lifecycle-marketing-automation

Lifecycle Marketing Automation

Overview

Lifecycle marketing treats each customer as being at a defined stage in their relationship with your brand — from anonymous visitor to loyal advocate — and delivers stage-appropriate messaging automatically. Unlike broadcast campaigns, lifecycle automation is triggered by behavior and stage transitions, ensuring every message is relevant. Klaviyo's predictive analytics and flow builder cover most lifecycle automation needs without custom code.

When to Use This Skill

• When moving from batch-and-blast campaigns to behavior-triggered messaging
• When different customer segments are receiving identical generic emails
• When onboarding new customers and needing a structured first-30-day nurture plan
• When LTV and repeat purchase rate are flat despite healthy acquisition numbers
• When building a holistic view of the customer journey across email, SMS, and push

Core Instructions

Step 1: Define your lifecycle stages

Stage	Definition	Primary Goal
Subscriber	Email captured, no purchase	Convert to first purchase
First-time buyer	1 order, placed < 60 days ago	Onboard, reduce returns, build habit
Active	2+ orders, purchased within repurchase window	Grow AOV and purchase frequency
Loyal	4+ orders OR > $500 LTV	Maintain, protect from churn, reward
At-risk	Approaching 1.5x their normal repurchase window	Proactive re-engagement
Lapsed	Beyond 2x their normal repurchase window	Win-back campaign
Advocate	Has reviewed, referred, or engaged heavily	Amplify via referral program

Step 2: Set up lifecycle automation per stage

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Shopify with Klaviyo

Klaviyo computes expected repurchase dates and churn risk automatically based on your order history — you do not need to calculate lifecycle stages manually.

Subscriber stage — Welcome Series:

1. Go to Klaviyo → Flows → Create Flow → Welcome Series (use template)
2. The flow fires when someone joins your email list
3. Configure 3 emails over 7 days:
   • Email 1 (immediate): Welcome + brand story + first-order discount
   • Email 2 (day 2): Bestsellers or "Start here" product guide
   • Email 3 (day 7): Social proof (reviews, customer photos, media mentions)
4. Add a flow filter: "Has NOT placed an order" — exits the flow if they purchase before completing it