Klaviyo
Data & TrackingQuick definition
Klaviyo is an email and SMS marketing platform built specifically for ecommerce businesses. It connects directly to store data like purchase history and browsing behaviour, letting brands send automated flows and segmented campaigns based on what a customer has actually done, not just who they are.
What it actually means
Klaviyo is one of a handful of platforms that treats email marketing as a data problem rather than a design problem. Most email tools let you build a newsletter. Klaviyo lets you build a system that reacts to behaviour: someone abandons a cart, browses a product twice, or hits their sixth purchase, and a flow fires automatically.
The reason it dominates ecommerce specifically is the depth of its integration with platforms like Shopify. Purchase history, product catalogues and customer lifetime value sit inside the same tool used to send the email, which makes segmentation far sharper than exporting lists into a generic email marketing platform.
It sits closer to a lightweight customer data platform than a broadcast tool. Brands use it to run retention programmes, not just promotional blasts, which is why it shows up so often in conversations about churn, lifetime value and marketing automation.
The tradeoff is cost. Pricing scales with contact list size, so a large unengaged list becomes an expensive one fast. Businesses that don't practise regular segmentation and list cleanup often pay for contacts they're not actually marketing to effectively.
Klaviyo's advantage isn't the send button. It's that every email knows exactly what the customer already did.
How it shows up
Klaviyo shows up as branded automated flows in a customer's inbox: welcome series, abandoned cart, post-purchase follow-up, win-back campaigns for lapsed buyers. It also shows up in reporting as revenue attributed directly to email and SMS, since it tracks orders back to specific sends and flows rather than relying on generic open and click metrics alone.
Where people get this wrong
Related terms
Common questions
What is Klaviyo used for?
Klaviyo is mainly used by ecommerce businesses to send automated email and SMS flows based on customer behaviour, such as abandoned carts, welcome series and post-purchase follow-ups, alongside broadcast campaigns for promotions and announcements.
Is Klaviyo only for Shopify stores?
No, but Shopify integration is where it's strongest. Klaviyo also connects with other ecommerce platforms like BigCommerce and WooCommerce, though the depth of behavioural data available can vary depending on the platform.
How is Klaviyo different from Mailchimp?
Klaviyo is built specifically around ecommerce data like purchase history and product catalogues, which enables more precise behavioural segmentation. Mailchimp is a more general-purpose email marketing tool with broader use cases but shallower ecommerce-specific features.
Why does Klaviyo get expensive as a list grows?
Pricing scales with total contact count regardless of engagement. Businesses that don't regularly suppress or remove unengaged contacts end up paying for people who never open or click, which inflates the monthly cost without adding revenue.
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About New Rebellion
New Rebellion is a marketing intelligence consultancy. We build tools, score Australian businesses on how their marketing actually performs, and publish Debrief every day. This dictionary is part of how we work in the open.
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