Top 10 Revenue Driving Email Flows for E-Commerce Businesses

‍What are email flows?

They are a series of automated, pre-designed emails that are sent to customers or subscribers and are usually triggered by a specific website action. These flows are ongoing and run behind the scenes to help gain interest, revenue and loyalty from your subscribers. 

There are CRM platforms available to help with email automation and creating email flows and campaigns, such as Klaviyo, so as your business grows you can keep communicating with your customers and maintain their loyalty to your brand.

10 revenue & loyalty email flows

Here are 10 email flows we suggest that ALL ecommerce brands should have set up in their Klaviyo account.

1. Subscriber Welcome

Welcome! A friendly reminder to new subscribers that they are appreciated, and part of a community can go a long way. It can increase trust in the brand and build a sense of care which can leave a good impression going forward.

Send a positive email with some key details of the brand that are important to you so new subscribers know what you are all about right away. It is very common to include an introductory offer in these emails to start building a relationship with your subscribers and drive-up sales from the start. This is the top revenue generating flow for lots of brands.

‍2. Cart Abandonment

Life gets in the way sometimes, and for whatever reason carts get dropped. This principle is similar to ‘browse abandonment’ but this time we know the customer is almost ready to purchase, so the chances of them clicking and acting on the email sent will be greater. 

Set up the email with an opening phrase that grabs their attention, reminding them that they have left something in the cart. You can even add a promotion or time limit to cart expiry to give them an incentive to purchase as soon as possible. again, include customer service details here to remove any friction.

3. Browse Abandonment

Customers may browse your website and view items they are interested in but struggle to make the decision to purchase them. If there is a trend of a customer repeatedly viewing particular items, this shows they likely have an interest in them. Send an automated email to the browser to give them the push they may need to convert. 

Keep the email personalised, supportive and avoid any pushy language which could deter the customer. Include a product block showing the item they viewed and encourage them to continue where they left off. Include customer support contact information for them to get any questions answered.

4. Post-purchase ‘Thank you’

After a customer has purchased an item, sending an email to say thank you may remind them it was a good decision to choose your brand and products. This continues to build the positive relationship you have with the customer and reminds them that you are a brand that cares. 

It’s important to be upbeat and praise them for their loyalty to your brand! Post-purchase flows can be split to send to first-time or multiple buyer customers and can include CTAs like:

• Get a discount off your next purchase
• Follow us on social media
• Give us a review
• Try these similar products

5. Win back

This type of email reminds customers of your brands’ value to them even if they haven’t been active with your brand for a while. It reminds them you still care, that they can still count on your brand and most importantly that you still exist!

Sometimes customers forget about things through their busy lives so remind them and maybe they’ll re-engage with your brand again! You can automate this by setting a time between previous engagement and the email being sent. For example, you can set up a flow to send an email to a customer 90 days after their last order - or coincide this with data you might have on ‘Average Time Between Orders’.

You could open with phrases like ‘We miss you!’ or ‘It’s been a while!’ and even throw-in a little incentive to help lure them back to you.

6. Replenishment Reminder

Repeat purchasers spend three times as much as first-time customers.

Send an automated message before customers' expected date of next order as a reminder to re-order with your store before they go elsewhere. The aim is to catch them just before they run out of your product, making it easy for them to reorder with a few clicks.

Craft a fun, attention grabbing headline e.g. 'Down to the last roll?' if you are a toilet roll subscription brand and show them the product they might need to reorder.

7. Product Up-Sell / Cross-Sell

This flow uses data analytics of previous purchases/categories and viewing activity. For example, if customers have bought the same product more than once, you could try an upsell them to a subscription. Use these flows to share similar products at a higher price point to encourage higher spend.

You can set up a flow where if a customer purchases one item, another item similar to it or designed to go with it is recommended. This drives repeat customers as it feels personal to the customer and is tailored to their needs at the time. 

There are many different flows and triggers that can be created here so creativity is key!

You could start with a leading phrase such as ‘If you liked this product, you are going to love this one…’ including a product block with suggested products or zone in one product in a product spotlight.

8. Order confirmations

Order confirmation emails may seem like a simple option, but they are really useful tools to gain trust from your customers. They can also boost customer excitement as they know their product is in safe hands and going to be on its way soon.

This email sent should be upbeat and exciting! You can also create email flows when the order is on its way and being processed to increase trust and enthusiasm.

9. Asking for Feedback

Asking for feedback from customers after a purchase can help show you care and make the customers feel part of a community. This could increase their desire to stick with the brand, and any positive feedback given may help drive repeat customers for a specific product or service.

Lead with positive questions like ‘Did you enjoy the product? Let us know below!’ to continue to build your relationship with the customers.

10. Birthday / anniversary

Making a customer feel like a VIP is a great way to help them build a positive view of your brand. Recalling customer milestones such as their birthdays or anniversaries from when they first subscribed to or bought from your brand can make them feel that way.

Start with simple phrases outlining the milestone and why you value them as a customer. You can also add a discount just for them if it’s a major milestone like a birthday to personalise it further.

Next steps:

Now you know why email flows are so important for e-commerce businesses and the top 10 flows we recommend, so why not give them a go? You can sign up to a CRM platform, sync to your website and try to make flows for yourself. The 10 we’ve listed here are of course general flow ideas, so personalise them how you like and craft the email templates that best suit your needs. Be creative and build up your brand. You’ve got this!

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