- I ask for reviews after a customer's third order. Three orders usually means they like it, and everyone who gets there gets the same ask.
- The review invitation is the third of four emails in the third-order branch of my Post Purchase Thank You flow.
- Never ask on delivery day of a first order. People can't review what they haven't used.
- Under the FTC's rule on consumer reviews, you can offer an incentive for a review, but not one that requires or implies a positive review.
Why wait until the third order?
Because a third order is a strong signal. A first-time buyer might love the product, or might never finish it. A third-time buyer has already answered that question with their wallet, twice.
That changes the review you get:
- It's about the product. Taste, results, how it fits their routine. Not shipping speed or packaging.
- It comes from someone who knows it. Three orders means weeks or months of real use.
- It doesn't crowd the first-order emails. Those have a different job: helping a new customer use the product well enough to come back.
The trade-off is speed. You'll collect reviews more slowly than if you asked every first-time buyer. I'm fine with that. A review from someone on their third order is the kind your next customer actually trusts.
To be clear about how it works: the ask goes to every customer who reaches their third order. It's based on order count alone. I assume most people who've bought three times are happy, but I don't actually know, and nobody gets filtered out by how they seem to feel or how they answered a survey.
Where does the review ask sit in the post-purchase flow?
Post Purchase Thank You is one of the 8 core flows I install for every brand. It triggers on every order, splits by how many orders the customer has placed, and each branch runs within 30 days of the order.
| Order | Emails | What they cover |
|---|---|---|
| 1st order | 6, days 0 to 24 | Welcome, brand story, mission and benefits, product usage, support and community, soft purchase nudge |
| 2nd order | 5, days 0 to 29 | Celebrate the return, routine building, reconnect with the mission, product engagement, soft purchase nudge |
| 3rd order | 4, days 0 to 30 | Loyalty milestone, habit reinforcement, review invitation, long-term restock nudge |
| 4th+ orders | 3, days 0 to 30 | Loyal-customer recognition, advocacy invitation, long-term restock nudge |
Fewer emails as loyalty grows, and the content shifts from onboarding toward community and advocacy. The review invitation comes third in the third-order branch, after the loyalty milestone and habit emails and before the restock nudge. By the fourth order, the ask moves from "review it" to "share it."
Since the flow re-enters on every order, a customer moves into the third-order branch automatically when they place that order. Nobody has to remember to ask. My guide to the post purchase email flow covers the other branches.
What if you need reviews sooner?
Sometimes a brand needs reviews faster, like a new product with none at all. In that case you can add an ask for first-time buyers. Just wait until they've actually used it. Here's where I'd start:
| Product type | When to ask (after delivery) | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Snacks, drinks, coffee | About 5 to 7 days | They can judge taste in the first few uses |
| Skincare, haircare, personal care | About 2 to 3 weeks | Feel and fit take a few weeks of daily use |
| Supplements, wellness | About 3 to 4 weeks | Any effect people notice takes time |
The cleanest trigger is delivery. Klaviyo's Shopify integration can sync a "Delivered Shipment" event when a fulfillment's shipping status is marked delivered, but only when Shopify has that data, and Shopify only gets it for certain carriers (Klaviyo). If your carrier doesn't send delivery updates, trigger off "Fulfilled Order" and add your typical shipping time to the delay.
Keep it clear of your reorder reminder. If a 30-day product's reorder reminder goes out around day 21, a review ask on day 20 means two asks in two days. My Klaviyo replenishment flow guide covers the reorder side.
What should a review request email say?
Keep it short. One ask, one button.
- Make it personal. A plain note from the founder often fits better than a big designed email.
- Name the product. "You've had three bags of the cold brew now. How is it?" beats "Rate your recent purchase."
- Give them a prompt. Ask one specific question, like how it tastes, how they use it or what they'd tell a friend. A prompt makes it easier to start writing.
- Link straight to the review form. Every extra click loses people.
- Send one follow-up, then stop. If they haven't left a review a few days later, one reminder is fine. After that, let it go.
Judge it by clicks and reviews collected, not opens. Apple Mail inflates opens.
Can you offer an incentive for a review?
Yes, with limits. I'm not a lawyer, so read the source and check with yours, but here's what the FTC says.
The FTC's rule on consumer reviews and testimonials took effect on October 21, 2024. FTC staff say the rule "does not prohibit giving incentives for reviews, as long as there isn't an express or implied requirement that the reviews have to express a particular sentiment" (FTC).
What that means in practice:
- Okay: "Leave an honest review and get 10% off your next order."
- Not okay: paying for 5-star reviews. The FTC says that violates the rule.
- Watch the wording. The FTC's own example of an implied requirement is "Tell us how much you loved your visit... and get a $5 coupon." An ask like "tell us what you love about it" can read the same way.
- Disclose it. The FTC says failing to disclose incentives could violate the FTC Act.
- Don't only ask happy customers. The rule doesn't specifically ban it, but the FTC says the practice could violate the FTC Act. My third-order ask goes to every customer who reaches that order count. Nobody is filtered by sentiment or survey answers.
Your review app and any marketplace you sell on may have their own rules, and they can be stricter. Read them before you add an incentive.
If you do offer one, I'd use a small discount on the next order. It gives the reviewer a reason to come back, which is the point of the whole flow anyway.
What should you do with the reviews?
Put them to work in the rest of your email.
- Welcome flow. Real reviews help a new subscriber trust a brand they just found.
- Abandoned cart and checkout. Reviews of the product they left behind answer the "will this work for me?" question.
- Browse abandonment. Same idea, earlier.
- Product launches. Early reviews from VIPs help the full launch.
And read the bad ones. A pattern in negative reviews, like "too sweet" or "didn't know how to use it," usually points to a fix in the product page or the "how to use it" email.
FAQ
When should I send a review request email?
In my setup, after a customer's third order, as the third of four emails in that branch of the Post Purchase Thank You flow. If you need reviews faster, ask first-time buyers once they've used it: about 5 to 7 days after delivery for food and drinks, 2 to 3 weeks for skincare and personal care, 3 to 4 weeks for supplements.
Why not ask every customer after their first order?
You can, but many of them haven't decided whether they like it yet. A third order usually means they have. That's the review I'd rather show the next customer.
Should the review ask be its own flow or part of post-purchase?
I keep it inside Post Purchase Thank You. The flow already splits by order count, so the ask goes to the right people at the right point, and it can't collide with the other post-purchase emails.
Can I offer a discount for a review?
Under the FTC's rule, you can offer an incentive as long as it doesn't require or imply a positive review. Disclose it, and check your review app's and any marketplace's rules too.
What if a customer leaves a bad review?
Reply, fix what you can and look for a pattern. Don't bury it. The FTC treats review suppression seriously, and an honest mix of reviews is more believable anyway.
Founder of Bardown Digital, a Chicago-based Klaviyo email and retention agency for Shopify brands. He's worked with brands doing $500K to $100M a year, with $100M+ in email-attributed revenue across them.