Which Email Marketing Flows are Important for eCommerce?

Using email marketing flows to grow a loyal customer base

Email marketing flows are designed to deliver the right message to the right person at just the right time. By doing so, they help brands to build trust, win more conversions, and boost customer lifetime value.

If you run an online store, there are loads of email flows you can experiment with, but a few are absolutely essential if you want to retain more customers.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the most valuable email flows for eCommerce brands. We’ll provide tips for what to include in each flow and how to make your emails more engaging and effective.

What are email marketing flows, and why are they important?

An email marketing flow is a series of automated and personalised emails that are sent out based on the subscriber’s personal information or actions. Examples of actions that can trigger a flow include someone signing up to your website, abandoning their cart, or making a purchase.

Targeted email flows ensure that subscribers receive timely, relevant, and personalised communications tailored to their actions or preferences. Each email in the flow is designed to build trust and gently guide the subscriber towards a desired action.

According to email marketing experts Klaviyo, these flows generate up to 30 times more revenue per recipient than one-off campaigns.

What is Klaviyo, and what makes it a top email marketing tool?

Klaviyo is an intelligent email marketing automation platform built for eCommerce. 

At Create8, we help brands successfully grow their customer lifetime value using strategic and engaging email marketing flows. We’ve tested plenty of different email marketing tools, and Klaviyo always seems to come out on top, because it integrates seamlessly with all the most popular eCommerce platforms, including WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and of course, Shopify.

Some of its standout features include:

• Dynamic segmentation – So you can target the right people at the right time.
• Personalisation – To help drive a higher ROI.
• Drag-and-drop flow builder – For customisable flow templates.
• 350+ built-in integrations and APIs – For more advanced targeting.
• Automated A/B testing – To optimise your flow’s performance.
• Detailed reporting – To track what’s working and what’s not.
• AI-powered optimisation tools – To advise on email subject lines and smarter send times.

Klaviyo provides all the tools and resources you need to create email flows that feel personal, convert better, and help you grow your brand.

The 3 most important email marketing flows for eCommerce

If you’re ready to give email flows a shot but feeling unsure where to start, we’ve got you covered. The following three flows are your core eCommerce email marketing flows. These are the ones that are most effective for building trust, encouraging conversions, and recovering lost sales. 

Welcome flow

The welcome flow is usually triggered when a new subscriber registers an account on your website or signs up for your email newsletter.

This is your opportunity to introduce your brand to new customers and make a good first impression.

The welcome series should tell new customers who you are and what your brand stands for. It creates an opportunity for you to build trust, introduce your brand values, and guide the customer towards making their first purchase.

What to include in your welcome flow:

• Brand story and mission
• Core products or categories
• Awards and achievements
• Customer reviews and testimonials
• An exclusive discount code
• A clear call to action (CTA)

By providing a discount code via a sign-up form, you can also gather extra information, like the subscriber’s name or date of birth, to use in future flows.

Don’t forget to include a clear CTA within every email – something like “Show Now”, “Browse Our Bestsellers”, or “Claim Your Discount” to guide subscribers towards the action you want them to take. Read our article all about how to write email marketing CTAs that actually work for more practical advice on this.

Abandoned browse flow

This flow is triggered when an existing subscriber browses your website but does not add anything to their cart. It is designed to pique their interest and bring them back to your website.

The idea is that if someone is already browsing your website, the intent is there; they’re just not ready to buy yet. By sliding into their inbox shortly after, you re-engage them with your brand, tempt them to revisit your website, and gently nudge them towards making a purchase.

What to include in your abandoned browse flow:

• Products they viewed
• Similar products
• Your brand’s USPs
• User-generated content (UGC)
• Shipping and returns information
• A clear call to action (CTA)

We’ve found that including user-generated content like customer photos or reviews throughout this flow is an effective way to build trust and improve results.

Popular CTAs for this flow include “Still thinking about it?” or “Take another look”.

Abandoned cart flow

The abandoned cart flow is triggered when a subscriber visits your website, adds an item to their cart, but then leaves before checking out.

This action demonstrates a high intent to buy, and this flow focuses on reminding them about your brand and products, removing friction, and helping them overcome any last-minute reservations. It is the highest-performing email marketing flow there is.

What to include in your abandoned cart flow:

• The exact item the subscriber left in their cart
• Discount code (e.g. Free shipping)
• Urgency messaging (e.g. Low in stock)
• USPs
• Payment options and delivery information
• Social proof
• Smart product recommendations

Sometimes, all it takes to seal the deal is a little incentive, like a discount code or free shipping. Time-limited codes can be even more effective as they add a sense of urgency. 

Later down the flow, you can ramp up the urgency with lines like “low stock alert”, “sale ends at midnight”, or “Your basket will expire soon”.

Treat this flow as an opportunity to address concerns that customers may have that have prevented them from making a purchase. Advertise the services you offer and the perks of shopping with you to provide reassurance. Things like “Free returns”, “Free shipping over £30”, or “We offer Klarna” can help to nudge them over the line.

Need more inspiration for how to lay out the emails in your welcome series or what tone to use? Milled.com is an excellent resource when building email campaigns. It’s the largest search engine for eCommerce emails, providing access to millions of real-life eCommerce marketing emails to help spark inspiration!

Other highly effective marketing flows to consider

The flows discussed above are a great starting point, but there are plenty more times when a carefully curated email flow can help to retain and strengthen a brand’s relationship with its subscribers, drive more conversions, and increase average order value. Here are a few others to consider:

Post-purchase flow

It’s just as important to communicate with customers after they’ve purchased as it is before. Thank you flows are triggered when a customer buys something on your website. They are used to strengthen the customer’s relationship with the brand and build trust.

Include a personalised thank you from your founder or team, tips for using or maintaining the product, or subtle upsell or cross-sell suggestions.

Review request flow

This email flow helps your business gather a collection of valuable customer reviews to use on its website, ads, social media, and future emails. It also assists in collecting customer feedback on your products and services, which can be used to improve and refine what you already offer.

Aim to start this flow about 7 days after the customer receives their order to give them time to try it out and resolve any issues with your customer service team.

Birthday flow

The birthday flow is triggered in the run-up to a subscriber’s birthday. It’s a simple but effective way to surprise or delight your subscribers, building your relationship and adding value. 

Wishing them a happy birthday and offering a small discount or gift on their birthday helps to make them feel appreciated, boosting their loyalty to your brand.

Win back flow

This flow is sent to lapsed customers who haven’t bought anything for a while. It is a subtle way of reminding them about your business and making them feel valued. This is your opportunity to entice them back and improve your customer retention rates.

Messaging like “We miss you!”, combined with information about your latest products, and perhaps an exclusive special offer, can tempt them back to your website.

Replenishment flow

The replenishment flow can be used in a couple of different ways. If a customer has bought a repeat-purchase product, this flow can be used to remind them when it might be time to reorder. 

Alternatively, it can be used after a purchase to suggest complementary products to a customer. For example, if they bought a Moses basket, you could set up a replenishment flow to suggest baby bedding sets, matching accessories, or nursery essentials.

Back in stock flow

This email flow is triggered when a customer has viewed or asked to be notified about an out-of-stock item, and that product arrives back in stock.

Use urgency in your messaging, like “Buy now while stocks last”, to help drive quick conversions.

Measuring the effectiveness of your email marketing flows

Once your email marketing flows are up and running, there’s still no time to rest on your laurels. 

Even if you have them professionally built, there’s always room for improvement. Tracking and measuring their performance is an ongoing process.

Klaviyo provides detailed yet easy-to-understand built-in analytics that enable you to monitor performance and continually refine and enhance your email flows.

No matter what tool you use to set up your email flows, the key metrics to monitor are always the same:

• Open rate: Tells you how effective your subject lines are.
• Click rate: Indicates how engaging your email content and CTAs are.
• Conversion rate: Shows how effective the flow is at winning sales.
• Revenue per recipient: Tells you how much revenue the flow is generating.
• Unsubscribe rate: A high unsubscribe rate shows that your content, frequency, or timing needs a rethink.

Klaviyo also lets you A/B test emails within flows so that you can experiment with variations in copy, layout, or offers. Use these insights to iterate, refine, and grow your results over time.

You can compare your performance against Klaviyo’s industry benchmarks to see how your flows stack up.

Partner with Create8 to turn browsers into loyal customers with smart and effective email flows

At Create, we’re a branding, web design, and digital marketing agency that offers eCommerce brands a one-stop shop for growing a successful online business.

Our email marketing team can help your brand create personalised and automated email flows that are readable, enjoyable, and clickable. Whether you want to welcome new subscribers, recover abandoned carts, or bring back lapsed shoppers, we can help you build flows that feel personal, look great, and help you to retain more customers.

We work with eCommerce brands of all shapes and sizes, helping them to turn email into one of their most powerful marketing channels. Ready to learn more? Contact us today by calling 0161 820 9686 or emailing hello@create8.co.uk.