How We Took a Skincare Brand From $0 to $282K in Email Revenue in 90 Days

When GlowLab Skincare came to us, they had 12,000 email subscribers sitting dormant, zero automated flows, and $0 in email-attributed revenue. Their entire marketing budget was going to paid ads — and ROAS was declining every quarter.

90 days later, email was generating $282,000 in attributed revenue, representing 31% of their total sales. Here's exactly what we did, broken down month by month.

The Starting Point

Here's what GlowLab's email program looked like when we took over:

• Email subscribers: 12,400 (collected via checkout over 2 years, never emailed)
• Automated flows: 0
• Email revenue: $0
• Email as % of total revenue: 0%
• Repeat purchase rate: 14%
• Platform: Shopify + Mailchimp (we migrated to Klaviyo)

The good news? A 12K list from actual customers is gold. These people had already bought from the brand — they just hadn't been nurtured.

Month 1: Foundation ($38,200 Revenue)

Week 1-2: Infrastructure Setup

• Migrated from Mailchimp to Klaviyo with full subscriber data and purchase history
• Set up domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) — critical for deliverability
• Created branded email templates matching GlowLab's aesthetic
• Configured Klaviyo-Shopify integration for real-time event tracking

Week 2-3: Core Flows Built

We launched five essential automated flows:

1. Welcome Series (5 emails): Brand story, bestsellers, social proof, first-purchase incentive
2. Abandoned Cart (4 emails): Reminder, social proof, urgency, 10% off
3. Post-Purchase (4 emails): Thank you, usage tips, review request, cross-sell
4. Browse Abandonment (2 emails): Product reminder with reviews
5. Win-Back (3 emails): "We miss you" with 15% off

Week 3-4: First Campaigns

We started with 2 campaigns per week to warm up the dormant list carefully. Sent to most engaged subscribers first, then gradually expanded.

Month 1 Results:

• Email revenue: $38,200
• Welcome flow conversion rate: 12%
• Abandoned cart recovery rate: 8%
• List cleaned from 12,400 to 9,800 active subscribers

Month 2: Optimization ($94,600 Revenue)

A/B Testing Everything

With baseline data from Month 1, we started aggressive testing:

• Subject lines: Emoji vs. no emoji, question vs. statement, short vs. long
• Send times: Morning vs. evening (evening won by 23% for this audience)
• Welcome flow: 10% off vs. free shipping (free shipping won — higher AOV)
• Cart recovery: Social proof vs. urgency in email #2 (social proof won by 31%)

Campaign Frequency Increase

Moved from 2 to 4 campaigns per week. Open rates stayed steady. Revenue per campaign actually increased as subscribers got used to hearing from the brand regularly.

Segmentation Implementation

Built proper segments: VIPs, one-time buyers, product category interest (moisturizers vs. serums vs. cleansers). Started sending targeted product recommendations based on purchase history.

Pop-Up Optimization

Redesigned the website pop-up with a skincare quiz funnel. Conversion rate jumped from 1.8% to 6.2% — adding 400+ new subscribers per week.

Month 2 Results:

• Email revenue: $94,600 (147% increase)
• Welcome flow conversion rate: 18% (up from 12%)
• Abandoned cart recovery rate: 16% (up from 8%)
• Active subscriber count: 11,200 (growing again from pop-up optimization)

Month 3: Scale ($149,200 Revenue)

Advanced Personalization

Implemented dynamic product recommendations based on browsing and purchase behavior. Each subscriber saw different product blocks based on their interests. This alone increased campaign CTR by 42%.

SMS Integration

Added SMS to complement email — not replace it. Used SMS for flash sales, restock alerts, and cart recovery. SMS added $18,400 in additional revenue.

VIP Program Launch

Created an exclusive VIP segment (top 10% by CLV) with early access to new products, exclusive bundles, and a dedicated "VIP Sale" campaign. VIP emails generated 4.2x higher revenue per recipient than standard campaigns.

Predictive Send Times

Used Klaviyo's Smart Send Time feature to deliver emails when each individual subscriber was most likely to engage. Open rates increased by 12% across the board.

Month 3 Results:

• Email revenue: $149,200 (58% increase)
• Email + SMS revenue: $167,600
• Email as % of total revenue: 31%
• Active subscriber count: 13,600
• Repeat purchase rate: 28% (up from 14%)

The Full 90-Day Results

Here's the complete before-and-after:

• Email revenue: $0 → $282,000
• Email as % of total revenue: 0% → 31%
• Active subscribers: 12,400 → 13,600 (net growth after cleaning)
• Repeat purchase rate: 14% → 28%
• Welcome flow conversion: N/A → 18%
• Cart recovery rate: N/A → 22%
• Automated flow revenue: 43% of total email revenue
• Campaign revenue: 57% of total email revenue

Key Lessons Learned

1. Don't ignore your existing list. GlowLab had 12K subscribers collecting dust. That "dead" list was worth $282K.
2. Flows first, campaigns second. Automated flows generate revenue 24/7. Build the foundation before scaling campaigns.
3. Clean your list early. We lost 2,600 subscribers in Month 1 through cleaning. This improved deliverability for everyone who remained.
4. Test aggressively in Month 2. Once you have baseline data, every A/B test is an opportunity to compound improvements.
5. Personalization scales revenue. Dynamic product recommendations increased CTR by 42%. Generic emails can't compete.
6. Email doubles repeat purchases. Going from 14% to 28% repeat purchase rate is a game-changer for unit economics.

Your Next Step

If your email channel isn't generating at least 25-30% of your total revenue, you have the same opportunity GlowLab had. The question isn't whether email works — it's how fast you can build the system.