Klaviyo & GDD: Why Email Marketing Still Packs a Punch

Posted on May 21, 2025July 31, 2025 by Phil

You’ve likely heard of Mailchimp, Hubspot, Constant Contact, Klaviyo, and Campaign Monitor to name a few… Yep they are all email marketing tool (of sorts). So it might not be the newest channel in the digital stack—but when it comes to ROI and nurturing real customer relationships, email marketing still punches well above its weight.

And that’s exactly why Back9 is a proud Klaviyo Partner.

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Among other email tools, we use Klaviyo but because it plays a crucial role in any smart, Growth-Driven Design (GDD) strategy. Particularly, but not limited to, E-commerce. It’s personal, highly measurable (and we’re geeky about stuff like that 🤓). It’s also scalable, and it delivers results you can take to the bank.

Let’s break down what makes Klaviyo such a weapon for eCommerce, how it stacks up on pricing, and why it’s our go-to email tool for brands who want more than just a newsletter.

What Is Klaviyo?

Klaviyo (pronounced clay-vee-oh, if you’re wondering) is an advanced email and SMS marketing platform built specifically for eCommerce. It integrates with tools like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento to let you send smarter, more targeted campaigns using real-time customer data.

But Klaviyo isn’t just about sending emails. It’s about using automation, segmentation, and personalisation to drive revenue—not just open rates.

Key Features That Make Klaviyo a Game-Changer

Whether you’re a start-up or scaling fast, Klaviyo offers features that make your marketing work harder:

Advanced segmentation – Target based on purchase history, site behaviour, or even how often they open your emails.
Pre-built flows – Think welcome series, abandoned cart, post-purchase follow-ups… all set and ready to go.
Dynamic email content – Personalise content without manually editing every send.
Real-time analytics – Track performance on the fly and optimise for conversions.
SMS marketing built in – Reach your customers where they are, beyond just the inbox.

Add in deep integration with your store, and Klaviyo becomes a data-rich marketing engine that works while you sleep.

Email Marketing + GDD = Smart Growth

Here’s where things get exciting. In a Growth-Driven Design approach, your website is just the start. It’s the launchpad.

Email is where the nurturing, retention, and re-engagement magic happens.

Instead of relying solely on ads or hoping people keep visiting your website, Klaviyo helps you build automated touchpoints that:

Convert more browsers into buyers
Re-engage cart abandoners
Turn first-time customers into repeat ones

And it does it all based on actual user behaviour, not guesswork.

Pricing: Is Klaviyo Worth It?

Short answer? Yes.

Klaviyo’s pricing is based on how many contacts you’ve got in your list. Here’s a quick overview:

Free Plan: Up to 250 contacts and 500 monthly emails
Paid Plans: From $20 USD/month, scaling as your list grows
Custom Pricing: Available for larger or high-volume brands

It’s not the cheapest option out there—but when you factor in the ROI, it’s more than fair. Better targeting = better results = better returns.

And compared to platforms like Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo’s data-driven focus and native eCommerce integration puts it in a league of its own.

Real-Time Reporting + A/B Testing = Smarter Decisions

One of the biggest upsides? You’re not flying blind.

Klaviyo gives you access to real-time performance metrics across every flow and campaign. Open rates, clicks, revenue attribution—you name it.

Plus, with built-in A/B testing, you can test subject lines, CTAs, or even entire email layouts to find what works best.

No more guessing. Just data-backed decisions.

Is It Easy to Use?

Yep. Despite all the power under the hood, Klaviyo’s interface is intuitive and user-friendly. Even beginners can jump in and start sending professional, on-brand emails.

Their support is solid too—with live chat, email help, and tonnes of step-by-step guides, webinars, and community support.

Why We’re a Klaviyo Partner (And Why It Matters)

We’re not just recommending Klaviyo because it’s trendy—we’re official Klaviyo Partners. That means:

We’ve done the training and know the platform inside-out
We get early access to new features
You get expert-level setup, strategy, and optimisation
We can help you build a system that grows with your business

Think of us as your in-house email team—minus the payroll overhead.

Final Thoughts: Should You Use Klaviyo?

If you’re serious about using your website and digital channels to drive real growth, then yes—Klaviyo is worth a look.

It’s not a silver bullet. But paired with the right strategy and the right GDD mindset, it’s one of the best tools in the shed.

And when we set it up and optimise it for you? Even better.

Want to see how Klaviyo could work for your business?

Let’s have a chat. We’ll show you how email can go from “meh” to metrics and money-making.

Staying out of the Spam Folder: Google’s Email Sender Requirements

Posted on April 23, 2024June 7, 2024 by Gus

Late last year (in 2023), Google announced an incoming tune-up of email sender requirements in email land. This is to shield the masses from what nobody wants flooding their inboxes – email spam.

One of the areas of focus in Google’s crack down is deceptive subject lines and content. This means no more clickbait or misleading promises (no, those shakes won’t really make you lose 24kg in 24 hours).
Your subject lines must accurately reflect the content of your emails and your messaging needs to be transparent and honest. No more misleading or deceiving recipients or you’ll be up against a swift and merciless spam filter.

Let’s not forget about consent either. Google wants to see explicit opt-in from your recipients. No more adding addresses to your list willy-nilly or buying email lists (never a good idea). If you can’t prove that someone actively signed up for your emails, you could be in violation of Google’s policies.

Spam – The Ongoing Enemy

First things first, let’s define what spam is in Google’s eyes. Spam isn’t just those annoying emails from Nigerian princes or sketchy pharma companies. It’s any unsolicited, bulk email that recipients haven’t explicitly opted-in to receive. Playing fast and loose with your email lists will leave you jacketless and out in the cold.

Or, you could keep warm, by adhering to Email Sender Requirements. This will ensure that your emails are seen as coming from legitimate sources. Fail these checks, and they’ll be flagged as spam and sent to the “Spam Abyss” – a bottomless pit where spam messages go to die, never to be seen or heard from again.

Authenticate your emails

Google’s new regulations require all senders to implement robust authentication measures, including DKIM and SPF (Sender Policy Framework). What do all these crazy acronyms mean though? We break it down into basic terms:

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

DKIM works by adding a digital signature to outgoing emails. This signature contains encrypted authentication information. This allows the recipient’s email provider to verify an email is legitimate and actually came from the stated sender’s domain.

The main purpose of DKIM is to prevent email spoofing and forgery, where spam or phishing emails might appear to come from a legitimate organisation when they don’t. With DKIM authentication in place, it becomes much harder for spam artists to send malicious emails while impersonating real companies or people.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

SPF prevents scammers from being able to send emails from a domain that belongs to a company or brand. It does this by creating a record of which mail servers have permission to send from that domain.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance)

To be authenticated for DMARC, messages need to meet the DKIM or SPF requirements (or both). It essentially allows domain owners to declare their authentication practices and give instructions to receiving servers on how to handle unauthorised emails claiming to be from their domain.

Email Marketing A Powerful Tool For Business Growth 7 1

Make it Easy to Unsubscribe

Part of the new Gmail email sender requirements was for senders of commercial emails to include a single click unsubscribe button. New Zealand email laws aren’t optional either you legally must include an unsubscribe button at the bottom of every newsletter.

To coincide with the new sending requirements, Google made it easier to unsubscribe from mail on web and phone. For web, they added an ‘unsubscribe’ button that comes up when you hover over an email on web.

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Spam rates

Google tracks spam user reports, complaints, bulk unsubscribe rates and other signals from Gmail users themselves. A sender with high spam rate – where recipients frequently mark their emails as junk – are waving a massive red flag 🚩.

Google enforced clear spam rate thresholds for all senders and then for those that sent more than 5000 emails per day. Ensure your spam rates tracked in Postmaster Tools remain under 0.10% and never let them skyrocket past 0.30%.

A consistently low spam rate acts as a safety buffer, making your email reputation more durable and less prone to collapsing if user complaints temporarily spike higher than usual.

Back on April 1st, Google began rejecting a portion of emails that don’t meet their compliance standards. For companies that depend on email as a primary communication channel with customers, failure to implement proper email authentication protocols will therefore mean your emails won’t make it into the inbox.

The bottom line is this: Google means business. They’re tired of spammers cluttering up Gmail inboxes, and they’re not afraid to throw the book at anyone who doesn’t fall in line. When it comes to email sender requirements and you know the boundaries, much of what was covered in this article will fall into the best practice norm.

When done right, there are many benefits to email marketing and if you haven’t been respecting the rules already, get yourself in order, follow the guidelines, and value your recipients’ inboxes. Failure to do so could result in your emails being blocked, your reputation tarnished, and your email marketing efforts rendered useless as they slide into the Spam Abyss.

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Third-Party Email Software Charges

Posted on March 3, 2024April 2, 2025 by Phil

Email is the proven and preferred method for many communications. A global study showed 83% of people prefer to receive communications from businesses over email. It’s also one of the most cost-effective channels for marketing. With a proven return on investment at $42 for every dollar spent.

And it yields precise engagement metrics on opens, clicks, user device, geolocation, and browser.

As such we send a number of transactional emails from our client’s websites to their customers. These include mostly responses from forms and other automated replies.

Previously we sent these from a no-reply email on our Back9 Emails. However as of March 2024, Google has implemented new anti-spam policies. This means there are now more risks of either;

Your emails going into spam folders, or worse;
They get flagged as spam and are not delivered at all.

Therefore a third-party email software is the best choice for sending emails from your website for several reasons:

Reliability and Scalability: A lost or delayed email can mean a lost customer. Third-party email providers offer leading deliverability, reliability, and scalability. Their infrastructure is designed to handle large volumes of emails efficiently, ensuring that your emails reach your customers’ inboxes promptly.
Deliverability: Getting your emails to the inbox every time is crucial for successful communication with your customers. Third-party providers have optimised their mail transfer agents (MTAs) and developed tools to manage deliverability effectively. As a result, this minimises the risk of emails being caught in spam filters or not reaching their intended recipients.
Expertise and Support: Third-party providers offer experienced support and strategic guidance to help you optimize your email program. From developer-focused APIs for seamless integration to intuitive user interfaces for easy management, they provide the tools and expertise necessary to exceed customer expectations and tailor the email experience to your business needs.
Precise Metrics: Third-party email software offers precise engagement metrics, including opens, clicks, user device, geolocation, and browser information. This data allows you to analyze the effectiveness of your email campaigns. Furthermore, it helps make informed decisions to improve engagement and ROI.

In summary

using a third-party email software ensures;

Reliable delivery
Optimal inbox placement,
Comprehensive support, and;
Detailed analytics

Ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of your email communications and improving customer experience.

Whilst this comes at a small cost (just 3.50 NZD per month) it is a cost we need to at the very least pass on to you our client. Especially when we have 100 or more websites on our servers… Ultimately however when weighed up against the the value it adds in terms of peace of mind and reliability is priceless.

Category: Email Marketing