Email & SMS: the retention engine that funds acquisition
Ecommerce email and SMS should drive 25-35% of revenue by month 12 not through more sends, but through segmented flows (welcome, browse, cart, post-purchase, winback, VIP) wired to Shopify or WooCommerce data, tested weekly against contribution margin.
Email and SMS are the only channels a brand actually owns. When they're built right, they compound: every new customer feeds a flow set that keeps producing revenue for months without paid support.
This hub covers the eight flows every store needs, the segmentation model behind them, deliverability hygiene, SMS compliance in the UK/EU, and the reporting loop that ties every send to LTV not open rate.
Guides, playbooks and case studies
Welcome, browse, cart, checkout, post-purchase, winback, VIP and sunset the eight-flow spine.
RFM + predictive CLV + engagement the segment tree that keeps lists clean.
SPF/DKIM/DMARC, warm-up, sunset policies, Gmail promotions vs primary.
PECR + GDPR consent, quiet hours, opt-out language, sender ID rules.
Weekly cadence, product-led vs value-led, testing subject lines at scale.
Which ESP fits your stack, catalog size, and reporting needs.
Timing, incentives, and integration with Yotpo/Okendo/Judge.me.
First-party CLV cohorts, replacing open-rate reporting with margin per subscriber.
The playbook, step by step
- 01Deliverability audit
Authenticate the sending domain, sunset dead subscribers, and verify inbox placement across Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail.
- 02Build the eight core flows
Welcome, browse abandon, cart abandon, checkout abandon, post-purchase, winback (30/60/90), VIP, sunset each with segment logic and A/B variants.
- 03Segmentation model
Layer RFM, predictive CLV, and engagement segments so every send targets a specific behaviour rather than the full list.
- 04Campaign calendar
Twice-weekly cadence with a mix of product, education, and story sends planned four weeks ahead, reviewed weekly against revenue per recipient.
- 05LTV reporting
Replace open-rate dashboards with cohort revenue per subscriber, tied back to acquisition channel and first-product SKU.
Frequently asked questions
How often should we email?
For most DTC brands, two campaigns per week plus the flow set. Test one extra weekly send per quarter and watch unsubscribe rate against revenue lift.
Klaviyo or Mailchimp?
Klaviyo, in almost every ecommerce case its Shopify/WooCommerce integration, segmentation, and flow logic are two generations ahead of Mailchimp for stores past £30k/month.
Is SMS worth adding?
Yes, once your email list exceeds ~10,000 engaged subscribers. Start with post-purchase and cart flows, then layer campaigns after compliance is watertight.
How do we improve deliverability fast?
Sunset anyone who hasn't opened in 120 days, authenticate the domain (SPF/DKIM/DMARC), and switch cold-list sends to a warm-up sub-domain.