5 Creative Ways to Increase Klaviyo Email Engagement and Drive Sales

Email marketing is an essential part of any ecommerce marketing strategy and a core piece of owned marketing. It enables brands to connect with customers, promote products and services, and drive sales. But, with so many brands vying for users' attention in their inboxes, it can be challenging to stand out and get your emails noticed.

About Shinola

Founded in Detroit, Shinola is a modern luxury brand crafting watches, leather goods, and jewelry built to last. As the company evolved its retail strategy, it aimed to strengthen customer relationships through smarter, more intentional digital communication.

The Challenge

Reimagining BFCM for a Premium Brand

For years, Shinola avoided Black Friday–Cyber Monday promotions to preserve its non-promotional image. But shifting consumer expectations and the brand’s growing online business called for a new approach — one that could drive engagement without diluting brand equity.

The Solution

Deliverability-Driven, Customer-First Strategy

Refined segmentation. Zettler Digital rebuilt Shinola’s send logic to focus on high-engagement audiences, improving deliverability and inbox placement.

SMS as a performance channel. The team introduced personalized SMS campaigns alongside targeted email drops to increase conversion without list fatigue.

Smarter automation. Core Klaviyo flows were re-engineered around Shopify triggers, capturing high-intent moments like cart and checkout abandonment.

The Results

The combination of segmentation discipline, channel synergy, and strategic SMS adoption helped Shinola deliver its strongest holiday performance to date — all while maintaining its luxury positioning.

+27%
YoY Klaviyo-attributed revenue during BFCM
+48%
YoY revenue per email recipient
40%
YoY revenue from flows

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“The drum I constantly beat is deliverability. Who are we reaching, and who are we intentionally not reaching? That’s helped Shinola surface in the right inboxes and drive revenue per recipient up significantly.”

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