You have been on Mailchimp since launch. Emails go out, open rates look fine, and it costs less than Klaviyo. Your agency suggests switching. Moving means work and risk, so is it worth it?
For a Shopify shop where email is a real source of sales, usually yes. Mailchimp is a general email tool with shop features added on. Klaviyo was built around shop data.
One shop, 2 set-ups
A shop sells £150,000 a month. Email brings in 15% of that, £22,500, from Mailchimp (an example, so use your own share).
Say a better set-up adds 8 percentage points to that share (an example):
At 8 points, an assumed £100 of extra fees buys £12,000 of sales. At a 50% margin (also an example; find yours in Easier Ads Budgeting), that is £6,000 of margin. Drag the slider to 1 point and it is still £1,500 of sales.
Where the 8 points come from
Shop data without workarounds. Klaviyo syncs every order, product view and cart addition as it happens. “Looked at this product, did not buy within 24 hours” works with no set-up. In Mailchimp, real-time behaviour usually needs a workaround.
Flows that split on what a customer did. Klaviyo flows branch on purchase history, drop anyone who has bought mid-sequence, and time messages to each customer’s predicted next order date. Mailchimp handles simple sequences well and complex ones less cleanly.
Segments that update themselves. In Klaviyo you can ask for people who bought twice in 90 days, have not opened in 60, and have spent over £200. That list stays current. Mailchimp works mainly from tags and fixed properties.
Revenue you can trace. Klaviyo shows revenue per email and per flow, so you see which message earned which sale. Mailchimp shows opens and clicks well, but revenue is less exact.
The rule
If email should bring repeat sales, pay for the tool that sees what customers do. If it only sends news, do not.
When Mailchimp is the right tool
- Email is a newsletter, not a sales channel. Mailchimp is enough and costs less.
- Under 1,000 subscribers and little budget. The extra sales are small. Start on Mailchimp and move when email grows.
- A platform Klaviyo connects to poorly. It works well with Shopify, BigCommerce and WooCommerce. Elsewhere, check first.
A Shopify shop with 1,000 or more subscribers, aiming for repeat purchase, is in none of them.
What the move involves
The migration tool carries subscribers, tags and history across. A careful move takes 2 to 4 weeks.
Flows are rebuilt, not copied, because the logic does not map across. Most Mailchimp flows are thin, so starting clean beats copying. Build in this order:
- Abandoned cart. Often the highest earner straight away.
- Welcome series for new subscribers.
- Post-purchase: a cross-sell and a review request.
- Win-back for customers who have not bought in 90 days.
- Browse abandonment for high-intent visitors.
Do these before campaign sends. In the first 6 months, flows tend to earn more than campaigns.
Free tool: First-Party Data Checklist. Flows run on the customer data you collect. Work through 20 checks across collection, activation, measurement and privacy. Open the checklist
Related reading
- Klaviyo segmentation: the 8 segments every brand needs
- How to allocate your ecommerce marketing budget
- CAC vs LTV: the 2 numbers you need
Wondering what a move would add for your shop? Book a free call and we’ll read it with you. Or see how our email team works on Klaviyo.
Quick answers
Is Klaviyo better than Mailchimp for ecommerce?
For a shop that wants repeat sales from automated flows and segments, yes. Klaviyo reads every order and product view from your store in real time. Mailchimp is a good general email tool, but it was not built around shop data.
Is Klaviyo more expensive than Mailchimp?
Usually, at the same list size. Compare both pricing pages for yours. For a shop where email brings in a fifth or more of revenue, the gap is small next to what better flows can add.
Can I switch from Mailchimp to Klaviyo without losing data?
Yes. Klaviyo has a Mailchimp migration tool, and your subscribers and segments carry across. Flows have to be rebuilt in Klaviyo. A clean move usually takes 2 to 4 weeks.
When should I stay on Mailchimp?
If email is mostly a newsletter, your list is under 1,000 and money is tight, or your shop runs on a platform Klaviyo connects to poorly. For a growing Shopify shop, the case for staying is weak.
