A Klaviyo welcome series is key to turning new subscribers into loyal customers. For consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, it’s a chance to make a strong first impression, educate subscribers about your products, and drive early sales. Here’s why it works:

  • Higher Engagement: Welcome emails see an average click rate of 6.71% and $1.25 in revenue per recipient.
  • Quick Conversions: Most new subscribers make a purchase within 10 days of signing up.
  • Personalization Pays Off: 74% of consumers expect tailored content, and personalized emails can boost conversions significantly.

Key Steps to Build Your Welcome Series

  1. Segment Your Audience: Divide subscribers by demographics, behavior, or preferences for targeted messaging.
  2. Prepare Content: Use your brand story, product images, social proof, and exclusive offers to craft engaging emails.
  3. Set Up Klaviyo: Integrate your e-commerce platform and tools, and test your flow before launch.
  4. Design the Flow: Use triggers like “Added to list,” and space emails over 10–30 days.
  5. Create Personalized Emails: Include visuals, testimonials, and clear calls-to-action (CTAs) to drive engagement.
  6. Test and Optimize: A/B test subject lines, CTAs, and timing to improve performance.

By following these steps, you can create a welcome series that builds trust, educates your audience, and boosts conversions.

How To Set-Up The Perfect Welcome Series Flow in Klaviyo

Klaviyo

Step 1: Preparing to Build Your Welcome Series Flow

Before diving into Klaviyo’s flow builder, it’s crucial to lay a solid foundation. Gathering all the necessary elements upfront ensures a smoother setup process and sets the tone for an effective welcome series.

Segmenting Your Audience

Audience segmentation is the backbone of personalized welcome emails. In fact, 86% of consumers say personalization impacts their buying decisions, and 25% report it has a strong influence.

Start by combining first-party data with behavioral insights. Tools like customer surveys, website analytics, and purchase history offer valuable information. Demographic segmentation is a great starting point, grouping subscribers by factors like age, gender, income, or location. For instance, CPG brands targeting specific demographics – like age groups or geographic regions – can tailor their messaging accordingly.

Psychographic segmentation takes it a step further by focusing on subscribers’ values, lifestyles, and interests. For example, a skincare brand might identify eco-conscious shoppers versus those seeking luxury products, while a snack company could distinguish between health-conscious parents and busy professionals looking for convenience.

Behavioral segmentation is all about tracking how subscribers interact with your brand. Monitor purchase history, email engagement, and website activity to create segments based on behavior. For example, group subscribers by engagement levels – those active in the last 30 days, 60 days, or those who have gone dormant. Each group may need a different strategy.

You can also directly ask subscribers about their preferences. A simple preference center or welcome survey can provide invaluable insights. Take SWAK Cosmetics, for example – they created a Color Family Quiz that asked shoppers about their color preferences, typical product usage, and event types. This quiz alone generated enough data to personalize their entire welcome series.

Lastly, consider segmenting by how recently someone joined your list. A subscriber who signed up yesterday may need a different approach than someone who joined weeks ago but hasn’t engaged yet.

Gathering Required Content

Now’s the time to collect everything you’ll need to craft compelling emails. Start with your brand story – your founding journey, mission, and core values. Sharing these builds trust, especially with CPG consumers who value authenticity and transparency.

Prepare high-quality product images that show your items in everyday settings. Lifestyle shots can help subscribers visualize how your products fit into their lives. Include details like ingredient lists, sourcing information, and certifications to further establish credibility.

Social proof is another must. Gather customer reviews, testimonials, and user-generated content to build trust right away. Often, real customer photos and five-star reviews resonate more than polished marketing copy.

Don’t forget to create exclusive offers for new subscribers. Whether it’s a discount, free shipping, or a sample pack, make the offer feel special and time-sensitive to encourage immediate action.

Lastly, develop educational content to address common questions or concerns. For example, a supplement brand might explain the benefits of specific ingredients, while a food company could share recipes or nutritional tips. SWAK Cosmetics, for instance, structured their emails around their Color Family Quiz results. The first email shared personalized quiz results, the second offered curated product recommendations with a 10% discount code, the third featured occasion-based lookbooks, and the fourth highlighted their return policy and customer reviews. This gradual approach led subscribers from learning about the brand to making a purchase.

With your audience segments and content ready, you’re prepared to integrate your systems.

Setting Up Key Klaviyo Integrations

Integrating Klaviyo with your e-commerce platform ensures real-time data flow and accurate triggers for your welcome series.

For Shopify users, start by disconnecting any previous email service provider to avoid duplicate opt-in emails. Then, go to Klaviyo’s Integrations tab, select Shopify, and enter your store URL in the format mystore.myshopify.com. Review the permissions carefully before installing the Klaviyo app in your Shopify admin.

Configure your settings to sync both email and SMS subscribers from Shopify to your Klaviyo lists. Enable profile data syncing from Klaviyo back to Shopify to keep customer information up to date across platforms. Don’t forget to activate Klaviyo’s onsite tracking by enabling the app embed feature in your Shopify theme settings.

You may also need to connect other tools, like your landing page builder, payment processor, or customer service platform. Klaviyo’s Integration tab makes it easy to browse and set up these connections.

Before launching, test your integrations thoroughly. Create a test subscriber profile to ensure data flows correctly between platforms. Check that purchase data, browsing behavior, and profile updates sync in real time.

Set up monitoring systems to track the performance of your welcome series from day one. Keep an eye on key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, conversions, deliverability, and unsubscribes to catch any issues early.

"A brand’s ability to provide more transparent and detailed information may translate to greater trust in the ones that provide it." – Consumer Brand Association (CBA)

Step 2: Designing the Welcome Series Flow

Once you’ve set up your audience segments, content, and integrations, it’s time to build your Klaviyo flow. This step turns your groundwork into an automated system that keeps new subscribers engaged and nurtured.

Configuring Triggers and Timing

Triggers are what kick off your entire welcome series. Klaviyo uses both trigger and profile filters to decide if a subscriber qualifies to move through the flow. For a welcome series, choose "Added to list" as the trigger so the flow activates as soon as someone signs up. Then, specify the list you want to use for this trigger.

Timing plays a key role in the success of your welcome emails. A common schedule might look like this: Email #1 goes out immediately, Email #2 follows three days later, and Email #3 arrives four days after that. To send the first email right after someone opts in, simply place it directly after the trigger with no delay. You can also set delays in minutes, hours, or days, and even time them to match peak engagement periods. For example, if your audience is most active on Tuesday mornings, you can schedule the second email to hit their inbox then. Adjust these delays anytime by tweaking the time delay settings in Klaviyo’s flow builder.

The timing of your emails should also reflect your audience’s behavior. For instance, food brands might benefit from shorter intervals, while supplement companies may need longer gaps between emails.

Once you’ve got your triggers set, focus on structuring the email sequence to keep subscribers interested.

Mapping Out the Email Sequence

A well-executed welcome series can generate about 51% more revenue compared to sending just one email. For consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, a sequence of 3–5 emails spread out over 30 days tends to work best.

  • Email #1: Start by greeting subscribers by name, introducing your brand, delivering any sign-up incentives, and encouraging them to connect on social media or complete a quick survey.
  • Email #2: Address a common problem your customers face and explain how your product solves it, backed by testimonials.
  • Email #3: Highlight detailed testimonials, user-generated content, and reviews. Add a limited-time discount code to drive urgency.
  • Email #4: Share helpful information related to your products, positioning your brand as a trusted source.
  • Email #5: Make a final push with a special offer that includes a sense of urgency to convert subscribers who haven’t purchased yet.

For example, Graham Cochrane, a small business owner teaching music production, moved his sales pitch earlier in his welcome series and saw an 89% increase in revenue. Similarly, Brennan Dunn, founder of RightMessage, used personalization to tailor his pitch for different audience segments, boosting sales by 70%.

"Don’t be afraid to be aggressive. We’ve found that most people make a purchase within 10 days of subscribing to a mailing list. Make sure you have emails sending throughout that 10-day window when people are most likely to purchase."
– Alexa Maltzer, vice president of client strategy at Power Digital Marketing

Setting Exclusion Rules and Filters

Once your email sequence is mapped out, it’s important to ensure it reaches the right audience. Use exclusion rules to refine your flow. Klaviyo evaluates profile filters both when someone enters a flow and before each action is executed.

  • Exclude existing customers: Create a segment for customers who’ve already made a purchase and exclude them from the welcome series to avoid redundant messaging.
  • Avoid overlap with other flows: Exclude subscribers who are active in another flow, like an Abandoned Checkout series, to prevent conflicting messages.
  • Enable smart sending: Use Klaviyo’s smart sending feature to avoid bombarding users with too many emails in a short time.
  • Add filters for individual emails: For example, if someone makes a purchase after entering the welcome series, remove them from any remaining conversion-focused emails.
  • Segment triggers for separate flows: Assign specific segments to different flows to ensure subscribers complete one journey before starting another. For instance, Kent Brushes segmented users by gender for their product lines, which not only increased conversions but also provided deeper insights into their customers.

Lastly, consider temporarily pausing new subscribers in your welcome series from receiving broader promotional emails. This prevents them from feeling overwhelmed while they’re still getting to know your brand.

Step 3: Creating Emails for CPG Audiences

After mapping out your email flow, the next step is crafting emails that connect with your audience on a personal level. For CPG brands, this means combining tailored content with striking visuals and actionable CTAs that encourage engagement. Done right, emails can become a powerful tool for building meaningful relationships with your customers.

Personalizing Email Content

Personalization goes far beyond adding a subscriber’s name. Today’s consumers expect emails that feel tailored to their interests, with personalized content boosting open rates by 50%. In fact, 71% of people expect companies to deliver these kinds of experiences, and they feel frustrated when interactions lack that personal touch.

To achieve this, collect zero-party data – like dietary preferences or lifestyle choices – to create dynamic content blocks that adjust automatically based on subscriber details. For instance, a food brand could feature recipes with seasonal ingredients specific to a subscriber’s region, while a supplement company might highlight health trends popular in their area.

Real-world results show the power of personalization. Starbucks celebrated its 40th anniversary with a campaign that used customer data to craft unique messages for each recipient, leading to a 10% sales boost. Similarly, Nestle tailored recipe suggestions based on dietary preferences and past purchases, which increased sales by 15%.

Segmentation is another key strategy. By grouping subscribers based on purchase history, browsing behavior, or stated preferences, you can deliver highly relevant content. For example, a skincare brand might send anti-aging tips to one group and acne treatment advice to another. Tools like Klaviyo make this process easier by automating personalized product recommendations, testimonials, and offers.

When your emails feel personal, trust naturally follows. Pairing this with strong visuals and authentic testimonials can further deepen that connection.

Adding Visuals and Social Proof

Visuals are essential for grabbing attention, especially in the CPG world, where product appearance and lifestyle associations play a big role. Research shows that blog posts with visuals get 94% more views, and nearly half of Millennials and Gen Z are more likely to engage with visually appealing ads.

Use images that show your products in real-life settings. This helps subscribers imagine how your products fit into their routines. Even better, incorporate user-generated content (UGC), as 92% of consumers trust non-paid recommendations over traditional advertising. Encourage customers to share photos of your products in action, and feature these authentic snapshots in your emails.

Social proof strengthens your brand’s credibility. Bite toothpaste, for example, highlights "21,000+ Reviews For A Reason" alongside glowing testimonials, which is especially effective for products breaking into established markets. Oatly also leans on customer reviews to emphasize the health benefits and eco-friendliness of their oat-based products.

Numbers can also tell a compelling story. Duolingo, for example, lists precise learner stats – like 45.6 million Spanish learners – to showcase its reach and build trust. Combining different forms of social proof, such as reviews, influencer shoutouts, and usage stats, can increase conversions by up to 15%.

With visuals and social proof setting the stage, the next step is to guide your audience toward action with a clear and compelling CTA.

Including a Clear Call-to-Action

A well-crafted call-to-action (CTA) bridges the gap between engagement and conversion. Emails with a single CTA button see click rates jump by 371% and sales soar by 1,617%. While one CTA can be powerful, strategically placing two or three can also boost clicks when done thoughtfully.

Be specific with your CTAs. Avoid vague phrases like "click here." Instead, use action-driven language that ties back to your product’s benefits. For example, Phlur places a bold "Shop Now" button in the header of their welcome email to grab attention right away. Similarly, reMarkable uses a red "Order today" button to create urgency for a limited-time offer.

"Create a desired action. Nobody wants to get the introduction experience again. It’s critical to think about the customer journey as an event in a series. Include an activity, an engagement opportunity – something, anything, for the customer to continue to interact." – Kevin Orbach, CEO of a marketing agency

Position your primary CTA above the fold so it’s immediately visible. Use contrasting colors that stand out while staying true to your brand’s palette. Experiment with placement, colors, and text to see what resonates most with your audience.

For welcome emails, consider CTAs that encourage exploration over immediate purchases. Options like "Take Our Product Quiz", "Browse Our Best Sellers", or "Get Your Personalized Recommendations" can guide subscribers through your offerings while adding value to their experience.

To drive urgency, include single-use discount codes personalized for each recipient via Klaviyo. Set clear deadlines and test various offers – such as free gifts, percentage discounts, or fixed dollar savings – to discover what motivates your audience to act.

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Step 4: Testing and Optimizing the Welcome Series

Once your welcome series is live, the real work begins: fine-tuning it to maximize its impact. By testing different elements and analyzing performance data, you can turn an already effective flow into a real revenue driver.

A/B Testing Subject Lines and Email Content

Subject lines and CTAs are some of the most influential parts of an email, so they’re great starting points for A/B testing. Did you know that 47% of recipients decide to open an email based solely on the subject line? That’s why it’s worth testing variables like personalization, curiosity-driven phrasing, and mobile optimization. Research from Klaviyo suggests that subject lines around 7 words long can boost open rates to nearly 30%.

"Most email opens are happening on mobile devices, so it’s critical to think mobile-first when you’re writing subject lines. You should always be testing your campaigns on desktop and mobile to ensure they’re showing up exactly how you want them to, and that includes the subject line." – Dayna Scandone, Senior Digital Strategist, Klaviyo

Real-world examples highlight the power of testing. For instance, Cargo Crew ran multiple A/B tests on their post-purchase flow and saw their revenue per recipient increase by 3.5x. Huda Beauty revamped their content strategy through testing, using longer emails with educational content and user-generated stories, which led to more than double the Klaviyo-attributed revenue year-over-year.

Brava Fabrics experimented with three different offers – a 10% discount, a chance to win $300, and a chance to win $1,000. Surprisingly, all three performed equally well, allowing them to conserve their budget without sacrificing results.

Keep in mind, though, that A/B testing doesn’t always yield immediate breakthroughs. According to Noah Kagan, founder of Appsumo, only 1 in 8 tests produces significant results. Once you identify what works, use clear metrics to measure the overall success of your campaigns.

Tracking Performance Metrics

To gauge the success of your welcome series, focus on key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Welcome email automations often outperform regular marketing emails, achieving 4x the click rate and 23x the conversion rate. Open rates reflect how compelling your subject lines are, click-through rates show how engaging your content is, and conversion rates measure how well your emails drive sales.

"We like to look at the overall flow and just see how it’s performing, but it doesn’t really tell us the whole story." – Sean Donahue, Director of Email Marketing, Power Digital

Set realistic benchmarks based on past performance. For example, aim for a 1.5x increase in open, click-through, and conversion rates. Analyze each email in the series individually to identify areas that need improvement. If unsubscribe rates or spam complaints spike, it might be time to tone down aggressive messaging or personalization.

"If we’re getting too close to the sun with personalization, that is absolutely going to reflect in the data and we’ll know to back off." – Sean Donahue, Director of Email Marketing, Power Digital

Making Changes Based on Results

With your test results in hand, it’s time to make data-driven adjustments. Start by addressing the biggest performance gaps. For instance, if your second email has a much lower open rate than the first, try testing new subject lines. If click rates drop off in later emails, experiment with different content formats or tweak your CTAs.

Proozy provides a great example of incremental optimization. They tested send times, adjusted the number of messages in their flows, and experimented with SMS versus MMS, ultimately achieving a 2.7x increase in revenue per recipient. The key is to test one variable at a time, let the test run its full course, and then move on to the next adjustment.

"We make that change, see what happens, and just continue that process over and over again." – Sean Donahue, Director of Email Marketing, Power Digital

AI-powered tools can also streamline this process. Tata Harper used Klaviyo’s AI to test 20 variations of sign-up forms, resulting in a 65% increase in submissions within 30 days. As you collect more data, consider segmenting your audience to deliver content tailored to specific subscriber groups.

Lastly, don’t forget to clean up your list periodically. If a subscriber hasn’t engaged with your welcome series after 30 days, move them into a re-engagement campaign. This helps protect your sender reputation and keeps your metrics healthy.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways for Building an Effective Klaviyo Welcome Series

Creating a winning Klaviyo welcome series revolves around three main principles: personalization, strategic segmentation, and continuous optimization. Together, these strategies help craft email flows that not only greet new subscribers but also nurture them into loyal customers.

Personalization matters. Even simple touches like addressing recipients by their first name can increase open rates by 3%. When paired with dynamic content, this approach can result in 17% more clicks and a 40% boost in conversions. Using Multi-Step Signup Forms to collect key subscriber details allows you to deliver content that feels tailored and relevant.

"Personalization is your way of voicing who you are to your customer. If you can provide overwhelmed customers with a unique experience, they’re more likely to look forward to those emails and even action on them." – Nathan Doverspike, customer success manager at Klaviyo

Segmentation drives results. Businesses that segment their email lists report up to a 760% increase in revenue, along with a 40% boost in open rates and a 20% rise in conversions. Whether you’re grouping subscribers by demographics, behaviors, or engagement levels, tailoring your messaging ensures it resonates with each audience. For example, CPG brands might segment customers based on their signup source – those joining for a discount offer may need different messaging than regular newsletter subscribers.

Testing and optimization are key. Regularly experimenting with elements like subject lines, send times, calls-to-action (CTAs), or design can lead to a 20% improvement in conversions. Test one variable at a time and allow the process to run its course before making adjustments.

Welcome emails have an average open rate of 51%, with top-performing ones achieving click rates of 15% and placed order rates nearing 10%. On average, businesses see $2.35 in Revenue Per Recipient from these emails. These numbers highlight the value of a well-crafted welcome series. By combining personalization, segmentation, and ongoing testing, you can turn your welcome flow into a powerful tool for building lasting customer relationships and driving revenue from the very first interaction.

FAQs

How can I segment my audience for a Klaviyo Welcome Series to boost engagement and conversions?

How to Make Your Klaviyo Welcome Series More Effective

If you want your Klaviyo Welcome Series to truly connect with your audience, segmentation is a must. Breaking your subscribers into smaller, meaningful groups allows you to send messages that feel relevant and personal. Here’s how you can do it:

  • Demographics: Group subscribers by factors like age, gender, or location. This lets you craft messages that speak directly to their specific characteristics or needs.
  • Behavioral Data: Use insights like browsing habits or purchase history to align your emails with what your subscribers are already interested in or buying.
  • Engagement Levels: Not all subscribers interact with your content the same way. Highly active users, new subscribers, and those who are less engaged each benefit from tailored messaging.
  • Preferences and Interests: Ask for preferences during sign-up. Whether it’s favorite product categories or specific interests, this data can help you send emails that feel more personal.
  • Customer Lifecycle Stage: Whether someone is a first-time buyer or a loyal repeat customer, their stage in the journey shapes what kind of messaging will resonate most.

By thoughtfully segmenting your audience, you can deliver a more personalized experience that boosts engagement and drives conversions. It’s all about sending the right message to the right person at the right time.

What are the best practices for creating personalized welcome emails that boost open and conversion rates?

To make your welcome emails stand out and connect with your audience, start with personalizing the subject line – this small step can dramatically boost open rates. Add a warm, friendly greeting and craft the content to reflect the subscriber’s preferences or recent actions, like what they browsed on your site or how they signed up.

Take it a step further by segmenting your audience. This allows you to send messages that feel relevant and tailored to specific groups. Make sure to emphasize a clear value proposition that grabs attention, and pair it with a strong call to action, whether it’s encouraging them to explore your website or complete a purchase.

Finally, keep an eye on your email performance metrics. Regularly reviewing these insights can help you fine-tune your strategy and keep your emails fresh, engaging, and effective.

How can I use A/B testing to improve my Klaviyo welcome series flow?

How to Improve Your Klaviyo Welcome Series with A/B Testing

If you want to level up your Klaviyo welcome series, A/B testing is a great place to start. Focus on testing key elements like subject lines, email content, send times, and call-to-action buttons. For instance, try comparing two subject lines to see which grabs more attention and boosts open rates. Or, experiment with different email layouts to find out which design gets more clicks.

Klaviyo makes the process straightforward by letting you split your audience into segments and send each group a different version of your email. Keep an eye on metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to figure out what works best. The data you gather will help you fine-tune your welcome series, making it more engaging and effective at turning subscribers into customers.

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