When Klaviyo announced their pricing changes, my LinkedIn feed exploded with hot takes and panic. But here's the thing: after sitting down with three of the sharpest minds in ecommerce - Gabrielle Pittman, Lenin Batista, and Peyton Fox - I'm more convinced than ever that this shift is an opportunity.
What struck me most was how quickly our conversation moved from 'How do we cut costs?' to 'How do we create better customer experiences?' Lenin shared brilliant insights about using Klaviyo's APIs to intelligently suppress and unsuppress customers based on their buying cycles. As he put it, if you have a jewelry client whose customers buy once a year for anniversaries, does it make sense to email them at day 180 or 270, or should you wait for the full year?
Then Gabrielle dropped what might be my favorite insight of the conversation: Sometimes your best customers need breathing room. Just because someone spent $13,000 on your product doesn't mean they want to hear from you every day. In fact, that might be the fastest way to lose them.
The real gold came when we started talking about alternative channels. Direct mail – yes, actual physical postcards – emerged as an unexpected hero. I'll admit it: I recently bought a rug because of a well-timed postcard. It sat on my counter, caught my eye at the right moment, and boom – sold. Sometimes the "old school" approaches still work magic. (Shoutout, Revival Rugs!)
Peyton brought it home with practical tips on segmentation and engagement, emphasizing that it's not just about who you remove from your list – it's about identifying who you might be overlooking. As Lenin pointed out, the days of batch-and-blast are pretty much over. (And yes, I'll admit to being guilty of that approach on Mailchimp back in the day).
What became clear through our discussion is that successful email marketing isn't about saving money – it's about driving profitable growth. If you're optimizing for a smaller Klaviyo bill, you're solving the wrong problem. The real question is: How do we send the right message, to the right person, at the right time?
