Email flows for Shopify: the automations that bring in revenue first

Why flows come before campaigns

Campaigns are newsletters you send to a list. Flows are automated emails triggered by a specific behaviour: a sign-up, an abandoned checkout, a purchase. Because they arrive at the right moment, they earn considerably more per email.

Klaviyo puts numbers on this in its Email Benchmarks 2026 (data base: more than 183,000 Klaviyo customers): flows generate almost 41% of total email revenue but account for only 5.3% of sends. According to Klaviyo, revenue per recipient is almost 18 times higher than for campaigns. The average click rate is 5.58% for flows and 1.69% for campaigns. Around 48% of flow revenue comes from new customers, compared with 16% for campaigns.

There are two limitations you should know about. Klaviyo does not state an exact survey period. And the figures are based on Klaviyo's own revenue attribution, not on a test against a control group. Some of these purchases would have happened without an email. The figures are still useful for prioritising: they show where the most money per recipient lies.

The order by impact

Klaviyo's Abandoned Cart Benchmark Report 2026 (more than 110,000 customers, published in October 2026) compares the revenue per recipient (RPR) of the most important flow types. The figures are given in US dollars:

Flow	Average RPR	Top 10% RPR	Average click rate
Abandoned cart/checkout	$6.77	$13.70	6.0%
Welcome	$5.75	$13.27	6.5%
Browse abandonment	$2.08	$4.32	5.6%
Post-purchase	$1.80	$2.77	5.1%
Win-back	$0.82	$1.60	2.8%

Klaviyo does not publish figures for back-in-stock and replenishment flows in this report. This gives the following order for building them:

1. Abandoned cart and checkout: highest RPR, the purchase intent is already there.
2. Welcome: almost as high an RPR, and the flow that brings new customers to their first purchase.
3. Browse abandonment: lower RPR, but often many recipients.
4. Post-purchase with cross-sell: builds towards the second purchase.
5. Back in stock: straight away if your bestsellers regularly sell out.
6. Replenishment: important for consumable products.
7. Win-back: last, because its RPR is the lowest.

RPR alone does not decide, though. A flow's monthly revenue is recipients times RPR. Here is an example calculation using our own, deliberately cautious assumptions for a store that has 900 checkout abandoners with a known address, 600 new subscribers and 2,000 identified product viewers each month:

• Abandoned checkout: 900 × €3.00 = €2,700
• Welcome: 600 × €2.50 = €1,500
• Browse abandonment: 2,000 × €0.80 = €1,600

The assumed RPRs are clearly below Klaviyo's average. You can see your own recipient numbers in Shopify and Klaviyo. With them, you can do this calculation for your store in ten minutes.

Timing and number of emails

The following starting values are starting points for testing, not benchmarks. Where there is a source, it is named.

Abandoned cart and checkout

In its benchmark report, Klaviyo describes a typical sequence of three messages: a reminder after 2 to 4 hours, a second message after 24 hours, and a final one after 48 hours with alternatives or a request for feedback. The standard flow for Shopify starts with the "Checkout Started" event. According to Klaviyo Help, you can also trigger a flow on "Added to Cart", which reaches visitors before checkout. This requires the Klaviyo app embed and the "Track behavioral events" setting to be active.

Welcome

Starting value: three to four emails over around two weeks. The first arrives immediately after sign-up and contains what was promised in the form. Then come the brand, bestsellers and reviews. Anyone who buys leaves the flow.

Browse abandonment

Starting value: one to two emails, the first a few hours after the visit. Exclude people who are already in the cart flow, otherwise they will receive duplicate reminders.

Post-purchase and cross-sell

Starting value: a thank-you or how-to email after delivery, and a matching add-on a few days later. For the cross-sell, choose products that go with the item purchased rather than general bestsellers.

Replenishment

The timing follows consumption. Example calculation: a bottle of a care product lasts about 50 days with daily use. The first reminder then goes out around day 40, a second around day 50.

Win-back

The flow starts when a customer has gone significantly longer than usual without buying. To set this, work out the typical gap between first and second purchase from your order data. Starting value: two to three emails.

Back in stock

According to Klaviyo Help, the flow needs a back-in-stock form in the store and the "Subscribed to Back in Stock" trigger. A minimum quantity determines the stock level at which notifications are sent. If quantities are limited, you can notify subscribers in batches so that no more interested buyers arrive than there is stock.

Metrics: revenue per recipient instead of open rate

Assess every flow by revenue per recipient. It combines reach, clicks and orders in one number and makes flows comparable with each other. Placed order rate and unsubscribe rate also count.

Klaviyo reports average placed order rates for flows of between 1.62% (apparel) and 2.17% (home and garden). If a flow is well below that, check the trigger and filters first, then the subject line and offer. Open rate helps with subject lines but says nothing about revenue.

Also compare periods of the same length and take seasonality and discount promotions into account. A flow that is strong in November has not automatically got better.

Segmentation and filters

Good flows send less, but to the right people. These rules have proven themselves:

• Exclude buyers: every abandonment flow needs a filter that removes people who have ordered since the flow started.
• Separate new and existing customers: people who have already bought do not need a first-purchase discount in the welcome flow.
• Use discounts sparingly: Klaviyo points out in its benchmark report that discounts can train customers to wait for offers. Start without a discount and only test one in the second or third email.
• Use cart value: for high cart values, an additional email is worthwhile, for example with an offer of personal advice.
• Coordinate channels: if you use SMS, decide which channel sends first so that nobody is reminded twice.

On the legal side: under § 7 (2) UWG (the German Act against Unfair Competition), advertising by email generally requires prior express consent. § 7 (3) UWG allows advertising to existing customers for similar products of your own under four conditions, including a notice of the right to object in every email. Clarify with your legal adviser on which basis each of your flows sends. This section is not legal advice.

Checklist for getting started

• Shopify is connected to Klaviyo, the app embed and "Track behavioral events" are active.
• The abandoned checkout flow with three emails is running, and buyers are excluded.
• The welcome flow delivers the promise from the sign-up form immediately.
• Browse abandonment excludes people in the cart flow.
• The post-purchase flow is timed to delivery, not to the order.
• The back-in-stock form and minimum stock level are set up.
• Replenishment timing is based on how long the product lasts, win-back on your purchase interval.
• Every flow is reviewed monthly by revenue per recipient, placed order rate and unsubscribe rate.
• Consents are documented, and every email contains an unsubscribe link.
• The sender domain is authenticated with SPF, DKIM and DMARC.

Start with the cart, welcome and browse flows, then build out the rest flow by flow. If you would like support with this: Minotaurus sets up Klaviyo flows for Shopify stores and optimises them on an ongoing basis.

Sources

1. Klaviyo: Email Marketing Benchmarks 2026
2. Klaviyo: 2026 Abandoned Cart Benchmark Report
3. Klaviyo Help: Abandoned cart flow with the Shopify "Added to Cart" trigger
4. Klaviyo Help: Setting up back in stock for Shopify
5. § 7 UWG – Unacceptable nuisance (dejure.org, German)