At K:BOS 2025, Klaviyo customers shared how they’re using data, creativity, and connection to grow smarter, not just bigger. From retail and beauty to food and wellness, brands revealed the tactics fueling stronger personalization, loyalty, and performance heading into BFCM 2025 and beyond.

These insights aren’t just inspiration—they’re playbook-ready lessons you can apply today to deepen relationships and scale sustainably.

Here are some of the top takeaways I gathered from the Klaviyo customer sessions that I sat in on:

Core theme: From fashion to food, beauty to wellness, brands that merge precision analytics with authentic storytelling are leading the way into BFCM 2025 and beyond. 

1. Beyond the Rack: Style Meets Data

Speakers: Joe McCarthy (Castore), Lauren Chan (ThirdLove), Sam Berenst (Barstool Sports), Hilary Castleman (Princess Polly)

Theme: Blending digital precision with physical expansion

Key Insights:

• Retail expansion is back—brick-and-mortar and wholesale are the next growth levers, powered by unified data.

• Content → Commerce wins: Barstool Sports converts cultural moments into product sales with personality and speed.

• Unified customer profiles: Integrating SMS, loyalty, and web data in Klaviyo delivers truly consistent personalization.

• Frictionless data collection: Incentivized quizzes, light-touch loyalty sign-ups, and in-store Customer Hubs boost engagement.

• Granular segmentation: Geolocation, affinity, and behavior-based targeting now fuel hyper-localized outreach.

• Channel diversification: SMS drives immediacy; WhatsApp reignites fatigued segments; email sustains storytelling.

• Loyalty beats discounting: Personalized perks and community incentives outperform blanket sales.

BFCM Tip: Integrate data and creative planning early—your best campaign is the one that connects all channels, not just all discounts.

2. The Business of Beauty Is Personal

Speakers: Brandon Gardner-Young (Thrive Causemetics), Kara Filippi (Glossier), Shannon Jorgenfelt (Tatcha), Scott Kramer (AS Beauty / Laura Geller), moderated by Jill Manoff (Glossy)

Theme: Personalization powered by empathy

Key Insights:

• AI with authenticity: Beauty brands are blending automation with human tone to replicate the intimacy of in-store experiences.

• Loyalty through story: Distinct brand narratives (e.g., Tatcha’s Japanese heritage) create identity-driven loyalty.

• Lifecycle-driven flows: Post-purchase journeys nurture the “next basket” by introducing complementary products.

• Dynamic personalization at scale: Glossier’s custom properties automate unique, modular content experiences.

• Educational segmentation: Tailor messages by knowledge level, engagement, and risk to boost relevance and deliverability.

• Channel roles clarified: SMS for immediacy, email for education, in-store for exclusive VIP connection.

BFCM Tip: Make personalization your storytelling engine. AI helps you scale authenticity, not replace it.

3. Mindful Marketing: Scaling Wellness with Intention

Speakers: Kali Lorenzetti (Vital Proteins), Nicolette Drakos (Nestlé Health), Brina (Loop Earplugs), Ingrid (HigherDose)

Theme: Personal wellness meets precision marketing

Key Insights:

• Education is the first product: Inform before you sell—teach how, when, and why your product fits a customer’s life.

• Guided tools reduce friction: Quizzes and virtual try-ons empower confident, low-stress purchases.

• Segmentation by life stage: Target by goals (e.g., sleep, performance) and milestones (e.g., turning 30).

• Retention through routine: Post-purchase education drives habitual use and repeat purchase.

• Community authority: Expert partnerships build credibility and expand audience diversity.

BFCM Tip: Create experiences that help customers learn, not just shop. Education fuels lifetime value.

4. From Sip to Sale: Food & Beverage Finds Its Flavor

Speakers: Jeremy Evans (Graza), Brandon Berg (Big Face Brand), Carrie Morey (Callie’s Biscuits)

Theme: Turning everyday rituals into communities

Key Insights:

• Keep it human: Founders’ authentic voices outperform ad copy.

• Build community, not commodity: In-person pop-ups and online storytelling reinforce shared identity.

• Delight to retain: Progressive gifting (e.g., Graza’s tote → spoon → cookbook) deepens emotional connection.

• Flexible subscriptions: “Skip, don’t cancel” experiences drive long-term stickiness.

• Partnerships that pop: Collabs (Big Face × Graza) unlock new audiences through shared creativity.

BFCM Tip: Connection converts. Build joy, not just urgency, into your campaigns.

5. Always On: Scaling Subscription Journeys Smarter

Speakers: Emily McEvilly (Klaviyo), Mike Kumlin (ButcherBox), Anna-Elyse Schwabacher (Dollar Shave Club), Ashley Meuser (Stumptown Coffee), Emily T. (Universal Yums)

Theme: From transactional to transformational subscriptions

Key Insights:

• Transparency builds trust: Honest onboarding and flexible cancel flows beat aggressive retention tactics.

• Differentiate beyond discounts: Lead with mission, exclusivity, and storytelling—like ButcherBox’s farmer features.

• Empathy in cancellations: Contextualized offers save customers without desperation.

• Cross-sell thoughtfully: Use Klaviyo’s AI recommendations to enhance relevance, not volume.

• Channel synergy: SMS for immediacy, email for depth, loyalty content for retention.

BFCM Tip: Subscriptions thrive when customers feel in control. Build trust into every touchpoint.

6. Behind the Innovation: Turning Service into Growth

Speakers: Karisa Tate, Hansen Liang, Lauren Chan (ThirdLove)

Theme: Customer experience as a revenue engine

Key Insights:

• Customer Hub evolves “My Account”: Seamless, personalized access to loyalty, orders, and subscriptions—no login required.

• Personalization everywhere: Integrations with Recharge, Skio, and Yotpo make every support page an engagement opportunity.

• Open ecosystem: Klaviyo’s expanding data partnerships empower deeper, faster integrations.

BFCM Tip: Treat every help page as a conversion opportunity—service is the new storefront.

The common thread

Across industries, the best brands are doing one thing exceptionally well: using data to make customers feel seen.

Their tips for doing that:

1. Unify your customer view across every channel.

2. Automate with empathy, not just efficiency.

3. Turn rituals into retention—help customers make your product part of their life.

4. Be intentional about channels: Right message, right place, right time.

As Glossier’s Kara Filippi shared:

“Our goal is for customers to feel the intentionality behind everything we do.”

That intentionality is the future of loyalty—and the foundation for your most successful BFCM yet.