A free audit, in full

An email program, taken apart.

What’s working. Where the journey breaks. What we’d fix first.

01 / Executive summary

The pieces exist. The handoffs need work.

This example store already captures subscribers, sends a welcome offer, follows up on abandoned carts, and delivers order updates. The starting point is useful. The opportunity is to connect those messages to what each shopper needs next.

The first priorities are purchase checks in the cart flow, a welcome sequence that helps people choose, and post-purchase guidance that gives customers a reason to stay engaged. More campaigns can wait until those paths work properly.

In this example, the cart flow’s missing purchase check and blanket discounts are the first fixes we’d make. We’d look for changes in recovered orders and margin over the first few weeks, then decide whether more work is justified. A real store’s order volume determines how soon there’s enough data to judge the impact.

Scope and limits

This sample covers welcome, cart recovery, post-purchase, and campaign targeting. A real account review also checks authentication, list health, flow settings, and performance data. Without those checks, we can’t establish inbox placement, quantify lost revenue, or predict a revenue lift.

02 / Findings

From observation to a useful fix.

Every finding below ends with how we’d measure whether the fix worked. That’s the difference between an opinion and an audit.

01 / Welcome flow

The welcome offer arrives. The reason to buy doesn’t.

What we see: In this example, a new subscriber receives one email with a discount code and a link to the full catalog. There is no follow-up for subscribers who have not purchased.
Why it matters: A discount gives ready buyers a nudge, but leaves everyone else to figure out which product fits and why they should choose this store.
What we’d change: Keep the promised offer in the first email. Follow with a product-selection guide and an email answering common questions about materials, sizing, and care. Stop the sales sequence when someone purchases.
How we’d evaluate it: Track first-order conversion and revenue per recipient across the sequence, alongside unsubscribes. Compare equivalent subscriber cohorts before and after the change.

02 / Cart recovery

You’re paying a discount for orders you would’ve gotten anyway.

What we see: The sample cart flow leads with a discount and has no check for a purchase before the next message sends.
Why it matters: The store may give away margin before finding out whether a reminder would be enough. Without a purchase check, a customer could receive a recovery email after ordering.
What we’d change: Add a purchase check before each message. Start with a useful cart reminder and clear shipping information. Test whether a later incentive adds enough orders to justify its cost, rather than offering it to everyone immediately.
How we’d evaluate it: Review recovered orders, discount use, and contribution margin. Use a holdout group where volume allows to understand how many purchases the flow adds.

03 / Post-purchase

The relationship stops at the receipt.

What we see: Order and shipping confirmations are present in the example, but there is no product-help sequence or follow-up tailored to what the customer bought.
Why it matters: Customers get transaction updates, but little help getting value from their purchase or deciding what to buy next.
What we’d change: Add useful care and usage guidance timed around delivery. Then test a relevant complementary product recommendation. Exclude customers with unresolved support issues from promotional follow-ups.
How we’d evaluate it: Follow second-order rate and time to second purchase by first-purchase cohort. Review clicks on help content and customer feedback as supporting signals.

04 / Campaigns and list health

Your best customers and your dead subscribers get the same email.

What we see: The example campaign audience includes new subscribers, recent buyers, repeat customers, and long-inactive contacts in the same send.
Why it matters: The message ignores where people are in their buying journey. A recent customer can receive an offer for something they just bought, while inactive contacts keep receiving promotions without a clear reason.
What we’d change: Separate prospects, recent buyers, and repeat customers using purchase and engagement signals. Apply product exclusions where appropriate. Define an inactivity policy and test a focused re-engagement sequence before suppressing contacts from routine promotions.
How we’d evaluate it: Compare revenue per recipient, clicks, unsubscribes, and complaints by segment. Use purchase and click activity alongside opens when deciding who is engaged.

03 / Action plan

What we’d do, in order.

Illustrative implementation timing for this example. Your plan depends on account access, scope, and approvals; this is the work that could follow the free audit.

First — typically week one
Check the foundations
Verify sending authentication, consent, suppression rules, and purchase exclusions before adding sends. These require account access; their status is unknown in this sample.
Next — weeks two to four
Repair welcome and cart flows
Deliver the signup promise, explain the products, and prevent recovery emails after purchase. Test incentives against margin.
Then — ongoing from month two
Build the return path
Add post-purchase guidance and relevant follow-ups, then refine campaign audiences. Set a baseline before judging the changes.

You just read the whole method. Now point it at your store.

The audit walks your actual account — flows, list health, deliverability, campaigns — and hands you the same prioritized plan you just read, with your numbers in it. Free, and you keep it either way.

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