Klaviyo email marketing for Shopify: the connection, what syncs, and the first five flows to build

Klaviyo connects to Shopify through an official integration that you install from inside Klaviyo. Once connected, your customers, orders, products and onsite browsing events flow into Klaviyo, and you use them to send email campaigns and automated flows such as a welcome series and abandoned checkout reminders. Setup takes under an hour. The decisions that matter are made in three checkboxes during the connection: which subscribers sync, whether data flows back to Shopify, and whether onsite tracking is switched on. This guide walks through each one, using Klaviyo's own help articles as read on 22 October 2026.

Before you connect: one step people skip

If another email platform is already connected to your Shopify store, disconnect it first. Klaviyo's "Getting started with Shopify" article (updated 7 October 2026) warns that leaving the old integration in place can send double opt-in emails to your existing subscribers. That is an awkward first message to send a customer list, and it is easy to avoid.

It also helps to decide your consent wording now. Klaviyo recommends customising the "Accepts marketing" checkbox label in your Shopify checkout settings, and its subscriber sync article recommends that the box is not ticked by default. A clear, unticked box gives you a list of people who really asked to hear from you, which is better for deliverability later.

How to connect Klaviyo to Shopify

1. In Klaviyo, open the Integrations tab and click Explore apps.
2. Search for Shopify, open the card and click Install.
3. Paste your store address in the format mystore.myshopify.com and click Connect to Shopify.
4. Log in to Shopify if asked, review the permissions and click Install app. You are sent back to Klaviyo.
5. Click Integrate to confirm, then work through the sync settings described below.
6. Click Complete setup. A green callout tells you the data is syncing.

Klaviyo is also listed in the Shopify App Store as "Klaviyo: Email Marketing & SMS". On 22 October 2026 the listing said new stores get a guided setup for a sign-up form, a welcome email and an abandoned checkout flow without leaving the Shopify admin, and showed a 4.7 rating from 3,405 reviews.

The sync settings, and what each one changes

Setting	What it does	Sensible default
Sync your Shopify email subscribers	Adds people who accept email marketing at checkout or on any Shopify form to a Klaviyo list	On, pointed at your main list (the one that starts your welcome series)
Sync your Shopify SMS subscribers	Does the same for SMS consent	On if you plan to text, using a separate list from email
Sync Shopify Markets	Brings in your international market catalogues	On if you sell in more than one market
Sync profiles and data from Klaviyo to Shopify	Writes Klaviyo profiles, consent and events back into Shopify	Klaviyo recommends syncing all; read the note below first

The back-sync deserves a moment of thought. If you choose all profiles, Klaviyo creates Shopify customers for every Klaviyo profile, including people imported from a list or another tool who have never visited your store. If you want your Shopify customer list to contain only real customers, choose "only profiles that already exist in Shopify".

One more caution from Klaviyo: do not edit profile properties that came from Shopify, such as Shopify tags, inside Klaviyo. The next sync overwrites them. Change them in Shopify instead.

Switch on onsite tracking

After the data sync, Klaviyo asks you to enable onsite tracking. This is what lets it see Viewed Product, Active on Site, Viewed Collection, Submitted Search and Added to Cart, and it is also what makes Klaviyo sign-up forms work. You turn on the Klaviyo app embed in your Shopify theme editor, under App embeds, and save.

Two details catch stores out:

• Consent regions. Depending on your Shopify Customer Privacy settings, Klaviyo may not track onsite events for visitors in the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland unless they have given consent.
• Shopify Network Intelligence. Viewed Collection, Submitted Search and Added to Cart come from Shopify's server-side pixel. Klaviyo says this needs Shopify Network Intelligence enabled under Settings, Customer privacy. Without it, events can arrive with no shopper identity, and flows that depend on them may not trigger.

What data comes across, and how fast

When you first connect, Klaviyo syncs the last 90 days of Shopify data, then starts the full history. Its help article says the full sync can take from a few minutes to several days depending on the size of the store, and new data syncs in real time once it finishes. The order and delivery events that arrive include Checkout Started, Placed Order, Ordered Product, Fulfilled Order, Cancelled Order and Refunded Order, plus shipment events where your carrier supports them.

Checkout Started is the one your abandoned checkout flow runs on. Klaviyo says it fires once the shopper fills in their email at checkout, and it carries the cart contents and a checkout link that rebuilds the cart even on another device.

A quirk worth knowing: Klaviyo's product catalogue fills in with your myshopify.com address. If your links should show your own domain, Klaviyo's article says to contact its support to change it.

The first five flows to build, in order

Flows are automated emails triggered by what a shopper does. Build these before you spend time on campaigns, because they keep working every day without you.

1. Welcome series. Triggered when someone joins your main list. Introduce the store, the best sellers and any first-order offer you actually run.
2. Abandoned checkout. Triggered by Checkout Started with no Placed Order. The shopper was one step from paying, and the email can rebuild their cart.
3. Browse abandonment. Triggered by Viewed Product. Softer than the checkout reminder: show the product and similar items.
4. Post purchase. Triggered by Placed Order or Fulfilled Order. Thank the buyer, explain care or use, and ask for a review later.
5. Winback. Triggered when a past buyer has not ordered for a period that fits your product's buying cycle.

Keep each flow short at first, two or three emails, and add steps once you can see which ones earn clicks. For list hygiene and the sending rules mailbox providers now enforce, see our guide to email deliverability and list health.

Klaviyo or Shopify's own email tool?

Shopify's built-in email product is now called Shopify Messaging, and it covers email, SMS and WhatsApp with automations such as abandoned checkout and welcome messages. Many small stores never need more. Common reasons to add Klaviyo are deeper branching inside one flow, finer segments built on browsing and order history, or more testing. If you are still deciding, compare what you get free first: our breakdown of Shopify's built-in email automations and what they cost lists each one.

On price, Klaviyo's App Store listing on 22 October 2026 showed a free plan for email up to 250 contacts, with paid email plans priced by contact count. Check the current listing before you budget, because tiers change.

Questions about Klaviyo for Shopify

Does Klaviyo import my existing Shopify subscribers?

Yes, when you tick the email subscriber sync. Klaviyo subscribes historical profiles based on their Shopify consent, and where a profile already exists in Klaviyo it uses the more recent consent status.

Why is a customer missing from my Klaviyo list?

Klaviyo's sync article says a new contact is subscribed once they give their email and tick the box at checkout, but an existing Shopify contact has to place an order to be subscribed through checkout. Footer and other Shopify forms also sync.

Can I use Klaviyo forms instead of Shopify forms?

Yes. Klaviyo sign-up forms work once onsite tracking and the app embed are turned on.

Does Klaviyo track visitors from Europe?

It follows your Shopify Customer Privacy settings. Klaviyo says it may not track onsite events for visitors in the EU, EEA, UK and Switzerland unless they have consented.

How long does the first data sync take?

Klaviyo brings in the last 90 days first, then the full history, which it says can take from a few minutes to several days. After that, new data arrives in real time.

The question a shopper asks before they reach your store

Every flow above starts once a shopper has found you. A growing share of product research now happens earlier, inside ChatGPT, Gemini or Perplexity, with questions like "best brand for this under fifty dollars". The assistant names a few stores, and Klaviyo, Shopify and Google Analytics never see that answer. If you want to know whether your store is one of the names, AI Knows Us asks those assistants the questions your buyers ask and shows you which shops they recommend.