The Shopify-Klaviyo Integration: 7 Settings Most Stores Get Wrong

The Klaviyo-Shopify integration takes about five minutes to install. Click connect, authorize, done. Data starts flowing.

And that's exactly where most brands stop.

The default settings work. Emails will send. Orders will track. But "works" and "optimized" are very different things. The gap between a default Klaviyo-Shopify setup and a properly configured one can mean thousands in missed revenue every month.

Here are the 7 settings that most stores get wrong — and how to fix each one.

1. Not Using a Dedicated Sending Domain

By default, Klaviyo sends emails from a shared sending domain. That means your sender reputation is partially tied to other brands using the same infrastructure.

For any store doing serious volume, this is a risk you don't need to take.

The fix: Set up a dedicated sending subdomain (e.g., mail.yourbrand.com). This isolates your sender reputation so it's entirely based on your sending behavior. Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records through your DNS provider. Klaviyo walks you through this, but double-check with MXToolbox that all three pass.

This takes 15 minutes and protects everything you build on top of it.

2. Incomplete Event Tracking

Klaviyo automatically syncs basic Shopify events: Placed Order, Ordered Product, Started Checkout, and a few others. But the default integration misses some events that are critical for advanced segmentation and flow triggers.

The fix: Verify that these events are flowing into Klaviyo:

• Viewed Product — Required for Browse Abandonment flows. If this isn't tracking, your Browse Abandonment flow has no trigger.
• Added to Cart — Required for Cart Abandonment flows (separate from Started Checkout).
• Checkout Started — For Abandoned Checkout flows.
• Fulfilled Order — Triggers post-purchase timing based on actual delivery, not just order placement.

Go to Klaviyo > Analytics > Metrics and confirm each event shows recent activity. If Viewed Product is missing, you likely need Klaviyo's on-site tracking snippet installed on your Shopify theme — it doesn't always install automatically.

3. Default Attribution Window

Klaviyo's default attribution model gives credit to an email if a recipient clicks and purchases within 5 days, or opens and purchases within 5 days. This is Klaviyo's standard model.

The problem isn't the model itself — it's that most brands never align it with their other analytics tools. If Klaviyo says email generated €50K but Google Analytics says €20K, the discrepancy erodes trust.

The fix: Decide on an attribution model before you start reporting. Document it. Share it with the client or stakeholders. Use consistent UTM parameters on every link (utm_source=klaviyo, utm_medium=email, utm_campaign=[campaign-name]) so you can cross-reference in GA.

Neither Klaviyo nor GA is "right" — they measure differently. What matters is consistency and transparency.

4. Not Syncing Product Catalog Properly

Klaviyo pulls your Shopify product catalog to power dynamic product recommendations, back-in-stock notifications, and product feeds in emails. But catalog sync issues are surprisingly common.

The fix: Go to Klaviyo > Content > Products and verify your catalog is fully synced. Check that product images, prices, and URLs are correct. Look for duplicates or missing variants.

Common issues: products showing old prices after a Shopify price change (sync delay), missing product images (usually a CDN issue), and discontinued products still appearing in recommendation blocks.

Set a monthly reminder to audit the catalog sync. Five minutes prevents embarrassing emails showing wrong prices.

5. Ignoring Consent Status Configuration

Shopify and Klaviyo handle consent differently. Shopify captures marketing consent at checkout. Klaviyo has its own consent management. If these aren't aligned, you risk either under-sending (missing legitimate subscribers) or over-sending (violating consent preferences).

The fix: Understand how Shopify consent flags map to Klaviyo profiles. Shopify's "accepts marketing" field should sync to Klaviyo's consent status. Verify this mapping in the integration settings.

For GDPR compliance, this is critical. Brands selling to EU customers need explicit consent documented and honored across both platforms. A subscriber who unsubscribes in Shopify must be suppressed in Klaviyo, and vice versa.

Check the consent sync quarterly. It's not glamorous work, but a compliance violation is far worse.

6. Not Configuring Checkout Email Behavior

Shopify has its own abandoned checkout emails. Klaviyo has abandoned checkout flows. If both are active, customers get duplicate messages — one from Shopify and one from Klaviyo.

The fix: Turn off Shopify's abandoned checkout emails. Go to Shopify > Settings > Checkout > Marketing and disable the automated checkout recovery emails. Let Klaviyo handle it exclusively.

Klaviyo's abandoned checkout flow is far more customizable, supports A/B testing, integrates with your segmentation, and gives you unified reporting. There's no reason to run both.

This is the most common duplicate-send issue we find in audits, and it's a two-minute fix.

7. Skipping the Custom Properties and Tags

The default integration syncs standard Shopify data: orders, products, customer info. But it doesn't automatically capture things like customer tags, order tags, product tags, or custom metafields.

The fix: Identify which Shopify tags and properties matter for your segmentation strategy. Common examples:

• Customer tags like "VIP," "wholesale," or "influencer" for segment targeting
• Product tags for category-based flows and campaigns
• Order notes or tags for subscription identification

Some of these can be mapped through Klaviyo's integration settings. Others require custom flows or third-party tools like Shopify Flow to push data into Klaviyo profile properties.

The effort is worth it. Custom properties let you build segments that the default integration can't support — and those segments drive personalization that generic setups miss.

The Compound Effect

No single setting here is transformative on its own. But together, they create the foundation for everything else: accurate tracking, clean data, proper consent, reliable deliverability, and the ability to build flows and segments that actually perform.

Most brands spend hours designing email templates and writing copy, then send them through a misconfigured integration. That's like building a race car and putting regular fuel in it.

Spend an afternoon getting these 7 settings right. Everything you build after that will perform better because of it.