Splio or Klaviyo: which marketing platform to choose?

Introduction: Why compare Splio and Klaviyo?

Choosing a marketing automation software has become a strategic decision for any company looking to optimize its campaigns, retain customers, and improve its ROI. In this competitive landscape, two platforms particularly stand out: Splio, a recognized European player known for its CRM-first and cross-channel functionalities, and Klaviyo, a data-driven American solution favored by DNVBs and e-merchants on Shopify and Magento.

So, Splio or Klaviyo: which tool best meets your needs? This guide details the strengths, limitations, and use cases of each solution, enriched with concrete examples and recent references (DMA 2024, Gartner Magic Quadrant, McKinsey).

Strategic challenges of a good marketing automation tool

A well-chosen marketing automation tool directly impacts:

• Customer loyalty (relational programs, nurturing, cross-channel SMS/Email)
• LTV (Customer Lifetime Value) through personalization and campaign timing
• Deliverability and long-term CRM performance
• The time-to-market of your campaigns (integration, workflows, analytics)

According to McKinsey (2023), brands leveraging advanced automation and personalization grow 1.5x faster than their competitors. Choosing between Splio and Klaviyo therefore means arbitrating between two philosophies: CRM-first multichannel (Splio) vs data-driven e-commerce (Klaviyo).

Splio: A multichannel platform focused on CRM & loyalty

Splio is a strong European player, highly regarded for its CRM, loyalty, and relationship marketing approach. The platform excels in orchestrating cross-channel campaigns (email, SMS, push notifications, dematerialized loyalty cards).

Its main strengths:

• Integrated CRM with a 360° view of the customer
• Advanced segmentation (transactional, behavioral, loyalty data)
• Relational & loyalty programs (cards, points, VIP statuses)
• Cross-channel campaigns: email, SMS, push, wallet

Splio is often praised by retail brands (fashion, beauty, mass distribution) where relationship management and loyalty play a key role.

Klaviyo: A data-driven e-commerce solution

Klaviyo is designed for e-commerce brands that want to fully leverage their data: purchase behavior, product browsing, repurchase probability. The tool is particularly powerful for DNVBs and sites on Shopify.

Its main strengths:

• Native e-commerce integrations (Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, reviews, loyalty)
• Granular automation: abandoned cart, post-purchase journeys, win-back, cross-sell
• Dynamic segmentation based on product data and behaviors
• Revenue-oriented analytics: contribution by segment, LTV, cohort

According to the DMA Benchmark 2024, Klaviyo users observe 20 to 30% higher open rates thanks to the relevance of personalization.

Typical use cases: retail, e-commerce, DNVB & scale-ups

• Retail & multichannel brands: Splio, thanks to its integrated CRM and cross-channel loyalty logic
• DNVB and D2C e-commerce: Klaviyo, for its efficiency on Shopify and its revenue-oriented scenarios
• SMEs & scale-ups: both, depending on whether the focus is on loyalty (Splio) or growth via data & automation (Klaviyo)

Comparative table: Splio vs Klaviyo

Selection criteria and recommendations

• Retail & relational CRM → Splio
• E-commerce, Shopify, DNVB → Klaviyo
• Small marketing teams → Klaviyo (fast time-to-market)
• Long-term loyalty & relational programs → Splio

Resources and recent studies

• DMA Email Benchmark Report 2024 – impact of personalization on open rates
• Gartner Magic Quadrant for Multichannel Marketing Hubs 2023 – positioning of players
• McKinsey 2023 – Next-gen growth via automation

Conclusion

Splio and Klaviyo are two powerful platforms, but designed for different contexts. Splio excels in relational CRM and loyalty, while Klaviyo excels in e-commerce and data-driven use cases. Your choice should reflect your priorities: to build loyalty & manage a retail customer base (Splio) or to boost e-commerce growth with revenue-oriented flows (Klaviyo).

The Stellar agency assists brands in their selection, migration, and optimization on both solutions.