How to Set Up a Klaviyo Welcome Flow for Shopify Stores

The welcome flow is the most significant email automation that you can establish in Klaviyo. It is the first interaction with a new subscriber and when properly executed, it will convert a casual sign-up into a paying customer before they even get a campaign.

In this guide we will step you through the process of actually creating a Klaviyo welcome flow in your Shopify store, including the trigger and filters, down to each individual email in the series. This is the same configuration that we have in all of our client stores at Retention Lab.

What is a Klaviyo welcome flow?

A welcome flow is a series of automated emails that are automatically sent when a person subscribes to your email list. It might be a pop up on your home page, a newsletter subscription, entry into a competition or even by the time of a first purchase. It is all about entry point, but the end is to bring that individual into your world and make them have all the reasons to purchase with you.

This is unlike a one-off campaign which is supposed to run 24 hours 7 days a week entirely on its own. Each new subscriber is taken through the same well-designed process which does not need any manual effort after the initial setup.

The Welcome flow is always doing the best in terms of open rates and revenue per recipient compared to all other Klaviyo flows. When you set up just one flow, it is this one.

Before you begin: what you need.

There are three things that you should have before you can get the welcome flow to work with your Shopify store. Klaviyo integrated with your Shopify store through the native integration, a signup form or popup to get email addresses, and a clear understanding of what offer you would like to give to new subscribers, which might be a percentage off, free shipping, or a certain amount.

A first order discount of 10-15 percent or free delivery often does better than discounts. It appeals to the real purchasers as opposed to individuals out to seek the best bargain.

How to set up the trigger

At Klaviyo, go to Flows and create new flow. The trigger of your welcome series must be added to list - that is the list related to your sign up form or popup. This implies that the flow burns as soon as an individual is put on that list.

The trigger itself should not have any other filters. The filtering occurs much deeper in the flow with conditional splits.

Welcome flow - email by email.

The following is the structure that we will recommend, with timing and the content that we will include in each email.

Email 1: Send the offer (immediately)

This email is dispatched each time you have a new subscriber to your list. The only task it has to perform is to fulfill its promise - the discount code, free shipping link, or whatever offer has made them subscribe. Make it straight forward and clear: there should be a product image, the offer, the coupon code, and one call to action button which would send them right to your shop. Nothing else. One email, one goal.

Idea of the subject line: Here your 10% off - Welcome to [Brand Name]

Email 2: Introduction of the brand (3 days later)

This is your first date email. Here you are not selling anything. You are making yourself, narrating your story, and letting people know who is behind the brand. Add your photo or the team one — people purchase of people and the exposure of a human face creates an immense trust level right away. Include your about page and maintain a warm and friendly tone.

Never come in hoping to make the sale here. The sold sellers subscribe too fast and never make a purchase. Develop the rapport then.

Email 3: Social Proof (3 days later)

It is now the other people who do the talking. Write this email with customer reviews, user-generated content, before and after photos or press mentions. In case you have a review engine such as Okendo or Judge.me, then you can add a live review feed directly into Klaviyo. Place your social media feed on the bottom so that people observe an active community around your brand.

Conditional split - have they bought?

Following email 3, create a conditional split in Klaviyo that verifies the presence of one or more orders that happened since joining the flow. In case they have, push them out of the flow. In case they have not, go on with emails 4 and 5.

Email 4: Hero product or collection.

This is where you demonstrate what you are famous with. Showcase your most popular item or a collection of your products, why people love it, and make them remember that they are waiting to receive their discount code. A video of the founder discussing the product is especially effective in this case.

Email 5: Coupon expiry (30 days later)

The last mail will be dispatched at 8pm in the local time of the subscriber and approximately 30 days after he or she actually registered. It is a straightforward, simple reminder that their coupon code is soon due to expire. That is what makes the offer of the welcome flow effective, there is no expiry and thus no need to hurry.

The welcome popup should always have an offer that has an expiry date. An expiry-free coupon code is not urgent. A running out one generates an inherent motivation to purchase now and not later.

Common mistakes to avoid

The greatest error that we observe is to send the coupon code in each of the mails in the beginning. Individuals, who were going to purchase at retail, wait until there is a discount that they did not require. Send the code in a single delivery, at the beginning, withhold until the expiry notification.

The second error is the most widespread and it is the attempt to sell in email 2. The brand introduction mail need not be like a sell, it should feel as a getting to know you moment. When your second email can be perceived as salesy, then people will come to a halt to open the rest of the sequence.

Finally, make sure your conditional splits are set up correctly. Without them, customers who have already purchased will continue receiving emails designed to convince them to buy, which feels off and damages trust.

What results should you expect?

A well-configured welcome flow typically achieves open rates of 40–55% on the first email, with conversion rates on the overall sequence sitting between 3–8% depending on your niche and offer strength. For most Shopify stores, the welcome flow alone should account for a meaningful chunk of total email revenue once it is running properly.

At Retention Lab, we have seen welcome flows go from generating nothing to becoming one of the top three revenue-driving automations in a store within the first 60 days of being live.

Want us to build this for your store?

We set up and optimise Klaviyo email systems for Shopify brands across the UK. If your welcome flow is not converting the way it should, get in touch at retentionlab.agency.