Post Purchase Flows: from buyer to loyal customer

01The Post Purchase journey at a glance

Trigger

after the purchase

Scope

9 flow types

Goal

accompany customers chronologically

Post Purchase Flows accompany the customer chronologically after the purchase. From the moment of the order to the winback months later. Each flow has a clear goal:

• Order Confirmation / Shipped / Delayed: Transparency and trust
• Post Purchase Bounce Back: Trigger the second purchase (THE core flow!)
• Review Request: Collect social proof
• Cross-Sell: Suggest matching products
• Push AOV: Show higher-priced products
• Refill: Restocks for consumable products
• Push LTV: Push lifetime value with tiered discounts
• Winback: Reactivate inactive customers
• Birthday / Anniversary: Emotional touchpoints

Important: Post Purchase Flows must differentiate by number of orders. A first-time buyer needs onboarding and trust-building. A fourth-time buyer needs loyalty rewards and referral incentives.

02Order Confirmation, Shipped, Delayed (transactional flows)

Trigger

order, shipping, delay

Scope

4 email types

Goal

transparency and trust

Trigger: Placed Order / Fulfilled Order / 6 days without fulfilment[2]

Goal: Transparency, trust, support

These flows are mandatory but often underestimated. Structure according to the Emailfy Best Practice:

• Order Confirmation: Immediately after the order: “Your order has been confirmed”
• Partial Shipment: 1h after a partial shipment: “Parts of your order are on their way”[3]
• Order Shipped: Immediately after shipping: “Your complete order has been shipped”
• Order Delayed: 6 days without fulfilment: “Your order is delayed” (again after 12 days: “We haven’t forgotten you”)

Best Practice: Don’t use these emails just for tracking links. Add unboxing tips or help with the order. Cross-sell suggestions belong in separate emails, because with product recommendations, Klaviyo no longer treats an order email as transactional but as a marketing email.[9] These emails have the highest open rates in the entire account.

03Post Purchase Bounce Back (the core flow!)

Trigger

Fulfilled Order

Scope

6 paths

Goal

trigger the next purchase

Trigger: Fulfilled Order (marked as fulfilled in Shopify, so usually shipped, not delivered).[2][6] For the timings “after delivery”, use Delivered Shipment if your shipping provider reports delivery to Shopify.[2] Otherwise, add the usual shipping time.

Goal: Trigger the second/next purchase, activate referrals, build loyalty

Post Purchase Bounce Back is the most complex and most important flow in the entire Post Purchase setup. It has 6 different paths based on the number of orders. Here is the structure:

Path A: first-time buyers (1 order)

Goal: onboarding, strengthen trust, trigger the second purchase.

• Email 1 (1 day after delivery): Founder message (text-only, VHC style): thank them for the purchase, delivery, FAQ, support
• Email 2 (2 days later): How to use the product + UGC & reviews
• Email 3 (2 days later): About us + socials
• Email 3b (10 days later): Discount on the next order (valid for 14 days)
• Email 4 (1-2 days later): Reminder “only 48h left”
• Email 5 (3 days later): Typeform: “Why no second purchase?”
• Email 6 (immediately): Offer upgrade / objection handling (based on the Typeform)
• Email 7 (20h later): Last Chance “only 4h left”

Path B: second-time buyers (2 orders) + Path C: third-time buyers (3 orders)

Goal: activate referrals (influence.io integration).[8]

• Email 1 (1 day after delivery): Founder message (text-only)
• Email 2 (2 days later): Referral offer: “€10 off for a referral” (influence.io link)
• Email 3 (10 days later, if no referral): Referral reminder
• Email 4 (10 days later, if no referral): Founder message with emphasis on referrals (text-only)
• Email 5 (14 days later, if no referral): Typeform: “Why no referral?”

Why referrals from purchase 2? Because the customer is now convinced. They have bought twice, know the quality and can recommend you authentically.

Path D: fourth-time buyers (4 orders)

Goal: reward loyalty.

• Email 1 (1 day after delivery): Founder message: “Thank you for your 4th purchase already” + discount
• Email 2 (12 days later, if no purchase): Reminder “only 48h left”

Path E + F: fifth-time buyers and 6+ orders

Goal: say thank you, show appreciation.

• Email 1: Founder message (varies by frequency, e.g. “You’re part of the family now”)

Split logic: The paths are split automatically by Fulfilled Order = X over all time.[4] Every customer gets exactly the flow that matches their number of orders.

04Review Request Flow

Trigger

6 days after delivery

Scope

2 emails, 2 additional flows

Goal

collect social proof

Trigger: 6 days after delivery (Delivered Shipment or Fulfilled Order plus the usual shipping time)[2]

Goal: Collect social proof, strengthen trust signals

Review requests are essential, but many people get them wrong. Emailfy Best Practice:

• Email 1 (6 days after delivery): Review request (filter: Reviewed zero times over all time)
• Email 2 (7 days later, if no review): Reminder

New: positive/negative review flows

• Positive Review Flow: Immediately after a positive review: a thank-you. A promised reward such as a discount, however, goes to everyone who leaves a review, regardless of the rating.[10]
• Negative Review Flow: Immediately after a negative review: support reaches out proactively[5]

Timing tip: 6 days is the sweet spot. The product has arrived and been used, but the excitement is still fresh.

05Cross-Sell Flow

Trigger

15 days after fulfilment

Scope

2 emails

Goal

suggest matching products

Trigger: 15 days after Fulfilled Order[6]

Goal: Increase AOV, suggest matching products

Cross-selling only works if the suggestions are relevant. Emailfy Best Practice:

• Email 1 (15 days after purchase): Split by purchased products: bestseller buyers get other products, other buyers get bestsellers
• Email 2 (2 days later): Present more matching products

Split logic: Use conditional splits based on Placed Order where Items contains [Product] to deliver personalised recommendations.[2]

06Push AOV Flow

Trigger

19 days after fulfilment

Scope

1 email

Goal

sell higher-priced products

Trigger: 19 days after Fulfilled Order

Goal: Sell higher-priced products

This flow is new in the Emailfy setup and aims to move customers towards higher-priced products:

• Email 1 (19 days after purchase): Present popular higher-priced products

When to use it? When your range is clearly tiered by price segment (e.g. basic, premium, luxury).

07Refill Flow

Trigger

based on consumption

Scope

7 emails

Goal

automate restock purchases

Trigger: Based on consumption after Fulfilled Order (for specific products)

Goal: Automate restock purchases

Refill Flows are worth their weight in gold for consumable products (supplements, cosmetics, food). Emailfy Best Practice:

• Email 1 (5 days after purchase): Typeform: “How often do you use the product?” (ask about consumption)
• Email 2 (timing varies based on the Typeform answer): “Running low? Order a refill now”
• Email 3 (7 days later): “Why you should restock” (content, benefits)
• Email 4 (7 days later): “You’re sure to need a refill by now” (reminder)
• Email 5 (3 days later): Discount as an incentive (valid for 48h)
• Email 6 (1 day later): Reminder
• Email 6Q (2 days later): Typeform: “Why no repeat order?”

Split logic: Split by purchased products (consumable products only) + Placed Order = 1 (first-time buyers).

08Push LTV Flow

Trigger

45 days, first-time buyers only

Scope

2 emails

Goal

LTV with tiered discounts

Trigger: 45 days after Fulfilled Order (first-time buyers only)

Goal: Push lifetime value with tiered discounts

This flow combines AOV + repeat purchase. Emailfy Best Practice:

• Email 1 (45 days after purchase): Tiered discount: “10% from €X, 15% from €Y, 20% from €Z”
• Email 2 (5 days later): Reminder “only 48h left”

Filter: Fulfilled Order = 1 over all time. This flow is aimed only at first-time buyers, to move them to a second purchase.

09Winback Flow (8+ Emails)

Trigger

60 to 75 days

Scope

8+ emails

Goal

reactivate inactive customers

Trigger: 60-75 days after the last purchase (depending on the purchase cycle)[1]

Goal: Reactivate inactive customers

Winback is the last attempt to bring customers back before they are lost. Emailfy Best Practice (path for first-time buyers):

• Email 1: New products and brand (dynamic: new arrivals category)
• Email 2 (7 days later): Sale products (dynamic)
• Email 3 (7 days later): Refer to the previous purchase, show reviews
• Email 4 (7 days later): “We haven’t heard from you in a while” + increased discount
• Email 5 (7 days later): Coupon code reminder
• Email 6 (2 days later): Flash sale (higher discount than before)
• Email 7 (2 days later): Typeform: “Why not?”
• Email 8a (7 days later): “Where did you go?”
• Email 8b (2 days later): Last Chance

Split logic: First-time buyers vs. repeat customers. Repeat customers get adapted content (less onboarding, more loyalty).

Discount escalation: Winback uses the most aggressive discount strategy. From a normal discount to an increased discount to a flash sale. It is the last chance.

10Birthday Flow

Trigger

1 week before

Scope

up to 3 emails

Goal

emotional connection

Trigger: 1 week before the birthday + on the birthday[7]

Goal: Emotional connection, spontaneous purchase

Birthday Flows have high conversion rates because they are personal. Emailfy Best Practice:

• Email 1 (1 week before): “Your birthday is coming up, treat yourself” + euro voucher
• Email 2a (on the birthday, if they bought): “Happy Birthday” (no voucher needed, they’ve already bought)
• Email 2b (on the birthday, if they didn’t buy): “Happy Birthday” + the euro voucher again
• Email 3 (7 days later, if no purchase): Reminder

Split logic: Split by Placed Order since Flow start to avoid someone getting a discount twice.[1]

11First Purchase Anniversary Flow

Trigger

365 days after first purchase

Scope

2 emails

Goal

celebrate loyalty

Trigger: 365 days after the first purchase

Goal: Celebrate loyalty, create an emotional touchpoint

An often overlooked flow. Emailfy Best Practice:

• Email 1 (365 days after the first purchase): “A year ago, you ordered from us” + euro voucher
• Email 2 (5 days later): Reminder

12Repeat Purchase Nurture Flow (better to deactivate)

Trigger

after fulfilment

Scope

only as a fallback

Goal

prompt repeat purchases

Trigger: After Fulfilled Order

Goal: Prompt repeat purchases

Our recommendation: “better to deactivate”. Why? Because this flow overlaps with Post Purchase Bounce Back, Cross-Sell and Refill. Only use it if the other flows don’t kick in.

Bottom line: Post Purchase Flows are the heart of a profitable email setup. They turn one-time buyers into loyal regular customers. The Emailfy Best Practice: split by number of orders, referrals from purchase 2, Typeform feedback in every flow, and discount escalation over time. That’s how you build a system that accompanies customers from purchase 1 to purchase 10+.