Email marketing for online stores: the five flows to set up before you send a newsletter
Set up five automated flows before you plan a single campaign: welcome, abandoned checkout, post-purchase, win-back and replenishment. They are written once, sent at the moment each customer acts, and need a monthly check rather than a weekly deadline.
"Email marketing agency" is searched about 4,400 times a month in the UK and the US, and "Klaviyo agency" about 390 times (Google Ads, October 2026). Much of what those agencies set up in the first month is the same short list. Here it is, with what goes in each message, so you can build it yourself or judge a proposal.
Campaigns and flows
A campaign goes to many people on a day you choose: a launch, a sale, a newsletter. A flow goes to one person because of something they just did: signed up, left a checkout, bought. Flows reach people when their attention is highest, which is why they come first.
The five flows
| Flow | Trigger | Messages | What it says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome | Joins the list | 2 to 3 | What you make and why, what was promised at sign-up, the best place to start |
| Abandoned checkout | Starts checkout, does not pay | 2 to 3 | The product they left, then answers to the usual doubts: shipping, returns, payment |
| Post-purchase | Places an order | 2 to 3 | Thanks, how to use or care for the product, a review request once it has arrived |
| Win-back | No order for a set time | 2 | What is new, and a reason to return |
| Replenishment | The product is about to run out | 1 to 2 | A reminder and a direct link to reorder |
The first message of each flow should leave quickly; the following ones can wait a day or more. A discount is a last resort, not an opening line: start with reassurance.
Before you send anything
Consent
In the UK and the EU, marketing email needs consent or an existing customer relationship for similar products, and an easy way to opt out. In the US, CAN-SPAM requires a working unsubscribe link and a postal address in every message. Never import a bought list.
Authentication
Since February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo require bulk senders to authenticate their domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, offer one-click unsubscribe and keep spam complaints low. Your email platform walks you through the DNS records; it is a one-hour job that decides whether you reach the inbox.
A connected store
Flows run on store data: orders, checkouts, products viewed. On Shopify the main platforms connect in a few clicks. Check that the data really arrives before building anything.
What goes in each email
- A subject line that says what is inside.
- One idea and one button.
- Text that works without images, since many inboxes block them by default.
- A design that looks like your store, readable on a phone with one thumb.
- A human sender name and a reply address somebody reads.
Klaviyo, Shopify Email or Mailchimp?
| Klaviyo | Shopify Email | Mailchimp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | E-commerce, driven by purchase data | Stores that want email inside the Shopify admin | Newsletters and small lists |
| Strength | Segmentation and flows in depth | Nothing to connect | Quick to learn |
| Check | Pricing rises with list size | How far automation goes for your needs | Which automations your plan includes |
Pick the one that reads your store data best. Contacts and their consent can be moved later.
What to measure
- Revenue per flow and per recipient.
- Click rate. Open rates have been unreliable since Apple Mail began loading images automatically in 2021.
- Unsubscribes and spam complaints: if they rise, send less.
- List growth, and where new subscribers come from.
When an email marketing agency is worth it
You can build a welcome flow yourself in an afternoon. An agency earns its fee on the rest: clean data, deliverability, writing and design in your brand's voice, testing, and a monthly review that changes something. Questions to ask:
- Will the account, the list and the templates stay in our name?
- Who writes and who designs, and can we see three emails they sent for a store like ours?
- What will the monthly report show, apart from open rates?
Our own scope is on the email automation page: setup or migration, the flows above, newsletter design and monthly optimisation, in English, French or Arabic. If you are considering a team outside your country, this article covers how that works in practice. To have your current setup looked at, get in touch.
Questions
Which email flows should an online store set up first?
Welcome, abandoned checkout and post-purchase first, then win-back and replenishment. Together they cover the moments when a customer is most attentive.
What is the difference between an email campaign and a flow?
A campaign is sent to many people on a date you choose. A flow is sent automatically to one person after an action such as signing up, leaving a checkout or buying.
What do Gmail and Yahoo require from email senders?
Since February 2024, bulk senders must authenticate their domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC, offer one-click unsubscribe and keep spam complaint rates low.
Do I need Klaviyo, or is Shopify Email enough?
Shopify Email is enough to start with simple automations. Klaviyo goes further on segmentation and flows. Choose on how well the tool uses your store data, not on its feature list.
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