Workflows can be used to automate a wide range of subscription experiences, from retention incentives to proactive customer communications. In this article, we'll walk through four proven recipes you can build and adapt for your own program. For an introduction to how Workflows are structured, check out What are Workflows?
How to use this guide
Each recipe follows the same structure:
- Objective — the business problem the recipe solves.
- When to use this — signals that suggest it's a good fit for your program.
- Customer experience — what your subscribers see end-to-end.
- Setup — step-by-step build instructions.
Recipes are independent. Pick the one that matches what you're trying to do, or read straight through if you're exploring what's possible.
Objective
Reward subscribers with a free gift at a specific order milestone to reduce drop-off and improve retention.
When to use this
This recipe is a good fit if:
- Your cohort data shows a notable drop in retention between two specific orders (commonly between the second and third order).
- You want to test surprise-and-delight as a retention lever without launching a full loyalty program.
- You have a low-cost product in your catalog that makes sense as a gift.
It's not the right fit if you're trying to acquire new subscribers — milestone GWPs reward existing subscribers, not first-time buyers.
Customer experience
- The customer signs up for a subscription and receives their first few orders as normal.
- When their qualifying order is placed, the free gift is automatically added.
- The customer receives an email letting them know a gift is on the way.
- The gift arrives in the same shipment as the regular order.
Setup
- Trigger: Recurring Order Placed
- Filter: Successful Order Count, Equals, # of the order before you want to add the gift to. Ex if you want to add it to the 3rd order, make this 2
- Actions:
- Add Gift to Upcoming Purchase
- Send Communication (Klaviyo/Attentive)
Variations
- Trigger on a different order number. Most merchants test second-order GWPs first, but third- or fourth-order milestones can be effective depending on where your retention drop-off lives.
- Use a higher-value gift on a later milestone. Customers who reach order four or five have demonstrated strong intent — a bigger reward can deepen loyalty.
- Combine with a Klaviyo pre-notification. Send a "you'll get a free gift on your next order" email a few days before the qualifying order processes.
Objective
Reward subscribers with a one-time discount at a specific order milestone, as an alternative to a physical gift.
When to use this
This recipe is a good fit if:
- You want to run a milestone reward but don't have a good low-cost gift product available.
- Your margins on the subscribed product allow for a discount without eroding profitability.
- You want to test discount-based retention against gift-based retention to see which performs better for your program.
It's not the right fit if your subscribers are price-sensitive in a way that suggests permanent discounting — one-time milestone discounts work best as occasional surprise rewards.
Customer experience
- The customer signs up for a subscription and receives their first few orders as normal.
- When their qualifying order is placed, the one-time discount is automatically applied.
- The customer receives an email letting them know they got a discount on this order.
- The discount appears as a line item on the order confirmation.
Setup
- Trigger: Recurring Order Placed
- Filter: Successful Order Count, Equals, # of the order before you want to add the gift to. Ex if you want to add it to the 3rd order, make this 2
- Actions:
- Apply Discount
- Send Communication (Klaviyo/Attentive)
Variations
- Stack with a Klaviyo pre-notification. Send a "your next order will be 20% off" email before the qualifying order processes.
- Test discount levels. Run different Workflows at different discount percentages to find the level that maximizes retention without over-discounting.
- Combine with a GWP for higher-value milestones. Use a discount at the second order, then a GWP at a later milestone like the sixth order.