sales-klaviyo

What this skill does

# Klaviyo Platform Help

Help the user with Klaviyo platform questions — from Flows and Campaigns through Segmentation, Predictive Analytics, Multi-channel messaging (email, SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, push), Forms, Reviews, Catalogs, Coupons, Reporting, Templates, Customer Hub, and the Klaviyo Data Platform (CDP). Klaviyo is an AI-first B2C CRM and marketing automation platform focused on e-commerce, founded in 2012 by Andrew Bialecki and Ed Hallen, IPO in 2023 (NYSE: KVYO). Powers 193K+ brands with 7.3B customer profiles.

## Step 1 — Gather context


If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.

Ask the user:

1. **What area of Klaviyo do you need help with?**
   - A) Flows — visual automation builder (welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase, winback, browse abandonment, custom)
   - B) Campaigns — one-time/scheduled broadcasts, A/B testing, Smart Send Time
   - C) Segmentation — real-time behavior-based segments, predictive attributes, custom properties
   - D) Predictive Analytics — predicted CLV, next order date, churn risk, spend tier
   - E) Multi-channel — email, SMS/MMS, WhatsApp, RCS, mobile push notifications
   - F) Forms — pop-ups, fly-outs, embedded forms, multi-step forms for list growth
   - G) Reviews — product review collection, AI-powered responses, display widgets
   - H) Klaviyo Data Platform (KDP) — unified profiles, integrations, event processing
   - I) Advanced KDP — reverse ETL, custom objects, advanced webhooks, warehouse sync
   - J) AI Agents — Marketing Agent (campaign generation), Customer Agent (support automation)
   - K) Catalogs / Coupons — product catalog sync, personalized recommendations, back-in-stock, coupon codes
   - L) Reporting — revenue attribution, campaign/flow analytics, benchmarks, custom dashboards
   - M) Templates — drag-and-drop editor, dynamic blocks, mobile-responsive design
   - N) Customer Hub — self-service portal (order tracking, FAQ, support)
   - O) API / Integrations — REST API, webhooks, Shopify integration, third-party connectors
   - P) Account / Billing — plans, pricing, profile-based billing
   - Q) Something else — describe it

2. **What's your role?**
   - A) E-commerce operator / store owner
   - B) Email / lifecycle marketer
   - C) Developer / engineer
   - D) Agency / freelancer
   - E) Growth / marketing manager
   - F) Other

3. **What are you trying to accomplish?** (describe your specific goal or question)

**If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to the relevant step.** Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions at the end — don't gate your response behind gathering complete context.

Note: If the user needs a specialized skill, route them there with a brief explanation of why that skill is a better fit.

## Step 2 — Route or answer directly

If the request maps to a specialized skill, route:
- General email marketing strategy / best practices -> `/sales-email-marketing`
- Cross-platform email deliverability (not Klaviyo-specific) -> `/sales-deliverability`
- Email open/click tracking strategy -> `/sales-email-tracking`
- Connecting Klaviyo to other tools via middleware -> `/sales-integration`
- Checkout optimization (cart/checkout UX) -> `/sales-checkout`
- Customer.io-specific questions -> `/sales-customerio`
- Mailchimp-specific questions -> `/sales-mailchimp`

Otherwise, answer directly from platform knowledge using the reference below.

## Step 3 — Klaviyo platform reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for detailed module documentation, pricing, integrations, and data model.

*You no longer need the platform guide details — focus on the user's specific situation.*

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Based on the user's specific question:

1. **Building an abandoned cart flow**:
   1. Navigate to Flows > Create Flow > choose "Abandoned Cart" template (or start from scratch)
   2. Set the trigger: "Checkout Started" event (synced from Shopify/BigCommerce) or "Added to Cart" event
   3. Add a time delay — typically 1-4 hours for the first email (shorter delays capture more carts but may annoy customers who are still shopping)
   4. Add a conditional split: check if the "Placed Order" event has occurred since the flow was triggered — if yes, skip (they already converted)
   5. Add the first email step — include dynamic product blocks showing the abandoned items using the event's `item` properties
   6. Insert a unique coupon code if offering a discount (Coupons > generate unique codes to prevent sharing)
   7. Add a second time delay (24h) and a second email with stronger urgency or a discount incentive
   8. Optionally add an SMS step after the second email for subscribers with SMS consent — SMS has higher open rates for time-sensitive recovery
   9. Monitor flow analytics: check conversion rate per step, revenue attributed, and unsubscribe rate

2. **Setting up real-time segments with predictive attributes**:
   1. Navigate to Lists & Segments > Create Segment
   2. Add conditions using the segment builder — combine behavior conditions (placed order in last 90 days) with predictive attributes (predicted CLV is high, churn risk is medium or high)
   3. Use AND/OR logic to define your target audience — e.g., "Placed Order at least 2 times AND Predicted CLV is High AND Churn Risk is Medium"
   4. Preview the segment to verify it captures the expected profiles
   5. Segments update in real-time — as profiles match or stop matching conditions, they enter or exit the segment automatically
   6. Use the segment as a campaign audience, flow trigger condition, or conditional split within a flow

3. **Configuring the Shopify-Klaviyo integration**:
   1. In Klaviyo, go to Integrations > Add Integration > Shopify
   2. Enter your Shopify store URL and authorize the connection
   3. Klaviyo syncs: customers (as profiles), orders (as "Placed Order" events), products (as catalog items), carts (as "Added to Cart" / "Checkout Started" events)
   4. Enable on-site tracking: Klaviyo's JavaScript snippet is added to your Shopify theme to track browse behavior ("Viewed Product", "Active on Site")
   5. Verify data is flowing: check Metrics in Klaviyo to confirm Shopify events are appearing
   6. Set up core flows that leverage Shopify data: abandoned cart (Checkout Started trigger), post-purchase (Placed Order trigger), browse abandonment (Viewed Product trigger), back-in-stock (catalog sync)
   7. Enable Shopify coupon sync if using unique coupon codes in flows

4. **Setting up SMS alongside email**:
   1. Ensure you are on the Email + SMS plan (from $35/mo)
   2. Complete SMS compliance setup: register your brand for 10DLC (US), set up toll-free or short code numbers, configure quiet hours
   3. Create SMS consent collection: add an SMS opt-in step to your signup forms (multi-step forms work best — collect email first, then SMS consent)
   4. Build cross-channel flows: in your existing flows, add SMS steps after email steps — e.g., if email not opened after 24h, send SMS
   5. Respect channel preferences: use conditional splits to check SMS consent before sending SMS steps
   6. Monitor SMS-specific metrics: delivery rate, click rate, opt-out rate, revenue per SMS

5. **Using the Klaviyo API to sync custom data**:
   1. Generate a private API key in Klaviyo: Account > Settings > API Keys > Create Private API Key
   2. Set appropriate scopes — only grant the scopes your integration needs (profiles read/write, events write, etc.)
   3. Use JSON:API format for all requests — wrap data in `{"data": {"type": "...", "attributes": {...}}}` structure
   4. Upsert profiles: `POST /api/profiles/` — Klaviyo matches on email or phone and updates if existing, creates if new
   5. Track events: `POST /api/events/` — pass metric name, profile identifier, properties, and timestamp
   6. Handle rate limits: implement exponential backoff