Triggering Your Loyalty Flow on Placed Order
Most loyalty tools integrate directly with Klaviyo, but you do not need an over-complicated tech stack to reward your best customers. You can build a high-performing loyalty flow using standard Klaviyo purchase data as your base.
The flow starts with a single metric trigger: Placed Order. Immediately below the trigger, add a flow filter set to: Placed Order zero times since starting this flow. This ensures that the moment someone makes their next purchase, Klaviyo pulls them out of the current sequence so they do not receive irrelevant reminders.
The 10-Minute Delay Rule
Before sending any emails or evaluating splits, add a 10-minute time delay right after the trigger. That delay gives transactional systems room to breathe.
Your customers are likely already receiving an order confirmation from Shopify, alongside your standard post-purchase thank-you email. A 10-minute buffer prevents these messages from landing in the inbox simultaneously, which looks chaotic. If your standard transactional emails take longer to send, adjust this window to 15 or 20 minutes accordingly.
Building the Waterfall Conditional Split
Once the delay passes, you need to route customers into the right reward tier. I recommend building a waterfall sequence using conditional splits based on purchase count or lifetime spend.
- Order count splits: Set the first split to check if Placed Order equals 1 overall time. If yes, they receive the Tier 1 reward email. If no, the branch routes to a second split checking if Placed Order equals 2, continuing all the way up to 8 orders.
- Spend-based splits: If your program rewards total spend rather than order frequency, check whether total spend is less than $200 over all time, then branch out to higher spend thresholds.
- Points-based splits: If your loyalty app passes custom properties into Klaviyo, split based on current point balance brackets.
If you only run 3 tiers instead of 8, simply stop your waterfall after the third split. The architecture remains identical.
What to Include in Every Tier Unlock Email
These emails have one primary job: notify the customer that they have reached a new milestone and show them exactly how to use what they earned. Every tier must have a distinct email that speaks directly to that customer's relationship with your brand.
Three Non-Negotiable Elements
- The reward unlocked: State clearly what discount, free gift, or credit they just earned, along with instructions on how to redeem it at checkout.
- The next milestone: Explicitly show what they get on their next order (for example, unlocking free shipping or a $25 credit on order number three).
- The full reward roadmap: Outline the broader program tiers so the customer understands the long-term perks of sticking with you.
Focusing purely on the immediate perk without showing the next tier is a mistake. The next purchase should always feel within reach.
Timing the Follow-Ups and Urgency
If the customer has not redeemed their reward after 3 days, send a follow-up email. Remind them of their unlocked balance and showcase popular products they can apply it to.
If they still have not purchased 3 days after that follow-up (6 days total since the initial order), send a final reminder email. You can introduce urgency here by mentioning an expiration window, but only if the perk actually expires. False urgency damages trust and deliverability in equal measure.
Final Thoughts
A well-structured loyalty flow turns single-purchase customers into repeat buyers by making every transaction feel like progress toward a larger incentive. Keep the flow logic clean, prevent inbox overlap with a short initial delay, and make the next reward tier crystal clear in every message.
Let Us Build Your Automations
If you want our team to map, design, and implement high-converting loyalty sequences across your account, take a look at our email automations service.
