Your Klaviyo flows earn while you sleep. The moment a subscriber signs up, starts a checkout, or views a product, a flow fires and keeps selling on the days you never open your laptop.

The three core Klaviyo flows for ecommerce are the welcome series, abandoned checkout, and browse abandonment. Flows drive around 41% of ecommerce email revenue from a small share of sends (Klaviyo's 2026 benchmark), and in the accounts we manage the same pattern holds: a handful of automations carry most of the email revenue. Build these three first, in this order.

What is an email flow?

An email flow, also called an automation, is a series of emails Klaviyo sends on its own when a subscriber does something specific. Someone joins your list, leaves a checkout, or looks at a product, and the emails go out without you touching anything.

That is the whole appeal. You build the flow once, and it keeps working on every new visitor your ads send. For where flows sit in the wider system, our guide to DTC email marketing fundamentals covers the full picture. This post is about the three you build first and the settings that decide whether they earn.

Flow 1: welcome series

The welcome series is your brand's first contact with a new subscriber. It triggers off the popup signup, the moment interest is highest, and it does the most work of any flow you will build.

In a supplement brand we manage, the welcome flow is the single highest-revenue automation, and its first email alone drives about 80% of that flow's revenue. So perfect email one before you write email five.

What the welcome series should include:

• A real welcome and a plain line on what the brand is about

• The offer you promised in the popup, front and center

• One clear button as the next step, not five competing links

Pro tip: don't put a time delay on the first email. Interest drops by the minute after signup, so send it the second someone joins. Our Klaviyo welcome flow setup guide walks through the exact build.

Flow 2: abandoned checkout

Someone reached the checkout and left. This is the highest-intent recovery moment in email, because they were minutes from buying. Around 70% of shoppers abandon their carts (Baymard Institute), so this flow reaches a lot of people who already wanted your product.

What the abandoned checkout flow should include:

• A reminder of exactly what they left, with product images pulled in dynamically

• One clear button straight back to their checkout

• A trust signal like reviews or a guarantee, rather than an instant discount

Send the first email within about 30 minutes of abandonment, while the intent is fresh. Segment by cart value or by specific products, so a $200 cart and a $20 cart do not get the same message.

Pro tip: hold the discount. A code in the first email trains repeat visitors to abandon on purpose to trigger it. Recover the sale with a reminder and a trust signal first, and save any offer for later in the series.

Flow 3: browse abandonment

Someone viewed a product and left without adding it to the cart. This is lower intent than a checkout, so the copy stays light. The shopper was curious, not committed, and a hard sell reads as creepy.

What the browse abandonment flow should include:

• A simple reminder of the product they looked at

• Low-pressure copy, a nudge and not a pitch

• An easy link straight back to the product page

• A delay set to the price: sooner for cheap impulse buys, later for considered purchases

The job here is a gentle second look, not pressure. Get that tone right and browse abandonment turns a share of curious visitors into buyers without annoying the rest.

Core Klaviyo flows FAQ

What are the core Klaviyo flows every ecommerce store needs?

Three: a welcome series triggered when someone signs up, an abandoned checkout flow when they leave mid-purchase, and a browse abandonment flow when they view a product and leave. They cover the highest-intent moments your store already creates, and each one runs automatically once built. Set them up in that order.

How soon should an abandoned checkout email send?

Send the first email within about 30 minutes of abandonment, while the intent is still fresh. A follow-up a day later can add a trust signal or an offer of help. Waiting hours or days lets the moment cool, and a cold reminder converts far worse than a warm one.

Should an abandoned checkout email include a discount?

Usually not in the first email. A reminder with the cart contents and a trust signal like reviews or a guarantee often recovers the sale without cutting your margin. Lead with a discount and repeat visitors learn to abandon on purpose to trigger it. Save any offer for a later email.

What is the difference between abandoned checkout and browse abandonment?

Abandoned checkout fires when someone reaches the checkout and leaves, the highest-intent recovery moment in email. Browse abandonment fires when someone views a product but never adds it to the cart. Checkout emails can push a little harder because the intent is clear. Browse emails stay light, since the shopper was only curious.

The bottom line

These three flows cover the highest-intent moments your store already creates, and each one runs on its own once it is built. All three only earn if they reach the inbox, so keep your email deliverability healthy underneath them. If none of the flows are live yet, start with the welcome series this week - it earns the most from the least work. And if you would rather have all three built and tuned by people who run them daily, see the email work we do for DTC brands.