The Pareto principle holds true in ecommerce: roughly 20% of your customers generate 80% of your revenue. Yet most brands treat every customer identically — the same emails, the same offers, the same experience regardless of whether someone has spent £30 or £3,000.
A VIP segment in Klaviyo changes this. By identifying your highest-value customers and delivering differentiated experiences — early access, exclusive offers, personalised attention — you strengthen the relationships that matter most to your bottom line.
We build VIP programmes for every Klaviyo account we manage, and the impact is substantial. VIP customers who feel recognised and valued spend more frequently, refer more friends, and are significantly less likely to churn.
This guide covers how to define your VIP criteria, build the segments in Klaviyo, create automated VIP flows, and design campaigns that make your best customers feel genuinely special.
Why VIP segmentation matters
VIP segmentation is not about sycophancy — it is about smart resource allocation. Here is why it matters commercially:
- Revenue concentration — your top customers disproportionately drive revenue, so losing even a few has an outsized impact
- Retention economics — retaining a VIP customer is far more valuable than acquiring a new one at the same cost
- Referral potential — VIP customers are your most likely advocates and referral sources
- Feedback quality — engaged, high-value customers provide the most useful product and service feedback
- Competitive moat — a strong VIP programme creates switching costs that keep your best customers loyal
Without VIP segmentation, you risk treating your most valuable customers the same as one-time buyers. Worse, you might inadvertently annoy them with irrelevant messaging or miss opportunities to deepen the relationship.
Defining your VIP criteria
Before building anything in Klaviyo, define what "VIP" means for your brand. The most common approaches use a combination of these metrics:
| Metric | What it measures | Typical VIP threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | Lifetime spend | Top 5-10% of customers |
| Order count | Purchase frequency | 3+ orders in 12 months |
| Average order value | Spend per transaction | Above store average |
| Recency | Time since last purchase | Purchased within 90 days |
| Predicted CLV | Future revenue potential | Top 10% predicted CLV |
We recommend using a combination of total revenue and recency as your primary criteria. A customer who spent £2,000 three years ago is not as valuable as one who has spent £500 in the last six months. The ideal VIP is both high-spending and recently active.
Step 1: Analyse your customer data
Before setting thresholds, understand the distribution of your customer data:
- Go to Analytics > Metrics > Placed Order in Klaviyo
- Review the distribution of total revenue per customer
- Identify natural breakpoints — where does the top 5%, 10%, and 20% sit in terms of total spend?
- Check purchase frequency — how many orders do your top customers typically place per year?
- Look at recency — are your highest-spending customers still active?
Example analysis
For a typical mid-market fashion brand on Shopify, the data might look like this:
| Segment | % of customers | Revenue threshold | % of total revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| VIP Gold | Top 2% | £1,000+ lifetime | 25% of revenue |
| VIP Silver | Top 3-10% | £300-999 lifetime | 35% of revenue |
| Engaged | Top 11-25% | £100-299 lifetime | 25% of revenue |
| Standard | Bottom 75% | Under £100 lifetime | 15% of revenue |
This kind of analysis reveals just how concentrated your revenue is, and it makes the business case for VIP segmentation obvious.
For a deeper dive into segmentation strategy, see our comprehensive segmentation guide.
Step 2: Build the VIP segment in Klaviyo
- Go to Lists & Segments in Klaviyo
- Click Create Segment
- Name it "VIP Customers" (or "VIP Gold" if creating tiers)
- Add the following conditions:
Condition 1: Revenue threshold
Select What someone has done > Placed Order > value of Placed Order is at least [your threshold] over all time (or within the last 12 months for a rolling window).
Condition 2: Recency
Add an AND condition: Placed Order at least 1 time in the last 180 days. This ensures only active high-spenders qualify as VIPs.
Condition 3 (optional): Engagement
Add: Has opened email at least 1 time in the last 90 days. This ensures VIPs are reachable and engaged with your email marketing.
Klaviyo segments are dynamic. Customers automatically enter the segment when they meet the criteria and exit when they no longer qualify. This means your VIP list stays current without manual maintenance.
Step 3: Create VIP tiers
For brands with a large customer base, tiered VIP programmes create a progression that motivates customers to spend more:
Tier structure example
| Tier | Criteria | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| VIP Gold | £1,000+ lifetime spend, ordered in last 180 days | 20% exclusive discount, free express shipping, early access, birthday gift, founder's note |
| VIP Silver | £300-999 lifetime spend, ordered in last 180 days | 15% exclusive discount, free standard shipping, early access to sales |
| Rising Star | £100-299 lifetime spend, 2+ orders, ordered in last 90 days | 10% exclusive discount, early access notifications |
Create each tier as a separate segment in Klaviyo. Use exclusion conditions to prevent overlap — for example, VIP Silver should exclude anyone who qualifies for VIP Gold.
Step 4: Build a VIP welcome flow
When a customer enters the VIP segment, they should receive a welcome sequence that acknowledges their status and outlines their benefits:
- Go to Flows > Create Flow > Create from Scratch
- Set the trigger to Segment > VIP Customers (triggers when someone enters the segment)
- Add a time delay of 1 hour (to allow other transactional emails to clear)
- Add your VIP welcome email
VIP welcome email content
- Congratulate them on reaching VIP status
- Clearly list their benefits — discounts, early access, free shipping, etc.
- Include a unique VIP discount code
- Add a personal touch — a note from the founder or a handwritten-style message
- Set the tone for exclusivity — "You are one of just [X] customers who have earned this status"
Follow-up emails
- Day 3: Showcase VIP-exclusive products or early access items
- Day 7: Share the brand story, behind-the-scenes content, or founder interview
- Day 14: Invite them to provide feedback or join a VIP advisory panel
For more on building effective flows, see our essential Klaviyo flows guide.
Step 5: Design VIP-exclusive campaigns
VIP customers should receive differentiated campaign content throughout the year. Here are the key campaign types:
Early access campaigns
Give VIPs 24-48 hours of early access to new product launches, seasonal collections, and sales. This creates genuine value and makes the VIP status feel worthwhile.
Exclusive product drops
Reserve limited-edition products or colourways exclusively for VIP customers. This creates scarcity and gives VIPs a tangible benefit that non-VIPs cannot access.
VIP appreciation events
Quarterly or annual "VIP Appreciation" emails that include a surprise gift, an extra discount, or a handwritten note. These unexpected touches strengthen the emotional connection.
Feedback and co-creation
Invite VIPs to vote on new product designs, test upcoming launches, or provide feedback on your website experience. This makes them feel invested in the brand and provides valuable insights. For more on leveraging customer feedback, see our growth retainer guide.
Advanced VIP strategies
Predictive VIP identification
Use Klaviyo's predicted CLV to identify customers who are likely to become VIPs before they reach the threshold. Create a "Rising VIP" segment based on high predicted CLV and send aspirational messaging: "You are close to VIP status — just £[X] more to unlock exclusive benefits."
VIP retention flow
Build a dedicated retention flow for VIPs who show signs of disengagement (churn risk increasing, email engagement dropping, time since last order exceeding average). The messaging should be more personal and urgent than a standard win-back flow — losing a VIP customer is a significant revenue event.
VIP referral programme
VIP customers are your most likely referrers. Create a referral flow that gives VIPs a more generous referral incentive (e.g., £20 credit versus £10 for standard customers) and tracks referral performance. This turns your best customers into an acquisition channel.
Cross-channel VIP experience
Extend VIP recognition beyond email:
- Website — show VIP pricing or a VIP badge when they are logged in
- Customer service — tag VIP profiles in your helpdesk for priority support
- Packaging — include VIP-exclusive inserts or premium packaging for orders from VIP customers
- SMS — send VIP-exclusive text messages for flash sales or early access
VIP birthday and anniversary flows
VIP customers should receive enhanced birthday and purchase anniversary emails with more generous gifts or discounts than standard customers. A £10 gift voucher for a standard customer might become a £25 voucher or a free product for a VIP. For more on flow optimisation, see our flow optimisation guide.
Common mistakes to avoid
1. Making VIP status purely about discounts
If the only VIP benefit is a bigger discount, you are devaluing your products and training customers to expect lower prices. Focus on exclusivity, access, and recognition — these are more sustainable and more meaningful than a few percentage points off.
2. Setting the bar too low
If 40% of your customers qualify as "VIP," the designation is meaningless. VIP should be exclusive — the top 5-10% at most. This ensures the benefits are financially sustainable and the status feels genuinely special.
3. Not communicating VIP status
Some brands create VIP segments but never tell customers they are VIPs. If the customer does not know they have special status, the psychological benefit of recognition is lost. Always send a clear VIP welcome email and reference their status in subsequent communications.
4. Static criteria
Fixing VIP thresholds at launch and never revisiting them means the criteria become outdated as your business grows. Review thresholds quarterly to ensure they still represent your top customers accurately.
5. Ignoring VIP churn
When a VIP customer stops buying, the response should be immediate and proportionate to their value. A VIP who has not purchased in 90 days warrants a personal outreach — not just another automated email. Consider having your team send a genuine personal email to high-value VIPs who show signs of churning.
Your VIP customers are the foundation of your business. They account for a disproportionate share of your revenue, they are your most likely advocates, and they are the hardest to replace if lost. Treating them the same as everyone else is not just a missed opportunity — it is a risk.
A VIP segment in Klaviyo takes under an hour to set up. The automated flows and campaigns that follow turn it into a genuine competitive advantage. Your best customers feel recognised, spend more, and stay longer.
Start simple: identify your top 5-10% by revenue, build the segment, send a VIP welcome email, and give them early access to your next launch. The impact will be immediate and measurable.
Need help building your VIP programme in Klaviyo? See our Klaviyo services or get in touch for a free account audit.
