Shopify

Shopify Email Marketing: Klaviyo Setup and Automation Guide

29 January 2026 8 min read

Email marketing generates an average of £36 for every £1 spent — making it the highest-ROI channel in e-commerce. Klaviyo is the dominant email platform for Shopify stores because of its deep integration with Shopify's customer and product data. Here's how to set it up properly.

Connecting Klaviyo to Shopify

Install the Klaviyo app from the Shopify App Store. The integration automatically syncs customer profiles, order history, product data, and browsing behaviour. This powers the segmentation and personalisation that makes Klaviyo effective.

After connecting, Klaviyo imports your existing customer data. Allow 24 hours for the full historical sync to complete before building segments or launching campaigns.

Essential Automated Flows

Flows are automated email sequences triggered by customer behaviour. These five flows should be active on every Shopify store:

1. Welcome Series (3-4 emails)

Triggered when someone signs up for your email list. Include your brand story, bestsellers, social proof, and a first-purchase incentive. Space emails 2-3 days apart. A good welcome series converts 5-10% of new subscribers into first-time buyers.

2. Abandoned Cart (2-3 emails)

Triggered when someone adds to cart but doesn't complete checkout. Send the first email within 1 hour, the second at 24 hours, and the third at 48 hours. Show the abandoned products with images and a direct link back to cart. Consider offering an incentive in the final email only.

3. Post-Purchase (2-3 emails)

Build loyalty and encourage reviews. Send a thank-you email immediately, a delivery check-in after estimated delivery date, and a review request 7-10 days after delivery. Cross-sell related products in the review request email.

4. Browse Abandonment (1-2 emails)

Triggered when someone views a product but doesn't add to cart. Send after 2-4 hours with the viewed products and related recommendations. Lower conversion rate than cart abandonment but captures a much larger audience.

5. Win-Back (2-3 emails)

Re-engage customers who haven't purchased in 60-90 days. Remind them of your brand, show new products, and offer an incentive to return. Segment by previous purchase value — higher-value customers warrant stronger incentives.

Pro Tip: Set up a sunset flow for subscribers who haven't opened any email in 90 days. Send a final "still interested?" email with a re-engagement offer. If they don't engage, suppress them from future campaigns. This improves deliverability for your active list.

Segmentation Strategy

Stop sending the same email to everyone. Key segments to create:

Purchase recency: Active (0-30 days), At-risk (31-90 days), Lapsed (90+ days)
Purchase value: VIP (top 10% by lifetime value), Standard, One-time buyers
Product interest: Based on viewed/purchased categories
Engagement level: Regular openers, Occasional, Disengaged

Campaign Best Practices

Beyond automated flows, regular campaigns (weekly or fortnightly) keep your brand visible:

New product announcements to engaged subscribers
Educational content related to your products
Sale and promotional campaigns with urgency
Seasonal and holiday-specific campaigns

Email works best alongside other channels. See our Meta Ads e-commerce guide for integrating email with paid social retargeting, and our Shopify apps guide for complementary tools.

FAQ

Is Klaviyo worth the cost compared to Shopify Email?

For stores with over 1,000 subscribers and multiple product categories, yes. Klaviyo's segmentation, flow builder, and product feed integration are significantly more powerful than Shopify Email. The ROI difference typically covers the cost difference within the first month of properly segmented campaigns.

How many emails per week is too many?

It depends on your audience, but 2-3 campaigns per week is typical for active e-commerce brands. Monitor unsubscribe rates — if they exceed 0.3% per campaign, you're sending too often or the content isn't relevant enough. Segmentation solves this better than reducing frequency.

Should I use Klaviyo for SMS too?

If your audience opts in to SMS, it's a high-performing channel for time-sensitive offers and delivery updates. Klaviyo's SMS integrates with the same customer profiles as email, enabling coordinated multi-channel campaigns. Start with transactional SMS (order and delivery updates) before adding promotional messages.

Want help setting up Klaviyo for your Shopify store? Get in touch or book a call to discuss your email marketing strategy.