Klaviyo Shopify Email Flows: Welcome, Cart & Post-Purchase (2025)

If you’ve already connected Klaviyo to Shopify, flows are where most stores see the fastest payback. This article focuses on the core email automations. For setup, see our main guide: Klaviyo Shopify integration. For text messages, see Shopify Klaviyo SMS.

Klaviyo

integrates with

Shopify

Marketing 4.6

How Shopify Data Triggers Flows

Once your integration is live, Shopify events (like Checkout Started, Placed Order, and Product Viewed) become triggers in Klaviyo. That lets you send emails that match customer intent.

Flow Priority (What to Build First)

Flow Settings (Set Once)

Before you build 10 versions of the same automation, lock in a few defaults:

• Smart sending / frequency caps: Prevent someone from receiving too many emails in a short window.
• Exit conditions: For cart and browse flows, exit immediately when the customer purchases.
• Timezones: Send based on the recipient’s local timezone if possible (especially for time-sensitive promos).
• UTM tags: Add consistent UTMs so you can compare flows in analytics (source/medium/campaign).
• Holdouts (optional): If you want to measure true incremental lift, keep a small control group for your biggest flows.

A Simple Email Template Structure That Works

Most high-performing flow emails share the same structure:

If you keep layout consistent across flows, you’ll spend less time designing and more time improving targeting.

Flow Templates (Copy/Paste Starting Point)

1) Welcome Series (3-5 messages)

Subscribed to list
├── Email 1 (Immediate): Welcome + value prop + incentive (optional)
├── Wait 2 days
├── Email 2: Best sellers + social proof
├── Wait 3 days
└── Email 3: Education + brand story + CTA

Keep it simple at first: one offer, one CTA, and consistent branding.

Useful filters (optional):

• Split first-time vs returning customers
• Exclude anyone who purchased in the last 7 days (they can go to post-purchase instead)

What to test:

• Incentive vs no incentive
• Social proof vs founder story
• Best sellers vs category-based recommendations

2) Abandoned Cart (2-3 messages)

Checkout Started + No Order
├── Wait 1-4 hours
├── Email 1: Cart reminder + product(s) + clear CTA
├── Wait 24 hours
└── Email 2: Objection handling (shipping/returns) + reviews

Add a discount only if you need it. Many stores start without a discount and add it later for specific segments (e.g., first-time shoppers).

Common filters to add:

• Exclude “VIP” customers from heavy discounts
• Exclude carts under a low value threshold (optional)
• Stop the flow immediately after purchase

Discount strategy (simple):

• Email 1: no discount, pure reminder + reassurance
• Email 2: add proof (reviews, returns, shipping clarity)
• Email 3 (optional): discount only for non-buyers or first-time shoppers

3) Browse Abandonment (2 messages)

Viewed Product + No Checkout Started
├── Filter: Has email + viewed 2+ products
├── Wait 2 hours
├── Email 1: Viewed product(s) + alternatives
└── Email 2 (next day): Best sellers + category recommendations

Browse abandonment is only worth it if onsite tracking is working reliably.

Make browse email feel personal:

• Show the exact product viewed
• Include 2-4 alternatives (same category, same price band)
• Use a softer CTA (“Continue browsing”) vs “Buy now”

4) Post-Purchase (Retention)

Placed Order
├── Day 3: Product tips / how-to
├── Day delivered + 5 days: Review request
└── Day 14-30: Cross-sell or replenishment

For replenishment, use a longer wait time for products with a normal repeat cycle (e.g., 30-60 days).

Quick wins inside post-purchase:

• Add a how-to / care guide email (reduces returns)
• Ask for a review after delivery (not immediately after purchase)
• Cross-sell based on what they bought (accessories, refills, upgrades)

5) Win-Back (3 messages)

Placed Order + No Order (60-90 days)
├── Email 1: New arrivals since last purchase
├── Wait 7 days
├── Email 2: Best sellers + UGC
└── Email 3: Offer + "last chance" (optional)

Win-back doesn’t have to be a discount:

• Showcase what’s new since their last purchase
• Highlight your guarantee and shipping policies
• Offer a bundle that increases perceived value

Benchmarks (Keep One North Star)

Klaviyo’s published benchmarks highlight a large gap between one-time campaigns and abandoned cart flows on revenue per recipient:

Metrics to Watch (So You Know What to Fix)

Use these metrics as a simple diagnostic:

Example Result (Shopify Brand)

Brava Fabrics (Shopify) reports 60% of email revenue coming from automated emails (a good reminder that flows and targeting can dominate email revenue once set up correctly).

Common Mistakes (Quick Fixes)

• No exclusions: Always exit a flow after purchase. Otherwise, customers get irrelevant reminders.
• Too many branches early: Start with one clean path, then add splits after you have data.
• Re-using campaign creative in flows: Flows should feel contextual to the trigger (cart, browse, purchase).
• Discounting everyone: Save discounts for segments that need it, or you train customers to wait.

A Simple 30-Day Flow Roadmap

If you’re building from scratch, this pacing keeps things manageable:

• Week 1: Welcome + abandoned cart live (with clean exits after purchase)
• Week 2: Post-purchase education + review request
• Week 3: Win-back for 60-90 day lapsed customers
• Week 4: Browse abandonment (only if onsite tracking is stable) + one optimization test per flow

Once those are stable, you can add more flows (back-in-stock, price drop, replenishment) without overwhelming your list.

Flow QA Checklist (Before You Turn It On)

• The flow status is Live (and you tested with a real email).
• Every path has an exit on purchase where it makes sense.
• Filters match reality (e.g., you are not excluding all customers by accident).
• Emails have one primary CTA, and the CTA matches the trigger intent.
• Smart sending / frequency caps are on (so flows don’t stack on top of campaigns).
• UTMs and naming are consistent (so reporting stays clean).
• You previewed the email on mobile and confirmed links work end-to-end.

If one of these fails, keep the flow in draft and fix it first.

Next Steps

1. Launch welcome + abandoned cart flows first
2. Add post-purchase and win-back
3. Build better segments and personalization: Segmentation & personalization guide

# List the 5 most recent orders (GraphQL)
curl -X POST "https://your-store.myshopify.com/admin/api/2025-01/graphql.json" \
  -H "X-Shopify-Access-Token: $SHOPIFY_ADMIN_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"query\":\"{ orders(first: 5, sortKey: CREATED_AT, reverse: true) { edges { node { id name createdAt totalPriceSet { shopMoney { amount currencyCode } } customer { email } } } } }\"}"

Sources

• Klaviyo email benchmarks by industry (2025)
• Brava Fabrics case study (Shopify)