10 Use-cases for the Time delay block in Klaviyo
Whether you are just starting out email marketing or you’re well-versed in ecommerce email automation, this article will bring to light several use cases for Time delay block.
This block is a foundational flow element and an essential part of specific email marketing flows.
In this article we will bring 10 use cases to your attention and at the end also cover a few scenarios where the time delay block should not to be used.
These 10 ideas listed here are not necessarily prioritized by importance - their value depends mostly on your specific buying cycle and customer habits. Using the time delay block correctly helps you stay present in your customer’s journey without becoming an intrusion.
1. The “Welcome Aboard” series
A welcome series that spans several messages can mean two things:
a) Email newsletter subscribers - should be separated by 2-3 day time delay blocks between subsequent emails. You don’t want to start hard-selling to a person who just expressed interest in your brand, but you also do not want to let them hesitate for too long. By spacing out your brand story and value propositions, you keep their attention and prepare them to buy when they are truly ready.
b) Subscription purchased drip sequence: the email series that onboards your subscription buyers. The same rule applies: drip them the value with breathing space in between:
2. The SMS and Email waiting time
In an advanced Klaviyo setup, you can coordinate SMS and email marketing together. Since the former has a much higher open rate, it should often be sent first as a reminder for an abandoned cart. You might send an SMS after 30 minutes or an hour, and then use a time delay to wait a few more hours before sending a follow-up email.
A powerful feature here is the "Wait until" condition, which can hold the email until a specific time of day, if that aligns with your customers’ daily routine.
3. The “Burn rate” reminder
If you sell consumable goods that are used at a predictable rate, you should calculate when it needs to be repurchased i.e the "burn rate" of that product. Two or three days before a customer is expected to run out of their supply, you should trigger an automated reminder. This is especially important for customers who are not on a recurring subscription but buy manually. An email asking "Are you running low?" right before they empty the bottle makes the repurchase decision effortless.
4. Pre-birthday celebrations
On the date of a customer's actual birthday, their inbox is usually flooded with offers from every brand they have ever interacted with. The trick here is to set your time trigger a few days before the “big day”. Sending an email that says "The big day is just around the corner" with a discount code or a voucher link they can share with friends for "crowdfunding" a gift is a great way to beat the birthday noise.
5. The newsletter readers who just won’t buy
This use case applies to newsletter recipients who joined your list but have not ended up buying anything, yet. You can set a one month time delay block to check in on these prospects.
It is important to include a conditional split to ensure they haven't actually performed an order during that month. If they are still just lurking, a 30-day nudge can remind them why they signed up in the first place.
The conditional split should go AFTER Time delay block!
6. Data-driven product upsells
A product upsell flow allows you to suggest a "perfect match" or a complementary item based on what a customer just bought.
Note: This should not happen immediately after the purchase.
By using the Littledata Google Analytics 4 tracker (that pushes a proprietary purchase_count parameter), you can see what products are most likely to be bought in sequence - i.e a customer who buys X in their first purchase will most likely buy Z in their second. On top of that you can determine what is the time lag between 1st and 2nd purchase by using a 2-step funnel. Once you know the average gap between the first and second order, set your time delay to match that window.
7. The product review request
To get high-quality product reviews on social media or your website through apps like Okendo, timing is everything. You need to account for order processing, shipping time, and a few days of actual product usage. After the order is confirmed, and the order reached the customer, calculate in a delay that allows the customer to truly experience the item(s). They are most likely to leave a positive, detailed review when they are a few days into successfully using their new purchase.
8. Strategic abandoned cart recovery
The abandoned cart flow is a classic retargeting technique that often uses multiple time delay blocks. You might send the first reminder after an hour or two without any incentive. However, if the purchase still has not happened after 24 hours or a few days, you can use a second delay to trigger a specific coupon code. This extra push helps finalize the purchase for prospects who were hesitant about the total price.
9. The “Hail Mary” save
It’s a good practice to prune your email list every now and then and in such occasion you can send the last-chance to saver subscriber email message a day or two after "are you still here?” email.
If it aligns with your brand strategy, this is a final attempt to save the customer at all costs by offering a farewell discount in order to keep them in your ecosystem.
10. Trial ending reminder
We have all experienced the frustration of being charged for a subscription we forgot we had (usually a month after we tried and ditched a product/service). In this automation it’s useful to check if a user has been active during their free trial - in case they haven’t, trigger an email a few days before the automatic charge happens to let them know the trial is ending. This gives them a chance to jump back into the product or cancel, which builds long-term brand trust and reduces support refund requests.
Protip: using the wait until feature
A major pro tip for klaviyo users is the "wait until" component within a time delay. This allows you to delay an email until a specific time of day or even a specific day of the week. While some researchers point to evening hours being best for ecommerce, you should always look at your own customer habits. Testing different times of day ensures your automation hits the inbox when your specific audience is most likely to finallize the purchase.
When you should NOT use time delay
There are situations where using a time delay block is a mistake:
- The content is not about the customer's personal journey, but about a market update i.e. scenarios not tied to the customer's timeline. For example, price drop emails should never have a delay because customers want to be the first to know about a deal. Similarly, back in stock emails must be sent the moment the inventory updates so the customer can grab the item before it sells out again.
- Proof-of-life situations are those where a customer needs an immediate signal that your system is working. Order confirmations are the most critical "no-delay" emails; customers need to know immediately that their money has not vaporized into thin air. This also includes password resets and lead magnets. If someone exchanges their email for a discount or a guide, they want it straight away. A 10-minute delay might make them think they were tricked or cause them to submit their form repeatedly.
Conclusion
Mastering the time delay block is about understanding the natural breathing room your customers need. From the immediate reassurance of an order confirmation to the strategic 30-day follow-up for a newsletter subscriber, these blocks define the rhythm of your brand. By applying these ten use cases and respecting the moments where speed is essential, you will create a more human and effective shopping experience.