Flows first, campaigns second
A campaign goes to a list at a time you choose. A flow goes to one person at a time you didn't choose, because they did something: signed up, browsed, left a basket, bought, went quiet. That's why flows usually earn far more per email than campaigns. They're relevant by design.
If you're only sending campaigns, you're leaving the easiest money on the table. Get the flows below running, then build your campaign calendar on top of them.
Before the first purchase
1. Welcome series
Trigger: someone joins your list.
This is the most read sequence you will ever send, so it deserves real effort. Deliver whatever you promised on the signup form straight away. Then use the next few emails to tell your story, show your bestsellers, answer the usual questions, and give people a reason to buy now rather than someday. Split it by whether they've bought yet, so customers don't get told about a first order discount they can't use.
2. Browse abandonment
Trigger: a known subscriber looks at a product and leaves without adding it to their basket.
Keep it gentle. They were only looking. One or two emails showing what they viewed and a few related items is plenty. This flow depends on your platform recognising the visitor, so it only reaches people who are already on your list.
3. Abandoned cart
Trigger: something goes in the basket, but no checkout.
Usually three or four emails over a few days, starting within the hour. We've written a full guide to abandoned cart emails covering timing, copy and when a discount makes sense.
4. Abandoned checkout
Trigger: checkout started, no order placed.
These people got very close. Treat it as its own flow, separate from the cart flow, and deal directly with checkout friction: delivery cost, payment options, returns. Make sure nobody gets both flows at the same time.
After the first purchase
5. Post purchase thank you
Trigger: an order is placed.
Your order confirmation handles the receipt. This flow handles the relationship. Say thanks like a person would, set expectations for delivery, and help them get the most out of what they bought. First time buyers and repeat customers should get different versions. The gap between a first and second order is where most brands lose people, and this flow is how you close it.
6. Review request
Trigger: a set number of days after delivery.
Time it for when they've actually had a chance to use the product, which is different for a candle than for a mattress. Reviews feed back into your abandoned cart emails, your product pages and your ads, so this flow pays for itself twice.
7. Replenishment or cross sell
Trigger: time since purchase, based on how long the product lasts.
If you sell anything that runs out, remind people just before it does. If you don't, suggest the thing that naturally goes with what they bought. This is the flow that turns a one off purchase into a habit.
8. Winback
Trigger: a customer hasn't ordered in longer than your usual buying cycle.
Work out your typical gap between orders first. For some brands it's 45 days, for others it's six months. Then reach out a little after that point with something new to look at, and only lead with an offer in the later emails.
9. Sunset
Trigger: a subscriber hasn't opened or clicked in a long time.
This is the one people skip, and it matters more than it looks. Ask disengaged subscribers if they still want to hear from you. If they don't respond, stop emailing them. Sending to people who never engage hurts your sender reputation, which pushes all your other emails towards the spam folder. A smaller list that actually opens beats a big one that doesn't.
Which order to build them in
If you're starting from nothing, this order gets money flowing fastest:
- Welcome series
- Abandoned checkout
- Abandoned cart
- Post purchase thank you
- Browse abandonment
- Winback and sunset together, since they work as a pair
- Review request and replenishment
Don't try to perfect each one before moving on. A decent version of all nine beats a flawless welcome series and nothing else. Launch, watch the numbers for a few weeks, then go back and improve the ones that matter most.
Get the whole map
We've put the full system we build for our eCommerce clients into a free blueprint: every flow, the trigger behind each one, and all 43 emails mapped send by send. You can get it here.
Want this built for you?
We set up flows like this for eCommerce and B2B brands every week. Book a 30 minute call and we'll look at what you have running now and tell you where the money is slipping out. You'll leave with at least one fix, whether we work together or not.