Yes, you can safely suppress non-subscribed profiles in Klaviyo without affecting Shopify's transactional emails, since those are sent directly from Shopify. This will reduce your Klaviyo costs while keeping order confirmations intact. If a suppressed user subscribes later, they can be unsuppressed manually or by re-engaging with a signup form. The main opportunity you might be missing is potential re-engagement through targeted non-promotional emails, like win-back or browse abandonment flows, which some non-subscribers might still interact with.
Hi @Alex1989
Great questions. Here's my view (from the UK):
I would not suppress Klaviyo's 'Never subscribed' without due consideration as you may miss opportunities. Though they have not given permission for you to send them promotional emails, you can still send them emails from Klaviyo that help them complete a transaction, or more broadly, where "legitimate interest" is applicable.
The obvious example is an abandoned checkout flow where they have provided their email address and started checkout so those emails can be considered "legitimate interest" if they are transactional in nature and relate to the order they are attempting to place.
Other examples where I'd send send emails to "never subscribed" under "legitimate interest" (in my opinion):
- If a customer has repeat purchased a product, I'd notify them when a price drop/sale occurs. Unlike my other examples below, this type of outreach needs to consider recency - I wouldn't send to a customer who placed a few orders over a year ago!
- Reviews requests. These are related to their transaction and not promotional.
- Post purchase/fulfillment. Sending a hearfelt thank you after purchase complements the order/shipping confirmations. It's an opportunity to spotlight brand values in a nuanced way so not percived as promotional. For the subscribed post-purchase audience obviously you have the opportunity to cross-sell/up sell too.
- Product 'how to'. If the content is wholly about how to get the best from the product they've just purchased, it would be unlikely to be considered promotional by the recipient.
- Course bookings (physical and online). The ecomm platform (Shopify) will send and order confirmation but logistics emails leading up to the event will be required.
Yes, Shopify ignores marketing permission for order/shipping emails as they are transactional, non-promotional, and necessary.
If you suppress a profile, you (or they) can subscribe later to change their opt-in status.
Re identifying unengaged profiles for suppression, I need to head out now, but I'll add some segment ideas I use here asap!
Hope that helps!
Andy
Hi @Alex1989
Your approach to managing your Klaviyo and Shopify integration sounds thoughtful and cost-effective. Suppressing non-subscribed customers in Klaviyo who do not engage with your marketing emails is a sound strategy, especially if transactional emails are handled via Shopify. This ensures your communication remains compliant while optimizing your costs.
Regarding your question about suppressing non-subscribed users: Indeed, if these users are not engaging and you are not legally required to keep them in your marketing list, suppressing them in Klaviyo can reduce your costs without impacting your operational emails from Shopify. However, it's crucial to maintain a streamlined process for re-engaging these users should they choose to opt-in to marketing emails in the future. Klaviyo allows you to easily unsuppress contacts if they decide to subscribe, which seamlessly reintegrates them into your marketing flows.
You've mentioned concerns about missing opportunities with these non-engaged customers. One potential strategy is to create a re-engagement campaign specifically targeting those who have interacted with your brand but haven't subscribed to marketing emails. This could involve sending a one-time campaign via Shopify or another platform, inviting them to opt-in for special offers or updates, making clear the value of being on your marketing list.
Ultimately, you're right to focus on cost-efficiency and the value you derive from each segment of your list. As long as you keep transactional communications intact via Shopify, and have a plan for re-engagement, your strategy should serve you well in balancing cost with potential marketing opportunities.
Best of luck!
Hi @Alex1989 , what a great and thoughtful question!
Yes, it is safe to suppress profiles in Klaviyo that are not subscribed to marketing emails, as long as Shopify is handling all transactional emails like order confirmations and refunds. Suppressing these profiles means they won’t count toward your Klaviyo billing, but they will still exist in your database. If a customer later subscribes, you can manually remove them from the suppression list, as Klaviyo does not automatically unsuppress profiles.
The main thing to consider is whether you might be missing opportunities. Even if a customer hasn’t subscribed, they might still engage with your brand in other ways. Suppressing them means you won’t be able to retarget them through Klaviyo, send them special offers, or use their data for things like Facebook or Google ads. If you use SMS marketing, you may still be able to reach them that way.
If your goal is only to reduce costs and you don’t plan to market to these profiles in any way, suppressing them makes sense. However, if you think some of these customers might still be valuable, you could filter out only those who have never engaged or made multiple purchases. Let me know if you need help setting this up.
You're thinking in the right direction. If your transactional emails (like order confirmations) are triggered from Shopify and not Klaviyo, then suppressing profiles that never subscribed to marketing emails is a valid way to reduce costs. Since your flows are filtered to only target subscribers, it won’t affect your current campaigns. If someone later subscribes, Klaviyo will automatically unsuppress them once they opt in, so you're not losing potential future engagement.
It’s all about focusing on active, engaged audiences. Like how schools prioritize clean and focused environments for students, it’s smart to keep your email list clear of inactive contacts. Clean databases work just like effective preschool cleaning services, focused, efficient, and helpful to long-term growth.
