If you run a subscription brand, the first order is only the start.
The real challenge is keeping customers subscribed.
Klaviyo helps you build email around the moments that matter after someone subscribes, from onboarding and renewals to failed payments, cross-sells, cancellations, and winback.
Your Proactive Media is a Klaviyo email marketing agency in the Philippines helping ecommerce brands build and manage retention systems that support repeat revenue.
How Can Subscription Brands Use Klaviyo?
Your subscribers aren’t normal one-time customers.
They already have another order coming.
So instead of constantly pushing another purchase, Klaviyo can help you send emails based on what’s happening with their subscription.
For example:
| What’s happening | What Klaviyo can do |
|---|---|
| New subscriber | Start onboarding |
| Next order is coming | Send an upcoming order reminder |
| Payment failed | Trigger payment recovery |
| Active subscriber | Send a relevant cross-sell |
| Subscription cancelled | Start a winback journey |
That’s the advantage.
You’re not just sending more email. Instead, you’re sending email based on where the subscriber is in the customer journey.
Our Klaviyo email marketing services cover flows, campaigns, segmentation, testing, reporting, and optimisation around that journey.
What Types of Subscription Brands Can Use Klaviyo?
If customers regularly use up, replenish, or reorder your product, subscriptions can make sense.
| Subscription niche | Examples |
|---|---|
| Supplements & wellness | Grüns, Everyday Dose |
| Coffee & tea | Cometeer, Grind, Purity Coffee |
| Pet food & care | Open Farm, Finn, McDuffy |
| Beauty & personal care | Dr. Squatch, Ballsy, quip |
| Food & beverages | Oats Overnight |
| Household essentials | Blueland |
| Baby products | Bobbie |
| Subscription boxes | Beauty, snacks, coffee, hobby boxes, and curated products |
The products may be different, but the challenge is usually the same:
How do you keep customers engaged after they subscribe?
What Klaviyo Flows Should Subscription Brands Use?
Your normal ecommerce flows still matter.
However, subscription brands also have lifecycle moments that one-time purchase brands don’t.
If you want a deeper breakdown of automation, read our guide to Klaviyo email flows.
Onboarding Flow
Someone just subscribed.
Don’t immediately ask them to buy the same thing again.
Instead, help them get value from their decision.
Your onboarding emails can cover:
- How to use the product
- What happens next
- When the next order is coming
- How to manage or skip
- What they should expect over the next few weeks
The goal is simple:
Get them using the product before they start thinking about cancelling.
Upcoming Order or Renewal Flow
Nobody likes being surprised by a recurring charge.
An upcoming order email can remind subscribers what’s coming and, depending on your setup, give them options to manage, skip, change, or add to the next order.
It can also be a good time for a relevant cross-sell.
Failed Payment Flow
Sometimes churn isn’t really churn.
The customer may not have decided to leave. Their card may simply have failed.
So a failed payment flow gives them a chance to fix the issue before you lose the subscription.
Cross-Sell Flow
A subscriber may already have their main product covered.
That doesn’t mean there’s nothing else to offer.
For example:
- Coffee subscriber → another blend or accessories.
- Skincare subscriber → something that completes the routine.
- Supplement subscriber → a complementary product.
The key is relevance.
Cancellation and Winback Flow
Someone cancelled.
That doesn’t always mean they’re gone forever.
They may have too much product, need a break, or simply have different priorities right now.
Instead of keeping them in the same subscriber journey, move them into winback messaging that gives them a reason to return later.
How Should Subscription Brands Segment Customers?
Keep it simple.
Website Visitor → Email Subscriber → One-Time Customer → Active Subscriber → Cancelled Subscriber
Each one needs a different message.
| Customer | What they need |
|---|---|
| Website visitor | A reason to join your list |
| Email subscriber | A reason to buy |
| One-time customer | A reason to subscribe |
| Active subscriber | Reasons to stay |
| Cancelled subscriber | A reason to return |
That’s where segmentation helps.
In other words, the better you understand where someone is in the customer journey, the easier it is to send something relevant.
Do Subscription Brands Still Need Email Campaigns?
Yes.
Flows handle key moments.
Meanwhile, campaigns keep the relationship going between those moments.
You can send:
- Product education
- New products
- New flavours or variants
- Customer stories
- Useful tips
- Subscriber exclusives
- Seasonal campaigns
- Relevant cross-sells
And remember:
They’re already subscribed.
So not every email needs to push another purchase.
Instead, give them something useful enough to keep opening.
Read our guide to email campaigns vs flows if you want to see how both work together.
Which Subscription Apps Work With Shopify?
If your subscription business runs on Shopify, you’ll need an app or platform to manage recurring orders.
| Subscription app | Best fit |
|---|---|
| Recharge | Established brands that need more control over recurring orders and subscriber management |
| Skio | Brands focused heavily on subscriber experience and retention |
| Shopify Subscriptions | Straightforward recurring purchase setups |
| Loop Subscriptions | Brands that want more flexibility around subscriber management and retention |
| Appstle | Recurring products, bundles, subscription boxes, and different subscription plans |
You don’t need the most advanced app.
Instead, you need the one that fits your subscription model and gives Klaviyo the data you actually want to use.
That matters because the data available to Klaviyo affects the flows and segments you can build.
How Does Klaviyo Work With Subscription Platforms?
Platforms like Recharge and Skio can pass subscription data into Klaviyo.
Depending on the setup, that can include:
- New subscriptions
- Upcoming orders
- Subscription status
- Payment issues
- Subscription changes
- Cancellations
As a result, Klaviyo gets more context.
Instead of only knowing:
“This customer placed an order.”
You can know:
“This customer is an active subscriber and their next order is coming up.”
That changes what email should come next.
Is Klaviyo Worth It for Subscription Brands?
If subscriptions are a meaningful part of your revenue, yes.
But simply connecting Klaviyo isn’t the strategy.
The value comes from using the data properly across:
- Onboarding
- Renewals
- Campaigns
- Segmentation
- Cross-sells
- Winback
- Testing
When those pieces work together, you have a stronger system for keeping subscribers engaged for longer.
Your Proactive Media helps ecommerce brands build and manage Klaviyo retention systems designed to support repeat revenue and profitable growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Klaviyo be used for subscription brands?
Yes. Klaviyo can use customer and subscription data to support lifecycle emails around onboarding, upcoming orders, payment issues, cancellations, winback, and other subscriber activity.
What Klaviyo flows should subscription brands use?
Common flows include onboarding, upcoming order or renewal, failed payment, cross-sell, cancellation, and winback flows. The exact setup depends on your subscription platform and customer journey.
Does Klaviyo work with Recharge and Skio?
Yes. Klaviyo can work with subscription platforms such as Recharge and Skio, allowing subscription information and activity to be used as part of the customer journey. The exact data and triggers available depend on the integration and setup.
What subscription apps can Shopify brands use?
Shopify subscription brands can use platforms and apps such as Recharge, Skio, Shopify Subscriptions, Loop Subscriptions, and Appstle. The best option depends on your subscription model, customer experience, integrations, and the data you want available in Klaviyo.
What types of subscription brands can use Klaviyo?
Klaviyo can work well for subscription brands selling supplements, skincare, coffee, pet products, food and beverages, household essentials, baby products, personal care products, and curated subscription boxes.
Why is email marketing important for subscription brands?
Subscription brands depend on customer retention and recurring revenue. Email can help improve the subscriber experience, support upcoming orders, recover failed payments, introduce relevant products, and win back cancelled subscribers.
Do subscription brands still need regular email campaigns?
Yes. Automated flows handle important lifecycle moments, while regular campaigns can keep subscribers engaged through product education, new products, customer stories, seasonal content, subscriber exclusives, and relevant cross-sells.
Jasmin Umali
Jasmin Umali is the Founder of Your Proactive Media and a Klaviyo email marketing strategist with 6 years of experience helping ecommerce brands generate an additional 20%–30% or more revenue through email marketing.
