Black Friday is one of the biggest opportunities of the year to turn browsers into buyers - and the secret weapon behind the best-performing campaigns isn't just flashy discounts. It's automation.

If you're using Klaviyo, flows (also known as automations or drip campaigns) are the key to engaging customers at the right moment - automatically. Whether it's welcoming new subscribers, recovering abandoned carts or driving urgency before your sale ends, flows make sure your message lands when it matters most.

Let's break down how to create a high-converting Black Friday flow in Klaviyo, based on their official flow builder walkthrough - with a few expert tweaks for this all-important retail event.

Step 1: Choose Your Flow Type

In Klaviyo, flows are triggered when someone takes an action - like joining your list, making a purchase or abandoning their cart.

For Black Friday, some of the most effective flow types are:

Black Friday Welcome Flow - Perfect for subscribers who join your list in the run-up to the sale.
Browse Abandonment Flow - Targets shoppers who've viewed products but haven't added anything to their cart yet.
Abandoned Cart Flow - A must-have during the sale, when shoppers get distracted mid-checkout.
Last Chance Reminder Flow - Urgent messaging for customers who haven't purchased yet.

To get started, head to the Flows tab in Klaviyo and click Create Flow. From the library, you can filter by goal (like preventing lost sales or encouraging repeat purchases). Select a flow that fits your campaign goal - for example, "Nurture Subscribers" or "Drive Conversions".

Step 2: Set Your Trigger (and Don't Overthink It)

Every flow starts with a trigger, and once it's set, you can't change it - so choose carefully.

For a Black Friday Welcome Flow, your trigger might be "When someone subscribes to your newsletter." For an Abandoned Cart Flow, the trigger would be "When someone abandons checkout."

You can also apply filters to fine-tune who gets the emails. For example, exclude anyone who has already purchased during your Black Friday promotion - no need to offer a second discount when they've already converted!

Step 3: Build and Customise Your Flow

Klaviyo's drag-and-drop builder makes it easy to add emails, SMS messages and time delays.

Here's how to make it work for your Black Friday flow:

Send your first email instantly. When someone signs up, they should receive a confirmation or teaser email straight away - don't leave them waiting.
Add a time delay. Space out follow-up messages with 1-3 day gaps to keep momentum without overwhelming your audience.
Use Smart Sending wisely. Klaviyo's Smart Sending ensures customers don't receive multiple emails too close together - but for that first Black Friday message, you'll want it to hit their inbox instantly.

Step 4: Personalise with Conditional Splits

Conditional splits let you tailor your messaging based on what someone has done (or not done).

For example:

If someone has purchased: Send a thank-you email and a cross-sell or loyalty incentive.
If they haven't: Send a "Don't Miss Out" message with a stronger call to action or limited-time offer.

To set this up, drag in a Conditional Split, select What someone has done or not done, then choose "Placed Order" since starting this flow.

This ensures that your messaging stays relevant - and your customers feel like you're speaking directly to them.

Step 5: Test, Monitor, and Optimise

Once your flow is ready, change its status to Live and start tracking performance.

You can view analytics for each email - including open rates, click-through rates, conversions and how many recipients skipped the flow. Use this data to refine your timing, content and segmentation throughout the Black Friday period.

Pro tip: Once Black Friday wraps up, clone your flow, adjust the messaging and reuse it for Cyber Monday, Christmas or Boxing Day sales. Smart automations can work year-round with just a few tweaks.

Browse Abandonment vs Cart Abandonment: Why You Need Both

One of the most underutilised opportunities during Black Friday is the Browse Abandonment Flow - and it's often far more powerful than cart abandonment alone.

Here's why: for every shopper who adds something to their cart, there are dozens more browsing your products without taking that step. They're interested, they're engaged, but they haven't committed yet. That's your opportunity.

How to Set Up a Black Friday Browse Abandonment Flow

In Klaviyo, set your trigger to "Viewed Product" and add a filter to exclude anyone who has added to cart or made a purchase since viewing. This ensures you're only targeting genuine browsers.

Even simpler: Klaviyo's flow library includes pre-built browse abandonment templates. Head to Create Flow and select the "Browse Abandonment" template from the library. This gives you a ready-made structure with triggers and filters already configured - you just need to customise the messaging and timing for Black Friday.

For timing during Black Friday:

First email: 2-4 hours after browsing - A gentle reminder showcasing the product they viewed, with messaging like "Still thinking it over?" or "It's still available".
Second email: 24 hours later - Add urgency with stock levels or sale countdown messaging like "Black Friday prices end soon" or "Limited stock remaining".

What Makes Browse Abandonment So Effective During Black Friday?

Larger audience - You'll capture far more browsers than cart abandoners, giving you a bigger pool to convert.
Lower pressure - These shoppers aren't ready for hard selling yet, so helpful, informative messaging works better.
Scarcity messaging - Black Friday creates natural urgency. "This deal won't last" hits differently when it's true.
Product recall - With so many deals flying around, your email reminds them exactly what caught their eye on your site.

The beauty of browse abandonment is that it works alongside your cart abandonment flow. Shoppers move through both funnels naturally - and if they don't convert from browsing, you've got another chance when they add to cart.

Pro tip: Use dynamic product blocks in your browse abandonment emails to show the exact items they viewed, along with similar products or "frequently bought together" suggestions. This keeps the email relevant and increases your chances of conversion.

Final Thoughts

Black Friday success isn't about sending more emails - it's about sending the right ones, at the right time, to the right people.

With Klaviyo's flow builder, you can automate personalised, data-driven campaigns that do just that - welcoming new shoppers, recovering abandoned carts and driving urgency right up to checkout.

But setting up powerful flows takes strategy, structure and smart segmentation - and that's where we come in.

Need help setting up your Black Friday email flows?

Our team specialises in Magento and Shopify marketing, and we build high-performing Klaviyo campaigns that convert.

Whether you need a complete Black Friday automation strategy or just want your flows optimised before the big weekend, we'll make sure your emails hit the mark - every time.

Get in touch today to supercharge your Klaviyo flows and make this Black Friday your most profitable yet.

How to Build a Winning Black Friday Email Flow in Klaviyo