Your welcome flow is wrong for your business model

Hey, Michael from AdSumo Digital here.

I reviewed over 52 welcome flows last year.

Want to know the scary part?

I can predict a brand's first order profitability just by looking at their welcome series.

High AOV brands giving 10% off in email one? Barely profitable.

Low AOV brands being "premium" and offer-light? Leaving 40% of potential LTV on the table out of “fear of devaluing the brand”.

Most brands are running the exact same Chase Dimond 2022 welcome flow structure regardless of their business economics. And it's killing them.

The reason guys like Chad Janis from Grüns or Sean Frank from Ridge, and Jordan Menard are lapping 99.9% of founders is simple…

No one understands the economics of E-commerce like they do. They know all their numbers and track them meticulously.

I was on a call with a brand owner who's doing a couple million dollars a year, and I asked them what their three-year LTV was. After she had just told me that it was the most important number in the business, and she couldn't give me an LTV number... even a rough one.

Safe to say that they don't track the most important number in their business.

Key Takeaways

• High AOV brands (jewelry, furniture, luxury) destroy their margins by offering discounts to people who were already going to buy. They should focus on trust-building over 30+ days with giveaways instead of discounts.

• Low AOV brands (supplements, CPG, consumables) aren't aggressive enough getting customers to purchase two. That's where all their profit lives. They need strong offers and immediate post-purchase focus on subscription conversion.

• Mid AOV brands (apparel, accessories) send the same generic content to everyone. They should segment immediately based on category interest and personalize the entire journey.

The "best practice" welcome flow you copied was designed for someone else's business model. If your economics are different, following it is costing you massive money every single month.

Beginning of Q4 last year, I actually made a 26-minute video explaining this. Feel free to watch it here

The Template Problem

Here's what happens.

A brand hires an sh*t agency or fiver freelancer or buys a Klaviyo template. They get the "industry standard" welcome flow:

Email 1: 10% off your first order
Email 2: Here's our story and best sellers
Email 3: Social proof and reviews
Email 4: Last chance for your discount

Looks professional. Hits all the "best practices." Gets installed and forgotten.

But here's the thing.

That flow structure doesn't work anymore for most brands, and it hasn't since 2023.

The Business Model Reality

A $200 AOV jewelry brand and a $38 supplement brand have completely different economics.

The jewelry brand has high margins but low purchase frequency. Most customers buy once or twice a year, maybe for gifts or special occasions.

The supplement brand has thin margins but high purchase frequency. Profit comes from repeat purchases, ideally subscription.

So why are they running the same welcome flow?

Because someone told them it was "email marketing best practice."

High AOV/Low Frequency Brands (The Trust Problem)

If you sell furniture, jewelry, high-end fashion or anything over $200 with low repeat rates, your welcome flow is probably destroying your margins.

Here's what's happening.

You're offering 10% off to someone who was already going to buy. You just gave away $20-50 in margin for nothing.

Or worse, you've trained them to wait for discounts. Now they're on your list but won't buy until you send a sale.

What you should be doing instead:

Your welcome flow's job is building trust over 30+ days, not forcing immediate conversion.

Email 1: Enter to win a $500 piece (giveaway, not discount)
Email 2: Education about your category or craftsmanship
Email 3: Customer stories and social proof
Email 4: How to choose the right product
Email 5: More trust building
Email 6-10: Slow nurture with value

You're playing the long game because your customer lifecycle is long.

You can’t be optimizing for the wrong metric (immediate conversion), you need to be looking at the right ones (profitable customers).

Low AOV/High Frequency Brands (The Acceleration Problem)

If you sell supplements, CPG, consumables or anything under $50 that people need regularly, you're probably not being aggressive enough. (my favorite niches)

Your welcome flow is treating customers like they need to be gently nurtured.

They don't.

They need to be pushed to purchase two as fast as humanly possible because that's where your entire business model lives.

What you should be doing instead:

Email 1: Strong offer (15-20% off or free shipping or bundle offer)
Email 2: Immediate results focus
Email 3: Push the purchase hard
Email 4: Last chance with urgency

Then the real flow starts. Your post-purchase sequence.

Email 1 (1 day after delivery): How to use it
Email 2 (3 days): Are you feeling the difference?
Email 3 (7 days): This is when people see results
Email 4 (14 days): Subscribe and save 15%
Email 5 (21 days): Running low? Reorder now

Your welcome flow is just the appetizer. Post-purchase is where you make all your money.

We worked with a supplement brand that was being "premium" in their positioning. Small discounts, lots of education, gentle nudges.

Their welcome flow converted at 6%.

We rebuilt it to be aggressive. Bigger offer, harder push, immediate post-purchase subscription focus.

Welcome flow conversion went to 11%. But more importantly, 90-day LTV went from $67 to $104.

Why? Because we got people to purchase two faster, and purchase two is where subscription conversion happens.

Mid AOV Brands (The Segmentation Problem)

If you sell apparel, accessories or anything in the $50-150 range with moderate repeat rates, you're probably treating all your subscribers the same.

Big mistake.

Someone who clicked "Dresses" in your pop-up quiz and someone who clicked "Outerwear" are not the same customer.

What you should be doing instead:

Segment immediately based on interest.

If someone showed interest in dresses:
Email 1: Best-selling dresses with offer
Email 2: How to style them
Email 3: Customer photos in dresses
Email 4: New arrivals in dresses

Don't send them your full catalog. Don't treat them like they care about everything equally.

One apparel client was sending the same 5 emails to everyone. Generic product showcases, brand story, social proof.

We segmented based on category interest from the pop-up.

Same list size. Same offer. Just personalized the product focus.

Welcome flow revenue increased 47% because people saw what they actually wanted instead of everything.

The Diagnostic You Need to Run

Here's how to figure out which playbook you should be following.

Step 1: Calculate your AOV

Under $50 = Low AOV
$50-150 = Mid AOV
Over $150 = High AOV

Step 2: Calculate your purchase frequency

How many times does the average customer buy in 12 months?

Once or twice = Low frequency
3-4 times = Mid frequency
5+ times = High frequency

Step 3: Calculate first 90 days LTV

What percentage of a customer's total value happens in their first 90 days?

Over 60% = You need aggressive welcome + post-purchase
30-60% = You need balanced approach with segmentation
Under 30% = You need long-term trust building

Now you know which archetype you are. And you can stop following advice designed for someone else's business.

Why This Matters More Than You Think

Your welcome flow is the first real conversation you have with a customer.

Get it wrong and you either:

• Give away margin you didn't need to give away (high AOV brands)

• Miss the window to lock in repeat purchases (low AOV brands)

• Send generic content that doesn't resonate (mid AOV brands)

All of these cost you massive money over time.

I've seen brands doing $100K/month in email revenue leave $30-40K on the table every single month just because their welcome flow was built for the wrong business model.

The Problem With Most Agencies and Freelancers

Most email agencies have one welcome flow template.

They install it for every client with minor tweaks. Change the colors, swap the products, adjust the copy slightly.

But they don't rebuild the strategy based on your business model.

Why? Because most agencies are order-takers, not strategists.

They know how to build emails. They don't know how to build profitable customer journeys.

How We Actually Do This Different

At AdSumo Digital, we don't have "a welcome flow template."

We have different strategic playbooks built around your brand archetype - not your industry.

When we onboard a high AOV, low-frequency brand (jewelry, furniture, luxury goods), we're not thinking about 30-day conversion rates. We're designing trust-building journeys that protect margins and avoid discount dependency. We focus on long-term customer relationships, not immediate sales.

When we onboard a low AOV, high-frequency brand (supplements, CPG, consumables), we're not building "premium nurture sequences." We're building aggressive conversion systems with immediate post-purchase focus on getting customers to purchase two. Because that's where subscription conversion and profitability live.

When we onboard a mid AOV, mid-frequency brand (apparel, accessories, home goods), we're not sending the same emails to everyone. We segment immediately based on category interest and personalize the entire journey around what they actually want to buy.

Same email channel. Completely different strategies.

Because here's what most agencies miss: your welcome flow isn't just about getting a first purchase. It's about getting the right kind of first purchase that sets up your entire customer relationship for profitability.

We've generated $25M+ in email revenue across 30+ brands. The ones that hit 35-40% email attribution consistently? They're the ones running flows built for their specific brand archetype and economics, not copied from someone else's playbook.

That's the difference between an agency that knows email tactics and a partner that understands retention economics.

What to Do About It

Step 1: Run the diagnostic above. Know your archetype.

Step 2: Audit your current welcome flow against the right playbook for your model.

Step 3: Rebuild it properly or find someone who actually understands business economics, not just email tactics.

This isn't complicated. It's just different based on who you are.

High AOV brands need trust and patience.
Low AOV brands need aggression and speed.
Mid AOV brands need segmentation and personalization.

Match your strategy to your model and everything else gets easier.

Or the easiest version of this - shoot me an email, book on a call, and we'll take care of it for you

The Bottom Line

Stop copying welcome flows from brands that don't operate like you do.

A supplement brand's welcome strategy will destroy a jewelry brand's margins.

A furniture brand's welcome strategy will leave a CPG brand with terrible LTV.

Know your model. Build for your model. Stop following generic "best practices" that weren't designed for your business.

Ready to build a welcome flow that actually fits your business?

If you're doing $100K+ monthly and your welcome flow was built from a template (or you're not sure if it's right for your model), let's talk.

Book a call here and I'll audit your current flow. I'll tell you exactly which archetype you are and what you should be doing differently.

Get a clear breakdown of what's costing you money and how to fix it.

P.S. The fastest way to spot a bad email agency? They talk about "industry benchmarks" instead of your specific business model. Benchmarks are averages across totally different businesses. They mean nothing for you.

PPS - If you run an Ecom brand and want to have a 15 minute strategy session with me, book a call here »

Talk soon,
Michael

Today's Helpful Links

• $20M Worth of Email Marketing Advice in 12 Minutes

• How to Grow Your Email List for Klaviyo Email Marketing (2025 Pop-Up Form Guide)

• Complete Email Marketing Welcome Flow Guide - $20M+ in sales

PS - If you run an Ecom brand and want to have a 15 minute strategy session with me, book a call here »