Most stores connect Klaviyo to Shopify, set up a welcome flow and an abandoned cart flow, and call it done. The default integration does the basics. It also leaves a lot of revenue on the table. Here’s what we configure on every Klaviyo + Shopify setup that goes beyond defaults.
Connect via the official Klaviyo for Shopify app
Stop using the legacy connection. The new Shopify-native Klaviyo app:
- Syncs more product fields (metafields, custom data)
- Handles new Customer Accounts properly
- Pushes Shopify events to Klaviyo with less latency
- Doesn’t require the old API key dance
Settings → Apps → install official Klaviyo. Authorize. Done.
Set up the right events
Klaviyo’s defaults capture: Placed Order, Started Checkout, Viewed Product, Added to Cart. Most stores miss:
- Viewed Collection — for collection-specific browse abandonment
- Searched Product — search intent is high-value
- Refunded Order — for refund flows / save-the-customer flows
- Subscription events — if you use a subscription app, ensure those events flow
Some require a JS snippet on the theme; modern themes integrate without manual work.
The flows that actually move revenue
Welcome (3-email)
Email 1: branded, the discount code if you offered one for signup, a soft introduction to the brand. Sent immediately.
Email 2: social proof + best sellers. Sent +1 day.
Email 3: founder story or “what makes us different.” Sent +3 days.
Welcome flows generate 5–8% of revenue for most stores when set up well. Stores that have a single-email welcome are leaving most of that on the table.
Abandoned cart (3-email)
Email 1: “You left this in your cart” with product image and a clear back-to-cart CTA. Sent +1 hour. No discount.
Email 2: review/social proof of the abandoned product. Sent +24 hours.
Email 3: small incentive (10% off) to recover. Sent +72 hours.
The mistake we see: every email has a 15% discount. This trains customers to abandon their cart for the discount.
Browse abandonment (2-email)
Customer viewed a product, didn’t add to cart. Send a soft follow-up.
Email 1: “Still thinking about it?” with the product. +6 hours. Email 2: similar products + reviews. +48 hours.
Browse flows often outperform cart abandonment in raw revenue because the population is bigger.
Post-purchase (4-email)
Email 1: receipt (Shopify default). Email 2: shipping update / what to expect (+1 day). Email 3: cross-sell (“customers also bought”) +5 days after delivery. Email 4: review request (+10 days after delivery).
The review request alone funds the rest.
Win-back (1–2 email)
Customer hasn’t bought in 90 days. Send a “we miss you” + small incentive.
This is low-effort, high-ROI. Stores that don’t have it lose ~3% of returning revenue.
Segmentation that matters
Default lists are useless beyond capturing email. Build:
- Engaged 30-day — opened or clicked in the last 30 days
- Buyer (any) — has placed an order
- Buyer (90 days) — has bought in last 90 days
- VIP — top 10% by lifetime value
- At-risk — engaged 6 months ago, not in last 90 days
- Subscriber-only — never purchased
Send campaigns to specific segments, not “everyone.” Engagement metrics improve and deliverability stays clean.
Deep linking to product pages
A common mistake: emails link to the homepage. Customers click, land on home, don’t find the thing they were just looking at.
Always deep link to:
- The specific product (
/products/<slug>) - The specific collection (
/collections/<slug>) - The cart (
/cart) — for abandonment - A specific blog post (
/blogs/news/<slug>) — for educational content
Klaviyo’s product blocks deep link automatically. Manually-added images in emails often link to home — fix those.
Deliverability hygiene
The number-one cause of “Klaviyo isn’t working” is deliverability. Things to check:
- DKIM, SPF, DMARC all set on your sending domain. Klaviyo guides you through this — don’t skip.
- Use a sending subdomain like
email.yourbrand.com, not the root domain. - Sunset rule — auto-unsubscribe non-engagers after 12 months. Painful but necessary.
- Plain-text version — Klaviyo generates this; ensure it’s actually populated.
What doesn’t work
- Daily newsletter campaigns to your full list. Customers unsubscribe; spam complaints rise.
- Generic “we have a sale” without segmenting. Sale fatigue is real.
- Flowery copy. Email copy that reads like a literary novel doesn’t convert. Direct copy that sounds like a person does.
How long this takes
A baseline Klaviyo setup with the flows above: about 20 hours of work. Once running, expect 25–35% of total store revenue to come from email. If you’re under 15%, your Klaviyo is leaving real money on the table.