The best email marketing doesn't require you to write a new campaign every week. It requires setting up the right automations once, then letting your customer data do the heavy lifting.
Here are five flows that every retail business should have running. If you're using Klaviyo with your POS data synced (via Gather or otherwise), these can be live in a day.
1. Welcome Series
Trigger: New customer added to your system
This is your first impression. Don't waste it on a generic "thanks for signing up" email.
A good welcome series (3-4 emails over 2 weeks) should:
- Introduce your brand story
- Highlight your best sellers or signature products
- Include a first-purchase incentive if they haven't bought yet
- Set expectations for what they'll hear from you
Expected impact: 50-70% open rates on the first email. It's the highest engagement you'll ever get.
2. Post-Purchase Follow-Up
Trigger: Customer completes a purchase
The sale isn't the end of the relationship. It's the beginning.
Your post-purchase flow should:
- Thank them (genuinely, not generically)
- Provide care instructions or usage tips for what they bought
- Ask for a review after 7-14 days
- Suggest complementary products based on what they purchased
Expected impact: 15-25% of post-purchase emails drive a second sale within 30 days.
3. Win-Back Campaign
Trigger: Customer hasn't purchased in 60-90 days (adjust to your buying cycle)
Acquiring a new customer costs 5-7x more than retaining an existing one. Win-back flows target people who already know and trust you but have drifted away.
A solid win-back sequence:
- "We miss you" with a personal touch
- Showcase what's new since their last visit
- Offer an incentive (discount, free shipping, exclusive access)
- Final "last chance" email
Expected impact: 5-12% of lapsed customers reactivated. Pure profit since acquisition cost is zero.
4. VIP/Loyalty Recognition
Trigger: Customer reaches a spending threshold or purchase count milestone
Your top 20% of customers drive 80% of your revenue. Treat them differently.
VIP flows should:
- Acknowledge their loyalty explicitly
- Offer early access to new products or sales
- Provide exclusive perks (free gift wrapping, priority support)
- Make them feel like insiders, not just wallets
Expected impact: VIP customers who feel recognised spend 2-3x more than those who don't.
5. Browse/Cart Abandonment
Trigger: Customer viewed products online but didn't purchase (if you have an online store alongside your physical shop)
This one's more relevant for omnichannel retailers with both a POS and an online store. If someone browses but doesn't buy:
- Remind them what they looked at (within 1-4 hours)
- Address common objections (shipping, returns, sizing)
- Create urgency if stock is limited
Expected impact: 10-15% recovery rate on abandoned carts. That's revenue you would have lost entirely.
The Common Thread
All five of these flows share one requirement: good customer data flowing into your email platform in real-time.
If your POS data is siloed in Lightspeed and your email tool can't see purchase history, frequency, or product details, none of these flows work properly. You end up sending generic blasts instead of targeted automations.
That's the problem Gather solves. We keep Lightspeed and Klaviyo in sync so these flows always have fresh, accurate data to work with.
Next Steps
Pick the one flow you don't have yet and build it this week. Start with post-purchase if you're unsure. It's the highest-impact, lowest-effort automation you can set up.
Need help connecting your Lightspeed data to Klaviyo? That's what we do.