Campaigns need someone to press send. Flows run on their own, triggered by what each person does. If you only have time for a few, start with these five.
1. Welcome series
Triggered when someone joins your list. Send two to four emails over the first week: who you are, your best sellers, what customers say, and the offer you promised at sign-up if you made one. People pay the most attention right after they subscribe, so make it count.
2. Abandoned checkout
Triggered when someone starts checkout and doesn’t finish. Send the first email around an hour later with the items they left, then a reminder the next day. Add an SMS step only for people who opted in to texts, and always filter out anyone who has since ordered.
3. Browse abandonment
Triggered when someone views a product without adding it to the bag. Keep the tone light: show the product, a couple of reviews and similar items. Far more people browse than start checkout, so this flow reaches a much bigger group.
4. Post-purchase
Say thank you, explain what happens next and help people get the most from what they bought. Ask for a review once the order has had time to arrive. Save cross-sells for later in the flow.
5. Win-back
Triggered when a customer hasn’t ordered for longer than usual. Work out your typical time between orders first. A coffee brand might wait six weeks and a furniture brand a year. Remind them what’s new before reaching for a discount.
A few settings that matter
- Use flow filters so nobody gets two flows at once.
- Turn on smart sending to space out messages.
- Write subject lines for a phone screen: short, specific and clear.