The core flows, in priority order
1. Welcome flow
This is the first thing to build because it captures people at peak interest. Someone has just handed over their email address, usually in exchange for a discount or a guide. They will never be more curious about you than they are right now.
A solid welcome series runs three to five emails over the first week or two:
- Email one delivers the promised incentive immediately and sets expectations.
- Email two tells the brand story and why you exist.
- Email three handles bestsellers or social proof.
- A later email can nudge with a gentle reminder if the discount is unused.
Split the flow so people who buy after email one stop receiving the rest. Nothing erodes trust faster than chasing someone to convert when they already have.
2. Abandoned cart flow
Plenty of shoppers add to cart and leave. Phone rings, kettle boils, train arrives. The abandoned cart flow brings them back, and it is often the single highest earning automation in the account.
Keep it tight. Two to three emails works well: one within an hour while intent is warm, one the next morning, and an optional final reminder a day later. Show the exact items left behind, keep the path back to checkout to one click, and lead with the product rather than a discount. Save the incentive for the last email if at all, so you are not training customers to abandon on purpose to unlock a code.
3. Browse abandonment flow
A step earlier than the cart. Someone viewed a product, maybe more than once, but never added it. That is a real signal of interest worth acting on.
A single email, or two at most, usually does the job: a friendly nudge featuring the product they looked at, plus a couple of related items. Treat it as helpful rather than pushy. The aim is to remind, not to harass.
4. Post-purchase flow
The job is not done when the order lands. The post-purchase flow turns a first time buyer into a repeat customer, and repeat customers are where the margin lives.
Use it to:
- Confirm the order and set delivery expectations clearly.
- Share how to get the most from the product once it arrives.
- Ask for a review at the right moment, after they have actually used it.
- Introduce a complementary product when the timing makes sense.
This flow also quietly reduces support tickets, because customers who know what to expect ask fewer questions.
5. Winback flow
Customers go quiet. A winback flow targets people who bought once or twice and then disappeared for a set window, say 90 or 120 days depending on your buying cycle.
A short series acknowledging the gap, reminding them what they liked and offering a reason to return tends to recover a useful slice of otherwise lost revenue. For a London brand with a seasonal rhythm, tie the timing to your natural cycle rather than an arbitrary date.
6. Sunset and list hygiene flow
Less glamorous, more important than most people think. A sunset flow gives long term non-openers one last chance to re-engage, then quietly stops emailing those who do not.
Mailing people who never open drags down your deliverability and can land your campaigns in spam for everyone else. Pruning the dead weight protects the inbox placement of the customers who do want to hear from you. It is housekeeping, and it pays for itself.
