Klaviyo Marketing Analyst

Expert-level guidance for Klaviyo email and SMS marketing from the marketing operations and analyst perspective — auditing, building, and optimizing flows, segments, campaigns, and integrations.

For API integration, SDK usage, event tracking implementation, webhooks, and developer patterns, see the klaviyo-developer skill.

Install

Step 1 — Install the skill

git clone https://github.com/thatrebeccarae/claude-marketing.git && cp -r claude-marketing/skills/klaviyo-analyst ~/.claude/skills/

Step 2 — Connect the Klaviyo MCP (recommended)

This skill is designed around Klaviyo's official MCP server. Connect Claude to your Klaviyo account through OAuth — no local API key, no Python install. The setup path depends on which Claude surface you're using.

For Claude Chat or Claude Cowork — use the Connector Directory

Klaviyo is listed in Claude's Connector Directory (announced as part of the expanded Klaviyo + Anthropic integration on 2026-05-07). Setup takes about two minutes:

1. Open Claude → Settings → Connectors → Browse Connectors
2. Search for Klaviyo
3. Click Connect and authenticate

Plan requirement: Connectors are available on Claude Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans. Free plan users will need to use Claude Code or the local install path below.

For Claude Code — register the remote MCP

claude mcp add klaviyo --transport http https://mcp.klaviyo.com/mcp

For audit-only sessions, append ?read-only=true to disable all write tools at the protocol layer:

claude mcp add klaviyo --transport http "https://mcp.klaviyo.com/mcp?read-only=true"

For local install (CI containers, offline development)

claude mcp add klaviyo -e PRIVATE_API_KEY=pk_... -e READ_ONLY=true -- uvx klaviyo-mcp-server@latest

Klaviyo-side requirement: Owner, Admin, or Manager role to authorize the connection.

The MCP exposes 40+ tools across Accounts, Campaigns, Catalogs, Events, Flows, Groups, Profiles, Reporting, Templates, and Translations. See REFERENCE.md for the full tool inventory.

Step 3 — Fallback: local CLI scripts (optional)

If you need scripted CLI access for CI, cron, or headless reporting — install the Python requirements and provide a KLAVIYO_API_KEY. See the Scripts (Fallback) section below.

Core Capabilities

Flow Auditing & Optimization

• Audit existing flows against best practices (welcome series, abandoned cart, post-purchase, winback, browse abandonment, sunset)
• Identify revenue leakage from missing or underperforming flows
• Recommend split tests, timing adjustments, and conditional logic improvements
• Review flow filters and trigger conditions for accuracy

Segmentation Strategy

• Build RFM-based segments (Recency, Frequency, Monetary)
• Design engagement tiers: Active (0-30d), Warm (31-90d), At-Risk (91-180d), Lapsed (180d+)
• Create predictive segments using Klaviyo's predictive analytics (CLV, churn risk, next order date)
• Suppress unengaged contacts to protect deliverability

Campaign Strategy

• Plan campaign calendars balancing promotional and value content
• A/B testing frameworks for subject lines, send times, content blocks
• Dynamic content personalization using profile properties and catalog data
• SMS campaign compliance (TCPA, quiet hours, opt-in requirements)

Deliverability Management

• Monitor and diagnose deliverability issues (bounce rates, spam complaints, inbox placement)
• Warm-up strategies for new sending domains/IPs
• Authentication setup: SPF, DKIM, DMARC
• List hygiene practices and sunset flow design

Revenue Attribution & Reporting

• Interpret Klaviyo's attribution model (click-based, 5-day email / 24-hour SMS default windows)
• Build custom dashboards for flow revenue, campaign ROI, list growth
• Benchmark KPIs against industry standards

Event Schema Auditing

• Inventory all tracked metrics by source (built-in integration, custom API, Klaviyo-internal, forms)
• Identify duplicate/redundant events, unused events, and missing standard events
• Assess event property structures for segmentation and personalization accessibility
• Diagnose nested object limitations blocking flow splits and segment conditions

Integration Health Review

• Audit active integrations (e-commerce, review platforms, loyalty, ads)
• Identify stale/dead integrations and orphaned event sources
• Assess flow trigger architecture: direct metric triggers (robust) vs segment-entry triggers via API-synced properties (brittle)
• Evaluate catalog sync health: product coverage, variant handling, freshness

Profile Data Utilization Analysis

• Map profile properties: what's collected vs what's used in segmentation/personalization
• Identify stale calculated properties (set once, never updated)
• Flag properties on events but not synced to profiles (limits segmentation)
• Recommend property flattening strategies for nested data accessibility

Key Benchmarks

Essential Flows Checklist

1. Welcome Series (3-5 emails + optional SMS) — triggers on list subscribe
2. Abandoned Cart (2-3 emails + 1 SMS) — triggers on Started Checkout
3. Browse Abandonment (1-2 emails) — triggers on Viewed Product, exclude recent purchasers
4. Post-Purchase (2-4 emails) — triggers on Placed Order, split by first-time vs repeat
5. Winback (2-3 emails) — triggers on time since last purchase (60-90 days)
6. Sunset/Re-engagement (2 emails) — targets unengaged 90-180 days, then suppress
7. Review Request — triggers post-delivery, integrates with review platform
8. Replenishment (if applicable) — triggers based on expected repurchase cycle
9. Birthday/Anniversary — triggers on date property
10. VIP/Loyalty — triggers on high-CLV segment entry

Workflow: Full Klaviyo Audit (4-Phase Deep Framework)

Cowork-ready: the 4-phase audit is built for unattended execution. With the Klaviyo connector active in Cowork (read-only mode), describe the outcome — "Audit my Klaviyo flows and tell me what's missing," "Pull last week's campaign and flow performance and write me a Monday digest," "Flag every flow with open rates under 20% and write a prioritized fix-it list" — then step away. Cowork pulls the data, runs the analysis, writes the doc, and saves it to the right folder while you're in other meetings.

When asked to audit a Klaviyo account, follow this 4-phase framework:

Phase 1: Status Inventory

1. List/Segment/Flow/Campaign Inventory — Count and categorize all objects by status (live, draft, inactive)
2. Event Schema Inventory — Pull all metrics, categorize by source (built-in, custom API, Klaviyo-internal, forms), flag zero-volume events
3. Integration Inventory — List all active integrations, identify stale connections
4. Custom Profile Property Inventory — Document all custom properties with types and usage

Phase 2: Configuration Audit

5. Per-Flow Configuration Teardown — For each active flow:
   • Trigger type and conditions
   • Smart Send settings (on/off and implications)
   • Exclusion filters (segment membership, event conditions)
   • Timing between messages (compare to benchmarks)
   • Branching logic (conditional splits, A/B splits)
   • Flow duration (first message to last)
6. Campaign Targeting Audit — Segment exclusivity, frequency capping, send-time optimization
7. A/B Testing Methodology Audit — Univariate vs multivariate, KPI alignment, statis