What a flow is made of
Every flow has the same four parts.
- Trigger
- What starts the flow: joining a list, an event such as Started Checkout, a date, or a price drop.
- Filter
- Who may enter or stay, for example only customers without an order since the trigger.
- Steps
- Emails, text messages, waiting times and splits, in the order a customer meets them.
- Exit
- When a customer leaves early, for example because they did what the flow asked.
The nine flows, by stage
Sorted by customer stage, nine flows cover the path from sign-up to sunset once.
Tick the flows your account runs today. The count shows which stages are still open.
Stage oneBefore the first order
Stage twoAfter the order
Stage threeFading
Four questions for every flow
The offer is where a flow quietly costs margin, so it gets its own question.
Trigger: does the right event start it?
A cart flow started by Viewed Product reaches people who never added anything. Check the trigger, not the flow name.
Timing: does the first email come at the right moment?
A checkout reminder works while the decision is fresh. A replenishment email works when the product runs out, not before.
Offer: does the discount change behaviour, or only margin?
A code in the first cart email goes to buyers who would have paid anyway. The margin calculator shows what that costs.
Exit: does a customer leave once they buy?
Without an exit filter, a customer who just ordered still gets the reminder. That costs trust and inflates attributed revenue.
Is it still sending?
A flow can show as Live and send nothing. Nobody notices, because no error message appears. Check every flow in five steps.
1Status
Open the flow list. Live sends, Manual waits for approval of each email, Draft sends nothing. Each email inside has its own status too.
2Last recipients
In the flow analytics, look at recipients since your last check. Zero on a flow that should run is the first alarm.
3The event arrives
Under Analytics, Metrics, open the trigger metric. If Started Checkout has no recent activity, the shop integration stopped sending it.
4Filters and Smart Sending
A flow filter that excludes everyone, or Smart Sending that skips every recipient, stops the flow without a trace.
5A test profile
Trigger the flow with your own test profile and follow it to the last email. Only this proves the whole path works.
flows were not sending. Found in one audit of an online shop, name withheld. All were set up, none was sending.
The audit that found them is described on the Klaviyo audit page.
How to judge a flow
Since Apple Mail began loading images in advance, open rates count emails nobody read. Judge flows by revenue per recipient instead.
| Metric | What it tells you | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Open rate | Inflated by automatic image loading. | Nothing you decide on. |
| Click rate | Interest in the content. | Comparing two versions of one email. |
| Revenue per recipient | Attributed revenue divided by everyone who got the email. | Ranking flows and judging tests. |
Revenue per recipient is still attributed revenue. The margin calculator shows what remains after VAT, cost of goods and costs.
Questions
What is the difference between a flow and a campaign?
A campaign goes to a list once, at a time you choose. A flow runs for every customer who meets its trigger.
Which flow should I build first?
The one closest to a purchase that you do not have yet.
Why does my flow show Live but send nothing?
The trigger event may no longer arrive, or a filter may exclude everyone. Steps 3 and 4 above find both.
Should every flow include a discount?
No. Test the flow without one first. Add a discount only where it changes how many people buy.
How often should I check my flows?
Look at recipients per flow every month, and after every change to the shop or its integration.
Do I need all nine flows?
Back in stock and replenishment only fit some ranges.
Do you work only with Klaviyo?
For shop email, yes. We know one platform in depth instead of several on the surface.
When do you need edit access?
Only after you approve the plan. You create a separate user for us, and you can remove it at any time.
We run several stores and languages. Does that work?
Yes. Each store or account is audited on its own. We write in German and English and confirm other languages in the first call.