How it works

Follow these 4 simple steps to subscribe first-time customers to your Klaviyo marketing lists

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Order Created
App connector: Shopify • Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)
Why this matters: This trigger captures every new order placed in your Shopify store and starts the workflow to identify potential first-time customers for your marketing campaigns.

This step automatically activates whenever a customer completes a purchase in your store. The trigger captures essential order details including the customer's email address, order total, and customer ID that will be used in subsequent steps. No configuration is needed - the trigger is pre-configured to monitor all order creation events in your Shopify store. The captured order data gets passed to the next step to retrieve detailed customer information.

Retrieve Customer
App connector: Shopify • Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)
Why this matters: This step fetches the complete customer profile to determine their order history, which is essential for identifying whether they're a first-time buyer eligible for your welcome campaign.

This step automatically pulls detailed customer information from Shopify using the customer ID from the order trigger. The system retrieves the customer's full profile including their total order count, purchase history, and contact preferences. No manual configuration is required as the step uses the customer ID from the previous order to make the API call. The retrieved customer data, particularly the order count, gets passed to the filter step to determine if this is their first purchase.

Filter
App connector: Filter • Time to complete: 0 minutes (Auto-configured)
Why this matters: This filter ensures only genuine first-time customers with valid email addresses get added to your Klaviyo list, preventing duplicate subscriptions and maintaining list quality.

This step evaluates two conditions before allowing the workflow to continue: the customer's order count must equal exactly 1 (indicating their first purchase) and they must have a valid email address on file. The filter automatically checks the order count retrieved in the previous step and validates that the email field from the order is not empty. If both conditions are met, the workflow proceeds to subscribe the customer to Klaviyo; if not, the workflow stops here. No configuration is needed as the conditions are pre-set to identify first-time customers with valid contact information.

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Subscribe Profile
App connector: Klaviyo • Time to complete: 2 minutes
Why this matters: This step adds the qualified first-time customer to your designated Klaviyo marketing list with proper consent settings for email marketing campaigns.

This step creates a subscription in Klaviyo using the customer's email address and sets their marketing consent to "SUBSCRIBED" status. You'll need to specify which Klaviyo list you want new customers added to by entering the list ID in the configuration field. The step automatically formats the customer data according to Klaviyo's requirements and handles the API call to create the subscription. You can find your Klaviyo list ID by navigating to Lists & Segments in your Klaviyo account and copying the ID from your desired welcome list.

Make it your own

Customize this workflow even further:

Add customer tagging in Shopify
Tag first-time customers in Shopify with labels like "First Purchase" or "New Customer" to help your team provide personalized service and track customer lifecycle stages.
Send welcome email sequences
Trigger personalized welcome email campaigns in Klaviyo that introduce your brand, share your story, and provide helpful getting-started information for new customers.
Create customer segments based on order value
Add filters to separate high-value first-time customers into premium lists, allowing you to send different welcome experiences based on their initial purchase amount.
Track first-purchase analytics
Store first-time customer data in MESA Tables to build reports on acquisition trends, average first-order values, and new customer growth over time.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if a customer places multiple orders before this workflow processes their first order?
The workflow checks the order count at the time each order is processed, so if someone places two orders in quick succession, only the first one processed will trigger the Klaviyo subscription. The second order will see an order count of 2 and won't qualify for the first-time customer list.
Can I use this workflow for customers who create accounts but haven't purchased yet?
No, this workflow specifically triggers on completed orders, not account creation. If you want to capture email subscribers before purchase, you'd need a separate workflow that triggers on customer account creation instead of order creation.
Will this workflow subscribe customers who opt out of marketing during checkout?
The workflow includes a filter to check that the customer has a valid email address, but it doesn't check their marketing preferences from checkout. You may want to add an additional filter to respect customer marketing consent settings from your Shopify checkout process.
What is a template?
Templates are pre-made workflows by our team of experts. Instead of building a workflow from scratch, these have all the steps needed to complete the task.
Can I personalize a template?
Yes! Every step can be customized to meet your exact requirements. Additionally, you can even add more steps and make it more sophisticated.
Are templates free?
Yes! Our entire library containing hundreds of templates are free to use and customize to your exact needs.

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