How does the Welcome Flow work?

Instant AI sends a Welcome Flow to every new subscriber automatically. It's designed to greet new subscribers, introduce your brand, and, for first-time shoppers, deliver a coupon offer while intent is high.

What triggers a welcome flow?
What content is in a welcome flow?
How are coupons managed in a welcome flow?
How do I select a subject and preview text?
How do I add more rules?
How do I enable the flow?

What Triggers a Welcome Flow

A Welcome Flow sends as soon as Instant identifies a new subscriber. This happens when someone opts in via:

An Instant AI sign-up pop-up
A footer or embedded sign-up form on your storefront
The "Subscribe to email marketing" checkbox at checkout, including via the Shop Pay default checkout experience
A Klaviyo or Alia sign-up form (as long as Instant AI is live on your store, our pixel captures these automatically)

No additional setup is required to connect these sources. Instant captures new subscribers across all of them.

A Welcome Flow sends as soon as Instant identifies a new subscriber. This happens when someone opts in via:

An Instant AI sign-up pop-up
A footer or embedded sign-up form on your storefront
The "Subscribe to email marketing" checkbox at checkout, including via the Shop Pay default checkout experience
A Klaviyo or Alia sign-up form (as long as Instant AI is live on your store, our pixel captures these automatically)

No additional setup is required to connect these sources. Instant captures new subscribers across all of them.

What's in the Welcome Flow

By default, your Welcome Flow includes:

A welcome message and introduction to your brand
Your bestselling and recommended products
A coupon offer (if you've configured one, see below)

You can have up to 5 touchpoints in your Welcome Flow. Each email in the series builds on the last, keeping your brand front of mind in the days after signup.

Unlike other flows, the Welcome Flow can run in parallel with abandonment flows. If a new subscriber also browses or abandons a checkout, they'll receive both.

Managing Coupons in Welcome Flows

Setting up a coupon

By default, no coupon is assigned to the Welcome Flow — you need to add one manually. To do this:

Go to Instant Coupons
Select an existing coupon and assign it to the Welcome Flow, or create a new coupon specifically for it
All coupon settings — discount type, fixed vs. percentage vs. free shipping, unique codes per customer, Smart Coupons — are managed here

You can assign a different coupon strategy to each flow. For example, Smart Coupons on your abandonment flows and a fixed 10% on your Welcome Flow. Only one coupon strategy can be active per flow at a time.

When the coupon is sent

If you've assigned a coupon to the Welcome Flow, it's always delivered in the first email, immediately after signup. This is intentional. When a subscriber signs up for a discount, they expect it straight away.

Coupons are only sent to first-time shoppers, someone who hasn't placed an order on your store before.

If an existing customer subscribes, they'll still receive the full Welcome Flow series, including a welcome message and product recommendations. The coupon block is simply skipped.

Updating Subject Lines and Preview Text

By default, Instant AI generates personalised subject lines and preview text for every email in your Welcome Flow.

If you'd prefer to use your own copy instead:

Open your Welcome Flow in the Template Editor
Click Edit on the flow
Hover over the subject line or preview text to override
You must set both the subject line and preview text together, you can't override just one
To revert to AI copy, clear both fields

You can tell whether AI copy or manual copy is in use by the AI tag shown above the subject line in the editor.

Getting More Granular Control in Welcome Flows with Rules

The coupon configuration handles the default on/off behaviour automatically — first-time shoppers get the coupon, returning customers don't.

If you need finer control over what different segments see in the email itself — for example, showing a different hero image or message for returning customers — you can use Instant Rules to conditionally show or hide blocks within your Welcome Flow emails.

Learn how to use Rules in your emails →

How to Enable Your Welcome Flow

Go to Flows in your Instant dashboard
Find the Welcome Flow and toggle it on
If you're using another provider (Klaviyo, Alia) for your sign-up forms, make sure you disable their Welcome or New Subscriber flow to avoid duplicate sends
Send yourself a test email to confirm the content, coupon, and design before going live

FAQ

What if someone signs up twice? Instant won't re-enrol a subscriber into the Welcome Flow if they've already been through it.

Will existing customers receive a coupon if they sign up? No. Coupons are reserved for first-time shoppers. If someone has purchased before and subscribes, they'll receive the welcome email series without the coupon.

Do I need to set up anything to capture subscribers from Klaviyo or Alia forms? No. As long as Instant AI is live on your store, our pixel automatically detects sign-ups from Klaviyo and Alia forms and triggers the Welcome Flow.

What if I don't want to offer a coupon at all? Simply don't assign a coupon in Instant Coupons. The Welcome Flow will send without one.

Can I use a different coupon for the Welcome Flow vs. my abandonment flows? Yes. You can assign different coupon strategies to different flows. Each flow can only have one active coupon at a time, but every flow can have its own.

Where do new subscribers go after the Welcome Flow? They're added to your subscriber list in Instant AI and available for use in campaigns. If you're integrated with Klaviyo, they'll sync automatically as new profiles with Marketing Consent, and also sync to Shopify.