How to migrate to Klaviyo: a step-by-step guide

Evolving with technological advancements is no longer an option: it's a strategic necessity to remain competitive. Email marketing remains one of the most profitable digital levers, and ignoring a platform like Klaviyo means missing out on a tool designed to transform your customer relationships.

In this guide, we will see how to migrate to Klaviyo step by step, from assessing your needs to concrete implementation, including preparation and planning. The goal: to achieve a stress-free transition to one of the most powerful email & SMS marketing automation platforms on the market.

Introduction

With over 135,000 brands using Klaviyo in 2024 (source: Klaviyo report, 2024), the solution has established itself as a standard for email marketing in e-commerce. As a consultant who has supported numerous migrations (from Mailchimp, Brevo, ActiveCampaign, etc.), I can attest to the real impact this change brings: better personalization, more automation, and above all, quickly measurable ROI.

Klaviyo Overview

Klaviyo is more than just an emailing tool: it is a marketing automation platform designed for e-commerce brands. It combines emails, SMS, and a lightweight CRM, while offering detailed analysis of customer behavior. Its strengths? Advanced segmentation, dynamic personalization, and native integration with Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and BigCommerce.

For example, a ready-to-wear brand we worked with doubled its conversion rate after migration, simply by segmenting by purchase categories and implementing automated scenarios (cart recovery, post-purchase, loyalty).

Why migrate to Klaviyo?

In a digital environment where generic email open rates are declining (Litmus 2023 report), personalization has become essential. Migrating to Klaviyo means:

• Improving segmentation and targeting
• Automating your campaigns (abandoned carts, post-purchase journeys, winback)
• Benefiting from detailed and actionable analytics
• Unifying your CRM, SMS, and email data in a single tool

Furthermore, several recent studies (Shopify Future of Commerce Report 2024, Harvard Business Review 2023) confirm that brands leveraging a customer retention strategy via email and SMS grow 40% faster than those focusing solely on acquisition.

Step 1 – Needs Assessment

Before any migration, it is crucial to identify your objectives: improve personalization, integrate complex automated scenarios, or connect Klaviyo to your CRM. This step helps define a clear roadmap and avoid incomplete migrations.

Testimonial: Martin, a textile e-merchant, explains: "Mailchimp was enough for newsletters, but I was stuck for automated retargeting. Klaviyo changed everything."

Step 2 – Migration Preparation

A successful migration relies on data collection and verification. This involves listing your contacts, segments, active campaigns, existing automations, then exporting and cleaning this data. This phase ensures that you start on a healthy and usable foundation.

• Export your current lists and segments
• Verify GDPR integrity and consent
• Audit your existing scenarios

Step 3 – Planning

Planning involves establishing a clear timeline, defining a budget, and preparing your team. A best practice is to plan a dual-send phase (current tool + Klaviyo) for 1 to 2 weeks to validate deliverability and the effectiveness of new scenarios.

Example: An SME in the cosmetics sector that we assisted reduced its customer churn by 30% after migration, simply by implementing an optimized welcome sequence.

Step 4 – Implementation and Best Practices

Implementation involves:

• Importing data and configuring Klaviyo settings
• Creating initial scenarios (welcome series, cart recovery, loyalty)
• Thorough testing (test emails, A/B testing, deliverability verification)

HubSpot's "State of Email 2023" report reminds us that brands that regularly test their automation scenarios generate an average of 27% more revenue per email sent.

Conclusion

Migrating to Klaviyo is not just a technical switch: it is a strategic opportunity to improve personalization, automate your campaigns, and strengthen customer loyalty. With rigorous preparation and a clear methodology, this transition becomes a true growth lever.

👉 Considering migrating to Klaviyo? Contact Stellar Projects to benefit from our expertise and ensure a smooth migration.