The Five Email Flows Every Shopify Store Should Have

Most Shopify stores are running paid ads, posting on Instagram, maybe even doing SEO, but skipping the email flows that would quietly generate revenue in the background. These five Klaviyo flows are worth having in place if you want email to pull its weight.

What is the most important email flow for a Shopify store?

The abandoned cart flow. Full stop. It's typically the single highest-converting automated flow a store can run, because the intent is already there - the shopper added something to their cart. A three-step sequence (immediate, a few hours later, a day later) is the baseline. Don't send one email and call it done.

How does a welcome flow make money for an ecommerce store?

Your welcome flow is one of the highest-leverage sequences you'll ever build. New subscribers are at peak interest - they just handed you their email address. A short welcome series (brand story, bestsellers, social proof, offer) consistently outperforms a single welcome email. Set it up once in Klaviyo, and it runs indefinitely.

Should Shopify stores use a browse abandonment flow?

Yes, and most don't. Browse abandonment targets visitors who viewed a product but never added it to cart. It's earlier in the funnel than cart abandonment, so the tone should be softer - think curiosity, not urgency. One well-timed email showing the product they looked at, with a single review underneath, does the job without feeling pushy.

What should a post-purchase email flow include?

Post-purchase is where retention actually starts. The sequence should cover: order confirmation (Shopify handles the transactional side, but Klaviyo lets you own the design), a delivery check-in, a review request once the product has had time to arrive and be used, and a cross-sell a bit later. Most stores stop at the Shopify default confirmation email - that's a missed opportunity.

This is also the moment to build loyalty rather than discount-dependency. Introduce your brand story, your sourcing, what makes you different. Customers who buy twice are meaningfully more likely to buy a third time.

When should a Shopify store set up a winback flow?

The moment your list has dormant segments, which is probably right now. A winback flow targets customers who haven't purchased in a while. Three emails work well: a "we miss you" with your best new products, a stronger incentive, and a final "last chance" before you suppress them from future sends. Keeping your list clean matters as much as growing it - poor deliverability drags down every other flow you've built.

All five of these run inside Klaviyo and connect directly to your Shopify store data. ANIBOT's email revenue service covers setup, copywriting, and ongoing optimisation if you'd rather not do it yourself.

Does email flow performance depend on product images?

More than most people admit. A flow with strong copy but low-quality product images will underperform - if your images look flat or inconsistent, every email you send carries that friction. AI-generated product visuals are now good enough to replace lifestyle photography for a lot of email use cases, and a lot faster to produce.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to set up these five email flows in Klaviyo?

A focused setup - flows built, copy written, logic tested - typically takes a few days if you're doing it yourself with existing brand assets. The abandoned cart and welcome flows should go live first; the others can follow within a week.

What open rate should I expect from my Shopify email flows?

This varies a lot by list quality, industry, and subject lines, so treat any single benchmark with caution. Abandoned cart and welcome flows tend to outperform regular campaigns, since they're triggered by real intent rather than sent cold. Track your own trend over time rather than chasing an external number.

Do I need all five flows before I run email campaigns?

No. Flows and campaigns serve different functions. Flows run automatically based on behaviour; campaigns are one-time sends to a segment. You can run campaigns from day one, but don't let campaigns distract you from building flows - campaigns require ongoing effort, flows compound over time.

How do I know if my email flows are actually working?

Track revenue per recipient inside Klaviyo, not just open rates. Check your flow analytics regularly and A/B test subject lines periodically. If a flow hasn't been reviewed in six months, it needs a look.

Want to know exactly what's holding your Shopify store's email back? Get your free AI Visibility scan and see where the gaps are.