Retention.com Welcome Email Flow: A Practical Guide

• Start with 3–5 emails, sent soon after the visit. For cold website visitors identified by Retention.com, a short, fast-paced welcome series works best.
• This quick cadence keeps your brand fresh in their mind while they still remember visiting your site.
• Send the first email ASAP: Trigger the first welcome email immediately or within a few hours of the visitor’s session.
• Hitting their inbox the same day they visited increases the chance they recall your brand and open the message.
• For example, you might use a segment-triggered flow: when a new profile is added to your “Retention Leads” segment, send Email #1 right away.
• Send a second email about 1 day later, and a third email the day after that.
• Each email should build on the last.
• After 2–3 emails in as many days, if the lead hasn’t opened any email, you can pause further emails — additional emails are likely to have diminishing returns.

Since these contacts didn’t explicitly subscribe, the tone and content of your emails should re-introduce your brand, provide value, and build trust — essentially turning a cold lead into a warm prospect. Keep the messaging friendly and helpful, not overly salesy.

• Craft curiosity-piquing subject lines: Reference their recent visit or shopping intent in a casual way. Subject lines like “Still looking?”, “Thanks for stopping by!”, or “Did you find what you were looking for?” work well.
• Acknowledge why they’re getting the email: In the opening lines, remind them that they visited your site. For example, “You stopped by our website recently – here’s a quick hello from [Brand Name]!” This context reduces confusion and makes the email feel relevant.
• Introduce your brand and best offerings: Highlight a few bestselling or new products they might like, and briefly mention what makes your brand unique. Share a couple of bullet points about your value props or a snippet of your brand story.
• Provide an incentive to shop: Consider offering a special discount or free shipping for first-time customers. Many brands include a promo code in the first or second email (e.g. “Here’s 15% off your first order, just for you”).
• Include clear calls-to-action: Every email should have a single, clear CTA button or link. Examples: “Browse New Arrivals”, “Shop Best Sellers”, or “Claim Your Discount”.
• Vary content across the series: Email 1 could be a broad “Welcome/Thanks for visiting + here’s what we offer”. Email 2 might highlight top products or categories. Email 3 could share customer favorites or testimonials and remind them of the incentive.
• Personalize when possible: Use what they browsed to personalize product recommendations. Avoid generic “Dear subscriber” language — make it feel one-to-one.

• Use a dedicated segment for Retention.com leads: Tag them or add them to a “Retention.com Leads” list in Klaviyo upon sync. This allows you to filter them into a dedicated welcome flow and exclude them from other automations until appropriate.
• Gradually warm these contacts: Avoid blasting them all at once. Start with the welcome series, and hold off on including them in regular newsletters until they show some engagement.
• Monitor engagement closely: Track open rates and click rates on the welcome emails. After the welcome series, segment out those who engaged vs. those who didn’t.
• Suppress or sunset unengaged contacts: Do not keep emailing leads who show no signs of life. You might implement a sunset policy: if no opens after 3 emails, mark as unengaged and stop emailing them.
• Use engaged segments for ongoing campaigns: Only include them in broadcast campaigns if they have opened or clicked an email in the last 30 or 60 days.
• Monitor bounces and complaints: Keep spam complaint percentage well under 0.1%. Remove any addresses that hard bounce and immediately honor all unsubscribes.
• Make unsubscribe easy and obvious: Always include a clear unsubscribe link in the footer. You don’t want frustrated recipients to mark your email as spam instead.

United States – CAN-SPAM Act (Opt-Out model): In the U.S., it is legal to send cold marketing emails to consumers as long as you follow CAN-SPAM requirements. You must include a clear unsubscribe link, your physical mailing address, an accurate “From” name, and non-misleading subject lines.

European Union (GDPR) and Canada (CASL) – Opt-In required: Do not email Retention.com leads in jurisdictions that require opt-in consent. Retention.com limits its data to US contacts only and geofences to avoid collecting EU/Canadian visitors.

State privacy laws (CCPA/CPRA): Update your privacy policy to explain that you use third-party services to collect visitor email addresses for marketing. Provide a “Do Not Sell or Share My Info” link on your website if applicable. Be prepared to delete an individual’s data if they request it.

Consent and transparency: A simple line like “You visited our website recently, so we’re reaching out to say hello!” can go a long way in establishing legitimacy and mitigating spam complaints.

Respect unsubscribes: If any Retention.com contact unsubscribes, honor that immediately. Klaviyo will automatically suppress those who click “unsubscribe,” but ensure you don’t upload or resync them by accident later.

Keep records: Tag profiles in Klaviyo with a custom property like “Source = Retention.com” so you can identify the source if ever questioned.

This guide is for general best practices — always consult your legal advisor for specific advice, as laws can change.

Creating a Klaviyo welcome flow for Retention.com leads is a best practice for B2C ecommerce marketers who want to maximize value from their paid traffic.

Treat these contacts thoughtfully: hit their inbox quickly with a friendly hello, showcase your brand’s best side, offer help or a deal, and always give them an out if they’re not interested.

By following this guide — optimizing email frequency, messaging for cold leads, smart segmentation, and strict compliance — you can turn “nearly cold” visitors into warm subscribers and customers.

Done right, a Retention.com welcome series can become a significant revenue driver for your business, all while building goodwill with new contacts.

Introduce yourself (e.g., “Thanks for stopping by the site”), make an offer, and explain how your brand is different. If possible, humanize your brand with casual photographs, such as shots of you around the office.

Things to Consider:

• Keep in mind that new contacts have likely encountered your brand and products for the first time.
• Assume they are in the early stages of searching for items that meet their needs.
• Ensure your email is as relevant to their recent store visit as possible.
• Failing to do so may result in losing the new contact, often permanently.

Implementation notes:

• View your email template as an ecommerce landing page that showcases a wide range of product discovery options relevant to the contact’s store visit.
• Don’t hesitate to include multiple product streams in a single email.

PERSONALIZATION EVENT: Viewed Product

Picked Just For You

PLAY: Combine the last viewed product with items the shopper is likely to view next.

WHY IT WORKS: The last viewed product increases relevancy to the shopper’s recent visit, while additional recommendations help extend their product discovery journey.

FALLBACK: If the ‘product viewed’ event is unavailable, display top-performing, most-viewed products by other email shoppers.

PERSONALIZATION EVENT: Landed on Page

Others Also Viewed

PLAY: Feature products that shoppers often view after arriving on a specific landing page.

WHY IT WORKS: A landing page reflects the shopper’s initial product interest. By recommending products that shoppers are likely to view after landing on a specific page, you significantly enhance the product discovery experience.

FALLBACK: If custom event tracking for ‘Landed on Page’ is not implemented, show top-performing products for the most successful landing page.

PERSONALIZATION EVENT: Add-to-Cart

Often Added To Cart

PLAY: Highlight products often added together to the cart by other email shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: Each item added to the shopping cart is a strong signal of product-market fit. Showing shoppers what others have bought alongside an item in their cart often inspires them to return, complete their purchase, and buy additional products.

FALLBACK: If no ‘add-to-cart’ event is recorded, show top-performing products frequently added to the cart by email shoppers.

PERSONALIZATION EVENT: Viewed Category

Must See In Collection

PLAY: Feature top-performing products within a viewed product category.

WHY IT WORKS: A viewed category indicates a customer’s product interests. Limiting product recommendations to a single category is an effective way to accelerate product discovery.

FALLBACK: If no ‘Viewed Category’ event is recorded, show top-performing products in the best-performing category among new shoppers.

Best Practice: Send your offer again and remind them! Send your “best sellers” and “best-of” content.

Things to consider:

• A day later, a new contact should still remember their recent visit to your store, but you can no longer fully rely on it.

Implementation Notes:

• Start adding product recommendations that aren’t directly tied to the recent store visit.
• This serves as additional ‘shelf space,’ showcasing other products your brand offers that the shopper is likely unaware of.

UPLIFT MODELING: Acquisition - Sure Shots

Top Picks

PLAY: Feature top performing products among email shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: Showcasing what other email customers like is always effective marketing. By featuring items that grab email shoppers’ attention and also convert well, you create a win-win situation.

FALLBACK: If there aren’t enough top-performing items in the email channel, feature the top performers site-wide.

PERSONALIZATION EVENT: Viewed Product

Similar to Products You’ve Viewed

PLAY: Show top-performing items similar to the product viewed by other email shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: Leveraging the last product viewed to generate a list of similar products maintains relevancy to the shopper’s recent visit while aiding in product discovery.

FALLBACK: If the ‘product viewed’ event is missing, display similar items to the top-performing product viewed by other email shoppers.

PERSONALIZATION EVENT: Landed on Page

More Items To Consider

PLAY: Feature similar products for shoppers who arrived on a specific landing page.

WHY IT WORKS: A landing page reflects the shopper’s initial product interest. By recommending top-performing products associated with shoppers who arrived on that page, you significantly enhance the product discovery journey.

FALLBACK: If custom event tracking for ‘Landed on Page’ is not implemented, show top-performing products for the most successful landing page among email shoppers.

PERSONALIZATION EVENT: Viewed Category

Related To The Category You’ve Viewed

PLAY: Feature products similar to those in a category viewed by email shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: A viewed category indicates a general interest in a type of product. Highlighting similar products from other categories is an effective way to broaden the range of product discovery.

FALLBACK: If no ‘Viewed Category’ event is recorded, show similar products to the top-performing product in the top-performing category among email shoppers.

Best Practice: Send another value-loaded piece of content. Really position yourself and/or your brand as an expert in your field; give away the single best tip or trick you have.

Unsubscribe all Non-Openers at this point but keep the rest in the flow.

Things to consider:

• As days pass, the impact of the recent store visit by a new contact begins to fade. It’s time to start exposing this shopper to the broader range of what your brand can offer.

Implementation notes:

• At this step in the email sequence, the mix of product streams should shift.
• Reduce the number of event-driven personalized recommendations and start introducing more product streams relevant to a broader audience of email shoppers.

UPLIFT MODELING: Engagement - Sure Shots

Shopper’s Choice

PLAY: Feature top-performing products most often engaged with by email shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: Every product engagement is a buying signal. By showcasing top-performing products based on a blend of engagement and revenue metrics, you effectively help shoppers discover products they like while generating more revenue for your brand.

FALLBACK: If there aren’t enough top-performing items in the email channel, feature the top performers site-wide.

UPLIFT MODELING: Monetization - Persuadables

Hidden Gems

PLAY: Feature ‘persuadables’ — products with strong revenue performance metrics but limited add-to-cart actions among email shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: These products perform well once shoppers add them to their carts. By highlighting these items in your emails, you’ll shorten the product discovery path while also boosting revenue metrics.

FALLBACK: If there aren’t enough ‘persuadables’ in the email channel, feature them site-wide.

PERSONALIZATION EVENT: Viewed Product

Inspired By Products You’ve Viewed

PLAY: Show top-performing items that are viewed together with the currently viewed product during the same session by other store visitors.

WHY IT WORKS: Leveraging the last product viewed to generate a list of products also viewed by other store visitors maintains relevancy while broadening the range of product options presented to the shopper.

FALLBACK: If the ‘product viewed’ event is missing, display top-performing, most-viewed products by other store visitors.

PERSONALIZATION EVENT: Landed on Page

Must See Next Time You Visit Us

PLAY: Feature top-performing products for shoppers who arrived on a specific landing page.

WHY IT WORKS: A landing page reflects the shopper’s initial product interest. By recommending top-performing products associated with shoppers who arrived on that page, you significantly enhance the product discovery journey.

FALLBACK: If custom event tracking for ‘Landed on Page’ is not implemented, show top-performing products from the most successful landing page among all store shoppers.

Best Practice: Send another value-loaded piece of content. Let others validate your brand by showing your customers testimonials and reviews!

Things to consider:

• After sending three emails without successfully bringing the shopper back to your store, it’s clear that you’re dealing with a low-intent contact.
• At this point, you need to dig deeper into your product catalog to reignite their interest in your brand.

Implementation notes:

• If the email contact did not engage with store-visit-related recommendations, it’s time to broaden your approach by introducing product streams that have performed well with other email shoppers.

UPLIFT MODELING: Retention - Sure Shots

All-Time Favorites

PLAY: Feature products with top-performing customer retention metrics for email shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: Certain products in your catalog have lasting appeal to your email contacts. By showcasing top-performing products based on retention metrics, you’ll drive more shoppers back to your store and increase customer lifetime value.

UPLIFT MODELING: Engagement - Persuadables

Hidden Treasures

PLAY: Feature ‘persuadables’ — products with strong revenue performance metrics but limited engagement among email shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: These products perform well once shoppers view them. By highlighting these items in your emails, you’ll expand the range of products your shoppers discover while also boosting revenue metrics.

UPLIFT MODELING: Monetization - Sure Shots

Most Purchased

PLAY: Feature top-performing products most often added to cart by email shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: Every product added to the cart by your email shoppers is a strong indicator of product-market fit. By showcasing top-performing products based on a blend of add-to-cart rate and revenue per cart, you effectively help shoppers discover products they are likely to buy.

UPLIFT MODELING: Acquisition - Persuadables

Overlooked Finds

PLAY: Feature ‘persuadables’ — products with strong revenue performance metrics but limited exposure among email shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: These products perform well once shoppers view them. By highlighting these items in your emails, you’ll expand the range of products your shoppers discover while also boosting revenue metrics.

Best Practice: The top of your email should stay unchanged and follow Retention.com recommendations:

• Create a “Limited-Time” offer and wrap up your sequence.

Things to Consider:

• As days pass, a new contact’s store visit becomes a distant memory.
• At this point, treat the contact as a low-intent shopper and focus on earning continued engagement by showcasing the variety of products your brand offers.

Implementation notes:

• Expand your emails to include as many types of product recommendations from the list below as possible.
• You have little to lose and much to gain if a contact engages with this content.

UPLIFT MODELING: Acquisition - Performance

Top Choices

PLAY: Feature top performing products among all shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: By featuring items liked by all your online store customers that also convert well, you’ll help your email shoppers more easily find products they like and are motivated to buy.

UPLIFT MODELING: Engagement - Performance

Most Viewed

PLAY: Feature top-performing, most-viewed products among all shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: By featuring items most frequently engaged with by your online store customers that also convert well, you’ll help your email shoppers more easily find products they like and are motivated to buy.

UPLIFT MODELING: Monetization - Performance

Hot Sellers

PLAY: Feature top-performing, most-added-to-cart products among all shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: By featuring items most frequently added to cart by your online store customers that also convert well, you’ll help your email shoppers more easily find products they want to add to their cart.

UPLIFT MODELING: Retention - Performance

Must-Have Products

PLAY: Feature top-performing, retention-driving products among all shoppers.

WHY IT WORKS: By featuring items preferred by long-time customers that also convert well, you’ll retain more email shoppers who can easily find products they want to buy from your store.

Best Practice: If and only if they interacted with your series (clicks OR opens), put them into your normal email marketing! They like you, and they know you. Just keep the conversation open.

Things to consider:

• When it comes to retaining newly captured contacts, you must take a long-term approach and maintain regular email communication.
• Your success in retaining these contacts will depend on your ability to make your emails relevant to individual shoppers.

This Retention.com welcome flow should serve as a blueprint for how to think about and enrich your other email sequences and brand promotion emails with relevant ecommerce content.

The following is a brief summary of different types of product recommendations available for transforming your conventional marketing emails into ecommerce landing pages:

• Personalization: Drive the highest level of relevance to individual shopper needs through event-driven product personalization. This approach is based on the discovery that shopper behavior is a far better predictor of product needs than demographic data.
• Uplift Modeling: Unlock your brand’s full market potential by detecting true buying signals from your shoppers. This is achieved through the ability to automatically measure the impact of marketing interventions on both participants and non-participants in your campaigns.
• Segments: Effectively target specific email segments with the most relevant offers by mapping online store product performance to segments in your email app.
• Trending: Capitalize on shifts in market demand for your products by leveraging historical data combined with personalization and uplift modeling algorithms.
• Deals: Boost profitability through strategic use of price discounts by incorporating product performance insights along with personalization and uplift modeling algorithms.