subscription option in the final message.
- Exit anyone who reorders from replenishment and cross-sell flows immediately.
- Use product-level conditional splits so each buyer sees the right next product.
- Keep review requests out of the first week for products that take time to show results.
Win-back and sunset flows
A win-back flow targets customers who have bought before but have gone past your normal repurchase window. Find that window from your own data: look at the typical gap between first and second orders and trigger the flow a little after it. Open with what is new, follow with social proof, and hold any offer for the third or fourth message.
The sunset flow protects deliverability. Subscribers who have not opened or clicked in months drag down inbox placement for everyone else. Send one or two "do you still want to hear from us" messages, then suppress anyone who does not engage. Your list gets smaller, but your campaigns land in the inbox more often, which is worth more than the raw count.
Where SMS fits alongside email
SMS costs more per message and feels more personal, so use it where timing matters most rather than copying every email into a text. Collect SMS consent separately and in line with TCPA and carrier rules, and always include opt-out language.
- Checkout abandonment: one SMS between the first and second email often adds the most.
- Welcome: a single text confirming the signup offer code.
- Shipping and delivery updates inside post-purchase.
- Replenishment: a short reminder with a direct reorder link.
- Skip SMS in browse abandonment and sunset flows, where intent is low.
Segmentation inside your flows
The same flow performs better when it splits people by what you know about them. Start with three splits and add more only when the data shows a difference.
Customer status: has the person ordered before? Prospects and customers need different messages in welcome and abandonment flows.
Product or category: what did they view or buy? This drives cross-sell, replenishment and the content in post-purchase.
Engagement and value: recent openers and high-spend customers can receive more messages and early access; low-engagement profiles get fewer and eventually enter the sunset flow.
Use the same segments in your paid media. Customer lists exported from Klaviyo feed exclusions and lookalike seed audiences on Meta, which keeps ad spend focused on new customers.
How to measure flow revenue
Klaviyo attributes revenue to a flow when a recipient orders within its attribution window after opening or clicking. That number is useful for comparing flows with each other, but it overstates what the flows actually caused, because some of those buyers would have ordered anyway.
Read flow performance on three levels. First, revenue per recipient for each flow and each message, which shows where to rewrite. Second, the share of total store revenue that comes from flows over time. Third, and most honest, a holdout test: keep a small random group out of a flow for a few weeks and compare their order rate with the group that received it. The gap is the flow's real lift.
Then connect it to your unit economics. Better flows raise repeat purchase rate and LTV, which raises how much you can afford to pay for a new customer on paid social. That is the real return on email work: it widens the room your ads have to scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the most important ecommerce email flows?
Start with checkout and cart abandonment, then the welcome series, then post-purchase. Those four catch shoppers at the highest-intent moments and usually produce most flow revenue. Add browse abandonment, cross-sell, replenishment, win-back and sunset once the first four are live, tested and segmented by customer status.
How many emails should an abandoned cart flow have?
Two to three emails is the usual range for cart abandonment and three for checkout abandonment. Send the first within one to four hours, the second about a day later and an optional third with an incentive. More messages rarely add orders and they increase unsubscribes, so test removing emails as well as adding them.
Should I offer a discount in abandoned cart emails?
Only in the last message, and only if your margins can carry it. Leading with a discount teaches shoppers to abandon carts on purpose. Try objection handling first: shipping times, return policy, guarantees and reviews. If you do add an offer, use a unique code that expires so it cannot spread to coupon sites.
Do I need SMS as well as email flows?
Not to start, but SMS often adds orders in time-sensitive flows such as checkout abandonment and shipping updates. Collect consent separately, keep texts short and limit them to high-intent moments. Copying every email into SMS raises costs and opt-outs without a matching lift in revenue.
How much revenue should come from email flows?
There is no single right share; it depends on list size, repeat purchase behaviour and how much paid traffic you run. Track the trend in your own account instead and use holdout tests to measure true lift. Attributed flow revenue in Klaviyo overstates impact because some recipients would have bought anyway.
How often should I update my Klaviyo flows?
Review flow metrics monthly and rewrite the weakest message in each flow every quarter. Update immediately when offers, shipping times, products or brand positioning change. Run one A/B test per flow at a time, such as subject line or offer, and give it enough recipients to reach a clear result.
Go deeper
- Klaviyo Email & SMS Agency: Have the full flow stack built, written and tested for your store.
- Retention Marketing Agency: Flows, campaigns and offers that raise repeat purchase rate.
- What Is LTV?: The metric your post-purchase and win-back flows exist to grow.
- Facebook Ads for Shopify: The paid traffic setup that fills the top of your flows.
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