Klaviyo Flows Every Ecommerce Brand Needs in 2026
TL;DR Email flows should generate 30–50% of your Klaviyo revenue — but most brands build them once and forget them. This post covers the five foundational flows every ecommerce brand needs live and optimized (welcome, abandoned checkout, post-purchase, win-back, and browse abandonment), plus six advanced flows to build once the basics are performing. The brands seeing the strongest results aren't the ones with the most flows. They're the ones reviewing and optimizing them consistently.
In our conversations with ecommerce brand leaders, the same theme comes up again and again – email campaigns are often the squeaky wheel. They get so much of your attention because they are timely, and need to get created every day or every week (depending on your cadence). You need new content every time a campaign needs to be sent, so of course campaigns get the most attention. Meanwhile, your Klaviyo ecommerce flows are quietly generating revenue for your business and getting ignored because you built them once, flipped the ‘on’ switch and promptly forgot about them.
But here’s the thing. Email flows should account for at least 30-50% of your revenue from Klaviyo. Too often, we see that paying attention to the squeaky wheel means leaving dollars on the table when it comes to your email marketing flows. According to Omnisend’s 2026 Ecommerce report, Automations made up just 2% of all email sends, yet generated 30% of total email-driven revenue, and nearly one in three clicks on an automated email resulted in a purchase, making them some of the strongest buying signals across channels. Automations are also one of the strongest levers ecommerce marketers have when it comes to customer retention.
So which flows matter most, and where should you start if you're building from scratch? We’ll give you the full rundown below.
The Basics
These are the non-negotiables. After all, Abandoned cart and Welcome messages drive 76% of all automation-generated orders. If you don't have all five of these live and optimized, that's your starting point.
Welcome Flow (Pre-Purchase New Subscriber)
Trigger: New subscriber joins your email list before making a purchase
Goal: Build brand trust, introduce your story and products, and move a new subscriber toward their first purchase
3-5 emails
Benchmark: According to Klaviyo, welcome flows generate the highest revenue per recipient of any flow type
Abandoned Checkout Flow
Trigger: Customer starts checkout but doesn't complete the purchase
Goal: Recover the sale by removing friction – address hesitation, reinforce value, create urgency
3 emails
Benchmark: Klaviyo data shows abandoned checkout flows have an average open rate of 41.18% and a click rate of 9.17%
Trigger: Customer places an order
Goal: Confirm the purchase, set expectations for delivery, introduce related products, and start building the relationship that drives a second purchase
At least 1 email, but work up to 3-5 emails. Bonus points if you split this by first time and repeat buyers
Benchmark: ~42% open rate, ~6% click rate (Omnisend 2023 Email Marketing Benchmarks)
Win-Back Flow
Trigger: Customer hasn't placed an order in a defined number of days (typically 90–180, depending on your purchase cycle)
Goal: Re-engage lapsed customers before they're gone for good – remind them what they're missing and give them a reason to return
2-4 emails
Benchmark: ~28–35% open rate for the first email in the sequence (Omnisend)
Trigger: Subscriber browses product pages but doesn't add anything to cart
Goal: Bring them back to the product they were considering with a timely, relevant message
3 emails
Benchmark: Klaviyo reports browse abandonment flows have an average open rate of 38.87% and a click rate of 4.91%
Leveling Up
Once your foundational flows are live and performing, these are the next layer. Each one targets a specific behavior or customer segment and adds meaningful lift when built correctly.
Trigger: Customer adds an item to cart but doesn't start checkout
Goal: Recover revenue from shoppers who got close but didn't convert – this sits between browse abandonment and checkout abandonment in the funnel
3 emails
Benchmark: Klaviyo data shows abandoned cart flows average a 41.04% open rate and a 9.50% click rate
VIP Flow
Trigger: Customer crosses a spend threshold or purchase frequency that qualifies them as a top-tier buyer
Goal: Reward and deepen loyalty among your best customers — early access, exclusive offers, and direct acknowledgment go a long way here
The number/type of emails included in your VIP flows depends on the sophistication of your loyalty program. If you are working with Yotpo or similar, you’ll have a series of flows to build out to remind users about points, nurture them to the next level, send them birthday points and more. If you don’t yet have a loyalty program in place, you can still put a simple VIP flow in place by following the trigger above. This can be 1-3 emails rewarding them for reaching a certain level of loyalty.
Cross-Sell Flow
Trigger: Customer purchases a specific product that pairs naturally with another
Goal: Introduce complementary products at the moment they're most relevant, increasing average order value and purchase frequency
2-3 emails
Back in Stock Flow
Trigger: A previously out-of-stock item becomes available again
Goal: Convert subscribers who expressed interest when inventory was unavailable – these are high-intent buyers ready to purchase
2-3 emails
Benchmark: ~65% open rate, ~18% click rate – consistently their highest-performing automation (Omnisend). Back-in-stock emails delivered the highest conversion rates (6.46%) of any automation type
Sunset Flow
Trigger: Subscriber hasn't opened or clicked in a defined period (typically 90–180 days)
2-4 emails
Goal: Make one last attempt to re-engage before suppressing them – this protects your deliverability and keeps your active list clean
First Purchase Anniversary Flow
Trigger: One year since a customer's first order
1-2 emails
Goal: Acknowledge the relationship, reinforce brand loyalty, and give customers a reason to celebrate – and shop – with you again
One More Thing
The flows above are only as good as the attention you give them. Building them is step one. Optimizing them is the work that will set your performance apart. If you don’t remember the last time you really did a deep dive on your flows and their status – that’s where to start. Set up a system for yourself to look at one flow per week. Or monitor performance of all your active flows, and then look deeper into any that aren’t performing as they should be. However you approach it, your flows should get time and attention each week.
If you’re ready to take your flows to the next level, book a free strategy session with us. We’ll take a look at your flows and see where you’re leaving dollars on the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an abandoned cart flow and an abandoned checkout flow? These are two separate flows that target different drop-off points in the buying journey. An abandoned cart flow triggers when a customer adds a product to their cart but doesn't begin checkout. An abandoned checkout flow triggers when a customer starts the checkout process but doesn't complete it. Because abandoned checkout subscribers are further along in their intent, that flow typically drives higher conversion rates — but both are worth having.
How many emails should be in a welcome flow? Most welcome flows perform best with 3–5 emails. The goal is to introduce your brand story, build trust, and move a new subscriber toward their first purchase — and that takes more than one touchpoint. A single welcome email leaves a significant amount of potential revenue unrealized.
How do I know if my Klaviyo flows are actually working? Start with open rate, click rate, and attributed revenue per recipient for each flow. Klaviyo's analytics dashboard surfaces these by flow. If a flow has a low open rate, the issue is likely your subject lines or send timing. If open rate is strong but click rate is low, the content or CTA isn't connecting. Revenue per recipient is the number that tells you whether the flow is actually doing its job.
How often should I review my email flows? At minimum, set aside time to review one flow per week. Look at performance benchmarks, check that triggered conditions are firing correctly, and flag anything that hasn't been updated in six months or more. Flows are not set-it-and-forget-it — the brands generating 30–50% of their email revenue from automations are the ones giving them consistent attention.
What's the first flow I should build if I'm starting from scratch? Start with your welcome flow. It generates the highest revenue per recipient of any flow type according to Klaviyo, and it's the first impression a subscriber gets of your brand. Get that right before building anything else.