Key takeaways

• Klaviyo's 2026 benchmarks show flows drive nearly 41% of email revenue from just 5.3% of sends.
• Run abandoned cart (Added to Cart) and abandoned checkout (Started Checkout) as two separate flows, because checkout starters show stronger intent.
• Every purchase-driven flow needs a "Placed Order zero times since starting this flow" filter so buyers stop getting nudged.
• Klaviyo recommends a 3-email welcome series over one week: day 0, day 3 and day 7.
• Time winback and replenishment flows to your real buying cycle, not a generic 30 or 90 days.
• A sunset flow protects deliverability, but it doesn't suppress anyone on its own: you still have to suppress the flagged segment.
• Track one metric per flow so you know which ones to fix first.

Campaigns get the attention, but flows do the steady work. Klaviyo's 2026 email benchmarks by industry, built on data from over 183,000 Klaviyo customers, found that flows generate nearly 41% of total email revenue from just 5.3% of sends. That's why klaviyo flows for shopify are the first thing we check in any new account.

Most stores launch a welcome email and a cart reminder, then stop. That leaves gaps: browsers who never carted, customers due for a reorder, buyers who went quiet months ago.

This guide walks through the 10 core flows we build for Shopify brands, in the order a shopper meets them. For each one you'll get the trigger as Klaviyo names it, suggested timing, how many messages to send, what each message does and one metric to watch. If you'd rather have it built for you, our Klaviyo email marketing team sets up and manages these flows for Shopify brands every day.

Why flows matter more than campaigns

Flows earn more per send because they fire at the exact moment someone shows intent. Klaviyo reports that flows get a 5.58% click rate against 1.69% for campaigns, and 13 times the placed order rate.

A campaign goes out on your schedule. Klaviyo flows for Shopify go out on the shopper's: right after they sign up, view a product or leave checkout.

The 10 flows at a glance

Here's the full set in one table, so you can spot what's missing from your account before reading the detail.

Pre-purchase flows

These four flows catch people before they buy.

Welcome series

The klaviyo welcome series turns a new subscriber into a first-time buyer. Klaviyo's welcome series guide builds it on the "Added to list" trigger tied to your main signup list, and recommends 3 emails over a week.

1. Email 1 (immediately): introduce the brand, deliver any signup offer and collect preferences.
2. Email 2 (day 3): show proof and personality, like reviews, founder story or social channels.
3. Email 3 (day 7): feature bestsellers and remind them the offer is still waiting.

Metric to watch: placed order rate on email 1. If it's weak, the offer or the subject line is the problem, not the sequence.

Browse abandonment

A browse abandonment flow reaches shoppers who viewed a product but didn't add it to cart. The trigger is the Viewed Product metric, and Klaviyo suggests waiting at least one hour before the first message.

Filter out anyone who has placed an order or started checkout since entering, and add "hasn't been in this flow in the last 30 days" so frequent browsers don't get hammered. If you also run an Added to Cart flow, exclude carters here too. Keep it light: one email showing the exact product they viewed, then an optional second with related items or reviews.

Metric to watch: click rate. Browse emails are a soft touch, so clicks back to the product page tell you if the content is relevant.

Alt text: Browse abandonment email showing a viewed product on a phone, Lantern Sol

Abandoned cart

The klaviyo abandoned cart flow targets shoppers who added an item but never started checkout. It runs on the Added to Cart metric, and Shopify stores need the "Track behavioral events" setting turned on for Klaviyo to capture it.

Klaviyo's abandoned cart setup guide recommends 2 to 3 messages: the first 2 to 4 hours after the trigger and the second 20 to 48 hours later. Add a filter for "Started Checkout zero times since starting this flow" so these shoppers don't also land in your checkout flow.

4. Message 1: a plain reminder with the cart contents and a direct link back.
5. Message 2: reviews, guarantees or shipping details that answer common objections.
6. Message 3 (optional): an incentive, if your margins allow it.

Metric to watch: revenue per recipient. Klaviyo's 2026 abandoned cart benchmark report puts the average at $6.77 per email recipient, with the top 10% reaching $13.70.

Abandoned checkout

The abandoned checkout flow catches the highest-intent shoppers: people who entered contact details and started paying. It's triggered by Started Checkout, which Klaviyo says most of its prebuilt abandoned cart flows use by default.

Klaviyo recommends running it separately from the Added to Cart flow, since checkout starters often need different timing or messaging. Use the same 2 to 4 hour first send and 20 to 48 hour follow-up, and keep "Placed Order zero times since starting this flow" on every message. SMS fits well here: Klaviyo's benchmark shows abandoned cart texts averaging a 10.3% click rate.

Metric to watch: placed order rate. If it sits close to your Added to Cart flow, your checkout messaging isn't pulling its weight.

Want a second pair of eyes on your existing setup? Our email marketing specialists can audit your flows and show you where revenue is slipping.

Post-purchase flows

Once someone buys, the goal shifts from recovery to a second order, which is where lifetime value is made.

Post-purchase thank you

The post-purchase flow thanks the customer and sets up the next order. Klaviyo's guide builds it on the Placed Order trigger and says time delays are not recommended for thank you emails, so send right away.

Use a conditional split on first-time versus repeat buyers. First-timers get a warm welcome and how-to content; repeat buyers get thanks and loyalty status. Keep order and shipping confirmations in separate transactional flows, because Klaviyo notes that a transactional email can't include marketing content.

Metric to watch: repeat purchase rate among first-time buyers over the next 60 to 90 days.

Cross-sell

The cross-sell flow recommends what a customer is likely to buy next. Klaviyo's built-in version uses Fulfilled Order, because it's closer to when the product actually arrives, and sends 14 days after fulfillment.

Recommend complementary products, then preview the email to check it isn't showing items they already bought. One or two emails is plenty. A filter for "Fulfilled Order zero times since starting this flow" stops the sequence if they reorder.

Metric to watch: revenue per recipient compared with your average campaign.

Review request

The review request flow gathers social proof from real buyers. Klaviyo recommends a Fulfilled Order trigger with a delay longer than your average delivery time, such as 14 days, since fulfillment doesn't confirm delivery.

Send one ask, plus a gentle reminder if you want. Don't offer incentives tied to positive reviews: Klaviyo's own post-purchase guide flags this directly.

Metric to watch: review submission rate.

Replenishment

The replenishment flow reminds customers to reorder before they run out. It's triggered by Placed Order with an "Items contains" filter for the product, and Shopify stores get a prebuilt template.

Klaviyo's example for a 30-day supply sends the first reminder around day 25, a second 3 days later, then a follow-up after the projected cycle ends, which can carry an incentive. That's three emails. If the flow is product-specific, limit the exit filter to that product so an unrelated purchase doesn't cancel the reminder.

Metric to watch: reorder rate within the replenishment window.

Alt text: Shopify replenishment email reminder for a skincare product, Lantern Sol

Retention and list health flows

The last two flows deal with customers and subscribers who've gone quiet.

Winback

The winback flow re-engages customers who haven't bought in a while. It also runs on Placed Order, with a "Placed Order zero times since starting this flow" filter, and a first delay set slightly longer than your average buying cycle.

Klaviyo recommends three emails. The first is a short touchpoint with 3 to 6 bestsellers or new arrivals and an incentive. The second reminds them of the offer with an expiration date. The third is the last call, with a clear unsubscribe link.

Metric to watch: placed order rate on email 1. It tells you if your timing matches the real buying cycle.

Sunset

The sunset flow cleans out subscribers who never engage, which protects inbox placement for everyone else. It's segment-triggered, usually off Klaviyo's prebuilt Sunset (Email) segment, and sends 1 to 3 emails asking people to stay or unsubscribe.

After a short grace period, a property update marks remaining profiles as Unengaged. Klaviyo is clear that this doesn't unsubscribe or suppress anyone, so build a segment of those profiles and suppress them yourself.

Metric to watch: open rate on your next campaigns after the cleanup.

How we prioritize flows for a new Shopify account

When we set up Klaviyo flows for Shopify brands, we start with the flows closest to the sale, then work outward. In most accounts we build or rebuild abandoned checkout, abandoned cart, welcome and browse abandonment first, then post-purchase, cross-sell and review, then replenishment, winback and sunset.

For Creative Arcades, a Lantern Sol client, we delivered a rebuilt Klaviyo account with a five-email welcome series and a five-email post-purchase series, and the Creative Arcades case study reports email sales grew 25% alongside paid and organic gains. Results vary by brand, list size and offer.

Klaviyo flow examples worth stealing

The best klaviyo flow examples share three habits: one clear job per message, filters that pull buyers out immediately and content that changes based on what the person did.

• Split your welcome series on whether the subscriber has already purchased, so buyers skip the first-order discount.
• Swap generic product grids for dynamic blocks showing the exact item viewed or carted.
• Add a value split to post-purchase emails, for example orders over $100, and give big spenders VIP messaging.
• Use Smart Sending so one shopper doesn't get three flows in a single afternoon.

Lantern Sol is a Klaviyo Silver Master partner, and these are the patterns we lean on across Shopify accounts. If you want your klaviyo flows for shopify audited and rebuilt by people who do this daily, talk to our team about your email program.

What to read next:

• How to increase your Shopify conversion rate
• Lantern Sol client case studies

Klaviyo flows FAQs

What flows should a Shopify store set up first in Klaviyo?

Start with abandoned checkout, abandoned cart, welcome series and browse abandonment. Of all the Klaviyo flows for Shopify, these sit closest to the purchase, so they recover revenue fastest. Add post-purchase, cross-sell, review, replenishment, winback and sunset flows once those are live and tested.

What's the difference between abandoned cart and abandoned checkout in Klaviyo?

Abandoned cart flows trigger on Added to Cart, when someone adds an item but doesn't start checkout. Abandoned checkout flows trigger on Started Checkout, after the shopper enters contact details. Klaviyo recommends running both as separate flows because checkout starters show stronger purchase intent.

How many emails should an abandoned cart flow have?

Klaviyo recommends 2 to 3 messages. Send the first 2 to 4 hours after the trigger and the second 20 to 48 hours later. A third message can carry an incentive if your margins support it.

When should a welcome series send?

Klaviyo's guidance is three emails over one week: the first immediately after signup, the second three days later and the third about four days after that. Adjust if your sales cycle is longer, but don't delay the first email.

Should I add SMS to my Klaviyo flows?

Yes, for the highest-intent flows. Klaviyo's 2026 abandoned cart benchmarks show texts averaging a 10.3% click rate against 6.0% for email, though email earned more revenue per recipient. Pair them: email first, then a text for shoppers who haven't come back.

How often should I review my flows?

Check performance monthly and do a full review each quarter. Compare each flow against its one metric and refresh stale creative.