The 5 Klaviyo flows every Shopify store should have

Campaigns (the newsletters you send manually) get most of the attention. But for most online stores, the steady revenue comes from flows: automated emails triggered by what a customer actually does.

Set them up once and they work every day in the background. If you're on Shopify and using Klaviyo, these are the five to build first, in this order.

1. Welcome series

Trigger: someone joins your email list, usually through a sign-up form or pop-up.

This is the first impression, and new subscribers are often the most engaged people on your list. A good welcome series:

• delivers whatever you promised (a discount, a guide, early access) in the first email,
• tells your story briefly: who you are and why the brand exists,
• shows best-sellers and proof (reviews, customer photos),
• reminds them of the offer before it expires.

Typical length: three to five emails over one to two weeks.

Tip: remove people from the welcome flow once they purchase, so they don't keep receiving "first order" discounts.

2. Abandoned checkout

Trigger: someone starts checkout, entering their email, but doesn't complete the order.

This usually recovers the most revenue per email, because these people were one step away from buying.

• Email 1 (within a few hours): a simple reminder showing the items left behind.
• Email 2 (next day): address hesitation, with reviews, shipping and returns info, and answers to common questions.
• Email 3 (optional, a day or two later): a final reminder, with an incentive only if your margins allow it.

Tip: don't train customers to expect a discount every time. Try reassurance before money.

3. Browse abandonment

Trigger: a known subscriber views a product but doesn't add it to cart.

Lighter-touch than abandoned checkout. One or two emails showing the product they looked at, with helpful information like reviews, sizing and how it's used. Keep it helpful, not creepy: "Still thinking it over?" beats "We saw you looking."

4. Post-purchase

Trigger: someone places an order.

Most stores stop talking to customers the moment they've paid, which is exactly when trust is highest. Use this flow to:

• thank them and set delivery expectations,
• help them get the most from the product (how-tos, care instructions),
• ask for a review once the product has arrived and been used,
• suggest a genuinely related product later, not immediately.

This flow also feeds your reviews, which improve conversion on your product pages (see Shopify product page checklist).

5. Win-back

Trigger: a past customer hasn't purchased in a while. The right gap depends on how often people normally buy from you.

Remind them why they bought, show what's new, and give them a reason to come back. Customers who've bought before are usually far easier to convert than strangers.

Tip: set the timing from your own data. A coffee brand's customers reorder every few weeks; a furniture store's might not for years.

Getting the basics right

• Use Klaviyo's pre-built flow templates as a starting point, then rewrite the copy in your brand's voice.
• Design for mobile first. Most emails are opened on phones.
• Check your sending setup. Authenticate your sending domain so emails land in the inbox rather than spam.
• Review performance monthly. Look at revenue per recipient and click rates for each email, and improve the weakest step.

Beyond the first five

Once these are running, consider replenishment reminders for consumable products, back-in-stock alerts, birthday or anniversary emails, and SMS versions of your highest-value flows where customers have opted in.

If you'd like help building these, it's part of how I approach email and customer retention, usually alongside e-commerce growth.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need Klaviyo, or can I use Shopify Email?

Shopify's own email tools can handle basic automations. Klaviyo offers deeper segmentation, more trigger options and detailed reporting, which matters more as your list and catalog grow.

How many emails should be in each flow?

Start simple: three to five for a welcome series, two or three for abandoned checkout, one or two for browse abandonment. Add more only if the data shows later emails still earn clicks and sales.

Should every flow include a discount?

No. Discounts can recover sales, but used everywhere they train customers to wait for one. Lead with reassurance and value, and save incentives for where they clearly make the difference.