INFLUENCER MARKETING

Klaviyo vs. Mailchimp: An Influencer Platform’s Perspective [and 2024 Complete Guide]

Klaviyo and Mailchimp are excellent email marketing tools, but they’re different.

Klaviyo excels with its e-commerce integration and advanced features, while Mailchimp is prized for its user-friendliness and versatility.

Choosing the right platform can significantly impact your marketing efficiency, campaign effectiveness, and, ultimately, your bottom line.

This decision should align with your business’s specific needs, objectives, and the granularity you desire in your marketing efforts.

Side note: Here’s how our stats look like after finding the right influencer outreach tool:

We’ll help you get similar results by comprehensively delving into Klaviyo vs. Mailchimp’s features, usability, pricing, and more.

We’ll also share plenty of insider tips from our experience as an influencer marketing platform with plenty of creator outreach conducted throughout the years.

Side note: While we at inBeat prefer Mailchimp, we’ve tested plenty of email marketing software to refine our strategies and achieve our marketing goals.

Let’s dive in.

TL;DR:

Klaviyo vs. Mailchimp Overview:

• Klaviyo is best for e-commerce with its advanced features, segmentation, and deep Shopify integration.
• Mailchimp excels in user-friendliness, versatility, and is ideal for general digital marketing beyond e-commerce.

Ease of Use:

• Mailchimp offers a straightforward, easy-to-navigate interface.
• Klaviyo provides a feature-rich experience with a steeper learning curve.
• Features Comparison:
• Both platforms offer robust email campaign tools, automation, and A/B testing capabilities.
• Klaviyo allows for more advanced segmentation and personalization.

Pricing:

• Mailchimp is more budget-friendly, especially for small businesses.
• Klaviyo's pricing is based on the scale of your operation, potentially becoming pricey as you grow.

Customer Support:

• Mailchimp provides 24/7 support for paying customers.
• Klaviyo offers comprehensive email support and educational resources but lacks around-the-clock support.

Final Recommendation:

• For e-commerce focused businesses, Klaviyo is the preferred choice due to its tailored solutions and detailed analytics.
• For broader digital marketing needs and businesses seeking simplicity and cost-effectiveness, Mailchimp is recommended.
• The decision should be based on specific business needs, contact list size, and budget considerations.

1. Ease of Use

Let’s start with arguably the most important factor for the right email software: the ease of use.

We’ll share our opinion as we analyze Mailchimp and Klaviyo regarding user interface and dashboard functionalities.

User Interface Comparison

Both Klaviyo and Mailchimp present user-friendly interfaces but cater to different preferences and expertise levels.

• Mailchimp shines with its simplicity and guided user experience, earning a perfect score for its straightforward approach. It’s designed to get you up and running quickly without navigating a maze of features and settings.
• Klaviyo offers a more feature-rich interface that, while still intuitive, might feel overwhelming at first glance. It’s packed with advanced functionalities tailored for those seeking depth in their marketing campaigns, particularly in eCommerce. Klaviyo’s rich-featured interface tells you you’re dealing with a highly capable platform so that the steeper learning curve might be worth it.

Dashboard Functionalities

The dashboard is where you’ll spend most of your time; here, both platforms offer distinct experiences.

• Mailchimp’s dashboard is a model of clarity, focusing on essential metrics and streamlined campaign management. It’s all about providing the information you need without clutter or confusion.
• Klaviyo’s dashboard serves up a wealth of data and customization options. That means you get detailed insights and can tweak every aspect of your campaigns. The segmentation capabilities, in particular, stand out, with Klaviyo offering more nuanced and automatic sorting of subscribers into relevant categories. Therefore, you get a solid foundation for targeted marketing efforts.

Like so:

inBeat’s Insider View

Mailchimp’s simplicity and guided functionality are ideal for crafting and managing outreach campaigns.

Mailchimp’s straightforward design and broad-stroke analytics provide just the right balance of simplicity and effectiveness for influencer marketing.

Conversely, Klaviyo’s depth is perfect for eCommerce brands looking to dive deep into their marketing analytics.

2. Features Comparison

In this section, we’ll discuss how Klaviyo and Mailchimp stack up against each other regarding email campaigns, segmentation, automation, and A/B testing.

Email Campaigns: Design, Templates, and Customization

When evaluating any email marketing software, check their email campaign capabilities.

In our case, both Klaviyo and Mailchimp offer intuitive visual campaign builders with seamless drag-and-drop functionality.

Plus, you can easily integrate various elements like buttons and products into your emails, tailoring them to your specific needs.

Marketing Emails You Can Send

• Transactional Emails: Both platforms enable you to send order-related notifications. However, Klaviyo requires direct engagement with their support team to activate transactional emails, which adds an extra step to the process.
• Abandoned Cart Messages: A vital feature for recovering lost sales, both services provide the tools to lure customers back to their carts with targeted emails that highlight abandoned products.
• Product Recommendations: Use your segmentation data within both platforms to send personalized product suggestions to your customers, enhancing the shopping experience.
• Custom Email Flows: Tailor email sequences to fit the unique preferences of your audience, scheduling messages at optimal times to increase engagement.

Mailchimp’s Approach

Accessing Mailchimp’s email campaign functionality is straightforward.

From the dashboard, initiating a new campaign is a matter of a few clicks, whether you opt for a standard email or delve into their template offerings.

Pro tip: Mailchimp stands out with its choice between a classic builder and an AI-enhanced option (still in beta), catering to traditional and cutting-edge preferences.

The robust platform’s builder supports a wide array of content elements and allows for detailed customization of your email’s appearance, with real-time previews for both desktop and mobile viewing.

Klaviyo’s Method

Klaviyo organizes its campaign options under the “Campaigns” tab, presenting a choice between modern and classic editors.

The platform emphasizes scheduling, with a built-in calendar to manage your email campaigns.

Pro tip: Klaviyo allows you to create multi-channel campaigns using emails, SMS, and push messages.

Choosing a template in Klaviyo is about finding the right fit for your message, with a focus on simplicity and brand integration.

The editing experience mirrors that of Mailchimp, offering a side-by-side view of your email and a selection of content blocks for customization.

inBeat’s Insider View

For influencer outreach and various campaigns, we lean toward Mailchimp because we like its intuitive interface, straightforward design capabilities, and comprehensive guidance for efficiently managing our outreach efforts and other marketing initiatives.

Automation and Flows

Automation is a cornerstone for enhancing customer engagement and streamlining campaign management.

Both Klaviyo and Mailchimp offer robust automation features, but their approaches and capabilities cater to varying needs and preferences.

Klaviyo’s Approach to Automation

Klaviyo’s extensive automation capabilities allow for highly personalized and behavior-triggered email sequences.

Pro tip: The platform’s “Flows” feature is where you’ll spend most of your time setting up automation.

Here, Klaviyo provides a wealth of pre-designed flows or the flexibility to craft one from the ground up, depending on your campaign’s goals.

Selecting a flow prompts you to define your target audience, ensuring each message is finely tuned to the recipient’s actions or stage in the customer lifecycle.

Klaviyo’s editor then guides you through customizing the logic, timing, and content of each email in your series.

You’ll see advanced options like conditional splits, SMS integration, and webhook connections for a truly tailored experience.

Mailchimp’s Journey Builder

Conversely, Mailchimp simplifies the automation process with its intuitive Customer Journey Builder.

Accessible through the “Automation” tab under the “Create” menu, this tool invites you to either start from scratch or leverage Mailchimp’s pre-built journeys.

That means you can optimize for various customer interactions such as welcome series, product recommendations, and more.

Pro tip: The journey builder’s visual interface allows for easy customization of triggers and actions.

As such, you can easily design a sequence that aligns with your engagement strategy, such as event-based automation for retargeting or celebratory emails for customer milestones.

inBeat’s Insider View

While both platforms offer a comprehensive suite of automation tools, Klaviyo edges out with its in-depth customization options and the ability to include diverse message types within a single flow.

Its detailed setup might appeal more to users looking for granular campaign control.

Mailchimp, on the other hand, focuses on accessibility and ease of use, making it ideal for those who prefer a more straightforward approach to automation without sacrificing effectiveness.

Our advice: Consider your specific needs for customization, the complexity of your campaigns, and your preference for ease of use versus depth of functionality.

Segmentation Capabilities

Segmentation is a sine qua non in email marketing, enabling targeted and personalized campaigns.

While both Mailchimp and Klaviyo offer robust segmentation tools, they cater to different levels of user expertise and specific needs.

Mailchimp Segmentation

Mailchimp provides a user-friendly interface within the “Audience” dashboard for managing contacts, creating sign-up forms, and assigning tags.

Its segmentation capabilities allow for the creation of segments based on factors like location, engagement, and activity.

Pre-built segment suggestions and analytics-driven subscriber preferences enhance ease of use for beginners.

Pro tip: Mailchimp’s AI can predict contact demographics, further refining segmentation.

The problem: Mailchimp’s segmentation is more basic, focusing on criteria such as age, location, email client, and campaign activity without support for real-time behavior tracking or predictive analytics.

Klaviyo Segmentation

Klaviyo offers advanced segmentation focusing on transactional and behavioral data, accessible through the “Audience” section.

Users can create highly personalized segments by combining various conditions, including transactional data and demographics.

Klaviyo integrates with CRMs like Shopify to leverage customer interactions for segmentation, offering predictive analytics to forecast behaviors like churn risk and purchase frequency.

Pro tip: Klaviyo’s segmentation capabilities surpass Mailchimp’s, especially with features like SMS and email subscriber segmentation, automated addition of new customers to segments, and the ability to run A/B tests with up to seven variations.

inBeat’s Insider View

While we prefer Mailchimp for its simplicity and ease of use, particularly for outreach campaigns, it’s important to recognize Klaviyo’s superior segmentation capabilities.

For businesses requiring intricate segmentation based on detailed customer behaviors and predictive analytics, Klaviyo may be the more suitable choice.

However, for campaigns that benefit from straightforward segmentation and user-friendliness, Mailchimp remains our go-to tool.

A/B Testing Methods

We love data.

Data allows us to find relevant influencers so that our clients can build effective campaigns.

The thing is, you must interpret that data correctly.

And A/B testing is key for getting more accurate data to optimize your email marketing campaigns.

That’s because you can compare variations and determine which elements resonate best with your audience.

Pro tip: Both Klaviyo and Mailchimp offer A/B testing capabilities, but they differ in the extent of their functionality and flexibility.

Mailchimp A/B Testing

Mailchimp supports A/B testing with a more simplified approach, allowing you to test up to three variations of an email.

You can experiment with elements like the sender name, content, subject line, and send time.

There are two things to consider:

• The access to A/B testing features might be limited on Mailchimp’s free plan.
• The platform’s straightforward testing options make it better for basic comparisons at the campaign level, such as variations in subject lines and email body content.

Klaviyo A/B Testing

Klaviyo expands on A/B testing by permitting up to seven email variations.

That means you get a broader scope for experimentation.

Beyond individual emails, Klaviyo lets you test different automation flows and campaigns, providing a more comprehensive performance analysis across various elements.

This includes detailed metrics like open rates, conversion rates, and click rates to determine the most effective campaign.

Pro tip: Klaviyo’s A/B testing setup is more complex, requiring separate campaign creation before initiating a test.

However, its depth of analysis and flexibility in testing different aspects of campaigns and flows make it a powerful tool for detailed optimization.

inBeat’s Insider View

At inBeat, we appreciate Mailchimp’s straightforward and user-friendly A/B testing capabilities, especially for outreach campaigns where basic tests are often sufficient.

However, for marketers and businesses looking to conduct in-depth analysis and optimize every aspect of their email strategy, Klaviyo’s advanced A/B testing features provide the necessary depth and flexibility.

While Klaviyo’s setup might be more intricate, the insights gained from extensive testing can significantly impact campaign effectiveness and ROI.

Analytics and Reporting Insights

Mailchimp and Klaviyo offer comprehensive analytics and reporting features but boast different best uses.

Mailchimp Analytics and Reporting

Mailchimp’s analytics are centralized within the “Analytics” tab, offering a user-friendly environment to track campaign performance.

You can navigate through sections like “Email,” “Reports,” and “Custom Reports” to access vital metrics, including open rates, click rates, and average order revenue.

The platform provides a visually intuitive interface, making data easy to digest and share through exportable reports.

Mailchimp extends its analytics to cover individual campaign metrics and the performance of various marketing channels, including landing pages and social posts.

Pro tip: The “Contacts” section offers insights into audience behavior and predictive analytics on customer lifetime value, which is great for targeted campaign planning.

Klaviyo Analytics and Reporting

Klaviyo takes a more detailed approach to analytics, allowing users to delve into each customer’s profile within the “Audience” section to uncover purchase history and engagement patterns.

Pro tip: Its predictive analytics feature predicts customer lifetime value, offering strategic insights for long-term planning.

The “Analytics” tab in Klaviyo is a hub for dashboards, metrics, benchmarks, and custom reports, with a broader range of metrics than Mailchimp.

This granularity enables a deeper analysis of campaign performance and customer behavior.

Klaviyo also offers industry benchmarking, allowing you to compare your performance against industry standards.

Therefore, you get a clear perspective on your competitive standing.

inBeat’s Insider View

While we generally lean towards Mailchimp for its simplicity and ease of campaign management, we acknowledge Klaviyo’s superior depth in analytics and reporting.

So, we admit that if you prioritize detailed performance analysis and industry benchmarking, Klaviyo offers a more sophisticated toolkit.

However, for those who prefer a more straightforward and visually intuitive reporting experience, Mailchimp’s analytics provide ample insights for effective campaign optimization.

Ultimately, the choice depends on the level of detail and customization your strategy requires.

Other Features: Opt-In Forms, Subscriber Profiles, and More

Mailchimp and Klaviyo offer a wealth of extra features designed to enhance user experience and campaign effectiveness.

Let’s dive in and see what additions you can get.

Subscriber Profiles

• Mailchimp: The subscriber profile in Mailchimp offers a straightforward overview of individual subscriber interactions, including email engagement history and demographic information. While functional, the customization options for viewing this data are somewhat limited.
• Klaviyo: Klaviyo’s approach to subscriber profiles is more advanced, allowing for greater customization in how data is displayed. This includes the integration of predictive analytics, offering insights into future subscriber behavior and potential value. The ability to tailor views to specific needs gives Klaviyo an edge in subscriber analytics.

Opt-In Forms

• Mailchimp: Opt-in forms in Mailchimp are tied to lists, meaning a new form requires the creation of a new list. This can be somewhat restrictive for users looking to create multiple forms without segmenting their audience into separate lists.
• Klaviyo: Klaviyo offers more flexibility with its opt-in forms, allowing you to create multiple forms without associating each with a separate list. This flexibility, combined with a drag-and-drop form builder, makes Klaviyo’s opt-in forms more versatile and user-friendly.

Insider tip: Klaviyo’s flexible approach to opt-in forms is best for subscriber acquisition thanks to its high customization. This is especially good if you want to implement diverse signup strategies without complicating your list management.

Sweet Extras

While Klaviyo shines in many areas, Mailchimp offers unique features not found in Klaviyo, such as landing pages and postcards.

These additions can be particularly useful to expand your marketing campaign beyond email.

Pro tip: Using custom domains with Mailchimp’s landing pages may incur additional costs.

inBeat’s Insider View

While we often favor Klaviyo’s advanced capabilities and customization options, we recognize the value of Mailchimp’s unique features, like landing pages and postcards.

Consider these additional tools when choosing an email marketing platform, especially if they align with your specific marketing strategies or campaign goals.

Integrations and Extensions

Klaviyo and Mailchimp offer robust capabilities, but again, they cater to different preferences and needs.

While both platforms offer integration with hundreds of tools and the ability to connect with other apps via Zapier, Klaviyo’s specialized focus on e-commerce provides a distinct edge for businesses in that sector.

Its deep integration with Shopify and other e-commerce platforms, combined with the ability to harness detailed CRM data, allows for highly personalized and effective marketing campaigns.

Klaviyo: E-commerce Focus

Klaviyo is highly regarded for its deep integration with e-commerce platforms, particularly Shopify.

This native integration is a significant advantage for e-commerce businesses, allowing you to connect your store data to Klaviyo seamlessly.

The result is the creation of powerful automation, targeted sequences, and the dynamic insertion of products into email campaigns.

Klaviyo’s ability to pull detailed data from a wide array of CRMs, including Eventbrite, Magento, Opencart, and over 220 other tools, is extremely useful.

Pro tip: That’s because Klaviyo is designed for e-commerce from the ground up, offering tailored solutions that enhance customer engagement and sales through data-driven insights.

Klaviyo also encourages the development of custom integrations and is responsive to new integration suggestions, ensuring it remains adaptable to evolving e-commerce needs.

Mailchimp: Digital Marketing Focus

Mailchimp also offers a wide range of integrations but is more generalized in its approach, catering to a broader digital marketing spectrum beyond just e-commerce.

With a dedicated marketplace for native connections, Mailchimp users can easily integrate with various services, from Facebook and Google Analytics to QuickBooks and Shopify.

Mailchimp’s integrations are well-organized, so you can easily find and implement solutions for analytics, CRM, CMS, and more.

Pro tip: Mailchimp is a versatile tool for businesses looking to manage multiple aspects of their digital marketing from one platform.

inBeat’s Insider View

For e-commerce businesses looking to leverage every piece of customer data for personalized and automated marketing campaigns, Klaviyo is the better choice, thanks to its superior integration capabilities and e-commerce focus.

However, Mailchimp offers a versatile and user-friendly option for businesses that require a more generalized digital marketing tool with a wide range of integrations.

At inBeat, we appreciate Mailchimp’s ease of use and broad marketing capabilities for our outreach campaigns, but we acknowledge Klaviyo’s specialized e-commerce strengths.

Pricing and Value

Pricing is a key factor that can influence your decision.

Mailchimp and Klaviyo offer distinct pricing models tailored to different needs and scales of operation.

Mailchimp Pricing Plans

Mailchimp is known for its budget-friendly approach, making it an attractive option for small to medium-sized businesses initiating drip campaigns and email sequences.

The free plan is particularly appealing for newcomers, allowing up to 1,000 email sends to 500 contacts each month, albeit with limited features like the absence of automated journeys, A/B testing, and Mailchimp branding on emails.

For more advanced capabilities, Mailchimp offers tiered pricing:

• Essentials: Starts at $13/month for up to 500 contacts, offering features like 24/7 support, pre-built templates, and A/B testing without Mailchimp branding.
• Standard: Begins at $20/month, enhancing the Essentials plan with advanced segmentation, dynamic content, and improved campaign management tools.
• Premium: The high-end option starts at $350/month, providing comprehensive features including advanced segmentation, multivariate testing, and dedicated support.

Klaviyo Pricing Plans

Klaviyo’s pricing structure is straightforward, focusing on the scale of your contact list and email/SMS sends.

The free tier supports up to 500 monthly email sends with essential features like segmentation, customer profiles, and A/B testing, making it robust for starters. Paid options are based on the number of contacts:

• Email Plan: From $20 for 500 contacts with 5,000 monthly emails, extending all free plan features with enhanced support.
• Email & SMS Plan: Starting at $35/month, this plan includes email features plus SMS/MMS credits, catering to integrated marketing strategies.

inBeat’s Insider View

While Mailchimp’s cost-effective pricing is ideal for businesses focusing on basic email marketing functionalities, the platform can become pricey as you scale and require more advanced features.

Klaviyo, on the other hand, offers a more powerful free plan suited for businesses prioritizing detailed segmentation and personalization from the start.

However, as your contact list grows, Klaviyo’s costs can rise quickly.

Customer Support and Community

Regardless of the kind of software you buy for your company, be prepared for some learning.

You need access to comprehensive support channels and learning materials to optimize your email marketing strategies.

Klaviyo Customer Support and Community

Klaviyo provides a multifaceted support system, including a detailed help center filled with guides and tutorials, an academy offering Klaviyo-specific courses, live training sessions, and a community forum for peer-to-peer assistance.

The platform allows direct interaction with support teams via virtual assistants and email support.

Pro tip: Klaviyo’s support services aren’t accessible around the clock. This could be a limitation for businesses operating in different time zones or requiring immediate assistance outside Klaviyo’s support hours.

Mailchimp Customer Support and Community

Mailchimp stands out for its 24/7 support available to all paying customers, offering a range of contact methods, including phone, email, and live chat.

Therefore, you can get help anytime, which is great if you operate on tight schedules or in various time zones.

The platform’s help center is robust and packed with articles, guides, and resources to help you leverage Mailchimp’s features.

Pro tip: The support available to users on the free plan is significantly restricted, with access to customer service being limited to the first 30 days only.

inBeat’s Insider View

If 24/7 access to various support channels is a priority, Mailchimp’s paid plans could be more appealing.

However, if you’re looking for comprehensive email support across all pricing tiers and value community engagement and educational resources, Klaviyo’s offering might suit your needs better.

Weigh these factors against your business’s operational hours, the team’s expertise, and the complexity of the email marketing strategies you intend to implement.

Wrapping Up: Which Email Tool Should You Pick?

Klaviyo and Mailchimp offer compelling features for email marketing, but they cater to different needs and priorities:

• For e-commerce: Klaviyo is the clear winner for e-commerce businesses, thanks to its deep integration with Shopify and other e-commerce platforms, advanced segmentation, and powerful automation capabilities. If your primary goal is to drive sales through personalized email and SMS campaigns, Klaviyo’s sophisticated tools and analytics are designed to deliver results.
• For general digital marketing: Mailchimp is an excellent choice for broader digital marketing efforts beyond e-commerce. Its user-friendly interface, extensive template library, and robust integrations make it a versatile tool for various marketing activities, including email campaigns, landing pages, and social media ads.
• For small businesses and startups: Mailchimp’s affordable pricing and comprehensive free plan make it ideal for small businesses and startups with limited budgets. Its simplicity and ease of use allow quick campaign setup without a steep learning curve.
• For advanced marketers: Klaviyo is better suited for advanced marketers who require detailed analytics, segmentation, and testing capabilities to optimize their campaigns. Its customization options and integration depth provide the flexibility needed for sophisticated marketing strategies.

Before deciding, though, consider your specific needs, the size of your contact list, and your budget.

Both platforms offer valuable tools, but the best choice depends on your particular use case and priorities.

Remember, the right tool is the one that aligns with your business goals and enhances your marketing efforts.

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