Essential Klaviyo flows for your e-commerce store: what you need and what you don’t

Spoiler alert: You need all of these but when time is limited (like I know it is for a lot of founder-led brands who are spinning all the plates), here’s a breakdown of which flows are essential and which ones can wait for later.

If you're diving into email marketing with Klaviyo for your e-commerce store, understanding which email flows are essential, which are next-level, and which are just nice to have can streamline your setup and save you time when you’re in a busy period, like Q4.

Let’s break it down.

Essential flows: “The Must-Haves”

Welcome Series

This is your first chance to make a great impression on new subscribers. If you’re offering an incentive to sign up to your email list, then this is also where you deliver that discount. A well-crafted welcome flow introduces new subscribers to your brand, sets expectations for what kind of content they will receive, and starts building a relationship. You also want them to purchase by the end of the sequence, so you’ll highlight bestsellers, and customer testimonials and help them choose what to buy first.

Typical Setup: A sequence of 3-5 emails that includes a warm welcome, brand story, key product highlights, and a special offer or discount to encourage the first purchase.

Abandoned Cart

Cart abandonment is a common challenge for e-commerce stores. This flow recovers potentially lost sales by reminding customers about their abandoned carts and encouraging them to complete their purchase. Add a little urgency with subject lines like their cart is about to expire. Offer a discount to first-time customers only after a few reminders and don’t forget to suggest alternative products in later emails.

Typical Setup: Usually a series of 2-3 emails sent over a few days, including a reminder, a possible discount, and a final nudge.

Post-Purchase Flow

This flow keeps customers engaged after their purchase and encourages repeat business. It can include a thank-you note from you as the founder, a notification that their order is on the way, what they should do next, how to leave a review, product instructions and what to buy next.

Typical Setup: A sequence that thanks them for their order, asks for a review and suggests related products or future discounts.

Next-level flows: “The Game Changers”

Browse Abandonment

This flow targets visitors who browse products but don’t add them to their cart. It helps re-engage potential buyers who showed interest but didn’t commit.

Typical Setup: 1-2 emails reminding them of the products they viewed, often with personalised product recommendations and a brand introduction for first-time browsers.

Win-Back Campaign

Perfect for re-engaging inactive customers who haven’t purchased in a while. It reminds them to come back and check out what’s new and gets them back onto your website to take a look.

Typical Setup: A sequence that includes a “here’s what’s new” message, a special offer, and updates on what’s new or changed since their last visit. An easy win here is to clone evergreen campaigns which previously converted past customers.

Customer Loyalty

This is another type of Post Purchase flow, designed to reward and retain your best customers. This flow can offer exclusive discounts, early access to new products, or give them updates on their points balance. A lot of my clients are using Smile.io for this, or Yotpo.

Typical Setup: Regular emails celebrating milestones, offering rewards, or providing special access to sales or new collections.

Nice-to-have flows: “The Extras”

Birthday Flow

Personalised birthday emails can boost customer satisfaction and loyalty by offering a special discount or gift. It’s a no-brainer for lifestyle product brands with self-giftable products like candles, aroma therapy, jewellery, apparel, homewares, etc.

Typical Setup: An email sent a couple of weeks before the customer's birthday with a personalised offer or discount and then a follow-up based on whether they have purchased or not.

Catalogue-triggered flows

I’ll just group a few of these in here for ease: Price Drop flow, Low inventory flow and Back in Stock flow. These are all triggered based on updates to your Shopify catalogue. They’re nice to have because they aren’t key revenue-driving flows, but they sure do a hell of a job ticking along in the background. If you have time, these are great to get set up and leave them to do their thing.

Typical Setup: 1 email per flow, alerting the subscriber if an item they recently viewed has dropped in price, or there are only a few items left or if they’ve signed up to back in stock notifications, if someone has now be re-stocked.

Getting your Klaviyo account set up with the right flows can transform your email marketing strategy, driving more engagement and sales. Start with the essentials to cover the basics, then explore the next-level flows to create even more recurring revenue with flows.

Finally, add in those nice-to-haves to add a touch of personalisation and get those sales ticking along in the background.

For more tips on optimising your Klaviyo flows, book in an audit. If you have any questions or need help setting up your flows, don’t hesitate to reach out!