Understand flow triggers and filters
Flow triggers and filters are instrumental components of your flow. They help set the flow in motion, and ensure that only the right people move through your series. In this video, you’ll differentiate flow triggers, trigger filters, and profile filters. That way, you’re prepared to build a successful flow.
You can also bookmark our Flow Glossary as a reference for all of the different terms associated with Klaviyo's automated flows.
Choose a flow trigger
Now that you understand what a flow trigger is, it’s time to choose the one that best fits your use case. This is the backbone of your flow, and what sets the series of messages in motion.
Metric
Metric-triggered flows will include anyone who completed your set metric (i.e. in action like Placed Order or Viewed Product).
Common metric triggered flows include:
- Abandoned cart flows
- Browse abandonment flows
- Winback flows
Here’s an example browse abandonment flow email from SWAK Cosmetics. They link to a page where the recipient can continue shopping, feature the exact item that the recipient previously viewed, and provide recommendations for other related items.
List
List-triggered flows will include any new subscribers that are added to the list you’ve connected to this flow.
The most common list-triggered flow is a welcome series that welcomes new subscribers to your brand once they sign up for marketing. Here’s an example of a welcome series message sent from Bola's Baked Goods, which is formatted as a plain text email and includes a 20% off coupon code.
Segment
Segment-triggered flows will include any subscribers who are added to the segment you’ve connected to this flow.
Common examples of a segment-triggered flow are:
- VIP flow: to target a VIP segment, welcoming them into your exclusive VIP community.
- Sunset flow: to say goodbye or re-engage an unengaged segment before suppressing (i.e. removing from future sends).
Here’s an example of a VIP flow text message, welcoming new VIPs into this exclusive community and providing a unique VIP coupon code.
Date
Date property-triggered flows will send on a specific date. For instance, if you collect someone's birthday when they sign up for marketing, then that date will be logged as a property in your subscriber's Klaviyo profile. With this flow set up, that profile will enter the flow and receive your birthday messaging once their birth date arrives.
Common examples of date-based flows include:
- Happy birthday messages
- Anniversary emails
Here’s an example of a birthday flow message sent from Beantown Coffee.
Price drop
Price drop-triggered flows will include any subscribers who sign up to be notified once a specific item is listed at a lower price-point.
Here’s an example of what a price-drop push notification can look like from SWAK Cosmetics:
Low inventory
A low inventory flow will alert people when an item they viewed or started a checkout with is low in stock. The low inventory amount can be specified based on a specific product variant or the entire product stock.