Best Klaviyo Flows for Subscription-Based Food & Beverage Shopify Stores

Running subscriptions in food & beverage isn’t just “ecommerce with repeats.” You’re juggling perishability, usage cadence, flavor preferences, and a constant battle against both voluntary and involuntary churn. After implementing and auditing dozens of Shopify F&B stacks, I’ve found that Klaviyo becomes the subscription team’s control center—if you wire the right events and build flows that match the subscriber lifecycle.

Below is a practitioner playbook: concrete flow recipes, triggers from Recharge/Bold/Skio, message timing, and what to measure. Assume Shopify + Klaviyo + a subscription app. We’ll anchor key steps to official documentation and benchmarks so your team can implement with confidence.

Start with the wiring: events, notifications, and compliance

Before building flows, make sure Klaviyo actually receives the subscription events you need—and avoid duplicate notifications.

• Subscription app → Klaviyo events

  • Recharge: Enable the integration and check Klaviyo’s Flow Library filtered to Recharge for templates; Recharge documents how to use these pre-built flows inside Klaviyo, including upcoming-charge patterns, and notes which notifications you may replace in Klaviyo to prevent duplicates. See the official guidance in the article on how to use Recharge pre-built flows in Klaviyo (Recharge, 2024).
  • Recharge event example: The documented trigger “Order upcoming on ReCharge” is commonly used to send pre-renewal reminders; Recharge explains timing conventions and use cases in its guide to Recharge and Klaviyo use cases (Recharge, 2024).
  • Bold Subscriptions: Bold lists the specific events that sync to Klaviyo—such as subscription_created, subscription_cancelled, subscription_upcoming_order, and transaction_failed—inside its integration article, “Klaviyo + Subscriptions for Shopify Checkout” (Bold, 2024).
  • Skio: Skio’s Klaviyo integration supports cancellation and upcoming order events and shows how to build reason-based winback logic. Their guide on Creating Winback Flows in Klaviyo (Skio, 2024) is a useful reference for tailored reactivation.

• Replace native app notifications deliberately

  • If Klaviyo will send upcoming charge, dunning, or renewal confirmations, disable the equivalent native notifications in your subscription app to avoid double-sends. This is explicitly noted in Recharge guidance referenced above.

• Transactional vs. marketing in Klaviyo

  • When you replace system notifications (order status, upcoming charge reminders), mark messages correctly as transactional in Klaviyo. See Klaviyo’s official instructions in How to use flows to send transactional emails (Klaviyo Help, 2025). If you add promotional content to SMS/email reminders, ensure you have appropriate consent.

• SMS/email compliance basics (U.S.)

  • Email: The FTC’s CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide (FTC, 2024) requires accurate sender info, truthful subject lines, your physical address, and honoring opt-outs.
  • SMS: Carriers enforce the CTIA’s Messaging Principles and Best Practices (CTIA, 2019): clear opt-in language, program terms, HELP/STOP, and transparent fees/frequency. The FCC has refined TCPA consent rules; review the 2024 Federal Register entry “Targeting and Eliminating Unlawful Text Messages” to understand current expectations around consent and revocation.

The subscription lifecycle map (F&B-specific)

Think in stages and build flows that meet customers where they are:

• Acquisition → Welcome & Onboarding
• First delivery → First-to-Second Order Nurture
• Pre-renewal → Upcoming Charge Reminder (+ add-ons)
• Billing issues → Card Expiring / Failed Payment Dunning
• Cancellation intent → Save/Intercept
• Post-cancellation → Winback
• Ongoing value → Post-Purchase Education, Preference/Flavor Updates, VIP/Loyalty

Flow blueprints that consistently move the needle

Each blueprint includes trigger, timing, filters, content checklist, channel mix, and measurement.

1) Welcome & Onboarding (new subscriber)

• Trigger

  • Subscription created metric from your app (Recharge/Bold/Skio). If unavailable, use a segment where “Active Subscriber = true” and “Joined within 7 days.”

• Timing

  • Email #1: immediately after checkout. Email #2: +2 days. Optional SMS: +12–24 hours with account portal link.

• Filters

  • Exclude existing subscribers to avoid duplicate onboarding. Split by product line (coffee vs. meal kit) for tailored prep guides.

• Content checklist

  • “What to expect” (delivery cadence, billing dates, how to skip/pause/swap).
  • Prep/brewing or storage tips to reduce first-box friction and waste.
  • Manage portal deep link; flavor survey to capture preferences.

• Channel mix

  • Email for rich content; SMS only if you have proper consent and include HELP/STOP.

• Measure

  • 1st→2nd order conversion rate; early churn within 30 days; RPR of the series versus Klaviyo’s industry Benchmarks hub (Klaviyo, 2025).

2) First-to-Second Order Nurture

• Trigger

  • Placed Order where “Total Orders = 1” (Shopify metric). Start after first delivery arrives.

• Timing

  • Email: delivery +3 days and +10 days. Optional SMS: delivery +5 days.

• Filters

  • Exclude if subscription canceled or paused.

• Content checklist

  • Usage ideas and recipes; “how to get the most from your box.”
  • Highlight skip/swap options to reduce friction rather than driving cancellation.
  • Invite flavor preferences; suggest add-ons for the next shipment.

• Measure

  • Time-to-2nd order, add-on rate, early churn.

3) Upcoming Charge Reminder (pre-renewal)

• Trigger

  • Recharge “Order upcoming on ReCharge” or Bold’s subscription_upcoming_order. If neither is available, push a custom event from Shopify Flow using next charge date stored on the customer/subscription object.

• Timing

  • Email at T-5 days and T-3 days before charge. Optional SMS at T-24h (respect quiet hours and consent).

• Filters

  • Exclude paused/canceled; split VIPs (≥6 renewals) to invite early access add-ons.

• Content checklist

  • Next charge date; 1-click buttons to skip/pause/swap; relevant add-ons; storage/prep guidance; delivery cutoff window.

• Channel mix

  • Email for details; SMS for last-mile reminder.

• Measure

  • Save rate (% who do not cancel/skip), add-ons per recipient, RPR of the series versus your baseline and Klaviyo benchmarks.

4) Card Expiring / Failed Payment Dunning

• Trigger

  • Bold’s subscription_order_transaction_failed or subscription_expiring_payment; Recharge dunning/failed-charge event if available. If unavailable, create a Shopify Flow that listens for payment failure and sends a custom event to Klaviyo to trigger the flow.

• Timing

  • Immediately at failure, then +24h, then +3 days. If your gateway retries, align messages to retry schedule.

• Filters

  • Stop series if payment succeeds or subscription cancels.

• Content checklist

  • Clear “fix your payment” CTA with secure link; reassure no loss of place in queue; spare promotional content to keep transactional tone (and compliance) intact.

• Channel mix

  • Use both email and SMS for speed-to-recovery; label transactional where appropriate per Klaviyo’s guidance on transactional flows.

• Measure

  • Recovery rate (% charges recovered), days-to-recovery, retries-to-success.

5) Cancellation-Intent Intercept (save path)

• Trigger

  • Clicks on “cancel” within the manage portal (via your subscription app’s quick actions), or pageview/event tracked by the app that signals cancel intent. If your app supports in-portal save offers, coordinate the offer logic with Klaviyo follow-ups.

• Timing

  • Real-time email/SMS within minutes of intent; follow-up at +24h if not completed.

• Filters

  • Exclude if customer already canceled or accepted a save offer.

• Content checklist

  • Present save options: “skip a shipment,” “swap flavors,” “push date,” or a tailored discount if margin allows.
  • Address top reasons (too much product, flavor fatigue, price) with direct solutions.

• Channel mix

  • Start with email; add SMS if the customer initiated from mobile and you have consent.

• Measure

  • Save rate by reason; discount cost per save; impact on subsequent LTV.

6) Cancellation Winback (reactivation)

• Trigger

  • subscription_cancelled (Bold), cancellation event (Skio/Recharge). Use cancellation reason to branch content, as shown in Skio’s Creating Winback Flows in Klaviyo (Skio, 2024).

• Timing

  • Email at +7 days, +21 days, +45 days post-cancel.

• Filters

  • Exclude if reactivated; split by prior tenure (e.g., ≥6 renewals vs. <3) to adjust offer.

• Content checklist

  • Reason-based messaging (too fast cadence → recommend every-6-weeks plan; flavor fatigue → new variety pack; price → low-cost starter bundle).
  • 1-click reactivation or rebuild cart link.

• Measure

  • Reactivation rate, time-to-reactivation, margin impact of any incentives.

7) Post-Purchase Education (F&B-specific)

• Trigger

  • Placed Order (applies to both subscribers and one-time buyers). For subscribers, limit frequency.

• Timing

  • Delivery +1–2 days for prep/brewing/storage tips. Delivery +7–10 days for recipe/pairing content.

• Filters

  • Exclude if customer opened the same content in last 60 days to prevent fatigue.

• Content checklist

  • Brew ratios, storage guidance, pairing recipes, shelf-life tips, allergens—aim to reduce waste and confusion, which drive early churn.

• Measure

  • Reduction in support tickets, product review sentiment, churn within 30 days.

8) Replenishment / Reorder (for one-time buyers)

• Trigger

  • Placed Order, filtered by product usage cycle (e.g., 21, 28, or 60 days). Klaviyo provides a clear walkthrough in How to create a replenishment flow (Klaviyo Help, 2025).

• Timing

  • Email at expected depletion window; follow-up +7 days if no purchase.

• Filters

  • Exclude active subscribers; invite subscription conversion with an incentive.

• Content checklist

  • “Running low?” prompt; usage tips to optimize dosing; subscription value props.

• Measure

  • Reorder rate, subscription conversion rate from the flow.

9) Preference/Flavor Update

• Trigger

  • Profile property stale (e.g., “Flavor Preference last updated > 90 days”) or on the heels of a new seasonal menu.

• Timing

  • Quarterly email; optional SMS nudge to survey.

• Filters

  • Exclude churned; split by category (coffee, tea, meal kit) for relevant questions.

• Content checklist

  • Quick survey; showcase new/seasonal options; allow one-click swap for next shipment.

• Measure

  • Survey completion rate; reduction in “flavor fatigue” cancellations; lift in add-ons.

10) VIP / Loyalty

• Trigger

  • Segment where renewals ≥6 or revenue ≥ a VIP threshold.

• Timing

  • Monthly/quarterly cadence; avoid crowding pre-renewal and dunning windows.

• Filters

  • Exclude those in active dunning or save paths.

• Content checklist

  • Early access to seasonal drops; limited bundles; surprise-and-delight.

• Measure

  • Add-on revenue, referral participation, churn vs. non-VIPs.

Guardrails that prevent the common pitfalls

• Don’t double-send system messages: When Klaviyo replaces upcoming charge or dunning notices, disable the native app notifications (see Recharge’s pre-built flow guidance referenced earlier).
• Label transactional correctly: Use Klaviyo’s transactional settings, and keep transactional SMS/email content free of promotional copy unless you have the right consent.
• Always include deep links to manage portal: Skips, pauses, swaps, and cadence changes should be one click.
• Route by cancellation reason: Build content branches that speak to “too much product,” “taste,” or “price.” It’s the fastest way to lift save and winback rates.
• Treat involuntary churn as a distinct problem: Align dunning cadence with gateway retries; add SMS for speed; monitor recovery and time-to-recovery.

Measurement, attribution, and iteration

Treat each flow like a product with a KPI stack and a weekly review cadence.

• Core KPIs per flow

  • Upcoming charge: save rate, add-ons per recipient, RPR.
  • Dunning: recovery rate, days-to-recovery, retries-to-success.
  • Winback: reactivation rate, margin impact.
  • Onboarding: 1st→2nd order conversion, early churn, RPR.

• Benchmarks and baselines

  • Use Klaviyo’s Benchmarks feature and its 2025 Benchmarks hub to contextualize your open, click, placed order, and revenue per recipient metrics by industry and flow type.

• Attribution that survives tracking gaps

  • Apple Mail Privacy and ad tracking prevention make pure last-click misleading. Stitching server-side events and multi-touch paths helps you see the true contribution of flows alongside paid channels. This is where a dedicated attribution layer like Attribuly is practical: unify Klaviyo email/SMS, Shopify orders, and subscription events, then analyze cohort LTV, save/recovery outcomes, and multi-touch lift across flows and ads. Use consistent UTMs and branded links so message-level performance rolls up cleanly.

• Dashboards you’ll actually use

  • Weekly: save rate, recovery rate, reactivation rate; top reasons for churn; flow RPR vs. prior 4 weeks.
  • Monthly: cohort LTV by first product/plan; dunning recovery by retry window; VIP churn vs. non-VIP.

A/B tests that pay off in F&B subscriptions

• Timing

  • T-7 vs. T-5 vs. T-3 for upcoming charge reminders; add an SMS at T-24h and measure incremental save/add-ons.

• Content

  • Subject lines with next charge date vs. product outcome (“Your October roast ships soon” vs. “Never run out of cold brew”).
  • Include vs. omit 1-click manage buttons; deep links usually win.
  • Reason-based save offers vs. blanket discount in cancellation intercepts.

• Offer strategy

  • Test non-discount saves first (skip, swap, cadence change) before margin-costing offers; track downstream LTV to avoid “coupon re-churn.”

Implementation checklist (copy this into your PM tool)

• Integrations

  • [ ] Subscription app events visible in Klaviyo (Recharge/Bold/Skio)
  • [ ] Native app notifications disabled where Klaviyo replaces them
  • [ ] Transactional toggles applied to system-equivalent flows

• Core flows live

  • [ ] Welcome & Onboarding
  • [ ] First-to-Second Order Nurture
  • [ ] Upcoming Charge Reminder (T-5/T-3)
  • [ ] Card Expiring / Failed Payment Dunning (immediate/+24h/+3d)
  • [ ] Cancellation-Intent Intercept
  • [ ] Cancellation Winback (reason-based)
  • [ ] Post-Purchase Education
  • [ ] Replenishment (one-time buyers → subscription invite)
  • [ ] Preference/Flavor Update (quarterly)
  • [ ] VIP / Loyalty

• Measurement

  • [ ] Define KPIs per flow and targets
  • [ ] UTM and branded link conventions standardized
  • [ ] Multi-touch attribution and cohort LTV stitched (e.g., Attribuly)
  • [ ] Weekly and monthly dashboards built

• Compliance

  • [ ] CAN-SPAM checks for email basics
  • [ ] SMS opt-in language, HELP/STOP, and quiet hours per CTIA/TCPA
  • [ ] Legal review before adding promotional content to transactional reminders

Final word

The winning stacks don’t just “have flows”—they have flows aligned to real subscriber behavior, instrumented with the right events, and measured on outcomes that matter: saves, recoveries, reactivations, and LTV. Wire your events correctly, keep messages useful and easy to act on, and iterate weekly. The compounding effects on churn and add-on revenue show up faster than most teams expect.