Email marketing is easy to overlook when you are busy managing products, fulfilling orders and attracting new customers.
Many Shopify stores send the occasional promotion but do not have automated emails supporting the rest of the customer journey. That means new subscribers receive little introduction to the brand, potential customers leave without a reminder and previous customers have no particular reason to return.
This is where Shopify email flows can help.
An email flow is an automated sequence triggered by a customer’s actions. Once it has been created, it can send relevant messages when someone joins your list, views a product, leaves a cart or completes a purchase.
You do not need dozens of complicated automations to get started. These five flows provide a practical foundation for most Shopify stores.
1. Welcome Email Series
A welcome series begins when someone subscribes to your email marketing, normally through an inline form, footer form or popup.
At this stage, the subscriber has shown an interest in the brand but may not be ready to purchase. A good welcome series introduces the business, establishes expectations and helps the reader decide what to do next.
Rather than placing everything in one long email, spread the information across a short sequence.
Example welcome flow
Email 1: Send immediately
Welcome the subscriber and deliver anything promised by the signup form, such as a discount or guide.
Keep this email straightforward. Thank the subscriber, briefly explain what the brand offers and provide a clear route into the store.
Email 2: Send after one or two days
Tell the brand story or explain what makes the products different.
Focus on information that helps a potential customer understand why they should choose you. This could include your sourcing, manufacturing process, ingredients, sustainability commitments or approach to customer service.
Email 3: Send after another two or three days
Introduce best sellers, customer favourites or products that make a good starting point.
Recommendations should help the subscriber navigate the range rather than simply presenting every product available.
Email 4: Optional reminder
If the welcome series includes a discount, remind the subscriber before it expires. Avoid creating false urgency: only describe an offer as ending if it genuinely has an end date.
What to include in a welcome series
Depending on the store, the sequence could feature:
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A friendly introduction
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The story behind the brand
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Best-selling products
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Answers to common buying questions
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Customer reviews
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Useful educational content
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A genuine first-order incentive
The welcome flow should sound like the beginning of a relationship, not a string of immediate sales messages.
2. Browse-Abandonment Flow
A browse-abandonment flow targets known visitors who viewed a product but left without adding it to their cart.
The visitor may still be comparing products, checking prices or thinking about the purchase. A helpful reminder can bring the product back to their attention without applying too much pressure.
Example browse-abandonment flow
Email 1: Product reminder
Show the product the customer viewed and provide an easy way to return to it.
Instead of relying on “You forgot something,” add information that helps the decision. This might include a key benefit, delivery details or a link to a size guide.
Email 2: Supporting information
If the customer has not purchased, follow up with relevant reviews, frequently asked questions or suitable alternatives.
This email should remove uncertainty rather than repeat the first message.
Browse-abandonment tips
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Do not send an email after every product view.
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Exclude customers who subsequently purchase.
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Avoid sending several reminders in a short period.
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Use product recommendations carefully.
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Make sure the customer is eligible to receive the email.
Browse abandonment can be particularly useful for stores with considered purchases or large catalogues, where customers are likely to compare several options before ordering.
3. Abandoned-Cart or Checkout Flow
An abandoned-cart flow is triggered when a customer adds a product to their cart but leaves before completing the purchase.
An abandoned-checkout flow applies later in the journey, after the customer has started checkout. Shopify treats these as separate behaviours, so check which trigger your email platform uses.
These flows are valuable because the customer has already demonstrated a strong interest in buying.
Example abandoned-cart sequence
Email 1: Send after one or two hours
Remind the customer what they left behind and provide a clear return-to-cart button.
Keep the tone useful. The customer may simply have been interrupted or wanted more time to decide.
Email 2: Send around 24 hours later
Address common concerns that can prevent a purchase.
Depending on the store, this might include:
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Delivery times
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Returns information
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Product guarantees
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Sizing advice
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Payment options
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Customer reviews
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Answers to common product questions
Email 3: Send after another 24–48 hours
Provide a final reminder. If discounts are part of your strategy, this is where you might introduce one—but avoid training customers to abandon their carts whenever they want a better price.
Do not rely on discounts alone
An abandoned cart does not always mean the product is too expensive.
Customers may leave because:
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Delivery information is unclear
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They cannot find the returns policy
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The checkout feels confusing
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They are unsure which size or option to select
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Their preferred payment method is unavailable
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They were distracted before finishing
Use abandoned-cart reporting alongside customer feedback to identify problems in the store itself. Email can recover some journeys, but it should not be used to disguise a consistently poor checkout experience.
4. Post-Purchase Email Flow
The customer journey does not end when an order is placed.
A post-purchase flow can reduce uncertainty, help customers get more value from their products and create natural opportunities for repeat business.
Order confirmations and dispatch notifications are transactional messages. Your broader post-purchase marketing flow should complement them rather than repeat the same information.
Example post-purchase flow
Email 1: Thank the customer
Send a genuine thank-you message after the order.
You can reinforce what happens next, but avoid sending a promotional message before the customer has had time to feel confident about their original purchase.
Email 2: Product guidance
Send useful information related to the product.
Examples include:
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Setup instructions
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Care advice
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Recipes
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Styling suggestions
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Product usage tips
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Answers to common questions
This type of content can reduce support requests and improve the customer’s experience.
Email 3: Review request
Ask for a review after the customer has had enough time to receive and use the product.
The appropriate delay will depend on what you sell. A request sent shortly after ordering may arrive before the product does.
Email 4: Relevant recommendation
Recommend a complementary product, refill or replacement when the timing makes sense.
Recommendations should reflect the original purchase. A carefully selected suggestion feels more helpful than a generic catalogue promotion.
Segment first-time and repeat customers
A first-time customer may need more reassurance and brand education. A returning customer already understands the buying experience and may respond better to loyalty benefits, early access or recommendations based on previous orders.
Separating these groups can make post-purchase emails more relevant.
5. Customer Win-Back Flow
A win-back or re-engagement flow is designed for customers who have not purchased for a meaningful period.
The correct delay depends on the normal buying cycle. A coffee subscription, skincare product and piece of furniture will each have very different repurchase patterns.
Do not automatically define every customer as inactive after 30 or 60 days. Start with your store’s actual customer and order data.
Example win-back flow
Email 1: Reintroduce the brand
Show the customer what has changed since their last order.
This could include new products, improved formulations, updated collections or useful content.
Email 2: Personalised recommendations
Recommend products related to their previous purchase or browsing behaviour.
Explain why the suggestion may be relevant rather than presenting it as a random promotion.
Email 3: Optional incentive
If appropriate, offer a reason to return. This might be a discount, free delivery, loyalty reward or early access to a product.
Email 4: Preference or permission check
If the customer remains disengaged, ask whether they still want to receive marketing emails.
This helps protect the quality of your list and gives the subscriber control over future communication.
Shopify Email or Klaviyo: Which Should You Use?
Shopify provides native tools for marketing emails and automations. Its current automation options include welcome emails, abandoned browse, abandoned cart, abandoned checkout, post-purchase and win-back messages.
For stores that need straightforward email automation within Shopify, the native tools may provide a suitable starting point.
Klaviyo is often considered when a business needs more detailed segmentation, personalisation, reporting or complex multi-step flows.
The right choice depends on:
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The size of your subscriber list
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The complexity of your customer journeys
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The amount of segmentation required
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Your reporting needs
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Your available budget
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Who will manage the system after setup
Start with the platform you can manage properly. A smaller set of well-written, actively reviewed flows is usually more useful than a complicated system nobody maintains.
Before You Activate an Email Flow
Every automation should be tested before it goes live.
Check:
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The trigger starts at the correct point
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Customers leave the flow after purchasing where appropriate
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Existing automations do not send duplicate messages
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Delays between emails are sensible
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Product information appears correctly
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Discount codes work
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Links return customers to the right page
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Desktop and mobile layouts are readable
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Sender details are correct
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Consent and unsubscribe requirements are respected
Place a test order, abandon a test cart and subscribe using a test address. Experience each journey as a customer rather than relying only on the workflow diagram.
Measure and Improve Your Shopify Email Flows
Automations should not be treated as a one-off setup task.
Review their performance regularly and look at:
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Successful deliveries
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Click-through rates
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Orders attributed to the flow
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Unsubscribe rates
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Spam complaints
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Performance by individual email
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Differences between customer segments
Open rates can be directionally useful, but privacy features make them less reliable than they once were. Give more attention to clicks, conversions, customer behaviour and the quality of the overall experience.
Testing should focus on meaningful changes such as the offer, content, timing or call to action—not small cosmetic changes that are unlikely to influence the result.
Which Shopify Email Flow Should You Build First?
For a new programme, a practical order is:
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Welcome series
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Abandoned cart or checkout
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Post-purchase flow
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Browse abandonment
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Win-back flow
The best order may change depending on the business. A store with many subscribers but few first purchases might prioritise its welcome series. A store with strong acquisition but limited repeat business may benefit more from post-purchase and win-back journeys.
Begin with the clearest gap in your customer experience.
Final Thoughts
The best Shopify email flows do more than send discounts automatically.
They welcome subscribers, answer questions, reduce uncertainty and keep the brand useful before and after a purchase.
Start with a small number of well-planned flows. Make sure each message has a clear purpose, test the complete journey and improve it using real customer behaviour.