Why Push to Klaviyo

Building sequences in ILLIXIS gives you AI-generated content, brand voice enrichment, and a visual drag-drop builder. Pushing to Klaviyo gives you Klaviyo's delivery infrastructure, advanced segmentation, and native analytics. You get the best of both platforms without rebuilding anything.

Prerequisites

Before you can push a sequence to Klaviyo, you need two things:

1. Klaviyo Connection Connect your Klaviyo account in Settings > Integrations > Klaviyo. You'll need a Private API key with full read/write permissions. See Help Guide 64 (Klaviyo Integration) for setup steps.

2. Compatible Trigger The sequence must use one of these trigger types:

| Trigger | Klaviyo Metric |
|---------|---------------|
| Cart Abandoned | Checkout Started |
| Checkout Abandoned | Checkout Started |
| Order Created | Placed Order |
| Order Fulfilled | Fulfilled Order |
| Browse Abandoned | Viewed Product |
| Site Abandoned | Active on Site |
| Customer Created | Active on Site |
| Lapsed Customer | Placed Order |
| New Subscriber | List-triggered (uses your Klaviyo list) |

Sequences with other trigger types (manual enrollment, tag-based, date-based, etc.) don't have a Klaviyo equivalent and can't be pushed.

How to Push a Sequence

  1. Go to Email & Automation > Sequences
  2. Click on the sequence you want to push
  3. On the sequence detail page, click Push to Klaviyo
  4. Wait for the push to complete (typically 10-30 seconds)
  5. A status badge appears showing the flow state (Draft, Manual, or Live)

The push runs as a background task. You can stay on the page and the status will update automatically, or navigate away and check back later.

What Gets Created in Klaviyo

When you push a sequence, ILLIXIS creates the following in your Klaviyo account:

Flow Structure

  • A new Klaviyo flow with the same name as your ILLIXIS sequence
  • A metric trigger matching your sequence's trigger type (e.g., "Checkout Started" for cart abandonment)
  • For subscriber-triggered sequences, a list trigger using your Klaviyo list

Email Steps

Each email step in your sequence becomes a Klaviyo flow email action with:

  • A dedicated HTML template uploaded to Klaviyo
  • Your subject line and preview text
  • Sender information from your tenant settings

Delay Steps

Delay steps map directly to Klaviyo time delay actions. Hours and days are preserved exactly.

Condition Steps

Condition steps become Klaviyo conditional split actions. The condition logic is translated to Klaviyo's filter format where possible.

SMS Steps

SMS steps become Klaviyo SMS actions in the flow, preserving the message content.

Webhook Steps

Webhook steps become Klaviyo webhook actions with your configured URL, method, and headers.

Steps That Are Skipped

Some ILLIXIS step types don't have Klaviyo equivalents. These are skipped during push with a warning:

  • A/B Splits — Klaviyo has its own A/B testing; create splits directly in Klaviyo after push
  • Tag Add/Remove — Use Klaviyo's native profile properties instead
  • Goal Steps — Use Klaviyo's flow analytics for conversion tracking
  • Exit Steps — Configure exit conditions directly in the Klaviyo flow

If any steps are skipped, you'll see warnings in the push result. The flow still works — those steps are simply omitted.

Managing Your Klaviyo Flow

After pushing, the sequence detail page shows the flow's current status and management controls.

Flow Statuses

| Status | Badge | Meaning |
|--------|-------|---------|
| Draft | Blue "Draft on Klaviyo" | Flow exists but won't trigger for anyone |
| Manual | Yellow "Manual on Klaviyo" | Flow exists but requires manual activation per subscriber |
| Live | Green "Live on Klaviyo" | Flow is actively triggering and sending emails |

Activating a Flow

Click the Activate button next to the status badge to set the flow to "Live" in Klaviyo. Once live, the flow triggers automatically whenever a subscriber matches the trigger condition.

Pausing a Flow

Click Pause to switch a live flow to "Manual" status. Subscribers currently in the flow continue receiving emails, but no new subscribers enter automatically.

Re-Pushing a Flow

Click Re-push to update your Klaviyo flow with the latest version of your ILLIXIS sequence. This deletes the existing flow and all its templates in Klaviyo, then creates a fresh copy.

Use re-push when you've edited your sequence in ILLIXIS (changed email content, added steps, adjusted delays) and want those changes reflected in Klaviyo.

Important: Re-pushing replaces the entire flow. Any edits you made directly in Klaviyo will be lost. Subscribers already in the old flow will not be re-enrolled in the new one.

Deleting a Flow from Klaviyo

Click the trash icon to remove the flow and all associated templates from Klaviyo. This doesn't affect your ILLIXIS sequence — you can push it again anytime.

Flow Performance Metrics

Once your flow is live in Klaviyo, ILLIXIS automatically syncs performance metrics every 6 hours (12:00 AM, 6:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 6:00 PM UTC). You can also view detailed analytics directly in Klaviyo's Flow Analytics dashboard.

Rate Limits

Klaviyo limits flow creation to 100 flows per day per account. This is more than enough for normal usage, but be aware of it if you're pushing many sequences at once.

Troubleshooting

"Trigger type cannot be pushed to Klaviyo"

Cause: Your sequence uses a trigger type that doesn't map to a Klaviyo metric (e.g., manual enrollment, tag-based, or date-based triggers).

Fix: Only sequences with e-commerce triggers (cart abandon, order created, etc.) or "New Subscriber" can be pushed. For other trigger types, keep sending through ILLIXIS directly using Resend or Mailgun.

"No Klaviyo connection configured"

Cause: Your Klaviyo API key isn't set up or has been disconnected.

Fix: Go to Settings > Integrations > Klaviyo and connect with a valid Private API key. See Help Guide 64 for setup instructions.

"Metric not found"

Cause: The Klaviyo metric required by your trigger (e.g., "Checkout Started") doesn't exist in your Klaviyo account. This usually means your e-commerce integration isn't active in Klaviyo.

Fix: In Klaviyo, go to Integrations and verify your Shopify or WooCommerce integration is connected and syncing data. The metric is created automatically when Klaviyo receives its first event of that type from your store.

"No email steps found"

Cause: Your sequence has no email steps with content. Klaviyo flows need at least one email to be meaningful.

Fix: Go to the sequence builder, add email steps with subject lines and content, then try pushing again.

Push Shows "Failed" Badge

Cause: The push task encountered an error. The error message is shown when you hover over the "Push Failed" badge.

Fix: Common causes include expired API keys, Klaviyo rate limits, or network issues. Click Retry to attempt the push again. If the error persists, check your Klaviyo API key in Settings.

Flow Shows Wrong Status After Activating

Cause: Status updates happen via Klaviyo's API and may take a moment to reflect.

Fix: Refresh the page. If the status still seems wrong, check the flow directly in Klaviyo's dashboard to confirm its actual state.

Best Practices

Push as Draft first. After pushing, review the flow in Klaviyo before activating. Check that templates render correctly, delays are right, and conditions make sense.

Don't edit flows in both places. Once pushed, make edits either in ILLIXIS (and re-push) or directly in Klaviyo. Editing in both creates confusion about which version is current.

Use re-push sparingly. Re-pushing deletes and recreates the flow. Subscribers in the middle of the old flow won't continue. Plan content changes in batches rather than re-pushing after every small edit.

Check skipped step warnings. After pushing, review any warnings about skipped steps. You may need to manually add A/B splits or exit conditions in Klaviyo.

Test with a small list. If your sequence targets a large audience, consider activating the flow for a test segment first. Monitor deliverability and engagement before scaling to your full list.

Related Help Guides

  • Klaviyo Integration (Guide 64) — Connection setup, campaigns, metrics, suppression
  • Visual Sequence Builder (Guide 16) — Building sequences in ILLIXIS
  • E-commerce Flows (Guide 17) — Automated customer lifecycle sequences
  • Choosing an Email Provider (Guide 171) — Comparing Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Resend, and Mailgun

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