Birthday flow teardown.

A birthday flow sends a personal message around a customer's birthday, usually with a small gift. It triggers on a date property, so you need to collect birthdays first. One or two warm emails is enough, with the gift framed as a thank you rather than a sales push.

Trigger and filters.

Date based trigger on a birthday profile property, set to send a set number of days before the date. Collect the property through a preference form or account page.

• Trigger filter: birthday property is present and valid
• Trigger filter: subscribed to marketing and not suppressed
• Flow filter: has not received a birthday email this year
• Flow filter: is not in the middle of a winback sequence, to avoid clashes

Sequence and timing.

1. 1. Email one: a gift is on the way (A few days before the birthday)

   Deliver the gift or code with a personal note.

2. 2. Email two: reminder (5 days after the first email)

   Remind anyone who has not used the gift before it ends.

3. 3. Check data before sending (At trigger time)

   A filter step confirms the date is valid and the profile is still subscribed.

4. 4. Email three: belated wishes (2 weeks after the birthday)

   A light closing message for non redeemers, with the gift extended once only.

Branch logic.

• Conditional split on customer type, with larger gifts or early access for repeat buyers
• Split on whether they have ever purchased, giving non buyers a first order incentive
• Split on region, to respect date format and a sensible send time

Copy outline.

• Gift

  Use their first name, say happy birthday in your brand voice, present the gift and its expiry plainly.

• Reminder

  A short nudge, a few product ideas, and the date the gift ends.

• Belated wishes

  Warm, brief, no pressure, with one last mention of the gift and how to update preferences.

What to watch.

• Redemption of the gift, split by buyer and non buyer
• Number of profiles with a birthday property, which limits reach
• Click through rate relative to other flows
• Opt in rate on the form that collects birthdays

Common mistakes.

• Collecting birthdays without explaining why
• Sending on the exact day when the gift needs time to be used
• Storing dates in inconsistent formats
• Making the gift so large that people enter false dates

This is a starting structure, not a promise of results. Timing and offers depend on your product, your repurchase window and your list, so test and adjust.

Want this built and tested for you? See our klaviyo email marketing service or book a free audit.