Klaviyo Email and SMS Flows for Ecommerce Brands

Paid ads bring a visitor to your store once. Email and SMS let you reach the same person again without paying for the click. For brands selling from Pakistan to customers in the US, UK and Europe, where every click is expensive, that second, third and fourth contact is often where the profit sits.

Klaviyo is one of the most widely used email and SMS platforms for online stores. It connects directly to Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and other platforms, pulls in orders, products and browsing events, and lets you send messages based on what each shopper actually did. This guide covers how to set it up properly, in the order we would do it.

Start with the integration and tracking

Everything in Klaviyo depends on the data it receives from your store, so set this up first.

Connect your store. Use the official Shopify or WooCommerce integration. It syncs customers, orders, products and events such as Started Checkout and Placed Order.
Turn on onsite tracking. Events like Viewed Product and Added to Cart need Klaviyo's onsite script. On Shopify this is switched on from the integration settings and the theme app embed.
Check the events arrive. Place a test order and browse a few products while signed in with a test email. Then open that profile in Klaviyo and confirm each event is there.
Sync your catalogue. Product feeds let you show the right images, prices and recommendations in emails.

Browsing events only attach to people Klaviyo can identify, usually because they signed up, clicked an email, or entered their email at checkout. That is one more reason to collect emails early.

Authenticate your sending domain

Since early 2024, Gmail and Yahoo require bulk senders to authenticate their email properly. If you skip this, messages go to spam or are rejected.

Set up a dedicated sending domain in Klaviyo (for example, send.yourbrand.com) rather than sending from Klaviyo's shared domain.
Publish the SPF and DKIM records Klaviyo gives you, and add a DMARC record for your domain.
Keep one-click unsubscribe in every marketing email (Klaviyo adds this by default).
Keep spam complaints very low. Google asks senders to stay below 0.3%, and well below 0.1% is a healthier target.

Do this before you import a list or send a campaign. Changing the sending domain later resets some of the reputation you have built.

Collect subscribers with consent

A list you bought, scraped or copied from marketplace orders will damage your sender reputation and can break the law. Build your own list from people who chose to join.

Add a signup form to the store: a pop-up or fly-out after a few seconds or on exit intent, plus an embedded form in the footer.
Offer a clear reason to join: early access, a buying guide, a sample, or a first-order discount if your margins allow it.
Ask for email first and phone number second, with separate consent for each.
Collect consent at checkout too, using Shopify's marketing checkbox.

Marketplace customers from Amazon, eBay or Walmart are not your email subscribers. The marketplaces forbid using their buyer data for marketing, and doing so can get your selling account suspended.

SMS rules are stricter than email

SMS marketing needs explicit consent in every market we work with:

United States: marketing texts need the customer's prior express written consent under the TCPA. Your form must explain what they are signing up for, how often you will text, that message and data rates may apply, and how to opt out (reply STOP). US sending numbers also have to be registered (toll-free verification or 10DLC), which Klaviyo walks you through.
United Kingdom: PECR applies. The "soft opt-in" can cover existing customers for similar products if you gave them a chance to opt out when they bought, but the safe default is clear opt-in.
European Union: GDPR and national rules require freely given, specific consent that you can prove later.

Klaviyo stores consent records on each profile. Keep the form wording you used, because that is your evidence if a complaint comes in.

The six flows to build first

Flows are automated sequences triggered by what a shopper does. They run every day without anyone pressing send, and for most stores they earn more per message than one-off campaigns. Build these first:

Welcome series (trigger: joined your list). Two to four emails over a week: deliver the promised offer, tell the brand story, show best sellers, answer the common doubts (sizing, delivery time, returns).
Abandoned checkout (trigger: Started Checkout, no order). First message within about an hour, a second the next day, an optional third with a small incentive. Show the exact products left behind.
Abandoned cart (trigger: Added to Cart, no checkout). Similar to the above but softer, since the shopper was less far along.
Browse abandonment (trigger: Viewed Product, no cart). One or two light emails with the product viewed and related items. Exclude anyone who already bought.
Post-purchase (trigger: Placed Order). Thank them, set delivery expectations, explain how to use or care for the product, then ask for a review once it has arrived.
Winback (trigger: no order for a period that fits your buying cycle). A reminder of what is new, then an offer, then a "should we stop emailing?" message that tidies your list.

Add back-in-stock alerts if you sell out often, and a sunset flow that suppresses people who have not opened or clicked for several months. Mailing people who never engage hurts inbox placement for everyone else.

Add SMS to the flows where speed matters, such as the first abandoned checkout reminder or shipping updates, and only for people who gave SMS consent.

Segments and campaigns

Campaigns are one-off sends such as a new product launch or a seasonal sale. Send them to segments, not to your whole list:

Engaged: opened or clicked in the last 60 to 90 days, or signed up recently.
Customers vs never purchased.
Repeat buyers / VIPs: two or more orders, or high lifetime spend.
By product interest: viewed or bought from a particular collection.

A steady rhythm of one or two useful campaigns a week to engaged subscribers usually works better than daily discounts to everyone. If unsubscribes and spam complaints rise, send less, not more.

Notes by product category

The basics are the same for every store, but the content changes with what you sell.

Skincare and beauty: add a replenishment flow timed to when a product typically runs out. Use post-purchase emails to explain routines and patch testing. Keep claims within cosmetic rules; avoid medical promises.
Sporting goods and fitness equipment: plan campaigns around seasons and events. Post-purchase emails with setup, sizing and care tips reduce returns.
Home textiles and bedding: care and washing guides, thread count and material explainers, and "complete the set" recommendations after the first order.
Knives, cutlery and kitchenware: check age and shipping restrictions for blades in each destination before you promote them, and include care and sharpening content.
Baby products: lead with safety standards, materials and age ranges; parents read the details.

What to measure

Open rates became unreliable after Apple's Mail Privacy Protection, which pre-loads emails and records opens that did not happen. Judge results by:

Placed order rate and revenue per recipient for each flow and campaign.
Click rate, as a better engagement signal than opens.
Unsubscribe and spam complaint rates, to catch sending that annoys people.
List growth from forms and checkout, and the share of revenue from email and SMS compared with ads.

Compare flows against themselves over time. A welcome series that converts better this quarter than last is progress, whatever other stores report.

Common mistakes

Sending from an unauthenticated domain, or importing an old, unclean list.
Building campaigns but no flows.
Discounting in every email, which trains customers to wait for a code.
Texting people who only gave email consent.
Using Amazon, eBay or Walmart buyer details for marketing.
Never removing unengaged subscribers.

Frequently asked questions

Is Klaviyo worth it for a small store?

Klaviyo has a free plan for small lists, and paid plans are priced by the number of active profiles, so cost grows with your list. Check the current pricing on Klaviyo's site. For most stores, the welcome and abandoned checkout flows alone justify the time to set it up.

Can I use Klaviyo for my store in Pakistan?

Yes. Klaviyo works with Shopify and WooCommerce stores wherever they are run. For local Pakistani customers, many brands find WhatsApp and SMS order confirmation more important than email, which we cover in our guide to reducing COD refusals.

Klaviyo or Shopify Email?

Shopify Email is simpler and fine for basic newsletters. Klaviyo gives more control over flows, segments, SMS and reporting, which matters once you have steady traffic and want each message to match what the shopper did.

What else should I fix before email marketing?

Email multiplies what your store already does. If product pages are weak or checkout is slow, fix those first: see our Shopify conversion rate fixes and Shopify speed guide. For beauty and baby stores, read CRO and SEO for beauty, cosmetics and baby stores.

Work with Markify Ecommerce

Markify Ecommerce (listed on Google Maps as Markify Ecommerce - Unicored Technologies) is an ecommerce marketplace management agency in Bahria Orchard, Lahore. We manage Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Shopify, Etsy and TikTok Shop accounts, and we set up US LLCs and UK Ltd companies for Pakistani sellers.

Office: Central Block, Bahria Orchard, Raiwind Road, Lahore 55150, Punjab, Pakistan
Phone & WhatsApp: +92 321 3131641
Free account audit: Send us your store or account details and we will reply with the first fixes we would make.

Klaviyo Email and SMS Flows for Ecommerce Brands: A Practical Setup Guide