Integrating your loyalty program with Klaviyo transforms how you communicate with customers—moving from generic batch emails to personalized, event-triggered messages that drive repeat purchases. When your email marketing platform syncs with your loyalty program, you unlock powerful automation that increases engagement and revenue. For Shopify Plus brands running a loyalty program, this integration is the difference between a points system that sits idle and one that actively generates revenue.
Key Takeaways
- Klaviyo-integrated loyalty programs enable real-time personalization that generic email campaigns can't match
- Real-time event triggers (points earned, tier achieved) outperform segment-based flows for immediate customer engagement
- Setup takes 15-30 minutes for basic OAuth connection, with full flow configuration requiring 1-3 days
- 71% of consumers expect personalized interactions, and loyalty data makes this possible at scale
- VIP tier data synced to Klaviyo enables segmentation that drives higher average order values for membership programs
- Point expiry reminder flows create urgency that converts dormant points into purchases
- Brands report significant improvements in redemption rates after implementing automated loyalty flows
Understanding the Synergy: Why Loyalty and Klaviyo Work Better Together
Without a Klaviyo integration, your loyalty program operates in isolation. Customers earn points but receive generic communications that don't acknowledge their status, tier, or redemption opportunities. The result: low program participation and points that expire without driving purchases.
Integrating loyalty data with Klaviyo solves this by syncing critical customer attributes:
- Points balance (total, approved, pending, spent, lifetime)
- VIP tier name and status
- Referral URL for sharing
- Member enrollment date
- Rewards claimed count
- Birthday (for automated birthday flows)
This data enables personalized experiences impossible with standalone systems. You can trigger emails when customers earn rewards, reach tier thresholds, or have expiring points—creating timely, relevant messages that convert.
The business impact is measurable. According to McKinsey research, personalization can reduce acquisition costs by up to 50% and lift revenues by 5-15%. Teaspressa generated 7% of revenue from loyalty within 24 hours of launch using integrated flows.
Foundation First: Setting Up Your Loyalty Program for Klaviyo Sync
Before connecting to Klaviyo, your loyalty program needs proper configuration. Data sync quality depends on how you've structured earning rules, tiers, and redemption options.
Essential Pre-Integration Checklist
Program Status: Ensure your loyalty program is live and not in draft mode. Many sync failures occur because merchants attempt integration while the program is still being configured.
VIP Tiers: If using tiered loyalty, verify tiers are launched and finished processing. Klaviyo can only sync tier data once tiers are fully active.
Customer Data Fields: Confirm you're collecting the data you want synced—birthday fields, enrollment dates, and tier qualifications all need to be captured in your loyalty platform first.
Earning Rules: Define clear point-earning actions (purchases, reviews, social follows, birthdays) so Klaviyo can trigger appropriate flows when these events occur.
For Shopify Plus brands, platforms like Rivo offer advanced Klaviyo integration that passes all loyalty events and data for precise marketing automation.
Connecting the Dots: Activating Your Klaviyo Integration
The technical connection between loyalty platforms and Klaviyo uses OAuth authentication—a straightforward process that doesn't require developer involvement for basic setup.
Step-by-Step Connection Process
Step 1: Navigate to Integration Settings In your loyalty platform dashboard, find Integrations > Klaviyo > click Connect or Install Integration.
Step 2: Authenticate with Klaviyo You'll be redirected to Klaviyo's login page. After authenticating, click Allow to authorize data sharing between platforms.
Step 3: Configure Data Sync Choose which loyalty properties to sync. Most platforms auto-select essential fields, but verify these are included:
- Points (total, approved, pending, spent)
- VIP tier name
- Referral URL
- Member status
- Enrollment date
Step 4: Verify Profile Data Check Klaviyo Audience > Profiles > select a customer to confirm loyalty fields appear. Initial sync typically completes within an hour for most customer bases.
Step 5: Enable Event Triggers On advanced plans, enable event triggers like "Points Earned," "Tier Achieved," and "Reward Redeemed." These appear in Klaviyo's Metrics > API folder and can be used as flow triggers.
Using Rivo Activate for Frictionless Email Engagement
For Shopify Plus brands, Rivo Activate enables passwordless auto-login from Klaviyo emails. When customers click through from an email, they're automatically logged into their loyalty account—removing friction that kills conversion. Brands report significant increases in activated accounts using this feature.
Supercharging Engagement: Crafting Automated Loyalty Flows
Pre-built flow templates accelerate launch, but the real value comes from customizing flows to your brand's specific customer journey. Here are the essential flows every Klaviyo-integrated loyalty program needs.
Welcome Flow: New Loyalty Members
Trigger: Date enrolled in program is after [date] or Loyalty member status = enrolled
Email Sequence:
- Program benefits explanation + how to earn points
- Highlight popular rewards and redemption options
- Personalized point balance after first purchase
This flow addresses the participation gap—most customers who join loyalty programs never engage because they don't understand how the program works.
VIP Tier Upgrade Congratulations
Trigger: Loyalty tier equals Silver/Gold/Platinum (segment-based or event-based)
Content Elements:
- Congratulations message celebrating the milestone
- List of new tier perks (exclusive discounts, free shipping, early access)
- CTA to shop with new benefits
Tier upgrade emails drive immediate revenue by reminding customers of earned benefits and encouraging them to use their new perks.
Points Expiration Reminders
Trigger: Points expiring within 30/7/3 days
Email Series:
- 30 days before: Gentle reminder with current balance and redemption suggestions
- 7 days before: Urgency messaging with specific reward recommendations
- 3 days before: Last chance email with one-click redemption CTA
Point expiry reminder flows create urgency that converts dormant points into purchases, maximizing the value of your loyalty program.
Cart Abandonment with Loyalty Incentive
Modification to Existing Flow: Add conditional split—if points_approved >= [threshold], show "Redeem X points for Y% off this order."
For non-members, show "Join our loyalty program to save on this order." This personalization significantly lifts conversion rates for members versus non-members.
Precision Personalization: Segmenting Your Audience with Loyalty Data
Klaviyo's segmentation becomes exponentially more powerful with loyalty data. Instead of segmenting only by purchase behavior, you can create dynamic groups based on program engagement.
High-Value Segments to Create
VIP Customers by Tier:
- Definition: loyalty_tier = Gold or loyalty_tier = Platinum
- Use case: Early access campaigns, exclusive product launches
High-Point Holders Not Redeeming:
- Definition: points_approved >= 500 AND rewards_claimed = 0
- Use case: Redemption education emails highlighting reward options
At-Risk Members:
- Definition: Last purchase > 60 days AND loyalty_member = true
- Use case: Win-back campaigns with bonus point offers
New Enrollees:
- Definition: enrollment_date within last 30 days
- Use case: Onboarding sequence with program education
These segments update dynamically as customer data changes, allowing you to target customers with relevant messages at the right time.
Personalization Merge Tags
Insert loyalty data directly into email content using Klaviyo's merge tag syntax:
- {{ person|lookup:'points_approved' }} — Current point balance
- {{ person|lookup:'loyalty_tier' }} — VIP tier name
- {{ person|lookup:'referral_url' }} — Personalized referral link
This personalization makes generic promotional emails feel custom-built for each recipient, increasing engagement and conversion rates.
Beyond Email: Expanding Your Loyalty Marketing with SMS and Push
Klaviyo's multi-channel capabilities extend loyalty communications beyond email. For Shopify Plus brands using Rivo's integrations, data flows to SMS providers like Postscript and Attentive for coordinated messaging.
SMS Use Cases for Loyalty
- Flash point bonuses: "Double points today only" with SMS urgency
- Tier upgrade alerts: Immediate notification when customers level up
- Redemption reminders: Points expiring within 48 hours
- Referral program updates: When referred friends make purchases
Push Notification Strategies
For brands with mobile apps (via Tapcart, Fuego, or custom builds), loyalty data enables:
- Real-time point balance updates in-app
- VIP-exclusive push notifications for sales
- Gamified earning opportunities with instant feedback
The key is coordinating message frequency across channels to avoid overwhelming customers while maximizing touchpoints.
Measuring Success: Analyzing Your Klaviyo-Loyalty Performance
Track these metrics to evaluate integration effectiveness:
Klaviyo Flow Metrics
- Revenue per recipient for loyalty flows versus standard flows
- Open rates on tier-specific versus generic campaigns
- Click-through rates on redemption CTAs
- Conversion rates from loyalty emails to purchases
Cross-Reference with Loyalty Analytics
Rivo's analytics dashboard provides comprehensive reporting on program performance, including:
- Points liability tracking
- Redemption trends over time
- Revenue attribution to loyalty activities
- VIP tier distribution and movement
Compare Klaviyo's attributed revenue with your loyalty platform's data to identify discrepancies and optimization opportunities. According to HubSpot, segmented email campaigns drive 30% more opens and 50% more clickthroughs than non-segmented campaigns—making loyalty data integration essential for maximizing results.
Overcoming Challenges: Troubleshooting Common Integration Issues
Even well-configured integrations encounter problems. Here's how to diagnose and fix the most common issues.
Loyalty Fields Not Appearing in Klaviyo Profiles
Cause: Program not live, or initial sync incomplete
Solution: Verify loyalty program is launched (not draft mode). Check integration status in your loyalty platform—initial sync can take 1-2 hours for large customer bases. If issues persist after 24 hours, disconnect and reconnect the integration.
Flows Not Triggering for Loyalty Events
Cause: Event tracking not enabled, or events not appearing in Klaviyo Metrics
Solution: Confirm event triggers are enabled in your loyalty platform settings. Test with a dummy customer—manually award points and verify the "Points Earned" event fires in Klaviyo's Metrics > API folder.
Segments Not Updating Quickly Enough
Cause: Segments are profile-based and update based on Klaviyo's refresh cycle
Solution: For immediate engagement, use event-triggered flows instead of segment-based flows. Event triggers fire instantly when loyalty actions occur, while profile updates may take time to reflect in segments.
Duplicate Emails from Shopify and Klaviyo
Cause: Both platforms sending transactional emails for the same events
Solution: Disable Shopify's native notifications for events Klaviyo handles. In Shopify Admin > Settings > Notifications, turn off overlapping notifications. Use Klaviyo flow filters to exclude customers who received Shopify emails.
Why Rivo Delivers Superior Klaviyo Integration for Shopify Plus
For Shopify Plus brands serious about retention, Rivo offers distinct advantages when integrating with Klaviyo.
Native Shopify Plus Architecture: Rivo uses modern Shopify infrastructure—theme app extensions loading under 100ms, checkout extensions, and Shopify Flow integration. No legacy workarounds or deprecated features.
Advanced Klaviyo Events: On the Plus plan, Rivo passes all loyalty events to Klaviyo for precise automation—points earned, tier changes, redemptions, and referral completions trigger in real-time.
Rivo Activate Integration: Frictionless auto-login from Klaviyo emails using secure authentication eliminates the login barrier that kills email-to-account conversion.
Developer Toolkit: For brands needing custom logic, Rivo's Developer Toolkit provides REST API, JavaScript API, native Liquid metafields, and webhooks with 99.98% uptime.
Proven Results: HexClad generated $450K in referral revenue within 90 days using Rivo's Klaviyo-integrated referral program—a 92x ROI. Fresh Chile Co achieved 156% AOV lift for membership program participants.
Month-to-Month Flexibility: Unlike competitors requiring annual contracts, Rivo offers month-to-month billing on all plans—a direct result of being 100% bootstrapped with zero VC pressure.
For Shopify Plus brands processing 200+ monthly orders, Rivo's Klaviyo integration transforms loyalty from a static points system into an active revenue driver.
Getting Started with Rivo and Klaviyo
Ready to unlock the full potential of your loyalty program through Klaviyo integration? Rivo makes it simple.
Quick Setup: The Rivo-Klaviyo connection takes minutes to establish through OAuth authentication. Once connected, customer profiles automatically sync with all relevant loyalty data—points balance, VIP tier, referral links, and engagement history.
Pre-Built Flow Templates: Rivo provides proven flow templates for welcome sequences, tier upgrades, point expiry reminders, and referral activations. These templates are customizable to match your brand voice while maintaining the conversion-optimized structure that drives results.
Dedicated Support: Whether you're on the Starter plan or Enterprise, Rivo's support team helps you maximize your Klaviyo integration. Plus and Enterprise customers receive white-glove onboarding with dedicated success managers who configure flows, test automation, and optimize performance.
Continuous Optimization: Loyalty programs aren't set-and-forget. Rivo's analytics dashboard provides the insights you need to refine your Klaviyo flows over time—tracking which messages drive redemptions, which segments respond best, and where you have opportunities to increase engagement.
The combination of Rivo's powerful loyalty features and Klaviyo's email automation creates a retention engine that keeps customers coming back. With real-time event triggers, passwordless authentication through Rivo Activate, and comprehensive customer data sync, you'll deliver personalized experiences that build lasting customer relationships.
Frequently Asked Questions
What loyalty data does Rivo send to Klaviyo?
Rivo syncs points balance (total, approved, pending, spent), VIP tier name and status, referral URL, member enrollment date, rewards claimed count, and birthday. On the Plus plan, event triggers include points earned, tier achieved, reward redeemed, and referral completed—all firing in real-time to Klaviyo's Metrics tab for instant flow triggers.
Can I segment customers in Klaviyo based on their VIP tier?
Yes. Once connected, VIP tier data appears as a customer property in Klaviyo profiles. Create segments using conditions like loyalty_tier = Gold to target specific tiers with exclusive campaigns, early access announcements, or tier-specific reward offers.
How does Rivo Activate improve Klaviyo email performance?
Rivo Activate enables passwordless auto-login from Klaviyo email clicks. Instead of customers landing on a login page, they're automatically authenticated and taken directly to their loyalty account. This removes friction that typically causes abandonment at the login step, significantly increasing activated accounts.
What are the essential Klaviyo flows I should set up first?
Start with four core flows: (1) Welcome series for new loyalty members explaining program benefits, (2) VIP tier upgrade congratulations when customers reach new tiers, (3) Points expiry reminders at 30/7/3 days before expiration, and (4) Post-purchase point balance updates with redemption suggestions.
Is the Rivo-Klaviyo integration real-time?
On Rivo's Plus plan, event triggers fire in real-time—when a customer earns points or reaches a new tier, Klaviyo receives the event immediately. Property syncs (points balance, tier status) update within minutes. Event-based triggers provide the fastest response for time-sensitive communications like tier upgrades or point earning notifications.
