The Most Overlooked Flow In Email Marketing

Hey, Tarun here from Milkshake 🥤

Most brands set up abandoned cart and checkout flows… and stop there.

But what about all the visitors who browse your site, but don’t view products, add to cart, or abandoned checkout?

👉 That’s where the Site Abandonment Flow comes in.

It targets shoppers who showed intent but didn’t make it to checkout and it’s one of the simplest ways to add incremental revenue. 👇

Your Ecommerce Customer Journey

Brands are spending tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of $$$ every month for traffic.

Traffic is expensive and getting more expensive each year.

Yet 95-98% of visitors to your ecommerce site will leave without buying anything.

And unless you have a system to bring them back, that’s potential revenue down the drain.

Introducing: The Site Abandonment Flow

The Site Abandonment Flow is an automated email sequence triggered when someone visits your site but leaves without viewing any products, or adding to cart or purchasing.

It’s different from:

• Browse Abandonment = viewed a product but didn't add to cart

• Abandoned Cart = added to cart but not checking out

• Abandoned Checkout = started checkout but didn't purchase

Who Are These Site Abandoners?

Well firstly, they're people who are already familiar with your brand.

They've signed up to your list already, and likely already gone through your welcome series.

These people:

• Signed up to your list previously

• Went to your website

• Left without getting any further down the funnel.

They didn't browse any products, add to cart, start checkout or place any order.

This might seem like 'cold traffic', but they are definitely not cold.

They've been on your site before and something brought them back to your website.

They definitely have intent, we just don't know exactly what they're shopping for.

What Makes A Great Site Abandonment Email?

1. Be Gentle

Site abandoners are curious… but not convinced.

They’re not ready to buy… yet.

So don’t hit them with countdown timers, 20% discounts, or aggressive sales language.

Instead, focus on:

• Building trust

• Showing value

• Answering unspoken questions

• Making them feel seen and understood

2. Send More Than 1 Email

Elite flows go beyond 1 reminder. Structure should look like this:

Email 1 (1hr post-visit): Soft nudge + storytelling

• Light touch, brand mission, maybe a best seller.

• No hard sell, just reminding them what makes your brand worth coming back to.

Email 2 (24hrs later): Social proof + top products

• Show off reviews, UGC, or “most loved” items.

• Reaffirm credibility and remove buyer hesitation.

Flow Structure

Email 1: Soft Nudge + Storytelling

Email 2: Social Proof + Top Products

Klaviyo Setup: Step-By-Step

Timing: First email ideally sent within 1-2 hours of abandonment while intent is still fresh.

Trigger: Active on Site

Filters:

• Exclude anyone who 'viewed product', 'added to cart', 'started checkout' or 'placed order'
  

• Exclude anyone who's received the flow in the last 30 days

Final Thoughts:

The Site Abandonment Flow is one of the most overlooked revenue drivers in ecommerce.

Here’s why it matters:

• It fills the gap: Most flows only hit cart or checkout abandoners, but the majority of traffic never makes it that far.

• It’s easy to implement: Same logic as cart abandonment, just with a broader trigger.

• It’s incremental revenue: Even if only 1-2% of recipients convert, the audience size makes this flow highly profitable.

• It strengthens the funnel: Captures window shoppers earlier and guides them back toward purchase.

👉 If you’ve already built the core flows (Welcome, Cart, Checkout, Post-Purchase), Site Abandonment should be your next move.

It’s a low-lift, high-return automation that helps you squeeze more revenue out of traffic you’ve already paid to acquire.

See you in the next one,

Tarun

PS: If you’re an ecommerce brand making over 50K/month and you want a free in-depth Email Marketing Audit, book a call with me personally here.