How to Set Up a High-Converting Welcome Flow In Klaviyo (2026 UPDATED Tutorial)

0:00Getting someone to sign up for your discount is the easy part. The real question is what happens in the next 72 hours because that's where most ecom brands lose the sale. Their welcome flow delivers the offer but does almost nothing to actually convert the subscriber into a customer. So in this video I will break down the exact high converting claio welcome series flow you should use in 2026. And if you don't know me, my name is Emil and for the past seven years, I've helped more than 120 e-commerce brands grow through email marketing with my agency, Magicly. And with 30 plus five-star trust pilot reviews, we've built a reputation for

0:41creating email systems that don't just look good in Claio, but they actually drive meaningful revenue. And one of the biggest opportunities we see over and over again is with the welcome series flow. Because e-commerce brands spend all this money on their traffic. They get to sign up and then they completely underperform in the most important part

1:00of the email funnel. So let's fix that. So before we get into the exact welcome series flow structure that I would recommend, let's first discuss why the welcome series flow matters more than ever in 2026. Because most ecom brands, they are overpaying for their traffic and undermonetizing it. So they spend aggressively on meta ads on Google, Tik Tok, influencers, affiliates, landing pages just to get people to their website and then they just let those people leave without nothing but just a pixel hit. And that is expensive if you

1:34may know as an e-commerce brand owner. And worse, it creates a fragile business model where growth depends on buying even more traffic every month just to maintain the same result. And the welcome service flow is one of the fastest ways to reduce that pressure for every e-commerce. It monetizes the exact people you already paid for to attract. So this is the key shift. Your welcome series flow is not just a brand introduction sequence. It's a conversion system. So if someone signs up, that means there is some intent. Maybe not full buying intent yet, but enough curiosity, enough interest, and enough

2:12awareness to take an action for them. And that window, it closes fast. So the first 72 hours after a signup matters the most for every ecom brand. And this is where almost all of the welcome flow revenue happens. So in account after account when we look at the analytics the overwhelming majority of the welcome flow revenue is generated inside the first 3 days after someone is signing up. As you can see on this screenshot what you see in here is the conversion by days from subscription. And as you can see by far the highest number of conversion is on day zero. So the first day that someone is signing up for your

2:52newsletter. And after that it quickly goes down and after three days usually there's only a bare minimum amount of revenue that you could still generate with your welcome flow. So again this just shows you that the first 72 hours after sign up matters the most because the reason is quite simple. The momentum is the highest at the moment that people uh or someone is signing up because they just discovered your brand. They just gave you their email. they're still comparing options and they're still considering where to buy from you or from one of your competitors. So if do they if they do not buy within the first

3:2772 hours the odds of conversion drop hard and at that point one of two things usually happen. So either they bought from someone else from one of your competitors or they just lost momentum and they just moved on and they're not interested in your product anymore. So that means that the old approach of building a very stretched out welcome flow over 10, 14 or 21 days is often inefficient. And I see this go wrong all the time with like super long welcome flows just to like build like a relationship with this new email subscriber. But the reality is just simply different. You do not want a slow

4:06drip. You want a front-loaded sequence that takes full advantage of the fresh intent you just have. So, that's what this guide is built around. Before we go to the next part, just a quick side note, I have a free email marketing course on my website that breaks down all these exact systems in a lot more detail. It's completely free and it cuts out all the fluff. So, if you want access, check out the link in the description below. And yes, it also contains this dog that I'm sharing with you right now in this video. All right, let's keep it going. So, the real problem e-commerce brands are facing,

4:43most brands do not have a traffic problem. They have a monetization problem. So, they are paying to generate clicks, sessions, signups, but they they do not have the backend system strong enough to convert those signups quickly. And that creates three problems for e-commerce brands. So the first problem is that the blended cap keeps rising because too much traffic leaks out of the funnel without converting. Second, email gets blamed unfairly because people look at the topline email revenue instead of asking whether the welcome series is actually capturing firsttime buying intent. And third, brands become too dependent on retargeting ads to recover the people they already paid for

5:22once. And that is just bad margin math. So a strong welcome series reduces that dependency. It improves the first time buyer conversion. It improves the payback speed and it improves the economics of acquisition and it builds trust at the exact moment people are deciding whether you are worth buying from because that's often the issue. People they need to have some trust in your brand in your brand to decide if yeah you're worth buying from. So what the welcome series is actually supposed to do. So the welcome series flow is not

5:55there to just nurture people for weeks. Don't do that. Its job is quite simple. Just to turn new email subscribers into customers as fast as possible and otherwise give hazard buyers enough trust to buy from you later. So that means your welcome series flow needs to do three things well. Deliver the offer you promised them in the signup form. Build confidence to buy from you right now and guide people towards the right product. That's the only thing. That's it. So if your welcome flow is too brand heavy, too storyheavy, or just simply too slow, you're wasting the moment of the highest intent. So the first email

6:31usually generates the most revenue because people, yeah, they just want the offer they sign up for. So that's completely normal. Email one is getting the vast majority of your revenue, but the emails after that are what separate mediocre welcome series flows from the strong ones. So that's really what we want to focus on because once the first email is sent, the strategy simply changes. You're not just delivering the offer. You're building conviction. And that conviction can come from social proof. It can come from brand credibility, product education, objection handling, USPS, category guidance, bestsellers, founder credibility, urgency. And of course, you don't need every angle in every cla

7:10account or every welcome flow, but you do need a sequence that increases confidence quickly just to make sure that people will buy from you as soon as possible. Now, with that being said, let's get into the recommended Clavio welcome series flow structure that I would recommend for e-commerce brands in 2026. So, this is the structure that I recommend. So first of all, the flow trigger is of course when someone is added to uh your main list. Oftent times that's the list newsletter flow filters

7:40placed order zero times over all time. So we want to make sure that only people who've never done a purch will receive this welcome series flow. We don't want people to resubscribe again and then they receive your welcome discount again. So the structure that we recommend is a first email that we send immediately after sign up. Then we send a second email on the same day, 8 hours later, which is a reminder, 16 hours later, email two. And then we send daily emails up until email six. So before we dive in into the exact structure and what I would recommend for each email, let me show you how to create this flow

8:16inside Clavio. So we're in one of our demo accounts uh of Clavio. So what we'll do in the left menu, we go into flows and then in the top right corner, we click on create flow. And then if you just search for welcome, we can see uh that Clavio has some default flows on their own. So for example, we see this one which is an SMS flow. So we're not going to focus on that right now. But if we click on this one, you can see this is the email flow. So if we click on this one, this is a version where they have a version for returning customers

8:49and non- buyers. Uh but let's take this one as a base just to add it for the trigger. Make sure to make sure to select the right list. In this case, it's the newsletter list. So, we're going to hit use template. And then we're just going to tweak it to make sure it follows the right filters and time delays. So, first the filters. So, re-entry criteria. We do not want people to re-enter. Of course, they can just enter the welcome series once and then after that, yeah, they cannot re-enter it again. Profile filter. So we want to add a profile filter which is going to say what someone has done has placed

9:25order zero times over all time. Again this is to make sure that if someone already has done a purchase before and for some reason they still got the signup form and they try to subscribe that they won't receive the actual flow with the discount. So we're going to hit save and now we're going to build the actual flow. So what we're going to do going to remove the existing customer version. So we're going to hit the three dots hit delete. We're going to move this on top of here. And then we can remove this conditional split because we're not going to use that. And then

9:55we're just going to delete both parts. There we go. Then we have email 1 A. That's how I like to call it. And then instead of waiting 3 days like Claio is recommending with the default flow, we just want to wait 8 hours. And then we want to send email 1B, which is a plain text email. Email 1A, of course, is going to give the discount code that you promised them in the signup form. Now, after email 1B, and again, I'm going to go more in depth on these emails a bit later. After email 1B, we want to add a time delay of 16 hours. So, then in

10:32total, we're 24 hours in. And then we want to make sure that we send email number two. One thing to keep in mind, make sure to turn off smart sending and to turn on UGM tracking. Smart sending, if you turn it on, it will basically skip anyone who received an email from you within the last 16 hours. And you can change uh the time frame. So instead of 16 hours, you can make it 12 hours, 2 hours, 1 hour, whatever. But typically for flows, you always want to turn off smart sending because yeah, flows are based on triggers. So yeah, it is important that people receive those

11:06emails. to always turn off smart sending for flows. For campaigns, you should turn it on. So that's important to keep in mind. So we have to adjust that over here as well. And for email 1 A already turned off. Great. So then we have email two up here. Then we want to add one day later. We want to add email three. Then we want to add another time delay of one day for email four. Turn off smart sending. Turn on UGM tracking. Then again, one day later, email five. And then one day later, email six. So, a pretty basic setup to be honest. But as you can see, we frontload the sequence

11:46with two emails on day one. So, we make use of that momentum on the first day. So, with that being said, let's get into the specifics of this structure and what every email should include. So, email 1A. So, this is of course the most important email in the entire welcome flow. the subscriber, they just signed up because yeah, they wanted something, the discount code that you promised them in your sign up form. So oftent times you will say, "Hey, do you want 10% off your first order or do you want a mystery discount?" People signed up, they only want one thing. They don't want the latest and greatest news on

12:19your brand. No, they just want the discount code. So give it to them immediately. Do not bury the discount code. Do not make them work for it. H do not over complicate the hero section. What this email needs to do is just deliver the promise incentive clearly, show the most logical products to buy first, really important. And reduce friction with trust builders and risk

12:41reversals. So what needs to be inside? First of all, a strong above the fold section with the offer, the discount code, and oneclick call to action. And if you don't know the above the fold section, that's the first thing that people see when they open your email, whether that's on mobile or on desktop. So without having to scroll, what do they see? That's the above default section. And that part should already include your offer, your discount code,

13:05and a call to action button. Why? Because the vast majority of the people, 90 to 99% of people only see your above the fall section and then just skip out on your email. So that's why you want to make sure that you maximize that area. Then after that you want to show like one to three bests sellers or a start here selection basically to guide them towards a specific product or category and when applicable you can show trust builders such as reviews, press mentions, uh expert endorsements, social proof and of course also things uh like risk reversals such as free shipping, free returns, a guarantee that you might

13:40have some warranty that you might have or a free trial. To show an example, this is a welcome flow email that we made for of Art. So, the above default section, super super simple. Welcome to of Art. 10% off your first order. Use code shop 10% off. It's not super fancy, but it gets the job done. It's super easy for people to understand what this is, and people can

14:04just buy straight away from this email. Then, if you scroll down, then we have a small introduction on the brand. We remind them of the discount code again, and we send them towards a specific collection. And we even highlight bestsellers, uh, canvas editions, and some new arrivals over here, and some XL paintings. And then again, the bottom of the email in this case, we remind them again of the discount and discount code with a CTA. So, super easy, super minimalistic, especially for this brand, but it gets the job done, and the

14:36conversion is just crazy. Now, email 1B. So, if someone signs up today, you should not wait 24 hours to follow up. And that's why we sent email 1B eight hours after email 1A because the momentum is the highest on day zero as I showed you before with the graph. So the second email on the same day of often drives a surprising amount of incremental revenue. Trust me, you've tested this many many times before and the results are just insane. And to be honest, it's not that weird and it's also not too much. And I know this is a concern e-commerce brands often have, but we're just simply taking advantage

15:14of the highest intent moment in the entire welcome flow. So the angle of this email is just a simple plain text founder style reminder. So short, direct, and human. So something like, hey, just making sure you saw your code. and then just point them back towards your best sellers, your bundles, your top categories, or just the most logical first purchase that someone can do. So, what needs to be inside? Plain text founder style message, a reminder on the discount code, one or two simple product or category references, and a direct CTA to your to your site. So, this email just works because it feels personal and

15:56intimate. In 2026, as I u explained many many times before in my previous videos, conversational emails, they continue to perform well because your inbox, Gmail, Outlook, etc., they reward engagement and human feeling content. And that's why this plain text email just works really, really well. No email example in here because it's just a plain text email. So based on this information, you probably get a sense of how this email should look like. Then we get into email two and this is where you start increasing the confidence at the sides of your new email subscriber. So we do not want to do this with fluff or with

16:34brand poetry. Uh but we want to do this with substance. So who are you? Why should someone trust you? What makes your brand worth buying from from you over the alternatives that they're looking at right now? So for some brands this can be a founder story. For others, it's their mission statement, quality standards, ingredients, sourcing,

16:54craftsmanship, or a product philosophy. So, it really depends on the niche and brand that you are. What needs to be inside? Of course, a reminder of the welcome discount, a clear trust building narrative, a brand backstory or mission if it actually matters, some founder presence if credible and relevant, and a clear CTA. So, just a strategic note for this one, do not make this email too long. I see this go wrong all the time with like big paragraphs of text. Don't make it too long. The goal is not to tell your entire life story. The goal is to reduce uncertainty and to increase the belief in your brand. So just an

17:30example for a brand called Freddy and Zoe. So we say meet the human behind the cats. Hi, I'm Casper, the founder of Freddy and Zoe. Uh so quick introduction on this person, a picture of the founder with an image of a cat. That always works if you show a path in your emails. and we remind them of the discount code in here. So, a super short personal founder le email from uh from the founder in this case with a reminder on the discount. Super easy, super simple,

17:58but it just works really really well. So, email three, a lot of your email subscribers do not buy from you because they're feeling overwhelmed. They do not know what they should buy from you basically. So that's why this email is super important because you want to guide them towards the first purchase. So do not assume that people know what to do with the discount code you gave to them. You have to tell them. So what needs to be inside this email? One to three best sellers or best connections, a simple benefit product positioning, clear expectations of why these are the best starting points, and of course a

18:33reminder on their welcome gift. So make sure that you talk about benefits, not just about features because yeah, people do not care about the product specs first. They want to know what the benefit for them is. They only care about the outcomes. So an example of an email that we made for uh so a top bar with a reminder on the discount code and then in the email itself another reminder on there welcome gift and then we say hey go further for longer with these bestsellers and then remind them of the energy bars, energy gels and the drink powders. So, we say, "Hey, 50 grams of plant-based carbs to keep you

19:07moving. That's the benefit. Fast energy with dual carbs for quick absorption and hydration and endurance fuel in one." So, just three best sellers that we highlight in this email. Super simple. Show the best sellers, explain why people need it, and remind them of the discount that you gave them in email one, which leads to email four. So, by this point, if they still have not bought from your brand, it usually comes down to friction. They're hesitating. So now you answer the question they've not asked you directly. So why should they buy from you instead of one of your competitors? Why is the price justified to buy from you? Why should they trust

19:44the quality of your brand? Why should they act now? So what needs to be inside email 4? Your core brand uses the product or category level differentiators, objection handling, and of course again a discount reminder with in this case real urgency. So a clear deadline if applicable. example over here for um a brand called empower nutrition. So again, we have the top bar

20:07with a reminder on the discount code. And then the email itself, we have, hey, the difference is what's in inside. Hint, only the cleanest ingredients. And then in the email itself, we explain why people should buy from this supplement brand and not just from another random supplement brand because of course there's a lot of competition in this market. And yeah, we just explain what the benefits are of using these products. And uh we remind them of the discount codes and we add some urgency to it. So hurry this code expires in 48 hours. What you will notice with the welcome discounts uh codes that we use

20:42we not just use welcome 10 in this case uh but we or use unique discount codes or we use static codes that look like unique codes. Uh so when we do use urgency um it not looks like fake urgency because everyone knows welcome 10 is yeah not going to expire. So that's important to keep in mind. And then we end it with a review as well over here. Now, let's get into email five. And this is going to be a straightforward email. So, we want to use urgency to push for that first time purchase. So, we want to communicate a deadline and show some social proof to

21:14make them feel comfortable buying from you. So, what needs to be inside this email? A clear urgency deadline. So, if in the previous email you used 48 hours left, then of course in this email you say 24 hours left. If you said uh or you have a communicated deadline in a previous email, you can now use 48 hours left. Kind of depends on the strategy that you're going with and then just enter in like one to three good reviews to um yeah support the email. And what I mean with good reviews, often times I see just some generic reviews in the emails. They just say like, "Hey, great

21:45product." But you really want to use reviews when possible of course that highlight a specific painoint, an objection or something that um yeah really grabs the attention from people and makes people feel feel recognized like hey this is me and now this person is using a product and see the benefits of it. Um so really try to find some good good reviews and you can better use one good review than three just some generic reviews. Email six, this is the close by. Now the goal is simple. We're going to give them one final reason to act. So, what needs to be inside this email? A final reminder of the offer,

22:20some strong urgency. Again, you can use some reviews or authority signals or risk reversals, whatever fits your brand best and what's the strongest angle. This is also something that you should AB test and highlight what to buy. And this email can work very well either as a designed email or as a plain text email. Uh you basically want to test both and see what works best for your brand. So typically if you do the previous email with like a 48 hour deadline and in this email you can use a 24-hour deadline in the plain text format for example and test it versus a design version as well. What you can

22:53also do if email four was 48 hours left, email five is 24 hours left, email six can be an extended sale, that's like an angle that we use often, and then you send it out as a plain text email from the founder saying, "Hey, we've extended your welcome discount for another 24 hours, but act fast." And that angle works super super well. So like there are like multiple routes that you can take depending on your brand and the results that you're getting. So the real 2026 strategy is to frontload the welcome flow. So if you take one thing from this video, let it be this. Do not

23:28spread your best persuation across two two weeks. So the best opportunity is in within the first 72 hours after someone has signed up. This is where the attention is highest, the brand recall is the highest, the buying intent is the strongest, and the competitive evaluation is happening in real time. So this is where your welcome series flow has the most leverage. So structure your flow around speed rather than spreading it across 2 three weeks. And then a

23:55final tip and that's to add more emails. So should you cap your welcome series flow at just those seven emails? Absolutely not. Because a smart strategy for driving additional revenue is to integrate your top performing evergreen email campaigns into your welcome series flow. So, you just want to take a look at the past campaigns that you've sent and identify which campaigns, yeah, generated the best results for your brand and check if these campaigns are like ever evergreen campaigns. Uh, which means that you they're relevant all year long and you can use them all year long and then if it worked as a campaign, just add them to your welcome flow and

24:30then they should generate some additional revenue afterwards as well. So, that's a quick hack to squeeze out the most outside of your welcome flow. And of course again the momentum is in the first 72 hours. So do not expect like crazy crazy returns on this but it is an easy way to add some additional revenue if um yeah you had some high uh performing campaigns before. So evergreen campaigns it can be how-tos it can be blog promotions uh reviews usually generated content myth emails product highlights uh subscription promos bundles gift guides educational emails. Um, so all these type of campaigns, those are like evergreen campaigns that you can add to your

25:07welcome series flow if they performed strongly as an email campaign. And that's how you create a high converting welcome series flow inside Glafio in 2026. Now, here's the important part. Even a great welcome series won't unlock the full revenue potential of email if the rest of your back end is still messy. If your segmentation is weak, if your campaigns are just random, and your other flows are underperforming, then your welcome flow is doing all the work by itself. And that's not how you build a real retention system. So, if you want my team to build or optimize your full cliff, your backend system for you, we

25:44can help you with that. So, you can book a free strategy call using the first link in the description below. And after that, watch this video next where I break down how to segment your email list properly. Because this is exactly the kind of system we implement for brands doing 50 to 500K a month that want email to become a real revenue

26:05channel and not just an afterthought. So, I'll see you over there in the other