Why Email and SMS Are Still the Highest-ROI Channel
I have worked with enough D2C brands to know that the two questions I get asked most often are "How do I scale my Meta ads?" and "How do I get my Google Shopping ROAS up?" Those are legitimate questions.
But the more I dig into the brands that are actually most profitable, the pattern I see is this: their email and SMS program is strong. Not just running. Strong.
For the brands I work with that have done the work, email and SMS together drive 25 to 40% of total revenue. The economics are remarkable: the cost to send a Klaviyo email is fractions of a cent. The cost to recover a cart abandonment via a three-email flow is effectively zero relative to the order value recovered.
The problem is that most brands are underinvesting in this channel. They have a basic welcome email and maybe a cart abandonment flow, and they leave the rest of the revenue on the table.
This guide walks through every automation flow I recommend for D2C brands, in priority order.
Priority 1: The Core Abandonment Series
These three flows collectively recover the most revenue for the least setup effort. Do these before anything else.
Checkout Abandonment
When someone gets to your checkout page, enters at least their email, and does not complete the purchase, this flow fires.
This is your highest-converting automation because these people were moments away from buying. My recommended sequence:
Email 1 (sent 1 hour after abandonment): Simple, direct reminder. "You left something behind." Show the product(s) in their cart, a clear link back to their cart, and your shipping and return policy. No discount yet.
Email 2 (sent 24 hours after abandonment): Add social proof. Include a review or testimonial from a customer who bought the same product. Reinforce the value proposition.
Email 3 (sent 72 hours after abandonment): If they still have not purchased, you can introduce an incentive (10% off, free shipping) if your margins allow. Make it time-limited.
SMS version: Send one SMS message 1 hour after checkout abandonment for subscribers who have opted in to SMS. SMS cart abandonment converts at 10 to 15% in my experience, which is exceptional.
Cart Abandonment
Fires when someone adds to cart but does not reach checkout. Slightly lower intent than checkout abandonment but still high-converting.
Same three-email structure as checkout abandonment, but start the first email at 2 hours (slightly less urgent) and extend the sequence over 5 days.
Browse Abandonment
Fires when a known subscriber views a specific product page (or category) but does not add to cart. Lower intent, but for brands with large email lists, the volume makes up for the lower conversion rate.
One to two emails maximum. Email 1 at 4 to 6 hours showing the product they viewed. Email 2 the next day with related products or a "you might also like" angle.
Priority 2: Welcome and New Subscriber Flows
Welcome Series for New Subscribers (Non-Purchasers)
When someone gives you their email (typically via a pop-up offer), they are interested but not ready to buy. The welcome series builds trust and drives that first purchase.
My recommended 5-email welcome series structure:
Email 1 (immediate): Deliver the offer they signed up for (10% off code, etc.) with a clean design and one clear CTA.
Email 2 (Day 2): Brand story. Who are you? Why did you start this brand? What makes your product different? This email exists to build emotional connection and trust.
Email 3 (Day 4): Social proof. Your best reviews, before-and-after results, customer photos. Let your customers tell the story.
Email 4 (Day 6): Bestsellers. Show your top 3 to 5 products with strong copy on what makes each one great.
Email 5 (Day 9): Last chance on the offer (if they have not purchased). Create urgency with a genuine expiration.
Welcome Series for First-Time Purchasers
When someone makes their first order, this is a completely different journey from the subscriber welcome series. They need to be onboarded into the brand, guided to a great first experience, and set up for a second purchase.
Email 1 (order confirmation, immediate): Standard order confirmation with estimated delivery. Add brand personality and set expectations.
Email 2 (shipping notification): Practical, helpful, but branded. Include a short tip for getting the most out of the product or a note from the founder.
Email 3 (Day 3 to 5 after delivery): "How is it going?" Check-in email. Invite them to share feedback, include usage tips, and plant the seed of the second purchase (related products, replenishment reminder).
Email 4 (Day 10 to 14 after delivery): Review request. Make it easy to leave a review. Reviews feed your social proof engine and improve future conversion rates.
Email 5 (Day 21 to 30): First purchase cross-sell. Based on what they bought, recommend complementary products or the next step in their journey with your brand.
Priority 3: Replenishment and Subscription Flows
For consumable products (supplements, coffee, skincare, pet food, cleaning products), replenishment flows are one of the highest-ROI automations you can build.
Calculate your average consumption cycle. If your supplement is a 30-day supply and the average customer reorders at day 35, set your replenishment email to send at day 28 with a gentle reminder. Include a one-click reorder link and potentially a bundle offer to increase AOV on the replenishment order.
Tools like Klaviyo's predictive analytics or Rebuy can help automate this based on actual purchase behavior rather than a fixed schedule.
Priority 4: Loyalty and VIP Flows
VIP Tier Upgrade
When a customer hits a spending threshold that qualifies them for a VIP tier (if you have a loyalty program), trigger an email celebrating their status with exclusive benefits: early access to new products, free shipping, a birthday gift, or a dedicated customer service contact.
VIP emails that feel genuinely personal and rewarding (not just promotional) have some of the highest open rates I see across any automation.
Milestone Emails
Purchase anniversary emails ("One year since your first order!") and birthday emails (if you collect birth dates) add a personal touch that drives loyalty and incremental purchases. Include a small gift or offer to give the email a purpose beyond sentiment.
Priority 5: Win-Back Flows
For customers who have not purchased in 90, 120, or 180 days (depending on your product's purchase cycle), a win-back flow attempts to re-engage them before they are fully lapsed.
Email 1 (at 90-day lapse threshold): "We miss you." Simple, direct, no offer yet. Show what is new with the brand or remind them of their favorite products.
Email 2 (one week later): Social proof and newness. New product launches, new reviews, what has changed since their last order.
Email 3 (two weeks later): An offer to win them back. This is where the discount or bonus gift makes sense, because you have already tried to re-engage without one.
Email 4 (final email, one week later): "Is this goodbye?" Last chance message. Make it honest and a little emotional. You will be surprised how often this converts.
After the four-email win-back sequence, move truly lapsed customers to a suppression list. Continuing to email people who never open costs you deliverability.
Building Your Email List
All of this automation is only as good as your list. List-building should be an active, ongoing effort.
The highest-converting list-growth tactics I have used:
Pop-up with a compelling offer: 10-15% off first order, free gift with first purchase, or entry into a giveaway. Test your offer; the right one can double your pop-up conversion rate versus a generic discount.
Quiz funnels: "Find your perfect [product]" quizzes collect emails and preferences in one step while providing a personalized recommendation. Quiz funnels convert at 30 to 50% of completions in my experience, far above standard pop-ups.
Post-checkout SMS opt-in: The moment after purchase is high-trust. A "Would you like order updates and exclusive offers via text?" prompt at checkout or on the order confirmation page is one of the best SMS opt-in touchpoints.
Exit intent pop-ups: For desktop users who move their cursor toward the browser bar, exit-intent pop-ups capture a meaningful percentage of visitors who would otherwise leave without subscribing.
SMS-Specific Recommendations
SMS is a high-value channel with strict permission requirements. Only message people who have explicitly opted in, keep messages short and personal, and keep your send frequency to no more than 2 to 4 times per month for broadcast messages (plus automation flows).
My recommended SMS platform is Klaviyo (for brands already using Klaviyo for email) because it unifies your contact data, or Postscript and Attentive for SMS-focused programs.
Measuring Your Email and SMS Program
The metrics I track for email and SMS:
- Revenue per email sent (total email revenue divided by emails sent): benchmark is $0.08 to $0.20 per email sent
- Flow revenue as percentage of total store revenue: target 15 to 25% from automations alone
- Campaign revenue as percentage of total: target 10 to 20% from broadcast campaigns
- List growth rate: month-over-month subscriber count growth, target 5 to 10% monthly
- Deliverability metrics: open rates above 35% and spam rates below 0.08%