The Klaviyo Flows Every Store Needs (And What Each One's Job Is)
The core Klaviyo flows every eCommerce store needs, what each one's job is, when it triggers, and how to judge the set by repeat revenue instead of open rates.
On this page
- 1. The welcome series: turn interest into a first order
- 2. Abandoned checkout: recover money already in motion
- 3. Abandoned cart: catch the cart that never reached checkout
- 4. Browse abandonment: nudge the almost-interested
- 5. Post-purchase: the flow that builds the second order
- 6. Winback: one honest attempt, well timed
- 7. Sunset: protect the list you keep
- Judge the set by the second order
- Want your flows built by senior operators?
Most Klaviyo accounts we open show the same thing: flows exist, but nobody can say what job each one does. Emails fire because a template suggested them. A flow set earns its keep when every automation has one job, one trigger, and one number that proves it's doing that job.
Here are the seven core flows we build for eCommerce brands, in the order they matter, with each one's job stated plainly.
1. The welcome series: turn interest into a first order
Triggers when someone joins the list. Its job is the first order, and its opening email is the most-opened message you'll ever send, so lead with the brand's strongest reason to buy, not a discount apology. If you offer an incentive, deliver it instantly and spend the rest of the series on proof: why the product works, who it's for, what to buy first.
2. Abandoned checkout: recover money already in motion
Triggers when a started checkout stalls. This is the highest-intent audience you have, so the first message is a simple, fast path back to the cart. Answer the real blockers: shipping cost, delivery time, returns. Save any discount for late in the sequence, if you use one at all; training buyers to abandon for a coupon is a tax on every future sale.
3. Abandoned cart: catch the cart that never reached checkout
Triggers when someone adds to cart but never starts a checkout, which makes it a different audience from abandoned checkout, caught one step earlier. In Klaviyo this flow needs setup: the Added to Cart event only fires once Klaviyo's onsite code snippet is installed on your store, so plenty of accounts miss this flow without knowing it. Once the snippet is in, keep the flow to one or two emails and lead with the product they left behind.
4. Browse abandonment: nudge the almost-interested
Triggers when someone views a product but never starts a checkout. Lighter intent deserves a lighter touch: one or two emails that reopen the product's story or answer its most common objection. This flow works as a quiet assistant, not a chaser.
5. Post-purchase: the flow that builds the second order
Triggers at the order. This is the retention engine: confirmation, shipping check-in, onboarding, the review ask timed to first use, and the next-order offer timed to your product's cycle. It matters enough that we gave it its own full walkthrough, because the second order, not the first, is where loyalty begins.
One flow doesn't fit every buyer, so split it by behavior. A first-time customer gets the onboarding treatment; a returning customer gets thanked for coming back, not a stranger's welcome. If you sell a subscription product, run separate flows for subscribers and one-off buyers, because the language should differ: subscribers hear membership wording, and one-off buyers eventually get the case for joining the subscription. These small shifts in how you talk to people, based on what they actually did, are what keep them.
6. Winback: one honest attempt, well timed
Triggers when a customer passes the point where your data says they've gone quiet, which depends on your product's repurchase cycle, not a template's default. Lead with your strongest proof or an offer you can afford, and stop after that. Endless winback drips damage deliverability and dignity in equal measure.
7. Sunset: protect the list you keep
Triggers on long-term disengagement. Its job is subtraction: a last chance to stay, then a quiet removal. A smaller list that wants your email protects your sender reputation, and every flow above performs better because of it.
Judge the set by the second order
Opens and clicks are instruments. The scoreboard for the whole flow set is repeat purchase rate, time to second order, and the revenue the flows drive, because that's what moves lifetime gross profit to CAC. Build the seven jobs, watch those numbers cohort by cohort, and let the data tell you which flow needs work next.
We break down a full Klaviyo strategy on camera, flow by flow, here:
Want your flows built by senior operators?
We build and run these flows for eCommerce brands with no onboarding fees and no lock-in contracts. Book a discovery call and we'll audit your Klaviyo account and show you what's leaking revenue.
Frequently asked questions
- Which Klaviyo flows should a store build first?
- Welcome series and abandoned checkout first: they sit closest to money already in motion. Post-purchase next, because the second order is where lifetime value starts. Abandoned cart, browse abandonment, winback, and sunset complete the core set; the abandoned cart flow needs Klaviyo's onsite snippet installed before it can fire.
- What's the difference between a flow and a campaign?
- A flow is automated and triggered by a person's behavior, like joining the list or abandoning a cart, and runs around the clock. A campaign is a one-off send you schedule, like a launch or a sale. Flows are the engine; campaigns are the accelerator.
- How do we know if our flows are working?
- Judge the set by repeat purchase rate, time to second order, and the revenue the flows drive, not by open rates. An entertaining email that never moves the second-order line is a cost, not an asset.
Want this run for your brand?
Hayes Media builds direct response creative, buys the media, and runs the email & SMS behind it.
Book a discovery call
