Post-Purchase Flow

What is a Post-Purchase Flow?

A post-purchase flow is an automated sequence of emails (and sometimes SMS) sent to customers after they complete their first order. It is the most underleveraged automation in e-commerce - while brands invest heavily in acquiring customers and recovering abandoned carts, the window immediately after a first purchase is often left empty, despite being the moment when a customer's affinity for a brand is highest and their receptivity to further engagement is at its peak.

The post-purchase flow serves several distinct commercial goals across its sequence. Relationship building: the first email (sent immediately or within hours of purchase) sets the tone for the customer relationship - it confirms the order, expresses genuine appreciation, and begins communicating the brand's values and story in a way that goes beyond a transactional receipt. Expectation setting: subsequent emails manage the pre-delivery experience - shipping updates, what to expect when the product arrives, how to use it correctly. Brands that do this well dramatically reduce 'where is my order' support tickets and reduce the cognitive dissonance that can lead to returns. UGC and review generation: a well-timed review request email (sent 7-14 days after estimated delivery) captures feedback when the customer's experience is fresh, generating the social proof that improves conversion for every future visitor. Second purchase conversion: the final emails in the flow introduce complementary products, surface bestsellers the customer hasn't tried, or present a subscription or replenishment offer - turning a first-time buyer into a repeat customer at a fraction of the cost of re-acquisition.

For Shopify brands using Klaviyo, the post-purchase flow is typically triggered by the 'Placed Order' event and branches based on whether the customer is a first-time or returning buyer, the specific product category purchased, and the customer's predicted lifetime value. First-time buyers receive the full relationship-building sequence; returning customers receive a shorter, more direct sequence focused on the next purchase. Building these branches requires clean product data and thoughtful segmentation logic, but the incremental revenue from a well-segmented post-purchase flow consistently justifies the setup investment.