Most Shopify store owners are sitting on a gold mine they haven’t touched yet.
They’re running ads, posting on social, maybe even doing influencer deals — and leaving 20–40% of their potential revenue completely uncaptured. Not because the customers don’t want to buy. Because no one followed up.
Email automation fixes that. Not newsletters. Not broadcasts. Flows — triggered sequences that run in the background, 24/7, turning browsers into buyers and one-time customers into loyal fans.
If you’re on Shopify and you don’t have these five flows running, you’re leaving money on the table every single day. Here’s exactly what to build.
Flow 1: The Welcome Series (Days 0–7)
The moment someone joins your list is the highest-intent moment they’ll ever have. They just said “yes” to you. Most brands waste it with a single “Thanks for subscribing!” email and move on.
A proper welcome series does three things: introduces your brand story, sets expectations, and drives a first purchase.
What to send:
- Email 1 (Immediately): Welcome + your brand story. Why you started, who you serve, what makes you different. Give them the discount code if you promised one.
- Email 2 (Day 2): Social proof. Best-sellers, reviews, UGC. Let your customers do the talking.
- Email 3 (Day 4): Overcome objections. FAQ, guarantee, easy returns. Remove the friction.
- Email 4 (Day 7): Urgency close. “Your discount expires in 48 hours.” Create a reason to act now.
Welcome series typically converts at 3–5x the rate of regular campaigns. If you only build one flow, make it this one.
Flow 2: Abandoned Cart Recovery (Triggered Within 1 Hour)
Over 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned. That’s not a failure — that’s an opportunity.
People abandon carts for all sorts of reasons: they got distracted, they wanted to think about it, they hit unexpected shipping costs. Your job is to remove those barriers and bring them back.
What to send:
- Email 1 (1 hour after abandonment): Gentle reminder. “You left something behind.” Show the product, make it easy to return.
- Email 2 (24 hours): Address the hesitation. Highlight your guarantee, reviews for that specific product, easy returns.
- Email 3 (72 hours): Incentive. A small discount or free shipping to close the deal. Only pull this lever if they haven’t converted yet.
A well-tuned abandoned cart flow typically recovers 10–15% of abandoned carts. On a store doing $50K/month, that’s $5,000–$7,500 in recovered revenue — on autopilot.
Flow 3: Post-Purchase (Days 1–14)
The sale isn’t the finish line. It’s the starting line.
The post-purchase window is when customers are most engaged, most excited, and most likely to buy again — if you show up right. Most brands go silent after the order confirmation. Don’t.
What to send:
- Email 1 (Day 1): Order confirmation + brand reinforcement. Remind them why they made a great choice.
- Email 2 (Day 3–5, before delivery): Build anticipation. “Your order is on its way.” Share usage tips, what to expect.
- Email 3 (Day 7, after delivery): Check in. “How are you loving it?” Request a review. This is gold for social proof.
- Email 4 (Day 14): Cross-sell. Based on what they bought, suggest a complementary product. “Customers who bought X also love Y.”
Post-purchase flows build loyalty and LTV. They also dramatically reduce support tickets by being proactive.
Want to know which flows your store is missing? rekurrr. offers a free email audit — we’ll review your entire retention setup and give you a prioritised action plan. Book your free audit at rekurrr.com
Flow 4: Replenishment Reminders (Timed to Product Lifecycle)
If you sell consumables — supplements, coffee, skincare, pet food, cleaning products — this flow is arguably your highest-ROI automation.
The concept is simple: if someone buys a 30-day supply of your product, send them a reminder to reorder around day 25. You’re not guessing — you’re being helpful.
What to send:
- Email 1 (Day 25 of a 30-day product): “Running low?” Friendly reminder, one-click reorder.
- Email 2 (Day 30): “Don’t run out.” Slightly more urgent, highlight the benefit of consistency.
- Email 3 (Day 40): Lapsed replenishment offer. “Come back with 15% off your next order.”
Brands running replenishment flows see 20–35% of their revenue come from repeat purchases, compared to 8–12% for those without. The math on LTV is dramatic.
Flow 5: The Winback Campaign (60–120 Days Post-Purchase)
Every list has ghosts — people who bought once and went quiet. Winback flows bring them back before they forget you exist.
The trigger is inactivity. If a customer hasn’t purchased or engaged in 60–90 days, they enter this flow.
What to send:
- Email 1 (Day 60): “We miss you.” Personalised, warm, reminds them of their last order.
- Email 2 (Day 75): Show them what’s new. New products, new collections, what they’ve been missing.
- Email 3 (Day 90): Re-engagement offer. “Here’s 20% off — come back and see what’s new.”
- Email 4 (Day 120): Final attempt + sunset. “This is our last email unless you want to stay.” The honesty often triggers responses. If not, remove them — list hygiene matters.
A healthy winback flow can reactivate 10–20% of lapsed customers, and it keeps your list clean, which directly improves deliverability.
The Bottom Line
Five flows. One retention engine.
Set these up once, tune them over time, and they compound — every month, every quarter, getting smarter as your data grows. The brands doing 30–40% of their revenue from email aren’t sending more emails. They’re sending the right ones, to the right people, at exactly the right time.
If you’re on Shopify and none of these are live yet, start with the welcome series. Get that running this week. Then tackle abandoned cart. Work through the list in order — each one builds on the last.
Not sure where to start, or which flows are leaking revenue? Book a free email audit with rekurrr. We’ll map your entire retention setup, identify the gaps, and give you a clear, prioritised action plan — at no cost.
rekurrr. is a retention marketing agency helping e-commerce brands build email systems that generate consistent, predictable revenue. Based globally. Obsessed with results.