Start with the moments that repeat

A promotion changes. A customer discovering your brand, hesitating at checkout or receiving a first order goes through stages that will happen again tomorrow. That is where I would start building an email programme.

The goal is not to automate everything immediately. It is to choose a few moments where your message can do something useful. For each one, I ask the same question: what does this person need to understand or do right now?

1. Welcome without telling everything

A welcome sequence introduces your world and helps someone make a first choice. It does not need to become a ten-screen brochure.

I would start with one clear idea: what you offer, who it is for and why it deserves attention. Then I would choose a single next step. Explore a selection, learn how to choose or read useful advice: these are options to weigh against the store’s context.

  • Read the message through the eyes of someone who does not know the brand yet.
  • Check that the first email matches the promise made on the sign-up form.
  • Choose a destination that genuinely helps someone take the first step.

2. Help when checkout is interrupted

An abandoned cart reminder can address uncertainty instead of immediately offering a discount. A question about compatibility, delivery or product choice may matter more than price.

For setup, Klaviyo recommends checking post-purchase exclusions and any cart messages already sent by the store platform. The exact trigger depends on the integration. See Klaviyo’s abandoned cart guide.

My editorial checkpoint would be simple: can the customer find what interested them, understand the next step and ask for help? A beautiful template cannot make up for the wrong destination.

3. Be useful after the order

After purchase, the conversation changes. Your customer no longer needs the same sales argument. They may want to prepare for delivery, learn how to care for the product or understand its first use.

I separate service information from marketing, then look at what deserves a complementary sequence. The right content depends on the product. A technical item does not need the same follow-up as a consumable.

Check a complete story

Before activating anything, I would follow a test profile from beginning to end. Sign-up, purchase, links, images and exit conditions are part of the same journey. I would include a scenario where the person changes their mind or purchases between steps.

Three understandable, verified flows are more useful than a library of scenarios whose logic nobody owns.

Only then comes the question of volume. Campaigns make more sense when that foundation is clear, documented and easy to develop.