How to use SMS in replenishment flows

How to use SMS in replenishment flows

Estimated 6 minute read

Updated Oct 1, 2025, 12:00 AM EST

Table of contents

Before you begin
Add SMS to your replenishment flow
Best practices for replenishment flows
Optimize your replenishment flow
Additional resources

Learn how to add SMS to your replenishment flow in Klaviyo to turn one-time customers into repeat buyers.

Why use SMS for replenishment flows?

Replenishment flows are a great use case for text message marketing.

SMS has an open rate of ~98%, and these messages are almost always seen immediately. Thus, SMS works best when you provide subscribers with time-sensitive information that they’re interested in.

This pairs well with replenishment flows, which (if you get the timing right) are seen as a welcome reminder rather than a pushy sales-driven message. Adding SMS to your replenishment flow gives you the opportunity to remind your customers to restock exactly when they need to.

Before you begin

Before you can start adding SMS to any flow, turn on SMS in your account settings. Replenishment SMS messages require SMS marketing consent.

Use a replenishment flow triggered by Placed Order for the examples below. If you need to set one up, follow the guide to creating a replenishment flow.

Check that the flow has a profile filter for Placed Order zero times since starting this flow so customers who reorder skip subsequent reminders. For a flow about a specific product, limit this filter to orders containing that product.

Add SMS to your replenishment flow

The next steps depend on your current setup.

The split controls depend on your flow builder. If you see Split in the Logic section, use it wherever the steps below call for a conditional split or trigger split. Select Add path criteria on Path #1 and enter the condition given in the step. For these 2-path examples, Path #1 is the matching (YES) path and Everyone else is the non-matching (NO) path.

Save the path criteria with Save. If the button says Apply, click it, then click Save in the split’s settings. If your builder has separate Conditional split and Trigger split controls, select the type named in the step, enter its condition, and click Save.

If you don’t have a replenishment flow, open this dropdown.

Navigate to the Flows tab.
Click Create flow.
In the search bar, enter a term for a flow type you want to create such as “replenishment.”

Choose a replenishment template for your integration that includes email and text messages, if available.
If you don’t see an SMS option available, make sure you have SMS enabled in your account settings.
If SMS is turned on and you still don’t see a pre-built template, check out this article on building your own replenishment flow.
Open the template, review its prerequisites and name, then select Use template.
Review the flow’s trigger, filters, and time delays, then edit its messages to suit your needs.
When you’re ready to set the flow live, click Review and turn on in the upper right.
Choose Live and Update status now, then click Save.

Want to jump ahead? Skip to the section on best practices for SMS replenishment flows.

For those with existing replenishment flows:

Go to the Flows tab.
Navigate to the replenishment flow where you want to add SMS.
After the first time delay, add a conditional split.
Set the split’s condition to If someone can or cannot receive marketing > can receive > text message marketing, then save it.

On the YES path, place an SMS message.
Select the SMS message, then click Edit in its Content section.
Add your message; for example: “Hey {{ first_name|default:'there' }}, running low? Reorder now! [LINK]” Replace [LINK] with the product page URL.
Click Next to save the message and return to the flow builder.
Drag the rejoin icon on the NO path to the point below the SMS message on the YES path.
Add a time delay below the rejoin, set it to 1 day, and click Save.
Move your existing email to below the 1-day time delay.

When you’re ready to start sending, click Update status in the top right of the flow builder. If all messages are in draft, click Review and turn on instead.
Review the other messages first: this updates the whole flow, including other configured messages. Choose Live and Update status now, then click Save.

Best practices for replenishment flows

There are 3 key things to keep in mind when creating replenishment flows:

Message timing Timing is the most important part of replenishment flows. The key is to remind subscribers when they are low on the product, but not completely out. They also work better if you allow time for the product to ship and be delivered. For instance, if the buying cycle is 30 days, you may want to send the notification at around 20 days.
Message contentReplenishment messages should focus on reminding customers about the product. Best practices for creating the content include:
Keep it simple and straightforward.
Remind recipients about the product.
- Add the product name.
- Link to the product page.
Consider adding a promotion, particularly for first-time flow recipients.
- Provide free shipping.
- Offer a 10% off coupon.
Number of messagesTypically, replenishment flows don’t need many messages, at most 1–2 per recipient.

Optimize your replenishment flow

Improve the message timing

To optimize the message timing, you need to test what works best for your audience:

Decrease the number of days in the initial time delay (e.g., from 25 to 20), then click Save.
On the YES path of the split that checks SMS consent, add another conditional split before the SMS message.
Set this new split to Random sample > 50%, then save it.

Add a time delay to each path under the random sample.
Choose the timeframes you want to test (e.g., 1 day versus 5 days) and save each delay. With a 20-day initial delay, these paths schedule reminders at 21 and 25 days after the order, before any sending-time restrictions.

Move the existing SMS below the delay on the random sample’s YES path. Add a second SMS below the delay on its NO path, using the same content so you compare timing. Keep the paths separate until after these messages, then rejoin them before the existing follow-up email sequence.
Save the SMS content and return to the flow builder. Review the flow and set the new messages to Live using the activation steps above.

Over time, check back on the results of each message for both the click rate and conversion rate. (Klaviyo can’t automatically pick a winner when using a split to A/B test.)

Repeat this experiment until you find the shortest timeframe with the highest performance.

Order value split

For higher-priced items, customers may wait for discounts before re-buying or take more time before deciding. You may want to add an extra incentive, space out the replenishment messages, or change the phrasing to convince customers to restock more expensive items.

To split the flow based on the total value of the order that started it, use a Placed Order trigger with a numeric $value property:

Add a trigger split directly after the first time delay.
If you’re using Split, first choose Properties of trigger event in the path criteria. Set the condition to $value > is at least > 100 (replace 100 with the order value you want to use), then save it.
In both the YES and NO paths, add conditional splits that check for SMS consent and add your email and SMS messages accordingly.
Edit the message(s) in the YES path to offer your incentive (e.g., a discount or free shipping), change the timing of messages, etc.

One-time customers vs. repeat customers

Replenishment flows help people develop the habit of re-buying from you. To convert one-time customers to repeat customers, you may want to split the flow and its messages, maybe offer a discount.

Add a conditional split directly after the first time delay.
Set the split to What someone has done (or not done) > Placed Order > is at least 2 > over all time, then save it.
In both the YES and NO paths, add conditional splits that check for SMS consent and add your email and SMS messages accordingly.
Edit the message(s) in the NO path to customize your messaging for one-time customers (e.g., offer an incentive).

After customizing either split example, save your conditions, delays, and message content. Review the flow and set any new messages to Live using the activation steps above.

Additional resources

Learn more about adding SMS in your flows:

How to add SMS to your browse abandonment flow

Learn how to add SMS to your browse abandonment flow to diversify the type of communication sent to your customers. - How to add SMS to a thank you flow

Learn how to add SMS to a thank you or order confirmation flow to diversify the type of communication sent to your customers. Both a thank you and order confirmation flow are a type of post-purchase flow.

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