.webp)
All Blogs
Most brands think they’ve nailed email marketing because they’ve got a welcome series, an abandoned cart flow, and the occasional winback campaign. But the truth is: those flows are table stakes.
What separates average email programs from the ones driving serious revenue? It’s not just better design or witty copy. It’s knowing which high-impact flows to build and how to optimize them over time.
Sure, everybody needs a welcome series—and if you don’t have one of those, you should probably stop reading this and set that up first. But once you have all the basics in place, it's time to focus on the few, high-leverage flows that will drive more revenue and better customer retention from your list.
The best brands understand that small optimizations lead to big wins at scale. Small wins through A/B testing or the correct account structure can be the difference of hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars over the course of the year.
This is why flows become such a large focal point for brands at scale; micro-decisions to maximize LTV, build trust and loyalty with their customers, and squeeze more value from every subscriber.
Most brands don’t even know these flows exist. But the best ones are already using them.
Here are 6 of those flows—the unsung workhorses of elite email programs—that you should be running (but probably aren’t).
What they clicked on matters more than what they didn’t buy.
Almost every single brand we audit is missing this flow, and they’re leaving money on the table each time.
Unlike cart or browse abandonment, session abandonment triggers based on Active on Site behavior. It leverages an underutilized event that’s natively available in Klaviyo and Shopify’s integration, allowing brands to follow up with personalized recommendations to bring users back to where they dropped off.
Why it works:
Think of it like a digital store associate catching someone on their way out and saying, “Hey, still thinking about that?” It captures early interest before it fizzles.
Pro tip:
Personalize the flow logic with conditional splits, ensuring your content is tailored to where the user dropped off.
Your customer LTV is the intrinsic growth rate of your business.
The post-purchase window is prime real estate for new product recommendations that drive repeat purchase behavior. And when the cross-sell is relevant—think: toner after cleanser, or socks after sneakers—it doesn't feel pushy. It feels helpful.
Why it works:
You’re not guessing what they want; you're basing it on what they already bought. Lean into that excitement as they wait for their product to arrive, and serve relevant recommendations that complement their most recent purchase.
Pro tip:
Use Klaviyo’s product feed and trigger logic to serve recommendations based specifically on SKU or category purchased; base your conditional logic on your product-affinity maps to anticipate the next most-relevant product to suggest to a particular subscriber.
Happy customers are your best salespeople. But only if you ask.
Right after a great review is the perfect time to ask your customer for a referral. Most brands overlook this flow entirely, mainly because they don’t even know it exists…
This flow makes that ask automatic—and timely. Connect your website reviews platform and loyalty/referral app to Klaviyo and enable passing of review events data back to Klaviyo; create a segment trigger to email any customers who left a 5 star review with a Give / Get email, offering customers a discount when they refer a friend over.
Why it works:
Strike while the iron’s hot. Buyers are most likely to share right after they’ve had a positive experience, especially if you tie it to a reward incentive. Plus, this additional incentive also encourages a follow up purchase from the referring customer.
What are you left with? One loyal, excited customer, a new free referral customer, and two incremental conversions at no additional cost–win, win, win.
Pro tip:
Integrate with tools like Okendo or Yotpo to track referrals. Bonus points for including user-generated content from past referrers in your emails.
They’ve come back once. Now give them a reason to keep doing it.
When someone buys from you twice, that’s not luck—that’s loyalty in the making. This flow is designed to push that momentum into true retention.
Why it works:
Repeat buyers convert at a higher rate and spend more per order. Rewarding them with VIP perks, early access, subscribe and save offers, or tailored bundles can reinforce that behavior.
Pro tip:
Segment customers by second-time purchasers and hit them with a flow that leads to a third order—then graduate them into your high-LTV segment with special treatment and better offers that lead to higher cart values.
They opened. They clicked. But they didn’t buy. Time for one last push.
Most brands end their non-purchaser flows after the third welcome series email, leaving significant revenue potential from opted-in, high-intent customers to go by the wayside.
This flow targets users who’ve engaged with your emails but haven’t converted. They’re on the fence, and this might be the nudge they need.
Why it works:
Sometimes it’s timing. Sometimes it's the price. Offering a limited-time discount or bonus (like free shipping) can convert passive interest into sales.
Pro tip:
Set a threshold (such as opened email at least once, joined list in last 30 days, and 0 purchases over all time) before triggering. Then, personalize the offer based on their site activity to make it feel bespoke.
Stop emailing the ghosts—and make your list healthier (and cheaper).
Not everyone wants to hear from you—and that’s okay.
Your Sunset Flow is a last ditch effort to re-engage otherwise lapsed subscribers. Whether or not they’re getting your emails, you’re paying the price for having them on your list–literally.
Why it works:
Pruning disengaged subscribers keeps your deliverability high and your Klaviyo bill low. This flow gives people a clear choice: re-engage or get removed.
Pro tip:
Add a twist: make the final email fun or playful (“We’ll miss you… but your inbox won’t!”). Funny enough, sometimes humor reactivates better than a discount.
You don’t need to automate everything. Brands often get lost in trying to set up a flow for every single action possible, without ever seeing a dollar back for their time and energy.
But the right flows, at the right points in the customer journey, can transform how you retain, upsell, and engage.
Each of these six flows isn’t just “nice to have”—they’re strategic tools that plug revenue leaks and expand customer value. If you’re only running the basics, you’re leaving money on the table.
Want more help building these out in Klaviyo? Check out our newsletter for more posts like this one with tactics that you can use in your business.
Dive into the latest insights and trending topics on all things e-commerce.
