email-marketing-automation

The saved excerpt is a snapshot from review. The external source remains the complete and most current version.

---
name: email-marketing-automation
description: "Build automated email flows for welcome series, post-purchase follow-ups, win-back campaigns, and browse abandonment to drive repeat revenue"
category: marketing-growth
risk: safe
source: curated
date_added: "2026-03-12"
tags: [email, automation, klaviyo, sendgrid, welcome-series, post-purchase, win-back, browse-abandonment, lifecycle]
triggers: ["email automation", "triggered emails", "welcome email flow", "post-purchase email", "win-back campaign", "browse abandonment email", "email marketing flows"]
tools: [claude-code, cursor, gemini-cli, copilot, codex-cli, kiro, opencode]
platforms: [shopify, woocommerce, bigcommerce, custom]
difficulty: intermediate
---

# Email Marketing Automation

## Overview

Triggered email flows automatically send personalized messages based on customer behavior and lifecycle stage, achieving 3–5x higher open rates than broadcast campaigns. Klaviyo (for Shopify/BigCommerce) and AutomateWoo or Klaviyo plugin (for WooCommerce) provide pre-built flow templates for the four critical flows: welcome series, post-purchase nurture, win-back campaigns, and browse abandonment. Most merchants can set these up without writing any code.

## When to Use This Skill

- When setting up a new store and needing baseline lifecycle email coverage
- When replacing manual one-off campaigns with behavior-triggered sequences
- When recovering revenue from customers who browsed but did not purchase
- When re-engaging lapsed customers who have not ordered in 60–180 days
- When personalizing post-purchase communication to reduce returns and increase LTV

## Core Instructions

### Step 1: Choose the right tool

| Platform | Recommended Tool | Why |
|----------|-----------------|-----|
| **Shopify** | Klaviyo | Pre-built flow templates, deep Shopify integration, automatic event tracking (Viewed Product, Added to Cart, Checkout Started, Placed Order), predictive analytics |
| **WooCommerce** | AutomateWoo ($99/yr) or Klaviyo (WooCommerce plugin) | AutomateWoo has native WooCommerce triggers and hooks; Klaviyo plugin syncs WooCommerce events |
| **BigCommerce** | Klaviyo or Omnisend | Both have native BigCommerce integrations and pre-built lifecycle flow templates |
| **Custom / Headless** | Klaviyo (via Track API) or SendGrid | Send events to Klaviyo's API; build flows in their visual editor |

### Step 2: Set up the four core flows

---

#### Shopify with Klaviyo

Install Klaviyo from the Shopify App Store. Klaviyo automatically tracks Shopify events — no additional setup required for event capture.

**Flow 1: Welcome Series**

1. Go to **Klaviyo → Flows → Create Flow → Welcome Series** (use the pre-built template)
2. The default template sends 3 emails:
   - Email 1 (immediate): Welcome + brand story + 10% discount for first purchase
   - Email 2 (day 2): Bestsellers or curated collection
   - Email 3 (day 7): Brand mission / social proof
3. Customize the email copy and design using Klaviyo's drag-and-drop editor
4. The flow triggers automatically when someone subscribes via your Shopify popups, checkout opt-in, or newsletter form
5. Add a **conditional split** on "Has placed an order" to skip the discount email for customers who already purchased after subscribing

**Flow 2: Post-Purchase Series**

1. Go to **Klaviyo → Flows → Create Flow → Post-Purchase** (use template)
2. Default 4-step structure:
   - Email 1 (immediate): Order confirmation + product care tips
   - Email 2 (day 2): Shipping notification (Klaviyo connects to Shopify's fulfillment events)
   - Email 3 (day 7): Delivery check-in + cross-sell recommendations
   - Email 4 (day 21): Review request (connects to Klaviyo's review integration or Judge.me)
3. Add a filter: **"Has NOT placed order since starting this flow"** → skip the review request if they ordered again (they are already happy)

**Flow 3: Browse Abandonment**

1. Go to **Klaviyo → Flows → Create Flow → Browse Abandonment** (use template)
2. Trigger