The two email flows every online store should have running
A welcome series and an abandoned-cart flow. They run automatically, reach people at the moment they're most interested, and in 2026 benchmarks automated flows brought in a far bigger share of email revenue than their share of emails sent. If your store has neither, you're leaving easy sales on the table every day.
Most store owners pour energy into new traffic and forget the people who already showed up. These two flows fix that, and they keep working while you sleep.
Most carts are abandoned
Baymard Institute's average across 50 studies puts online cart abandonment at 70.22%.[1] Some of those shoppers were only browsing, but many simply got distracted. Among shoppers who weren't just browsing, the top reason was extra costs such as shipping and fees being too high.[1]
Flows punch far above their weight
In Klaviyo's 2026 benchmarks across more than 205,000 brands, automated flows generated nearly 41% of email revenue from just 5.3% of sends.[2] Omnisend's 2026 report found automated emails made up 2% of sends but 30% of email revenue, and abandoned-cart and welcome messages drove 76% of automation orders.[3] Both are platform benchmarks from their own customers, but they point the same way.
A campaign is a one-time push. A flow is a system: you build it once and it runs for every new subscriber and every abandoned cart, forever. That's why the numbers look lopsided.
Darius Smith · Head of Operations, Topp Level Marketing
Flow 1: the welcome series
- Sends when someone joins your list, usually through a pop-up or checkout
- Email 1: the welcome, plus the offer or reason they signed up
- Email 2: your story and why your product is different
- Email 3: best-sellers or reviews that nudge a first order
Flow 2: the abandoned-cart reminder
- Sends when someone leaves items in their cart
- Email 1 (about an hour later): a simple reminder with the product pictured
- Email 2 (next day): answers the likely objection, such as shipping, returns or sizing
- Email 3 (optional): a small incentive, used sparingly so you don't train people to wait
These emails should sound like your brand, not a template. The product photos, the voice, the offer all come from who you already are. That's what makes people come back.
Jailah Topp · Founder, Topp Level Marketing
Get Abandoned-Cart + Welcome Flows handled by Topp Level.
The two email flows that win back sales your store is already losing.
Common questions
What is a good abandoned cart email sequence?
Usually two or three emails: a reminder about an hour after the cart is abandoned, a follow-up the next day that answers common objections like shipping or returns, and an optional final email with a small incentive.
Which email platform do you set flows up on?
Whichever fits your store, commonly Klaviyo, Shopify Email or Omnisend. We work with what you already have when it can do the job.
How much does it cost to set up abandoned-cart and welcome flows?
Topp Level Marketing's Abandoned-Cart + Welcome Flows setup is $900 flat and usually takes about a week.