The review request email: when to ask, and when to stop asking
An automated ask for a review, sent once the product's had time to prove itself. Get the timing right and the wording can be plain.
- 115Review Request Flow
- An automated series sent after a product is delivered, encouraging customers to leave a review or share feedback. This flow usually starts with a request email a few days after delivery, followed by a gentle reminder if no action is taken. Including social proof or examples of other customer reviews can inspire recipients to contribute.
- Starts from
- Delivery, or fulfilment plus your usual delivery time where the carrier can't say
- Usually sends
- One request and one reminder, then it stops
- Leaves out
- Anybody with a refund, a return or a cancelled order
- Feeds
- Product pages, campaigns and every email that needs proof
Where the flow starts, and how long it waits after delivery
Ask when the customer has used the thing, not when they've paid for it. The order date tells you nothing about that. Delivery is the earliest honest start line, and plenty of products want you to wait well past it.
| Your situation | How the flow should start |
|---|---|
| Your carrier passes delivery events to Klaviyo | Delivered Shipment, then a wait for first use |
| Your carrier doesn't | The fulfilled order, plus your usual delivery time, plus that same wait |
| The product's judged on sight, like a candle or a print | A few days after it lands |
| The product works over time, like a supplement | Near the end of the first pack |
| The order was a present | Ask the buyer about buying it, not using it |
The rough version still beats asking somebody to review a parcel that's sitting in a van.
Who to leave out of a review request, and the one filter you never use
Don't ask everybody. Somebody waiting on a refund doesn't want your review email, and if they leave one, you won't enjoy reading it. Filtering them out is fine. Filtering by who you think is happy isn't.
- Skip anybody with a refund, a return or a cancelled order
- Skip anybody who's already reviewed that product
- Skip the repeat buyer who reviewed it on their first order
- Never send only to the customers you expect to be pleased
Sending the happy ones to a public review page and everybody else nowhere has a name: review gating. It's how a shop ends up with a page of perfect reviews that nobody believes. Thinking of rewarding reviews? Read the UK rules on reviews first.
What the review request should say, and how many times
Short, specific and one click from done. Name the product, show its picture, and put the stars or the form in the email if your reviews app allows it. Every extra page between the inbox and the submit button loses people.
Send one reminder a few days later to anybody who hasn't answered, then stop. A third ask doesn't get you a better review. It gets you an unsubscribe.
Then put what you collect back to work. A testimonial email built from real reviews is one of the easiest campaigns you'll ever write, and the post purchase flow can carry them too.
Related terms
FAQs
How long after delivery should I send a review request?
Long enough for them to have used it properly. A few days covers things people judge on sight. Anything worn, applied or taken daily wants a week or two, and anything that works over time wants longer. Start there, then compare how many requests turn into reviews at each delay. Your own numbers beat any rule of thumb.
Can one review request cover everything in the order?
It can, and for most orders it should. Five products shouldn't mean five emails. Lead with the item they're most likely to have an opinion on, and if your reviews app can show the rest of the order in the same form, let it. One email per order, one reminder, then the flow stops.
Should review requests come from my reviews app or from Klaviyo?
One of them, not both. Reviews apps often send their own request by default, so a shop that builds another in Klaviyo ends up asking twice. Klaviyo can see refunds, cancellations and every other email the customer's getting, which makes it the better place to decide who gets asked. If your app passes its events into Klaviyo, send from there.
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