Ecommerce Welcome & Abandoned Cart Flows
A three-email welcome flow and a two-email abandoned cart flow for a small-batch candle brand: subject lines, preview text, body copy and timing.
The brief
Emberly sells hand-poured soy candles from a two-person workshop. New subscribers received a single "Here's your 10% code" email and nothing else, and abandoned carts got a default platform reminder. The founders wanted emails that sounded like them and gave people a reason to buy beyond the discount.
The approach
Each email has one job. The welcome flow moves from delivering the promised discount, to the story that justifies the price, to social proof and a deadline. The cart flow starts helpful rather than pushy and saves the urgency for the second message. Every subject line was written with a preview-text pair, since the two are read together in the inbox.
Delivered
- Three-email welcome flow with timing
- Two-email abandoned cart flow
- Subject line and preview text pairs, with alternates
- Flow logic notes for Klaviyo setup
The work
Read the full sample
4 min read
Emberly Candle Co. is a fictional brand created for this sample. The flows were written to the same brief and standard as paid ecommerce email projects.
Klaviyo-ready copy. Subject and Preview are written as pairs. Anything in [brackets] is a merge tag or a design note for the email builder.
Welcome flow
Email 1 · Immediately after signup
Subject: Your 10% is inside (and a quick hello) Preview: Plus the one candle we'd tell a friend to start with.
Hi [first_name | there],
Thanks for joining us. Here's the code we promised:
WELCOME10: 10% off your first order, no minimum.
We're Maya and Tom. We pour every Emberly candle by hand in a small workshop in the Lake District, in batches of 60. That's small enough that we smell-test every batch before it's boxed.
If you're not sure where to start, most people start with Low Tide: sea salt, driftwood and a little bergamot. It's our best seller for a reason.
[Shop Low Tide] [See all scents]
Warmly, Maya & Tom
Why it works: Delivers the promised code first, before any storytelling, so nobody has to hunt for it. The single product recommendation removes choice paralysis for new visitors.
Email 2 · 2 days later
Subject: Why our candles take 48 hours longer Preview: The slow part is the part you can smell.
Hi [first_name | there],
Most candles are poured, cooled and shipped the same day. Ours sit on a shelf for 48 hours first.
That wait is called curing. It lets the fragrance oil bind fully with the soy wax, which is the difference between a candle that smells good in the jar and one that fills the room when it's lit.
It's also why we'll never be the cheapest candle you can buy. We're fine with that.
A few things we don't compromise on:
- 100% soy wax, no paraffin blends
- Cotton wicks, no metal cores
- 50+ hours of burn time in every full-size jar
[Find your scent]
Your 10% code, WELCOME10, is still good.
Maya
Why it works: Answers the objection new customers won't say out loud ("why does this cost more than a supermarket candle?") with a concrete, slightly surprising detail. One founder signs off, so it reads like a note rather than a newsletter.
Email 3 · 4 days later (only if no purchase)
Subject: Last call on your 10% Preview: Plus what 1,200 people said about Low Tide.
Hi [first_name | there],
Quick one: your welcome code expires at midnight on Sunday.
In case you're still deciding, here's what people say once it arrives:
"Filled my whole living room within twenty minutes. I've already reordered." Hannah, Leeds [pull a live 5-star review]
"The packaging was plastic-free and the note was handwritten. Small things, but I noticed." David, Bristol [pull a live 5-star review]
[Use WELCOME10 before Sunday]
If candles aren't for you right now, no problem. You'll hear from us about once a week, and you can unsubscribe any time.
Maya & Tom
Why it works: The deadline is real and specific. Reviews do the persuading, so the email doesn't have to. The closing line lowers unsubscribe rates by setting honest expectations. Note for setup: replace sample reviews with live ones via Klaviyo's reviews block.
Abandoned cart flow
Email 1 · 1 hour after checkout started
Subject: You left something in the workshop Preview: We've saved your cart. It's here whenever you are.
Hi [first_name | there],
Looks like you were halfway through an order. No rush, your cart is saved:
[Cart block: product image, name, price]
[Return to my cart]
If something stopped you (a question about scents, shipping or gifting), just reply to this email. It comes straight to us, and we usually answer the same day.
Maya
Why it works: The first reminder is service, not sales. Inviting a reply surfaces the real objection (often shipping cost or a gifting question) and turns some abandoned carts into conversations.
Email 2 · 24 hours later (only if still no purchase)
Subject: Still thinking it over? Preview: Free UK delivery on your cart until tomorrow.
Hi [first_name | there],
Your [product_name] is still waiting. We've added free UK delivery to your cart until 6 pm tomorrow, no code needed.
[Cart block]
[Complete my order]
Every candle is poured to order in our next batch and ships within 3 working days, wrapped in recyclable packaging with a handwritten note.
Maya & Tom
Why it works: The incentive is free shipping rather than a second discount. Unexpected delivery cost is one of the most common reasons people abandon a cart, and a free-delivery incentive protects margin better than stacking percentage codes. The final paragraph reassures on the two last-minute worries: when will it arrive, and is it gift-ready?
Flow notes for setup
- Welcome flow trigger: added to "Newsletter" list. Exit condition: placed order.
- Cart flow trigger: started checkout. Exit condition: placed order. Skip email 2 if the profile received a welcome discount in the last 7 days.
- Smart sending: on, to avoid overlap with campaigns.
Why it works
The emails never sound like a template because they're built on things only this brand can say: the workshop, the 48-hour cure time, the founders' names. The discount appears in the first email because it was promised at signup, but the rest of the flow sells the product, not the code, which protects margin with repeat buyers.
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Umair ZararFounder, KhanCopyX