Understanding the types of information exchanged between Klaviyo and apps

You will learn

Learn about what types of data are exchanged between Klaviyo and external apps, and where that data is found in your Klaviyo account. When you integrate a third-party application with Klaviyo, the two platforms exchange information. Most data exchange with Klaviyo is one-way; data is pulled into your Klaviyo account so you can leverage a broad scope of your customers' data within Klaviyo.

Table of contents

1. Types of data
2. Where to view event data
3. Where to view profile data
4. Where to view catalog data

Types of data

Klaviyo syncs several types of data with external applications:

1. Event Data
   Events are recorded along a customer's timeline each time a tracked action occurs. A metric is a type of event, such as Active on Site, Placed Order, or Fulfilled Order. A profile can have multiple events for the same metric. For instance, when a customer places several orders on your website, they will have several Placed Order events listed on their timeline.
2. Profile Data
   Profile data describes an aspect of a contact's identity, and is made up of both Klaviyo properties and custom properties. Klaviyo properties are natively tracked within Klaviyo and include attributes such as First Active, Last Active, Source, First Name, and Last Name. Custom properties are additional profile data which you can create and are often specific to your business. Common custom properties include gender, birthday, or product preference. Custom properties can also be pulled in through third-party integrations, which allow you to import reviews, ratings, and other information not natively tracked in Klaviyo.
3. Catalog Data
   Catalog data describes items found within your product catalog. This data is frequently modified on your ecommerce platform as you add or remove products from your store. Examples of catalog data include variants such as color and size. Within Klaviyo, catalog data is pulled in and used to populate product feeds, campaigns, and flow messages.

Where to view event data

Event data can be viewed in the following places within Klaviyo:

• Profile event timeline
• Profile metrics snapshot
• View metadata
• Metrics tab (found under Analytics)

All event data associated with a customer can be found in their profile. Since you can use event data to build targeted segments and filter flows, you'll find event metrics listed as options within the segment and flow builders.

Use event data to filter and split your flow messaging and to create key segments of your customers to send to. This personalization will make your messaging more relevant to your subscribers, aligning your brand with their journey.

Event timeline within a profile

You can view a timeline of events associated with a customer within their profile.

1. In your Klaviyo account, click the Audience dropdown and select Profiles.
2. Select a customer profile.
3. In the Activity log, the event filter shows All events by default. Select up to 5 metrics from the dropdown to filter the timeline.

Metrics snapshot within a profile

Open the Metrics and insights tab in a profile to view its Metrics section. Select 30 days or All-time to change the period shown. Your metric selection applies to all profiles in the account. To adjust the metrics displayed:

1. Click Edit metrics.
2. Select a metric from the dropdown and click Choose a metric. Repeat for each metric you want to add. You can also remove or reorder the selected metrics.
3. Click Update metrics to save.

Dive deeper into metric data

Events can include additional data, known as metadata or event properties. The information tracked varies by metric and integration. For example, a Received email event can include the email subject and campaign name. A Placed Order event can include details about the items in the order, such as price, style, quantity, and discounts.

Within a customer's event timeline, data associated with an event can be viewed in two places:

Event details

Click the arrow beside an event in the Activity log to expand its details.

If an event has details to display, they appear beneath the event when you expand it.

This Placed Order event includes metadata related to Item, SKU, Categories, etc.

Top-level event properties can be used to filter segments and flows. Nested data, including data in extra, cannot be used in these filters.

Activity details

Open the three-dot menu beside an event and select Activity details.

Activity details contains a list of all metadata associated with the event. Top-level attributes such as Collections, Discount Codes, and Items can be collapsed and expanded to display even more detailed information.

Use top-level properties in Activity details to filter segments and flows. Data nested in extra can be used to personalize messages in a flow triggered by that metric, but cannot be used in segment or flow filters.

For example, the extra section may contain images or prices of items. Use this data to populate your abandoned cart emails with images and prices of items your customers left behind.

The Metrics tab

Click the Analytics dropdown and select the Metrics tab to see a list of all tracked metrics. Metrics include events tracked by Klaviyo, as well as events synced through third-party apps. Each metric has an associated icon that indicates where the metric is coming from: Klaviyo-originated metrics are associated with a Klaviyo icon, API-originated metrics are associated with a gear icon, and integrations-originated metrics are associated with their respective icons.

Event options within targeted segments

Event data can be used to define a segment. As a part of the segment set up process, you can choose a definition based on a metric that describes what a customer has or has not done. You can then choose one metric from a list of all metrics available in your Klaviyo account. In the following example, we've chosen a Klaviyo metric.

Event options within profile filters

Flows can be filtered based on an event. When you set up a profile filter, you can choose an event metric as part of the filter definition. For example, customers who enter an abandoned cart flow can be filtered out of the flow when they place an order.

In a metric-triggered flow, you can insert template tags to pull data from the event that triggered the flow into an email. For example, you can include an image and price of an item in an abandoned cart email. Check out our guide on using event data to personalize flow messages for more information.

Where to view profile data

Profile data and custom profile data can be viewed within your contacts' profile pages. You can also build segments and flows based on profile attributes.

Profile data listed on a contact record

To find profile data in your Klaviyo account, navigate to Audience > Profiles and click on a contact. Open the Details tab to view the Custom properties and Information sections. Contact details appear at the top of the profile.

Klaviyo properties, such as first and last name, location, and first and last active dates, appear in different parts of the profile. The Custom properties section contains the additional data you or your integrations add.

You can add these custom properties to a contact's profile to track specific information about your customers.

Profile data within segment definitions

You can use profile attributes to build targeted segments. For example, if you’re running a promotional event for customers in La Jolla, CA, choose Someone's proximity to a location and set the condition to include people within 25 miles of a La Jolla ZIP code in the United States.

Profile data in profile filters

You can pull profile data into profile filters to determine which customers should remain in a flow.

Flows can also be triggered by a date property. For example, Klaviyo's prebuilt birthday flow references a date field that occurs every year.

Where to view catalog data

Catalog data includes information related to your product catalog such as photos, descriptions, and stock information. To view the items in your catalog, navigate to Content > Products.

You can insert catalog data into your campaign and flow emails by embedding a product block in your email templates. There are several ways to insert catalog items into your product block. Static catalog items can be inserted into a product block, or you can embed a dynamic product feed instead.

Dynamic product feeds pull catalog items based on an algorithm, so you can choose to display trending items, best selling items, or a collection of items based on a customer's behavior.

Catalog data in campaign emails

Products can be featured prominently in your campaign emails. For example, you can feature product images, product names, and product prices pulled from your product catalog in your new product launch campaign. Here, we've selected a static product block where you can select products manually from your product catalog.

Product feeds in flow emails

Product feeds pull catalog data so they can be displayed dynamically in a customer email. Here, we've selected a dynamic product block in order to utilize a product feed. Your product feed could be configured to display trending items, for instance.

Additional resources