Klaviyo for my email flows/automations and Shopify for campaigns?

Shopify Discussion
1

We used to use Shopify email. Switched to Klaviyo. flows are going well with K but campaigns just ok. It’s also very expensive for a small seasonal business with 40k customers so wondering if I can just do automations with Klaviyo so number of customers less and costs less and do campaigns with Shopif

2

Hi @SiobhanAUB

I totally get where you’re coming from! Running a seasonal business means you need to be smart about costs while still making sure your email marketing is effective. Since you’re already seeing good results with Klaviyo for automations but find their campaigns expensive, you’re thinking about a hybrid approach: using Klaviyo for automations (since that’s where it really shines) and Shopify Email for campaigns to cut costs.

The good news? Yes, you can absolutely do this—many businesses take this approach to balance cost and performance. Here’s how it works:

1. Use Klaviyo for Automations (Flows)- Since Klaviyo is strong in segmentation and behavioral automation, keep it for abandoned carts, post-purchase follow-ups, and personalized flows.

  • You only get charged based on active profiles (people who receive emails), so by keeping automations here and limiting campaign sends, you can reduce the number of billable contacts and save on costs.

2. Use Shopify Email for Campaigns- Shopify Email is great for one-time promotions, seasonal offers, and newsletters—plus, you get 10,000 free emails per month, making it much more budget-friendly.

  • You won’t get Klaviyo’s advanced segmentation, but you can still send targeted campaigns by creating customer segments within Shopify.

How to Set This Up Efficiently1. Sync Audiences Smartly

  • Only sync active automation users to Klaviyo to keep your list lean. You can adjust this in Klaviyo > Account Settings > Lists & Segments to clean up inactive users.
  • Keep your full customer list on Shopify for campaign blasts.

  1. Use Shopify Segments for Targeting

    • In Shopify, go to Customers > Segments, and create lists based on behavior (e.g., repeat buyers, high spenders).
    • Use these for targeted email campaigns in Shopify Email.

  2. Set Up Klaviyo Automations to Work Alongside Shopify Email

    • Make sure your flows (like welcome sequences, abandoned cart, and post-purchase) don’t overlap with campaigns in Shopify.
    • Example: If you send a promo campaign in Shopify Email, exclude those users from your Klaviyo automation sends for a while.

Final Thoughts

This setup gives you the best of both worlds—strong automation + cost-effective campaigns. You keep Klaviyo’s advanced targeting where it matters (automations) while saving money with Shopify’s free or cheap campaigns. Just make sure to manage your email lists smartly to avoid paying for unnecessary contacts in Klaviyo.

Hope this helps! If you need extra help, just let me know asap. Thanks
Daisy.