What is Channel Affinity in Klaviyo? (And How to Use It)
You’ve got email. You’ve got SMS. Maybe even push notifications. But do you know which channel your customers actually prefer?
That’s where Channel Affinity comes in.
This predictive analytics feature in Klaviyo tells you which channel each customer is most likely to engage with, so you can stop guessing and start sending smarter. With this insight, you can increase your email conversion rate, boost ROI, and elevate your personalization strategy.
What is the New Klaviyo Channel Affinity?
Channel Affinity is Klaviyo’s machine learning model that ranks a customer’s preferred marketing channels: email, SMS, or push, based on how they engage with
your messages.
You’ll find it on the Predictive Analytics card in a user’s profile. It updates every two weeks, and the model is refreshed monthly.
How Does It Improve Engagement?
Instead of sending every message across every channel, Klaviyo Channel Affinity lets you reach people where they’re most likely to respond. It tracks:
CAMPAIGN OPENS AND CLICKS
ON-SITE ACTIVITY FREQUENCY AND RECENCY
SUBSCRIPTION DATES PER CHANNEL
It then ranks each channel per person:
Most likely to engage
Next best option
Least likely (but still possible)
This means higher engagement rates—and fewer missed opportunities.
How Does Channel Affinity Make Email More Personal?
Marketers crave better segmentation, smarter flows, and hyper-personalized messaging. Channel Affinity helps deliver that by giving you visibility into each customer’s true behavior, not just their opt-in status.
For example: You might have someone subscribed to both email and SMS, but if Klaviyo sees they only click SMS, you can prioritize that channel and adjust your strategy accordingly.
How to Use Klaviyo’s Channel Affinity
You can apply Channel Affinity across your Klaviyo account to improve how and where you message:
SEGMENT BUILDER
Create smart segments based on preferred channels
PROFILE FILTERS IN FLOWS
Route users through flows based on their affinity
CONDITIONAL SPLITS
Customize the message path based on what channel they’ll likely click.
Pro tip: If you drag in a split partway through a flow, Klaviyo will automatically place all components on the YES path (but you can flip it).
Turn Insight Into Impact
Channel affinity is like a crystal ball for marketers, except it’s backed by real data, not magic.
If you’re using multiple channels and want to level up your segmentation, personalization, and flow strategy, channel affinity is a game changer.
We’ve helped clients unlock serious revenue with Klaviyo’s predictive tools—including Channel Affinity. One brand drove over $500K in their first year after switching to Klaviyo + Shopify and optimizing their flows using engagement-based personalization.
We know how to turn data into growth—and we’ll help you do the same!
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