The Essential Automated Emails for Ecommerce

The email marketing of today is underpinned by automations. What exactly are they?

Automations, also known as flows, are emails that send automatically once your customer has activated a certain behavioural trigger – such as adding a product to their cart or making a purchase. They serve as a foundational component of email strategy, particularly for ecommerce businesses. By connecting to systems such as Shopify, email platforms like Klaviyo can provide seamless integration across your online operations.

This post from Adhesion covers the top five automations to boost your business in 2025; saving time, increasing conversions, and staying top of mind.

1. Abandoned Cart Flow

As of 2024, more than 70% of online carts are abandoned. This presents a prime opportunity for capturing sales that otherwise would have been lost – by sending a reminder email to customers who haven’t completed their purchase. The abandoned cart flow is one of the most effective ways to re-engage customers before they can forget about their cart.

What to include:

• A reminder of what’s been left behind
• Relevant reviews or social proof
• Extra incentive (e.g. 10% off or free shipping)

Send one to three emails, spaced four to 24 hours apart. Make sure they don’t come across as too aggressive, or you run the risk of alienating your users. With email marketing, timing is key.

2. Welcome Flow

The welcome flow is activated immediately after users subscribe to your email list. This initial email, or set of emails, builds trust, sets expectations and lets you offer discounts to customers: such as 10% off their first order.

The welcome flow serves as an excellent way to segment new subscribers, e.g. those who follow through with their welcome purchase and those who don’t. These segments can be used to refine future emails for additional customisation, with a tailored message speaking to each customer’s purchasing journey.

Learn more about what makes an effective welcome email.

3. Post-Purchase Flow

The post-purchase flow occurs after a customer has placed an order; it can be used to say a “thank you,” confirm the order, offer tips, etc. Later on in the flow, once enough time has passed for products to be received, you can encourage reviews or referrals.

By keeping customers in the loop and offering them support in the post-buying stage, you’ll minimise customer concerns and lead seamlessly into repeat purchases.

4. Win-Back Flow

The win-back flow is triggered when a customer hasn’t purchased in a certain amount of time – it’s up to you what these boundaries are. Alternatively, win-back flows can be activated simply when a subscriber hasn’t engaged with your emails in a while, showing a lack of interest in your brand.

These typically involve “We miss you” style messages, followed by an incentive to re-engage; this could be a discount or an offer such as free shipping.

The win-back flow serves as a way to keep your business top of mind before the subscriber disengages completely, indicating that they’re no longer a valuable prospect for your email list.

5. Product Recommendations / Browse Abandonment

These flows are tailored to customer activity, emailing users regarding products they’ve shown interest in. This may be based on browsing history or past purchases; emails can encourage repeat orders or act similarly to cart abandonment flows (“Have you forgotten something?” “Seen something you might like?” etc.)

By syncing your Shopify data with Klaviyo, you’re able to make use of this user data for your emails. These flows can help with increasing average order value (AOV) by directly targeting products your users care about.

Conclusion

Thanks to automation, email marketing in 2025 can drive more sales with less manual work on your end. With ever-expanding platforms like Klaviyo, customer personalisation is more attainable than ever, letting you tailor your flows and link your subscribers with the products they care about. Start with one to two flows and build from there as you get more acquainted with your customer activity; you’ll be a pro in no time at all.

Want help setting up your email automations? Contact the Adhesion team to link up your ecom shop and start sending effortlessly.