How To Maximise Personalisation In Your Email Marketing
In a crowded inbox world, a one-size-fits-all email doesn’t really cut it anymore. Sure, some campaigns can make it work, but what will really set your marketing apart will be the use of personalisation – and that's something Klaviyo can help you with.
In this article, we're getting into the nitty-gritty of dynamic blocks and data feeds to deliver hyper-relevant emails that feel made uniquely for your customer – so here's how to do it.
Why It Matters Right Now
First up, why do we say that "one-size-fits-all" isn't a great mentality for email marketing? It's pretty simple:
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Relevance wins attention. As inboxes fill, emails that tune into individual interests – and even predicted needs – get noticed, clicked, and converted. In fact, a personalised subject line can up open rates by 10-14% across industries.
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Efficiency without compromise. Instead of duplicating campaigns, dynamic blocks let you create single templates that adapt to each recipient – scalable, nimble, and smart.
- Your competitors are already doing it. It's been reported that 52% of marketing professionals are planning to incorporate personalisation into their email strategies.
Tapping into Klaviyo’s Dynamic Blocks & Data Feeds
Let’s break down the tools at your fingertips:
1. Dynamic Table & Product Blocks
Bring pull-through magic to your flows – abandoned carts, shipping confirmations, or order receipts. Klaviyo can automatically insert relevant product data (image, name, price) from customer events, without you managing manual inserts.
2. Show/Hide Logic (Display Conditions)
Want different messaging for VIPs, new customers, or international subscribers? What about switching up your designs based on mobile versus desktop? You can use Klaviyo’s logic builder to show or hide blocks based on profile traits or behaviour – no extra flows required.
3. AI-Powered Product Feeds
Let Klaviyo predict what each customer might want next – pulling product recommendations based on view or purchase history. You’re not guessing; you're delivering curated picks.
You can find this when you create a product feed – the little star is Klaviyo's AI signaller, and is noted beside the option "Products a customer may also like" in the "What products should the customers view first?" drop down.
4. Klaviyo's Personalisation Button
Klaviyo's personalisation button is in the top right of the tool bar when you are working on a text block. It uses custom properties to let you insert dynamic content into emails. Think of it as a way to say:
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“If a subscriber has this data, show this content.”
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“Otherwise, show something else.”
That means you can, for instance, insert the customer's first name so that you can say hello more personally, but also have a fallback. This creates a logic like: use their first name unless there is no value, in which case use "there" (creating "hi there" in the email) instead.
You can use this for lots of data points, including names, cities, currency, the current month of the year, and custom creations.
How to get more out of your data
Linking Custom Data from Shopify to Klaviyo
Dynamic blocks and custom properties are only as powerful as the data you feed them. To personalise effectively, you’ll need to ensure Shopify is passing the right customer information into Klaviyo. Here’s how to do it:
1. Make Sure Your Shopify Integration Is Synced
When you connect Shopify to Klaviyo, core fields like first name, last name, email, and order history sync automatically. You’ll find these under each profile in Klaviyo.
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Example:
{{ first_name }}pulls from the “First Name” property in Shopify. -
If Shopify doesn’t have that info (e.g. the checkout form didn’t collect it), the value will be blank unless you add a fallback.
2. Capture Additional Data at Checkout or via Forms
Want to go beyond the basics? Use Shopify’s checkout fields or Klaviyo forms to collect custom properties, such as:
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Favourite product category
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Birthday
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Subscription preferences
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Loyalty tier
Once saved, these map into Klaviyo as Custom Properties on the profile.
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Example:
{{ person|lookup:'favourite_colour' }} -
If the property isn’t filled in, you can set a default:
3. Sync Custom Data with Shopify Tags or Metafields
For more advanced use cases, Shopify tags and metafields can be synced into Klaviyo:
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Tags (e.g. “VIP”, “Wholesale”) will appear on profiles in Klaviyo.
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Metafields can be pulled through for niche data, such as clothing size or subscription status.
These become usable conditions for segmentation and Liquid logic in your emails.
4. Test with Preview Profiles
Before sending a campaign, always preview using a real customer profile in Klaviyo. This ensures that “Hi {{ first_name }}” actually becomes “Hi Sarah” – and not “Hi .”
Creative Use Cases That Stand Out
Once you have your data synced, you'll want to use these personalisations to set up recommended flows, like:
- Abandoned Cart – add a dynamic block to show the customer what they're missing, as well as an easily identified link to keep shopping.
- Browser Abandonment – similar to the above, but targeting those who have simply shown interest in your products.
- Winback – you might use the AI-powered product suggestion feature with the product blocks to show customers items Klaviyo has identified as matching their taste profile.
You can obviously include personalisation in all of your flows, and give your campaigns a big upgrade too, including product suggestions, first names, and personal information where it feels natural.
If you've already got this down or want to stretch your creative muscles, though, we have some others ideas for you to consider, too:
Spotlight-Based Post-Purchase Tips
Imagine sending a “How to get the most out of your new product” email that swaps out tips based on what the customer actually bought – no extra flows needed. Some suggestions:
- 3 recipes we recommend for your new smoothie maker
- Safety tips for your new pram
- 10 ways to wear your new jeans
Tiered Incentives Without Spamming Everyone
Run a campaign where only appropriate discounts show – £5 off orders over £50, £15 off over £125, and so on – based on each person’s usual order behaviour. No shouting “cheap discount” at big spenders.
Loyalty Glimpses Done Right
Show loyalty members their points balance and exclusive perks – others get an invitation to join. All from the same email template.
Final Word
If you’ve already mastered flow fundamentals, lean into personalisation that feels intuitive, dynamic, and smart. In 2025, it’s not about sending more – it’s about sending better. With Klaviyo’s toolbox – dynamic blocks, AI feeds, show/hide logic, and custom properties – agency-crafted emails can feel tailor-made, drive results, and keep your client’s brand top of inbox – and top of mind.
