Shopify & Klaviyo: How to take your Shopify newsletters to the next level

In recent years, the importance of e-mail as a direct communication channel with customers has once again increased significantly. After all, in order to reach clientele and rebuild trust and a bond, email marketing is one of the most effective ways. However, there is always the challenge of grabbing recipients' attention, even if their inboxes have already been flooded with other emails and newsletters. To overcome this hurdle, it is important to take a closer look at email marketing and, of course, to use the right tool.

For this reason, in the following article we will take a closer look at these email marketing services. We will briefly introduce Shopify's own newsletter solution and then go into a very good alternative: Klaviyo. This is one of the most popular email marketing services among Shopify merchants, as evidenced by the fact that no other app under the email marketing category in the Shopify App Store has been downloaded more often.

Creating a Shopify newsletter: These options are available

Shopify launched its own email marketing app, Shopify Email, in November 2019, which is free for all plans. Shopify Email is a mailing tool integrated directly into Shopify that makes it easy for you to create and send newsletters and emails. Smart templates automatically use your store's logo, colors, and products. This saves you time and increases your brand awareness by using your corporate identity. You can easily customize the template. Pre-made sections and settings assist with design - even without design experience. Product grids also allow you to use images to showcase specific collections, so you can get your products out there faster.

As an alternative to Shopify Email, there are third-party tools on the market. One example is MailChimp, but we recommend Klaviyo, a marketing automation tool that specializes in e-commerce.

What is Klaviyo?

Klaviyo is compatible with popular store systems like Shopify and WooCommerce. The marketing platform allows users to segment their customer data and send automated emails and text messages from a customer database to increase sales per customer. Users can also create multi-level email flows with welcome emails, discounts or rating prompts. In addition, the database can be linked to social ads to target Custom or Lookalike Audiences on Facebook.

Klaviyo functions: Structure & possibilities

Klaviyo is a marketing automation software for online retailers with a focus on email. Core features include:

Customer profiles

Here you will find all the information about customers or contacts that is collected by the store system and the connected tools. With just one look at the customer profile, you can see what type of customer they are - including referrers, sales, and previous interactions with your company.

Lists & Segments

Lists and segments help to categorize accounts and contacts and use them for further actions.

Newsletter

With a drag-and-drop editor, emails can be designed very intuitively and content can be compiled with blocks. Various Klaviyo email templates are also available for the design.

Predictive Analytics

Klaviyo uses a combination of existing data and artificial intelligence to predict shopper behavior and derive events for further action. From this, probabilities are calculated for specific values such as lifetime value (CLV), churn risk, and next purchase date. These in turn can be used by you for marketing automation.

Flows

In Klaviyo, flows are automated rules that make it possible, for example, to send e-mails according to certain criteria. The collected data (e.g. from predictive analytics) are used as triggers for this.

Transactional flows

In addition to typical marketing emails, transactional emails can also be sent via Klaviyo. These are directly related to an order and must not contain any marketing content (including rating prompts). Examples are mails with order confirmations or delivery information.

Evaluations

Klaviyo's final focus is on evaluation and reporting. The tool collects data at just about every point - in customer profiles, personal emails, processes and campaigns. This way, you can easily keep track of everything. You also have the flexibility to create your own reports in the reporting area, e.g. on conversions, campaign results and referrers.

Klaviyo-Shopify Setup: Implement Email Marketing with the Klaviyo App

Integrating Klaviyo to Shopify is very easy, as there is an official Klaviyo app that pulls all the important information directly from Shopify. Just follow these steps to add Shopify integration:

1. Sign in to the app with your Klaviyo login.

2. Click the Integration > Shopify tab.

3. You will be redirected to the Shopify integration page > Paste the URL of your Shopify store here.

4. Configure the settings according to your preferences.

5. Install the Klaviyo: Email Marketing & SMS app to connect your Shopify store with your Klaviyo profile.

6. Done! You can now send automated emails with Shopify-related data from Klaviyo.

Shopify Email Marketing vs. Klaviyo: These are the differences

When comparing Shopify Email and Klaviyo, there are some important differences to consider:

Klaviyo Pricing: That's what the newsletter app costs you

Klaviyo offers the following three price plans.

Customer lifecycle management with Klaviyo in Shopify

Customer Lifecycle Management (CLM) is an approach that covers the entire lifecycle of a customer - from initial interaction to long-term retention. In the context of Klaviyo and Shopify, this process can be made particularly effective by using data-driven email marketing and targeted automations to address customers at every stage of the lifecycle.

Acquisition

The first contact is about making potential customers aware of the Shopify shop. With Klaviyo, targeted welcome emails, discount offers and product introductions can be created to encourage the first purchase.

Klaviyo offers detailed segmentation options that help Shopify merchants to engage new customers in targeted campaigns based on their behaviour, interests and purchase history.

Conversion

Automated abandoned cart reminders in Shopify help to recover lost sales. Klaviyo can offer purchase incentives, such as discount codes or free delivery. Klaviyo also analyses Shopify data to create targeted product recommendations for cross-selling or upselling after the initial purchase.
Binding:

Klaviyo can be used in conjunction with Shopify to send automated emails to returning customers or loyalty program members. These emails can include exclusive offers or early access to new products. By capturing customer data in Shopify, highly personalised emails, such as birthday greetings or anniversary offers, can also be created in Klaviyo.

Reactivation

If customers are inactive for a while, Klaviyo can be used to create automated win-back flows to bring customers back to the shop. These can be discount promotions or exclusive news about upcoming products.

Klaviyo also monitors customer behaviour in Shopify and enables targeted reactivation campaigns based on non-purchases, inactive customers or expired discounts.

With Klaviyo and Shopify, retailers have the opportunity to control customer lifecycle management in a targeted manner by using data-based emails, personalised campaigns and automation to retain their customers in the long term and sustainably increase their sales.

Klaviyo Examples: These Shopify merchants use Klaviyo

Asphaltgold

Another of our favorite brands is also based in the fashion sector: Asphaltgold. However, the focus of this store is on sneakers instead of primarily on clothing. The shoe store from Darmstadt is one of the leading streetwear online stores in Europe today, has already conquered Instagram for itself and also uses Klaviyo for its newsletter.

HUNTER

The company HUNTER from North Rhine-Westphalia specialises in products for our four-legged friends and sells products such as dog leads, collars, dog beds, treats and other accessories. The products are manufactured in the company's own leather factory and sold both online at wirliebenhunter.de and in the retail store in Bielefeld. Well-stocked specialist retailers also sell HUNTER products - worldwide. To draw attention to new offers and articles, HUNTER uses email marketing with Klaviyo, among other things.

Melvin & Hamilton

Melvin & Hamilton is a fashion brand founded in 1988, which since then designs and manufactures leather shoes with high quality craftsmanship. What makes the company special is clearly the combination of innovation and tradition. Thus, the proven craftsmanship meets a modern Shopify store with automated marketing through the integration of Klaviyo.

Conclusion: Klaviyo for your Shopify email marketing

All in all, we can say that Klaviyo is a good alternative to Shopify email and a great way to implement your Shopify newsletters. The app convinces with its numerous functions. Due to the easy connection to Shopify, insightful customer profiles can be created and excellent segmentation becomes possible. The flow templates are a great help, especially for customers who are new to Klaviyo or who are generally not very experienced in email marketing. You can create automations and save resources in no time at all.