Email flows are automated emails that react to what a customer does: signing up, abandoning the cart, buying. Set them up once and they sell every day without you lifting a finger. Five flows cover the essentials. All five can be built directly in Shopify, no extra tool needed.
The five flows
1. Welcome
- When: right after the newsletter sign-up.
- What: Who you are, what makes you different, your bestsellers. If you promise a sign-up discount, this is where it goes.
- Why: New subscribers are never as interested as in the first few days. Two to three emails over a week.
2. Abandoned cart
- When: a few hours after someone has left the checkout.
- What: The cart with images, a link back, the most common concerns answered: shipping, returns, payment.
- Why: These people wanted to buy. Often all that was missing was time or an answer. No other flow brings in revenue as fast.
3. Product viewed
- When: the day after someone viewed a product but didn't add it to the cart.
- What: The product again, plus two or three similar ones.
- Why: Works more quietly than the abandoned cart flow, but reaches far more people. Only applies to customers you already know who have given consent.
4. Post-purchase
- When: in the days and weeks after delivery.
- What: A thank-you, usage tips, a request for a review, later a matching product.
- Why: A first-time buyer becomes a regular. And reviews sell to the next ones.
5. Win-back
- When: when a customer hasn't bought for longer than usual. For consumables after weeks, for fashion after months.
- What: What's new, a reminder of the last purchase, a small incentive if needed.
- Why: Winning back an old customer is cheaper than gaining a new one.
Shopify comes with ready-made templates for all five. What makes the difference is copy, timing and images in your brand.
What applies in Germany
In Germany, marketing emails require consent. Double opt-in is standard: the customer signs up and confirms with a click in an email. Shopify supports this out of the box.
Order confirmations and shipping updates aren't marketing and can always be sent. Abandoned cart, product viewed and win-back, on the other hand, count as marketing. Only send them to customers who have given consent.
The safe practice: a newsletter checkbox in the checkout, not pre-ticked, and all flows only to that list. If in doubt, have a lawyer review your setup once. This is not legal advice.
FAQ
Do I need Klaviyo, or is Shopify enough? For these five flows, Shopify is enough. Klaviyo pays off if you want heavy segmentation, test lots of variants or have a large list.
Which flow should I start with? Abandoned cart. It brings in revenue the fastest. Then welcome, then post-purchase.
How many emails is too many? Two to three per flow is enough. More important than the number is that every email has a reason.
Do I have to give a discount every time? No. Customers who always get a discount soon start waiting for it. Often a good answer to the question that held up the purchase is enough.
Do you set this up? Yes. Copy, design in your brand and setup in Shopify, usually within a few days.