7 Email Automation Workflows Every Shopify Store Should Set Up

Are you making the most of your Shopify store’s email marketing potential? If you’re not using automated email workflows, you’re leaving significant revenue on the table.

Email automation is the not-so-secret weapon of successful ecommerce businesses, allowing you to send timely, relevant messages to your customers without manual effort. And when it comes to Shopify stores, Klaviyo stands out as the preferred email marketing platform due to its powerful integration capabilities and robust automation features.

As a marketing consultant who has helped numerous Shopify store owners scale their businesses, I’ve seen firsthand how implementing the right email automation workflows can dramatically impact revenue. In fact, my clients typically see a 20-30% increase in revenue after properly setting up these automated sequences.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the seven essential Klaviyo automation workflows every Shopify store should implement. These aren’t just nice-to-have features – they’re revenue-generating systems that work around the clock to convert browsers into buyers and one-time customers into loyal fans.

1. Welcome Series Flow

The welcome series is your digital first impression, and it sets the tone for your entire customer relationship. With open rates averaging 50-80%, these emails have the highest engagement of any automated sequence.

Why It’s Essential

Your welcome flow introduces new subscribers to your brand, establishes expectations, and guides them toward their first purchase. A well-crafted welcome series can increase customer lifetime value by up to 33%.

How to Set It Up in Klaviyo

Trigger: Someone subscribes to your email list (via popup, embedded form, etc.)

Recommended Sequence:

• Email 1 (Immediate): Deliver your promised lead magnet or discount code, warmly welcome them, and briefly introduce your brand.
• Email 2 (Day 2): Share your brand story and values. What makes your products different? Why did you start this business?
• Email 3 (Day 4): Educate them about your products, addressing common pain points your products solve.
• Email 4 (Day 6): Share social proof – customer testimonials, reviews, or user-generated content.
• Email 5 (Day 8): Make a soft offer with a clear call-to-action to shop, perhaps with a limited-time incentive.

💡 Pro Tip

Segment your welcome series based on how subscribers joined your list. Someone who signed up for a discount code has different intentions than someone who downloaded an educational guide.

2. Abandoned Cart Flow

Shoppers who add items to their cart but don’t complete checkout represent one of your biggest revenue opportunities. Abandoned cart emails recover an average of 10-15% of otherwise lost sales.

Why It’s Essential

Cart abandonment rates average 69.8% across ecommerce sites. Without a recovery strategy, you’re losing nearly 70% of interested shoppers who were just steps away from purchasing.

How to Set It Up in Klaviyo

Trigger: Customer adds product(s) to cart but exits without completing checkout

Recommended Sequence:

• Email 1 (1-2 hours after abandonment): Friendly reminder with cart contents and a prominent checkout button.
• Email 2 (24 hours later): Address common objections and frequently asked questions about your products or checkout process.
• Email 3 (48 hours later): Create urgency with a limited-time discount or free shipping offer to incentivise completion.

💡 Pro Tip

Use Klaviyo’s dynamic content blocks to display the exact products left in the cart, complete with images, prices, and direct links back to a pre-loaded checkout page.

3. Browse Abandonment Flow

Before shoppers even add items to their cart, they browse your product pages. This behaviour indicates interest but not yet commitment. A browse abandonment flow captures these potential customers earlier in their journey.

Why It’s Essential

Browse abandonment flows typically convert at 4-8%, which is lower than abandoned cart emails but still significant when you consider these are prospects you’d otherwise lose completely.

How to Set It Up in Klaviyo

Trigger: Visitor views product pages but leaves without adding to cart

Recommended Sequence:

• Email 1 (1-4 hours after browse): “We noticed you were looking at [product]” with product details and benefits.
• Email 2 (24 hours later): Product recommendations related to what they browsed.
• Email 3 (3 days later): Educational content about product benefits or use cases.

💡 Pro Tip

Use browse abandonment flows selectively. Target high-value products or repeat browsers rather than sending emails to everyone who glances at a product once.

4. Post-Purchase Flow

The moment after purchase is a prime opportunity to enhance the customer experience, reduce support inquiries, and set the stage for repeat business. Post-purchase flows increase customer lifetime value by 25-45% on average.

Why It’s Essential

Acquiring a new customer costs 5-25 times more than retaining an existing one. Post-purchase flows nurture existing customers, transforming single transactions into ongoing relationships.

How to Set It Up in Klaviyo

Trigger: Customer completes a purchase

Recommended Sequence:

• Email 1 (Immediate): Order confirmation with purchase details and expected delivery timeline.
• Email 2 (Delivery day or 1-2 days after purchase): Usage instructions, care tips, or getting started guide.
• Email 3 (5-7 days after delivery): Request for product review or feedback, with direct link to review page.
• Email 4 (14 days after purchase): Cross-sell or upsell related products that complement their purchase.

💡 Pro Tip

Segment your post-purchase flow based on whether someone is a first-time or repeat customer. First-time buyers need more education and reassurance, while repeat customers might appreciate VIP perks or loyalty rewards.

5. Winback Flow

Even with excellent products and customer service, some customers will inevitably become inactive over time. Winback flows can reactivate 5-15% of lapsed customers, who typically spend 67% more than new customers on their return purchase.

Why It’s Essential

Increasing customer retention by just 5% can increase profits by 25-95%. Winback campaigns are your customer retention safety net, helping recover valuable customers who have drifted away.

How to Set It Up in Klaviyo

Trigger: Previous customer hasn’t purchased in defined period (varies by industry, typically 3-6 months)

Recommended Sequence:

• Email 1: “We miss you” message with personalised product recommendations based on purchase history.
• Email 2 (3 days later): Updates on new products or offerings since their last purchase.
• Email 3 (7 days later): Special “come back” offer with discount or incentive.
• Email 4 (14 days later): Final attempt with strongest incentive.

💡 Pro Tip

Analyse your typical purchase cycle to determine the right timing for your winback flow. A store selling consumables (like skincare) might trigger winback emails sooner than a store selling durable goods with longer replacement cycles.

6. Customer Loyalty Flow

Your best customers deserve special treatment. A customer loyalty flow recognises and rewards your VIP customers, encouraging even greater loyalty and spending.

Why It’s Essential

On average, the top 10% of customers spend 3x more per order than the lower 90%, and the top 1% spend 5x more. Nurturing these relationships has outsised returns.

How to Set It Up in Klaviyo

Trigger: Customer reaches VIP status (based on order count, total spend, or other criteria)

Recommended Sequence:

• Email 1: Thank you message acknowledging their VIP status and explaining special benefits.
• Email 2 (3 days later): Exclusive VIP offer or early access to new products.
• Email 3 (2 weeks later): Request for feedback or product suggestions, showing you value their opinion.
• Email 4 (Monthly/Quarterly): VIP-only updates, offers, or content.

💡 Pro Tip

Create multiple tiers in your loyalty program, with emails triggered when customers reach each new level. This creates ongoing engagement and motivation to reach the next tier.

7. Re-Engagement Flow

Over time, subscribers may stop opening your emails even if they haven’t explicitly unsubscribed. Re-engagement flows can recover 3-5% of these inactive subscribers while cleaning your list to improve overall deliverability.

Why It’s Essential

Email deliverability suffers when you continue sending to unengaged subscribers. Re-engagement campaigns help maintain a healthy, responsive email list while giving dormant subscribers a reason to return.

How to Set It Up in Klaviyo

Trigger: Subscriber hasn’t opened or clicked emails in 3-6 months

Recommended Sequence:

• Email 1: “We miss you” message highlighting what they’ve been missing.
• Email 2 (3 days later): Valuable content or exclusive offer to encourage re-engagement.
• Email 3 (7 days later): “Last chance” message before removing from active list.

💡 Pro Tip

After the re-engagement sequence, create a segment for “cleaned” subscribers who didn’t engage. While you’ll remove them from regular campaigns, consider trying a different channel (like Facebook custom audiences) or contacting them once or twice a year with major announcements.

Measuring Success and Optimising Your Flows

Setting up these automation workflows is just the beginning. The real magic happens when you continually monitor and optimise based on performance data.

Key Metrics to Track for Each Flow

• Open rates – Benchmark: Welcome (50-80%), Standard flows (20-40%)
• Click-through rates – Benchmark: Welcome (20-30%), Standard flows (5-15%)
• Conversion rates – Varies by flow: Abandoned cart (10-15%), Browse abandonment (4-8%)
• Revenue per recipient – The ultimate measure of flow effectiveness
• Unsubscribe rates – Should remain under 0.5% per email

Optimisation Strategies

1. A/B test key elements – Start with subject lines, then test email timing, content, and offers
2. Refine segmentation – Create more targeted flows based on customer behavior and preferences
3. Adjust email timing – Find the optimal intervals between emails for your specific audience
4. Update content regularly – Refresh your flows quarterly to prevent content fatigue
5. Review flow entry criteria – Ensure the right customers are entering each flow

What Next?

Email automation is one of the most powerful tools in your ecommerce marketing arsenal.

When properly implemented, these seven Klaviyo email automation workflows create a comprehensive system that nurtures customers at every stage of their journey with your brand.

Start by implementing the most high-impact flows first – typically Welcome, Abandoned Cart, and Post-Purchase sequences – then gradually build out your email automation ecosystem.

Remember that these flows aren’t “set it and forget it” assets; they require regular monitoring and optimisation to maintain peak performance.

Need expert help setting up your Klaviyo email workflows?

I offer professional Klaviyo flow analysis and optimisation services to help you maximise your email marketing ROI.

For a limited time, I’m offering a special bundle deal: AED 1,297 for a complete review of three email automation flows, including two form / pop-up analyses to boost your lead generation.
Book your review today →