In short
- Build the welcome, abandoned checkout and abandoned cart flows first because they catch shoppers who are already showing buying intent.
- Klaviyo's own abandoned cart flow is triggered by Started Checkout, so enable onsite tracking to also capture Added to Cart and Viewed Product events.
- Klaviyo SMS does not currently send to India, so Indian brands usually pair Klaviyo email with WhatsApp for time-sensitive nudges.
- A post-purchase flow that confirms COD orders and nudges prepaid payment can protect margin as well as drive repeat orders.
- Every flow needs exit filters (placed order since starting) and Smart Sending so customers are not over-messaged.
The seven Klaviyo flows an Indian D2C brand should build first are the welcome series, abandoned checkout, abandoned cart, browse abandonment, post-purchase, win-back and replenishment or cross-sell. Build them roughly in that order: the first three catch shoppers who are already close to buying, and the last four turn one-time buyers into repeat customers.
Flows run every day without anyone pressing send, which is why they are the foundation of any serious email programme. Campaigns come later.
In short
- Start with welcome, abandoned checkout and abandoned cart. They respond to live buying intent.
- Turn on Klaviyo onsite tracking so you capture Added to Cart and Viewed Product events, not just checkouts.
- Klaviyo SMS does not send to India, so plan WhatsApp alongside email for urgent nudges.
- Use exit filters and Smart Sending on every flow so no customer gets buried in messages.
Why flows come before campaigns
A campaign is a one-off send to a segment. A flow is triggered by what a person does: signing up, starting a checkout, placing an order or going quiet. Because the message lands at the moment of intent, flows usually earn more per recipient than campaigns, and they keep earning while your team is busy with other work.
For a small D2C team, that matters. You might manage two or three campaigns a week, but a good set of flows handles thousands of individual customer journeys in the background. If you are new to the platform, our beginner's guide to Klaviyo covers the basics of lists, segments and metrics.
Three setup checks before you build anything
- Connect Shopify properly. Install the Klaviyo app, confirm orders, products and customers are syncing, and check that Placed Order and Started Checkout events appear under Analytics, then Metrics. Klaviyo's Shopify data reference lists every event the integration creates.
- Enable onsite tracking. Turn on the Klaviyo app embed in your Shopify theme editor and tick Track behavioral events. Klaviyo's onsite tracking guide explains that Viewed Product and Active on Site track once the embed is on, while Added to Cart, Viewed Collection and Submitted Search need that extra setting.
- Authenticate your sending domain. Set up a branded sending domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Gmail's sender guidelines require authentication from every sender, and bulk senders must add DMARC too.
One India-specific point: Klaviyo's help centre lists the countries where Klaviyo SMS works, and India is not among them. Klaviyo does offer WhatsApp as a paid mobile messaging channel, billed per message by type and country. Many Indian brands use it, or a dedicated WhatsApp provider, for the messages where speed matters most.
The 7 flows, in build order
1. Welcome series
Trigger: added to your newsletter list (from a popup, footer form or checkout opt-in). Exit filter: placed order since starting this flow.
Send the first email immediately and deliver what the form promised, whether that is a code, a guide or early access. Follow with two to four emails over the next week: your bestsellers, social proof such as reviews or UGC, and the story behind the brand. If most of your orders are COD, add a short line on how prepaid payment works via UPI and cards, and any prepaid perk you offer.
2. Abandoned checkout
Trigger: Started Checkout. Exit filter: placed order since starting this flow.
This is the highest-intent flow you will build, because the shopper has already entered contact details. Send the first reminder within an hour or two, a second the next day, and a third around day three. Show the exact products with images and a working checkout link. Address the real objections for Indian shoppers: delivery timelines, COD availability, return policy and whether the price includes GST and shipping.
3. Abandoned cart
Trigger: Added to Cart (from onsite tracking). Filters: has not started checkout since starting this flow, and has not placed an order.
Klaviyo's standard abandoned cart template actually triggers on Started Checkout, which is why a separate Added to Cart flow is worth building. It catches people who never reached the checkout page. Keep it to one or two emails, and make sure a person who then starts checkout moves into flow two rather than receiving both.
4. Browse abandonment
Trigger: Viewed Product. Filters: has not added to cart or started checkout since starting, and has not received this flow in the last 30 days.
This is a lighter touch: one email, a few hours later, showing the product they viewed and two or three related items. No discount. The job is to remind, not to pressure.
5. Post-purchase
Trigger: Placed Order. Split by first-time versus repeat customer.
For first-time buyers, thank them, set delivery expectations and explain how to use the product. For COD orders, many Indian brands add an order confirmation message and a gentle prompt to switch to prepaid. That reduces return-to-origin risk as well as building trust. About a week after delivery, ask for a review. Save cross-sell for later in the flow.
6. Win-back
Trigger: a segment of customers whose last order was longer ago than your normal repurchase gap. For a skincare brand that might be 60 to 90 days. For apparel it could be longer.
Open with what is new, then social proof, then an incentive only in the final email. Suppress anyone who does not engage after the sequence, which protects deliverability.
7. Replenishment and cross-sell
Trigger: Placed Order, filtered by product. Time the reminder to when a typical customer runs out. A 30-day supply should get a reminder around day 24 to 26. For products that do not run out, recommend complementary items instead.
Summary table
| Flow | Trigger | Suggested messages | Starting timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome series | Added to list | 3 to 5 | Immediately, then every 1 to 2 days |
| Abandoned checkout | Started Checkout | 2 to 3 | 1 hour, 24 hours, 72 hours |
| Abandoned cart | Added to Cart | 1 to 2 | 2 to 4 hours, 24 hours |
| Browse abandonment | Viewed Product | 1 | 2 to 6 hours |
| Post-purchase | Placed Order | 3 to 5 | Immediately to 3 weeks |
| Win-back | Segment: lapsed buyers | 2 to 4 | Over 2 to 3 weeks |
| Replenishment | Placed Order (by product) | 1 to 2 | Just before the product runs out |
These timings are starting points, not rules. Test them against your own data after the flows have run for a few weeks.
A worked example: why build order matters
Take a hypothetical store doing ₹20 lakh a month with an average order value of ₹1,500. Suppose 1,200 shoppers a month start checkout but do not finish, and you have email addresses for most of them. If an abandoned checkout flow brought back even 5% of those 1,200 people, that would be 60 orders, or about ₹90,000 a month, from one flow. A win-back flow might eventually do more, but it depends on having a base of past customers and takes longer to prove.
The numbers are illustrative. Your recovery rate will depend on traffic quality, price point and how well the emails answer objections. The logic holds, though: fix the leak nearest the checkout first.
Mistakes that quietly cost revenue
- No exit filters. Customers who have just bought keep receiving cart reminders. It looks careless and drives unsubscribes.
- Overlapping flows. Without Smart Sending and cross-flow filters, one shopper can get a browse, cart and checkout email on the same day.
- Discount in every email. Customers learn to abandon carts on purpose.
- Never revisiting flows. Products, prices and offers change. A flow built two years ago may still promote discontinued items.
- Ignoring mobile. Many of your customers will read on a phone, so preview every email on a small screen and keep buttons thumb-sized.
If you already have flows running but are not sure they are working, a structured audit usually turns up quick fixes. We look at this in more depth on our Klaviyo email marketing page.
Getting your first seven flows live
You can build all seven flows yourself in a few focused weeks using the triggers and filters above. The harder part is writing emails that answer real objections, testing timing and keeping everything maintained as the store changes.
If you would rather have a team do it, The Night Marketer builds and manages Klaviyo programmes for Shopify brands in India and abroad, including WhatsApp pairing for Indian customers. See our email marketing services to find out how we would approach your account.
Frequently asked questions
Start with three: welcome series, abandoned checkout and abandoned cart. These catch people who have already shown intent and usually produce the fastest return. Once they are live and tested, add browse abandonment, post-purchase, win-back and replenishment. Seven well-built flows beat twenty half-finished ones, because each flow needs filters, testing and regular review.
Not at the time of writing. Klaviyo's help centre lists the countries where Klaviyo SMS works, and India is not on that list. Indian brands typically use Klaviyo for email and add WhatsApp, either through Klaviyo's WhatsApp channel or a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, for time-sensitive messages like cart reminders and COD confirmations.
Three to five emails over seven to ten days works for most D2C brands. The first email should arrive immediately and deliver whatever you promised on the signup form. Later emails introduce bestsellers, reviews and your brand story. Add a filter so anyone who places an order exits the series and moves into your post-purchase flow instead.
No. Lead with reassurance, reviews and product information, and hold discounts for the final message or for high-value carts. Discounting every flow trains customers to wait for a code and erodes margin. Test a no-discount version against a discounted one over a few weeks before deciding a discount is necessary.
Check flow performance monthly and do a deeper review each quarter. Look at revenue per recipient, placed order rate, unsubscribe rate and spam complaints for each message. Refresh creative before big sale periods like Diwali, and re-test timing whenever your traffic mix or average order value changes noticeably.
