Most brands think they have email "handled"

Hey, Michael from AdSumo Digital here.

I just got off a sales call with a brand doing ~$85K/month.

They have flows set up. Welcome series, abandoned cart, post-purchase — all the basics are there.

Their Klaviyo account is generating 18% of revenue. Not bad, right?

But here's what I told them: having flows isn't the same as having an email marketing strategy.

The "Covered Bases" Trap

Most brands fall into this pattern:

They pay a Fiverr freelancer $500-1500 to set up their core flows. Or they use Klaviyo's templates. Or an agency does a quick setup and disappears.

The flows exist. They're sending. Some sales is coming in.

So they think they're good.

But here's the reality — those flows are saying the same thing to everyone.

Your welcome flow? Generic brand intro.

Your abandoned cart? "You left something behind" with a discount code.

Your post-purchase? "Thanks for your order, here's 10% off next time."

Zero consideration for where the customer actually is in their journey.

What's Missing: Intentional Messaging

Let me give you an example from that call today.

This brand sells tabletop games. Complex products. High consideration purchases.

Their abandoned cart flow had decent creative. The messaging was on-brand. But it wasn't handling objections.

Someone who adds a $60 board game to cart but doesn't buy isn't thinking "I need a bigger discount."

They're thinking:

• "How hard is this to learn?"

• "Will my friends actually play this with me?"

• "What if it shows up damaged?"

• "Is shipping going to take forever?"

Those are the objections that need to be handled in emails 2, 3, and 4.

Not just "Here's your cart again" three times in a row.

Abandoned Cart vs. Abandoned Checkout

Here's another nuance most brands miss:

Someone who abandons cart has different concerns than someone who abandons checkout.

Abandoned cart = product hesitation. They're not sure if they want it yet. Handle objections around quality, value, use case, social proof.

Abandoned checkout = logistics hesitation. They want the product but something about the transaction stopped them. 95% of the time it's shipping cost or shipping time.

If you're sending the same message to both audiences, you're leaving money on the table.

The 15% to 30% Gap

This brand is at 18% email attribution right now.

I told them we can get to 30% within 60-90 days. That's an extra $10K/month at their current revenue — and it scales as they grow.

The difference isn't more flows. It's not more emails.

It's intentionality.

Knowing what to say, when to say it, and who needs to hear it.

That's what separates the brands doing 15-20% from email from the ones doing 30-40%.

Stop Covering Your Bases

If your flows are just "right message, right time" without strategy behind them, you're playing checkers while your competitors play chess.

Ask yourself:

• Are my flows handling objections specific to where someone is in the buying journey?

• Am I segmenting by behavior, or just blasting the same message to everyone?

• Do my emails sound like they were written for my customer, or do they sound like Klaviyo templates?

The foundations might be there. But foundations alone don't print money.

Strategy does.

Talk later,

Michael

PS - If you run an Ecom brand and want to have a 30 minute strategy session with me, book a call here »

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