Flows to turn on before BFCM

Why flows matter more than campaigns during peak week

Campaigns get the attention, but flows do the quiet work. They fire at the exact moment a shopper is deciding, they run while your team is asleep, and they don't count against your send cadence. If you only have time to fix one thing before November, make it your flows.

Stage your BFCM flows with an Experiment Step

You don't need to rebuild your flows for the holidays. Open any flow you want to update and add an Experiment Step. Put your BFCM promo in one branch and keep your existing messages in the other. Send 100% of subscribers to the BFCM branch during the sale, then switch back to your original branch the day after Cyber Monday. Your regular flow stays intact and ready to go.

Welcome flow

Your list will grow fastest in the weeks before BFCM, so this flow will fire more than any other. Check that the first message goes out instantly, delivers whatever the sign-up form promised, and includes your brand name. During the sale, swap the standard welcome offer for the BFCM offer so new subscribers aren't getting a worse deal than everyone else.

Abandoned cart

The most valuable flow you have during a sale. Shoppers add to cart, get distracted by ten other sales, and forget. Send the first reminder within an hour, keep the copy short, and link straight back to the cart. Don't add a discount to this flow during BFCM. The sale price is already the incentive, and stacking another code on top eats margin.

Abandoned checkout

Same idea, higher intent. These shoppers got as far as entering their details. A single nudge with a direct checkout link is usually enough. If you have a payment issue message in this flow, make sure it's accurate for peak week, since failed payments spike when shoppers are moving fast.

Browse abandonment

Fires when someone views a product but doesn't add it to cart. Useful during peak week because so much traffic is comparison shopping. Keep it to one message, mention the product they looked at, and keep the timing tight (a few hours, not a day).

Post-purchase

This is where you set up the next 60 days. Thank the customer, confirm the order, and give them a reason to come back after the holidays: a reorder reminder, a text-exclusive offer for January, or a heads-up about your next drop. Don't pitch another sale in the first message. They just bought.

Winback

Subscribers who haven't purchased in a while but are still opted in. Turn this on before the sale with a "we've got something coming" message, then let your BFCM campaigns do the rest. Pause the winback discount during the sale so it doesn't undercut your main offer.

Which flows to pause during the sale

• Any flow with a standing discount that's smaller than your BFCM offer. Or, better, swap the offer using an Experiment Step. Don't pause your welcome flow, since it's your main way to greet new subscribers during peak week.

• Cross-sell flows that would collide with a same-day campaign

Turn them back on the day after Cyber Monday.

Test them

Before November, walk through each flow yourself: sign up, abandon a cart, place an order. Read every message on your phone. That's the only way to catch a broken link, a stale offer, or a message that reads wrong on mobile.