Does Klaviyo offer SMS marketing?

Yes. Klaviyo includes SMS marketing functionality that allows brands to send campaigns, automated flows and transactional messages. SMS can be used alongside email marketing to recover abandoned baskets, promote new products and increase repeat purchases.

Can Klaviyo send WhatsApp messages?

Yes. Klaviyo supports WhatsApp marketing, allowing businesses to create automated customer journeys, send order updates and engage customers through one of the world’s most popular messaging platforms. WhatsApp can work alongside email and SMS as part of a wider retention strategy.

What exactly does Klaviyo do?

Klaviyo is a customer data and marketing automation platform designed primarily for eCommerce businesses. It combines email marketing, SMS marketing, customer segmentation, automation flows and reporting to help brands acquire, retain and grow customers.

How do I set up SMS marketing in Klaviyo?

Setting up Klaviyo SMS involves configuring consent collection, creating subscriber lists, building automation flows and integrating customer data. Most brands start with abandoned basket recovery, welcome journeys and post-purchase messaging before expanding into more advanced retention campaigns.

What is the best SMS marketing platform for Shopify?

The best platform depends on your requirements, but Klaviyo is one of the most popular choices for Shopify brands due to its deep integration, advanced segmentation capabilities and ability to combine email, SMS and customer data within a single platform.

What’s better: Klaviyo SMS or Postscript?

Both platforms are widely used by eCommerce brands. Klaviyo offers a unified approach by combining email, SMS, customer data and automation within one platform, while Postscript focuses specifically on SMS marketing. The right choice depends on your wider retention strategy and technology stack.

Is SMS marketing becoming obsolete?

No. SMS continues to deliver strong engagement and remains an effective channel for time-sensitive communications such as abandoned basket recovery, flash sales, delivery updates and loyalty campaigns. Many brands now use SMS alongside email and WhatsApp rather than replacing either channel.

How do SMS and WhatsApp support Shopify SEO?

Channels such as Shopify SEO help attract visitors to your website, while SMS and WhatsApp help convert and retain those customers after their first interaction. Together, acquisition and retention channels create a stronger foundation for sustainable eCommerce growth.

Klaviyo WhatsApp & SMS Service

Retention marketing beyond just email

Our experts help brands roll out Klaviyo WhatsApp & SMS strategies, ensuring they feel connected rather than intrusive. We help scope and execute multi-channel retention systems that improve engagement, increase repeat revenue and strengthen customer communication.

This becomes even more powerful when paired with our full Klaviyo agency management service.

Free Klaviyo Whatsapp/SMS Audit

Why Brands Are Expanding Beyond Email

Inbox competition is growing

Email/CRM remains one of the strongest retention channels available to eCom brands (and also for strongest ROI), a challenge nowadays is competition within the inbox has never been higher.

Alongside this, we are seeing customer acquisition costs across Meta, Google and Bing continue to rise for a lot of businesses. Most brands are now pivoting over to maximise their retention-focused strategies, helping boost customer lifetime value.

This is where Klaviyo SMS and WhatsApp marketing have become increasingly valuable.

WhatsApp offers exceptionally high visibility and engagement compared to traditional email marketing, while SMS provides direct, time-sensitive communication for launches, flash sales, abandoned carts and transactional updates. Combined properly, these channels allow brands to build faster, more connected customer journeys that adapt around behaviour and intent rather than relying on one communication method alone.

Klaviyo WhatsApp Marketing

High visibility customer communication

WhatsApp messages often achieve significantly higher visibility and engagement, making it ideal for time sensitive and behaviour led customer communication.

Within Klaviyo, WhatsApp can be integrated into customer journeys/flows spanning abandoned cart recovery, back in stock notifications, order updates, VIP launches and post-purchase communication.

It also creates opportunities for more conversational commerce, allowing brands to build communication flows that feel faster, more personal and more aligned with how customers already interact online.

The key is using WhatsApp strategically rather than aggressively.

Over-messaging, poor timing or overly promotional content can quickly create customer fatigue and damage trust. Strong Klaviyo WhatsApp strategies focus on relevance, behaviour and customer intent, ensuring messaging feels genuinely useful rather than intrusive.

Klaviyo SMS Marketing

Fast, direct retention marketing

SMS marketing gives brands a fast and highly visible way to communicate with customers, particularly when timing and urgency matter. Within Klaviyo, SMS works especially well for flash sales, abandoned carts, delivery updates, back in stock alerts and post-purchase messaging where immediate visibility can significantly improve engagement and conversion rates.

The strongest Klaviyo SMS strategies are usually focused on relevance rather than volume. Customers are far more protective over their phone number than their email address, meaning messaging needs to feel timely, useful and intentional.

For most brands, SMS performs best as part of a wider retention ecosystem rather than acting as a replacement for email marketing. Email still remains critical for richer content, storytelling, automation depth and longer-form communication, while SMS adds speed, visibility and urgency when required.

Integrated Email, SMS & WhatsApp Flows

The real strength of Klaviyo comes from connecting email, SMS and WhatsApp into one coordinated customer journey rather than treating them as isolated channels. Customers interact differently depending on intent, urgency and behaviour, meaning communication should adapt around them rather than follow a rigid sequence.

Integrated Klaviyo flows allow brands to build smarter retention journeys across abandoned carts, browse abandonment, post-purchase nurturing, VIP campaigns and win-back automations. For example, a customer who ignores an email may respond to a WhatsApp reminder, while SMS can add urgency around launches or low-stock products.

The goal is not sending more messages. It is improving visibility, timing and relevance while avoiding unnecessary overlap or customer fatigue.

Compliance, Consent & Customer Trust

SMS and WhatsApp marketing require a careful balance between visibility and customer trust. Strong engagement means very little if messaging becomes intrusive, overly frequent or non-compliant.

UK GDPR and PECR regulations place clear expectations around consent, opt-ins and customer communication, particularly for SMS marketing. WhatsApp also operates with strict business messaging policies designed to protect user experience and reduce spam.

Sustainable retention strategies focus on genuine consent, transparent communication and giving customers control over how brands contact them.

Expert help for Klaviyo SMS

Send us your details and one of our email/SMS experts will get back to you – even if it’s just for some basic advice through to wanting us to audit your current setup – we’re here to help and have a real passion for growing businesses with Klaviyo.

Claim your free Klaviyo Audit

SMS is just a small part of the puzzle

Our expertise unlocks real growth for businesses running Klaviyo, from flows through to campaign sends - we're here to drive bottom lines. Here is a few examples of case studies.

View all work

NuWave Drinks
Led by:
124 %
Turnover growth YoY

Read case study
JT Atkinson
Led by:
107 %
Increase in Klaviyo flow revenue with expert management.

Read case study
Gingerlily
Led by:
163 %
Increase in Klaviyo US revenue YoY

Read case study

How Brands Use SMS & WhatsApp

Abandoned basket recovery

SMS/WhatsApp can be essential to recovering lost sales when customers leave products in their basket. The immediacy of both channels often results in faster engagement than email alone, helping brands recapture revenue that may otherwise be lost.

Back in stock alerts

Notify customers the moment a product becomes available again. This works particularly well for popular products, limited editions and seasonal ranges where demand already exists and customers are actively waiting to purchase.

Order updates

Keep customers informed throughout the fulfilment process. Dispatch notifications, delivery updates and order confirmations improve customer experience while reducing support enquiries and increasing confidence in your brand.

VIP launches

Reward your most valuable customers with early access to new products, promotions and launches. Exclusive communications help strengthen loyalty while creating urgency around new releases.

Customer service conversations

WhatsApp allows brands to move beyond one-way messaging. Customers can ask questions, request support and receive direct responses from your team, creating a more personal customer experience.

Review requests

Request reviews shortly after delivery when customers have had time to experience the product. Automated SMS and WhatsApp reminders can help increase review volume and provide valuable social proof.

Appointment reminders

For service businesses, appointment reminders help reduce no-shows and missed bookings. Automated reminders ensure customers have the information they need at the right time without requiring manual follow-up.

Win-back campaigns

Re-engage customers who have not purchased for a defined period. Targeted SMS and WhatsApp messages can help bring previous customers back into the buying cycle with relevant offers and product recommendations.

Product Recommendations

Use customer purchase history and browsing behaviour to deliver personalised product suggestions. Relevant recommendations can increase repeat purchase rates while helping customers discover products they may not have otherwise considered.

Klaviyo SMS & WhatsApp FAQs

Get answers to common questions about Klaviyo SMS, WhatsApp marketing, Shopify integrations, customer retention and how messaging channels fit into a wider eCommerce growth strategy.