Why's Your Email Revenue Stuck at 10%?

Hey, Michael from AdSumo Digital here.

Had three calls last week with brands all dealing with the same nightmare.

They hired a "okay" agency. Built all 7 flows. Send 2-4 campaigns weekly. But email revenue? Stuck at 10%.

One founder said it perfectly: "We're doing everything right according to best practices, but revenue per email keeps declining."

Here's the truth: You’ve gotten as far as the basics will get you

• Generic flows don't convert sophisticated buyers anymore

• Your "perfect" setup is missing behavioral psychology

• Same number of emails (or fewer) with relevance = 2-3x the revenue

• Real client went from 24% to 45% email revenue without adding campaigns

The "Best Practices" Trap

Your agency followed the checklist perfectly.

Welcome flow ✓
Abandoned cart / checkout ✓
Browse abandonment ✓
Other Flows ✓
3-4 weekly campaigns ✓
90-day engaged segments ✓

Looks great on paper. But here's what they didn't tell you:

Generic flows and campaigns don't work in 2025.

Your customers get 50+ marketing emails weekly. Another templated abandoned cart sequence isn't moving the needle.

Why Your "Perfect" Setup Is Failing

Audited a $400k/month brand last month. Here's what I found:

Their Browse Abandonment:

• Email 1: "You left something behind!"

• Email 2: "Still thinking about it?"

• Email 3: "Here's 10% off!"

• Email 4: "Here's 10% off!" again

• Email 5: Random reviews

Someone browsing a $120 product meant to solve problem A has different objections than someone browsing a $50 product solving problem B.

But they get the exact same emails.

Their Campaigns:

• Monday: Email with 8 products (everyone)

• Wednesday: Best sellers with same 8 products (everyone)

• Friday: 3 Review / Social proof (everyone)

This is great when compared to sending to no one OR if you have a very small list or low site traffic.

However past a certain point the messaging and content is not longer as relevant and loses interest from the list.

But overall, this is a zero relevance strategy.

The Relevance Mapping Strategy

This client went from 24% to 45% email revenue with this approach:

Before: The Generic Approach

• One-size-fits-all welcome series

• Standard cart abandonment for all price points

• Mass product launches to 90-day segments

After: Behavioral Mapping

Welcome Flow Split by Interest:

• Gut health interest → Gut-brain education flow sequence

• Energy interest → Morning routine content flow sequence

• Cognition interest → Focus and clarity flow sequence

Cart Abandonment with Incentive Logic:

• Free shipping reminder if qualified based on Cart Value

• Higher AOV carts → show more social proof

• Increase incentive from free shipping to % or $ or bundle offer

Campaigns by Behavior:

• Monday: Category-specific to recent browsers

• Wednesday: Cross-sell to recent purchasers

• Friday: Education to high-intent non-buyers

Results:

• Flow revenue: +280%

• Campaign clicks: 0.3% → 1.1%

• Overall email revenue: 24% → 45%

Same number of emails. Just relevance.

Your 30-Day Relevance Roadmap

Week 1: Flow Intelligence

1. Split browse abandon by product category

2. Add cart value logic to cart abandon

3. Segment welcome flow by initial interest

Week 2: Campaign Segmentation

1. Identify top 3 browsed categories

2. Create behavioral segments for each

3. Send category-specific campaigns

Week 3: Purchase Intelligence

1. Separate first-time vs repeat buyers

2. Create VIP segments (3+ purchases)

3. Create offer to get 1st time buyers to buy within 60 days

4. Adjust messaging accordingly

Week 4: Measure What Matters

1. Track revenue per email

2. Monitor flow click rates to see if more targeted messaging is working

3. Double down on messaging angles that are converting

4. Test new angles against messaging that is not driving conversions

Bottom Line

You don't need more emails.
You don't need better design.
You don't need another cheap agency with the same tired playbook.

You need relevance. More relevance per email aka MORE STRATEGY.

Stop sending the same 3 variations in every email of every flow.

Stop blasting "Urgent Offers" to people who know its not urgent

Start sending relevant messages to the right segments of people.

Watch your email revenue double without adding a single campaign.

Email Inspiration Of The Day

Email Design:
BLUME

This email is a masterclass in showing ONLY what matters.

What makes it brilliant: They use a ton of before and after pictures in their marketing. They also use a lot of proof banners.

The psychology: Nothing tells the customer that the product works better than showing what life was like before using the product or what life was like after using the product. A lot of the times this is best by showing imagery of people using the product or having used the product.

Helpful Links Of The Day

• Guide: Double your email deliverability and get out of the spam folder.

• 108 Page Strategy Guide: Double your weekly sales with this campaign strategy.

• Tutorial: How to grow your email list 2-6x faster

Reply if you have questions about implementing behavioral relevance.

PS - Running a brand doing $50k+/month with "perfect" email setup but stuck revenue? I'll personally audit your flows and show you the relevance gaps. Free 15-minute screen share. book a call here →

PPS - Watch this 10-minute video to show you exactly what it's like working with us and how we turn Klaviyo into your most profitable channel. Click Here →