Automated Email Flows Every Ecommerce Store Needs in 2026

Your customer browses your website, adds products to their cart, then gets distracted and leaves. Without automated email flows, that sale is lost. With the right automation, an email lands in their inbox an hour later reminding them about their cart, and they come back to complete the purchase.

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This is the power of automated email flows. Unlike promotional campaigns that you manually send to your entire list, flows run on autopilot. They trigger based on customer actions (or inactions) and send perfectly timed messages without you lifting a finger. For New Zealand ecommerce stores, these automated flows often generate 25 to 40% of total email revenue.

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In 2026, email automation has become significantly more sophisticated. Platforms like Klaviyo now use predictive analytics to determine optimal send times, personalise product recommendations based on browsing behaviour, and automatically adjust messaging based on customer engagement patterns. For Kiwi online stores competing in an increasingly crowded market, having the right automated flows isn't optional anymore. It's essential.

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What are automated email flows exactly?

Automated email flows (also called email sequences, drip campaigns, or automations) are pre written emails that send automatically when triggered by specific customer actions or timeframes.

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Here's how they work. You create an email template with your messaging and design. You set up a trigger (someone abandons their cart, makes a purchase, or joins your email list). You define the timing (send immediately, wait 1 hour, wait 2 days). The flow runs automatically whenever the trigger conditions are met.

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Once set up, flows run 24/7 without any manual intervention. Someone abandons their cart at 3am on Sunday? The email still sends. Someone makes their first purchase during a holiday? The welcome series still triggers. This is why flows are so valuable. They work while you sleep.

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The best part is personalisation at scale. Each customer receives emails relevant to their specific actions and timing. Someone who abandoned a $500 order gets different messaging than someone who abandoned a $50 order. Someone who bought running shoes gets different product recommendations than someone who bought formal shoes.

Which automated flows should every NZ ecommerce store have?

Not all flows are created equal. Some drive significantly more revenue than others. Here are the essential flows every New Zealand online store should implement.

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Welcome series flows trigger when someone subscribes to your email list. This is your first impression and opportunity to build a relationship. A strong welcome series typically includes three to five emails over one to two weeks. Email one introduces your brand, shares your story, and often includes a first purchase discount. Email two highlights bestsellers or customer favourites. Email three builds trust with customer reviews and social proof. Email four creates urgency with a time limited offer.

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Welcome series subscribers convert 5 to 10 times higher than regular promotional emails because people just expressed interest. They want to hear from you. Make these emails count.

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Abandoned cart flows trigger when someone adds products to their cart but doesn't complete checkout. This is often the highest revenue generating flow for ecommerce stores. Someone who adds to cart is clearly interested. They just need a reminder or a small incentive.

A typical abandoned cart flow includes two to three emails. Email one sends 1 to 2 hours after abandonment, simply reminding them about their cart. Email two sends 24 hours later, potentially adding urgency (limited stock, popular item). Email three sends 48 to 72 hours later and might include a small discount to close the sale.

In New Zealand, abandoned cart recovery emails typically recover 10 to 15% of abandoned carts. For a store doing $50,000 in monthly revenue with a 70% cart abandonment rate, that's $3,500 to $5,000 in recovered revenue every month just from this one flow.

Browse abandonment flows trigger when someone views products but doesn't add anything to their cart. These flows are less urgent than cart abandonment but still valuable for staying top of mind.

Send one to two emails over 24 to 48 hours featuring the products they viewed, similar items, or customer reviews. Browse abandonment converts at lower rates than cart abandonment but still outperforms promotional campaigns significantly.

Post purchase flows trigger immediately after someone completes a purchase. This is your opportunity to thank them, set delivery expectations, request reviews, and encourage repeat purchases.

Email one sends immediately confirming the order and thanking them. Email two sends when the order ships with tracking information. Email three sends a few days after delivery asking for a review. Email four sends two to three weeks later with personalised product recommendations based on their purchase.

Post purchase flows build customer loyalty and encourage repeat business. In 2026, getting customers to buy twice is more cost effective than acquiring new customers, making these flows critical.

Win back flows trigger when customers haven't purchased in a specific timeframe (typically 60 to 90 days for frequent purchase products, 6 to 12 months for occasional purchase products). These flows attempt to re engage dormant customers before they forget about you entirely.

Send two to three emails reminding them why they loved your products, showcasing new arrivals, and potentially offering a comeback incentive. Win back flows won't convert as highly as other flows, but they're essentially free revenue from customers who might otherwise never return.

Customer milestone flows trigger based on customer behaviour milestones like first purchase anniversary, VIP status achievement, or birthday. These feel personal and build emotional connection beyond transactional emails.

Send birthday emails with a special discount. Celebrate purchase anniversaries with exclusive offers. Recognise VIP customers with early access to sales. These small touches significantly improve customer retention.

How do you set up automated flows in Klaviyo?

Klaviyo has become the dominant email platform for ecommerce in 2026, and for good reason. The platform makes complex automation accessible even for non technical users.

Start by connecting Klaviyo to your ecommerce platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce). This integration automatically tracks customer actions like purchases, cart additions, and product views. Without this data, automation isn't possible.

Create your first flow using Klaviyo's pre built templates. Don't start from scratch. Klaviyo provides tested templates for all the flows mentioned above. Customise them with your branding, products, and messaging rather than building from zero.

Set up your triggers carefully. For cart abandonment, trigger when someone adds to cart but doesn't start checkout within 4 hours. For browse abandonment, trigger when someone views at least two products but doesn't add to cart within 24 hours. For post purchase, trigger immediately when an order is placed.

Write compelling subject lines. Your flow emails still need to get opened. Test different subject line approaches. Personalisation works well ("You left something behind, Sarah"). Curiosity works well ("Still thinking about it?"). Urgency works well ("Your cart expires in 2 hours").

Design mobile first. Over 60% of emails in New Zealand are opened on mobile devices. If your email looks broken on a phone, you've lost the sale. Use single column layouts, large text, and prominent call to action buttons.

Test and optimise regularly. Check your flow performance monthly. Which flows generate the most revenue? Which have the highest open rates? Which need better subject lines or content? Continuous improvement makes the difference between mediocre and exceptional results.

Add conditional splits for personalisation. Klaviyo lets you create different paths based on customer behaviour. Someone who's purchased before gets different messaging than a first time buyer. Someone who ignored the first abandoned cart email might need a discount in the second email.

What about timing and frequency?

Getting the timing right is critical in automated flows. Send too soon and you seem desperate. Send too late and the moment has passed.

For abandoned cart flows, send the first email 1 to 2 hours after abandonment. This catches people who got distracted but are still in shopping mode. Send the second email 24 hours later when they're likely browsing again. Send the third email 48 to 72 hours later as a final reminder.

For welcome series flows, send the first email immediately upon signup while interest is highest. Send subsequent emails every 2 to 3 days over one to two weeks. Don't bombard new subscribers daily, but don't wait so long they forget they signed up.

For post purchase flows, send order confirmation immediately. Send shipping notification as soon as the order ships. Send review request 7 to 10 days after estimated delivery (giving them time to receive and use the product). Send cross sell recommendations 2 to 3 weeks after purchase when they might be ready to buy again.

For browse abandonment, send 12 to 24 hours after the browsing session. Too soon feels creepy (they might still be shopping). Too late and they've moved on.

For win back flows, wait 60 to 90 days for frequent purchase products, 6 to 12 months for occasional purchase products. Too soon and you're annoying active customers. Too late and they've completely forgotten you.

In 2026, Klaviyo's AI powered send time optimisation can predict when each individual customer is most likely to open and engage with emails. Let the platform optimise send times once you have sufficient data.

How much revenue should flows generate?

Well optimised automated flows should generate 25 to 40% of your total email revenue. If you're sending regular promotional campaigns but haven't set up flows, you're leaving significant money on the table.

Here's what good performance looks like for each flow type. Welcome series should see 30 to 50% open rates and convert 5 to 10% of new subscribers within the first 30 days. Abandoned cart should recover 10 to 15% of abandoned carts with 40 to 60% open rates. Browse abandonment should see 25 to 35% open rates and convert 2 to 5% of browsers. Post purchase should see 50 to 70% open rates (people want order updates) and drive 10 to 20% of customers to make a second purchase within 60 days.

If your flows are significantly underperforming these benchmarks, something needs fixing. Common issues include poor subject lines, weak offers, broken mobile design, or incorrect timing.

The businesses winning with email automation in 2026 treat flows as their always on revenue engine. Promotional campaigns are bonus revenue. Flows are the foundation that generates consistent income every single day.

Ready to set up your automated flows?

Automated email flows offer New Zealand ecommerce stores a way to generate consistent revenue without constant manual effort. The right flows work 24/7, recovering lost sales, building customer loyalty, and encouraging repeat purchases automatically.

The key is setting them up properly from the start. Strong copy, good design, proper timing, and continuous optimisation. The stores generating serious revenue from email automation aren't necessarily sending more emails. They're sending better, more timely, more relevant emails through strategic automation.

Book a free discovery session with Bump Digital and we'll show you exactly which automated flows could work for your online store. We'll review your current email setup, identify the highest impact flows for your business, and give you a clear implementation plan, whether you work with us or not. No sales pitch, just practical advice from a team that builds email flows for NZ ecommerce businesses every day.

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