EMAIL IS RETENTION. MOST BRANDS USE IT AS BROADCAST.
The average DTC brand has a welcome series, an abandoned cart flow, and a post-purchase confirmation. That is the minimum viable email programme — and it leaves most of the revenue on the table. The brands that compound LTV have email infrastructure that treats every customer touchpoint as a deliberate moment in a long-term relationship.
This audit template walks through every critical flow, with specific checkpoints for each email within that flow. For each checkpoint you mark: live, missing, or needs improvement. The output is a prioritised fix list ranked by revenue impact.
01
Welcome Series
3–5 emails · Days 0–7
Introduction to brand values, product benefits, social proof, and first-purchase incentive. Sets the retention tone for the entire customer relationship.
02
Abandoned Cart
3 emails · Hours 1–24
Recovery sequence with urgency escalation. Most DTC brands leave 5–15% of potential revenue in abandoned carts. Audit timing, copy, and incentive architecture.
03
Post-Purchase Onboarding
4–6 emails · Days 1–21
Confirmation → shipping update → product education → usage tips → review request → cross-sell introduction. Most brands stop at confirmation.
04
Replenishment Flow
2–3 emails · Pre-empty
Category-specific repurchase timing triggers. For consumables: predict empty date from order date. Reminds before the customer runs out — not after.
05
Win-Back Series
3 emails · Days 60–120
Re-engage lapsed customers before they churn permanently. Audit at 60-day, 90-day, and 120-day marks. Incentive escalation by lapse duration.
06
Browse Abandonment
2 emails · Hours 1–12
Triggered by page views without purchase intent. Lower revenue than cart abandonment but higher volume. Audit personalisation and product recommendation logic.
07
VIP / Loyalty
Ongoing · Milestone-based
Recognition and reward for high-LTV customers. Audit milestone triggers, exclusivity signals, and personalisation depth. Most brands skip this entirely.
08
Review & Referral
2 emails · Post-delivery
Social proof collection and referral programme introduction. Audit timing (after product experienced, not after delivery), incentive structure, and review platform routing.
How To Use This
For each flow, mark every checkpoint as Live ✓, Missing ✗, or Needs Work △. Then sort by impact score. Fix missing flows before optimising existing ones. A missing win-back series costs more than a poorly worded welcome email.