What is Channel Affinity in Klaviyo? (And How to Use It)
How Klaviyo Channel Affinity Helps Brands Personalize Email, SMS, and Push
This article explains what Klaviyo’s Channel Affinity feature does and why it matters for brands using more than one messaging channel. Instead of treating every subscriber the same, Channel Affinity uses predictive analytics to estimate whether a person is most likely to engage with email, SMS, or push notifications.
The post focuses on how that insight can improve segmentation, flow logic, and personalization. By using true engagement behavior rather than just opt-in status, marketers can prioritize the channel each customer is more likely to respond to and make their cross-channel strategy more efficient.
- Channel preference becomes clearer Klaviyo ranks the channels each customer is most and least likely to engage with based on their behavior.
- Personalization gets smarter Brands can stop blasting every message across every channel and instead tailor communication more intentionally.
- Flows and segments become more effective Channel Affinity can be used in segment builder, profile filters, and conditional splits to improve targeting and engagement.
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!
Get Your Free Revenue ForecastFrequently Asked Questions
What is Channel Affinity in Klaviyo?
Channel Affinity is a predictive analytics feature in Klaviyo that ranks which marketing channel a customer is most likely to engage with, including email, SMS, or push notifications.
How does Klaviyo determine channel affinity?
The feature uses machine learning and looks at signals like campaign opens and clicks, on-site activity frequency and recency, and channel subscription dates to estimate each person’s preferred channel.
Why is Channel Affinity useful for e-commerce marketing?
It helps brands send messages through the channels customers are more likely to respond to. That can improve personalization, reduce wasted sends, and make email, SMS, and push work together more strategically.
How can brands use Channel Affinity inside Klaviyo?
This article highlights three main uses: building smarter segments, filtering profiles inside flows, and creating conditional splits that route subscribers based on their likely channel preference.
What is the main takeaway from this article?
The main takeaway is that Channel Affinity gives marketers a more practical way to personalize multi-channel messaging. When brands use it to align communication with real customer behavior, they can create more relevant flows and improve engagement across channels.
