Most brands set up their Browse Abandon emails, give themselves a pat on the back, and walk off. They treat flows like furniture. Once it's in place, it's done, and not to be thought of for at least 2 years.
Meanwhile the website gets all the attention. Constant tweaks, redesigns, experiments, because they see it every day. The emails? Out of sight. They sit there going stale until they're invisible to the customer too.
That's where Email Flow CRO comes in. In one test for Hey Bud, we took a Browse Abandon email that had gone quiet and rebuilt it. Result: an extra $12,446 in annual revenue. From one email. What if ten of your flows had that kind of room in them? That's six figures sitting in your account waiting to be unlocked.
Let's look at the whole thing first, then break it down.
Got all that? Good. Now the piece-by-piece.
Hero Section: 100% of Opens See This 👀
The Control led with a close-up of a model and left the product as an afterthought. All face, no product. The smear on her cheek was so subtle it wasn't selling anything.
The animated roundel ("Take Another Look") caught the eye, but the static headline ("Don't Miss Out") didn't back it up.
In the Variant we made a few small changes that mattered:
Pulled the shot back so the model's holding the product and smiling at the reader. People respond to people who smile at them.
Moved "Take Another Look" into the headline and dropped "Don't Miss Out." Fresher, more direct, and the Variant won.
Small shifts, but they balanced relatability against actually showing the product, and pointed the reader toward the next step.
The Control put the first "Shop Now" high in the email, close to the fold. Seems obvious. Sooner the CTA, the better, right?
Not always. In the Variant we dropped the button below the product block, so the reader saw what they were browsing before we nudged them. The CTA felt earned instead of rushed.
We also swapped the Control's button, which was a flat image and broke on mobile, for a proper button module that taps clean on any device.
Product Block: Building Emotional Connection
The Control called this section "Shop Our Best Sellers." Clear enough, but the focus stayed on us. The imagery did the job and nothing more.
In the Variant:
Changed the headline to "Shop Our Fan Favorites," shifting the frame from us to them. Small line, but it leans on social proof and makes the reader feel like part of the crowd.
Added font hierarchy and an arrow pointing at the products. People like being shown where to look.
The section went from a menu to something that felt like a recommendation.
Free Shipping: A New Level of Engagement
The Control treated free shipping as a footnote. Plain, static, forgettable.
The Variant turned it into a feature:
Bold headline that actually stated the value.
Product splashes for movement and energy.
A UGC-style shot of a smiling model with the product, which made it feel real instead of decorative.
It went from a line nobody read to a block that built a little trust and momentum right before the close.
The Results: Numbers Don’t Lie
Here's the read:
Recipients: Control 435, Variant 437. Even split.
Opens: 245 vs 240. Basically a tie.
Clicks: 28 vs 29. Same story.
At first glance nothing moved. Then you look at orders.
Orders: Control 6, Variant 15.
Placed order rate: 1.38% vs 3.43%.
That's a 149% lift in placed orders.
Same opens, same clicks, more than double the buyers. This is exactly why click rate can lie to you. The Variant didn't win on attention, it won on conversion.
Extrapolate the test across a year and it's an extra $12,446 from this one email. Ten flow emails at that rate and you're looking at six figures in untapped revenue.
You can do it, too!
You don't need to rebuild the whole flow to see movement. One well-placed change can do it.
For Browse Abandon email #1, the hero is where you start. It's the first thing every reader sees, so that's your highest-leverage spot.
We tested a few things in this email, and the free shipping block probably mattered least, since it's buried where most readers have already dropped off. Put your effort where the eyes are: the hero.
The process:
Start small. Rework the hero only. Use an image that's relatable and puts the product front and center.
Split it evenly. 50/50 traffic. Judge on placed order rate, not click rate, and definitely not Klaviyo's auto-attribution. Clicks would've called the wrong winner here.
Watch it, then call it. No 180-day tests. Once you see a clear trend, lock the winner as your new Control and go again.
Testing takes diligence. You have to watch the data and move quickly, and that's where most brands stall out. They don't have the systems or the bandwidth to test week after week.
Want to DIY it? You can. Go get it.
Ready for email flows you can be proud of?
Right now, your email flows are squirming like George on the massage table… Awkward, ineffective, and a little uncomfortable to look at.
Click below, and I’ll personally audit your account. I’ll take those Festivus-level flows that are full of grievances and turn them into true “Master of Your Domain” money-makers.
Fair Warning: We don’t work with everyone. We only partner with brands we know we can deliver for. Hit that button 👇 we’ll run your digits, and then let you know if we think you’re a good fit.
Let’s make your flows perform like it’s the Summer of George. 🚀
