Email and SMS Marketing Strategies using Klaviyo
Most Shopify brands I look at are doing one or the other. Email, no SMS. Or SMS blasts with no email behind them. Run separately, they both work harder than they need to.
Email and SMS do different jobs. Email is where the story lives: the longer message, the teaching, the launch. SMS is for the short, time-sensitive nudge that can't wait in an inbox. Put them together in Klaviyo and they cover for each other.
Here's how to run them as one program instead of two.
What each one is good at
Email carries the weight. Product launches, newsletters, post-purchase tips, anything that needs room to explain. People expect length in their inbox.
SMS is the tap on the shoulder. A flash sale ending tonight. A back-in-stock alert. A shipping update. Short, read in seconds, hard to ignore.
The mistake is using one for the other's job. A long story doesn't belong in a text. A two-line "sale ends tonight" doesn't need a full email.
Klaviyo runs both from one place
The reason to do this in Klaviyo is simple. Email and SMS live in the same account, built on the same customer data. The same segment you email can get a text. The same Klaviyo flow can send an email, wait, then send an SMS. You're not stitching two tools together. It's one system.
How to combine them
Collect both opt-ins. Your signup form can ask for email and phone in one step. Offer a reason, a code or early access, and people hand over both.
Segment once, use everywhere. Group people by what they do, new subscriber, VIP, lapsed, and you can reach each group by email, SMS, or both. That's your segments doing double duty.
Build flows that use both channels. Your welcome flow can email a hello, then text a code a day later. Your abandoned cart flow can email a reminder, then follow with a short text if they still haven't bought. One flow, two channels, timed so they don't pile up.
Decide who gets what. Not every message needs both. SMS for the urgent and the short. Email for everything that needs space. Save the double-tap for the moments that matter: a launch, a Black Friday, a cart about to expire.
Mind the frequency across both. This is the one people miss. A text and an email on the same topic, an hour apart, feels like a lot. Plan them together so the customer feels looked after, not chased.
A few rules to keep
Get permission, always. Klaviyo handles opt-in and opt-out for both. Honor it.
Keep SMS short and useful. A text that wastes someone's attention gets you muted fast.
Watch the numbers. Klaviyo shows you revenue per channel. Let it tell you what's working.
Email and SMS belong to the same retention system. Klaviyo is built to run them together. Start with email doing the heavy lifting, add SMS for the moments that can't wait, and let the data show you where the combination pays off.
Email and SMS in Klaviyo FAQs
Can Klaviyo do both email and SMS?
Yes. Klaviyo runs email and SMS from one account on the same customer data, so a single flow or segment can use either channel or both.
When should I use SMS instead of email?
Use SMS for short, time-sensitive messages: flash sales, back-in-stock alerts, shipping updates. Use email for anything that needs room to explain. Save sending both for the moments that really matter.
Do I need separate lists for email and SMS in Klaviyo?
No. You collect both opt-ins against the same profile, then segment once and reach people by whichever channel fits. Permission is tracked per channel.
Won't email and SMS together annoy my customers?
Only if you don't plan them together. Space them out, don't double up on every message, and use SMS sparingly. Done right, the two reinforce each other instead of piling on.