How to Setup Klaviyo with Shopify (2026 Guide)

Overview

The Shopify and Klaviyo integration connects your ecommerce store with Klaviyo's email and SMS marketing platform, enabling you to send highly targeted campaigns and automations based on real-time customer behavior. This is a native, first-party integration — Klaviyo offers a dedicated Shopify app that provides deep data syncing far beyond what most email platforms offer.

Once connected, Klaviyo ingests your entire Shopify customer database, order history, product catalog, and on-site browsing behavior. This data powers Klaviyo's segmentation engine, letting you build segments based on purchase frequency, average order value, specific products viewed, cart activity, and dozens of other behavioral signals. The integration also enables revenue-attributed reporting so you can see exactly how much revenue each email and SMS campaign generates.

Klaviyo is widely considered the leading email marketing platform for Shopify stores, and the depth of this integration is the primary reason. The setup takes about 15 minutes, and once active, your store data flows continuously into Klaviyo for use in campaigns, flows (automations), and analytics.

Prerequisites

• A Shopify store on any plan (Basic, Shopify, Advanced, or Plus)
• A Klaviyo account (free tier available for up to 250 contacts and 500 email sends per month)
• Shopify admin access to install apps
• An active Klaviyo list to sync contacts to (Klaviyo creates a default list during onboarding)

Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Install Klaviyo from the Shopify App Store

Log in to your Shopify admin and go to Apps > Shopify App Store. Search for "Klaviyo" and find the official Klaviyo: Email Marketing & SMS app. Click Add app, then Install app when redirected to your Shopify admin. Review the permissions and confirm the installation.

Step 2: Connect Your Klaviyo Account

After installation, you will be prompted to log in to Klaviyo or create a new account. If you already have a Klaviyo account, click Log in and enter your credentials. Klaviyo will automatically detect your Shopify store URL and begin the connection process. If you have multiple Klaviyo accounts, select the correct one from the dropdown.

Step 3: Configure Data Syncing

Klaviyo will display a setup wizard. On the data sync screen, confirm which data you want to sync. By default, Klaviyo syncs: customer profiles, order history (including historical orders), product catalog, and on-site browsing events. Enable Active on Site tracking to track which products visitors view and which pages they browse. Click Continue.

Step 4: Select Your Klaviyo List

Choose the Klaviyo list where Shopify subscribers will be added. Klaviyo recommends using a single primary list for all subscribers. Customers who opt in to email marketing at Shopify checkout will be synced to this list. Existing customers from past orders will be synced as profiles (but not necessarily subscribed unless they opted in).

Step 5: Enable On-Site Tracking

Klaviyo automatically installs its tracking snippet on your Shopify store. Verify this is working by going to Klaviyo > Settings > Setup > Website Tracking and checking the status. The snippet tracks page views, product views, add-to-cart events, and started checkout events. This data powers browse abandonment and cart abandonment flows.

Step 6: Enable Klaviyo's Signup Forms

In Klaviyo, go to Signup Forms in the left navigation. Klaviyo provides pre-built popup and flyout form templates. Select a template, customize the design to match your brand, set the display rules (e.g., show after 5 seconds, show on exit intent, show only to new visitors), and publish the form. New subscribers are automatically added to your selected list and synced with Shopify.

Step 7: Set Up Core Automated Flows

Go to Flows in Klaviyo's left navigation. Klaviyo offers pre-built flow templates for Shopify stores. Set up these essential flows: Abandoned Cart (triggers when a customer adds items to cart and leaves), Welcome Series (triggers when someone subscribes), Post-Purchase Follow-Up (triggers after a completed order), and Browse Abandonment (triggers when someone views a product but does not add to cart). Each flow comes pre-configured with recommended timing and content blocks.

Configuration Options

Klaviyo's Shopify integration syncs data continuously in real-time. You can configure sync settings in Klaviyo under Settings > Integrations > Shopify. Options include: syncing customer tags from Shopify as Klaviyo profile properties, syncing order tags, enabling back-in-stock notifications, and configuring which Shopify custom fields map to Klaviyo profile properties. Product catalog sync frequency is typically every 6 hours for full catalog updates, with individual product changes syncing in real-time.

What Syncs

Best Practices

• Set up the four core flows (abandoned cart, welcome series, post-purchase, browse abandonment) immediately — these alone typically generate 20-30% of email revenue for ecommerce stores
• Use Klaviyo's predictive analytics features (expected date of next order, predicted lifetime value) to create VIP segments and target high-value customers
• Create segments based on purchase recency and frequency (e.g., "purchased in last 30 days" vs. "lapsed 90+ days") for targeted win-back campaigns
• Enable SMS alongside email for abandoned cart flows — SMS typically has higher open and conversion rates for time-sensitive messages
• Use Klaviyo's A/B testing within flows to optimize subject lines, send times, and discount amounts

Common Issues and Fixes

Historical Orders Not Syncing

Klaviyo syncs up to 90 days of historical order data by default. If you need more, contact Klaviyo support to request a full historical sync. Large stores may take 24-48 hours for the complete history to import.

On-Site Tracking Not Working

Verify the Klaviyo snippet is installed by viewing your store's page source and searching for "klaviyo." If you are using a headless Shopify setup or a custom theme that overrides the standard layout, you may need to manually add the Klaviyo snippet. Check Klaviyo > Settings > Setup > Website Tracking for the snippet code.

Subscribers Not Appearing in Klaviyo

Only customers who explicitly opt in to marketing at Shopify checkout are synced as subscribed contacts in Klaviyo. Non-subscribed customers appear as profiles but cannot receive marketing emails. Check your Shopify checkout settings under Settings > Checkout to ensure the email marketing opt-in is visible.

Advanced Configuration

For Shopify Plus merchants, Klaviyo supports Shopify Flow integration, allowing you to trigger Klaviyo events from Shopify Flow automations and vice versa. You can also use Klaviyo's API to send custom events from your Shopify theme or apps, enabling tracking of custom interactions like quiz completions, loyalty point redemptions, or subscription activations. Advanced users can leverage Klaviyo's data science features including predictive analytics, custom calculated properties, and machine learning-powered product recommendations in email templates.