The VIP flow for Shopify stores
A VIP flow for Shopify stores that thanks and keeps your best customers: who qualifies, what to send, full copy, and setup notes for Klaviyo and Omnisend.
The flow at a glance
Your best customers are usually a small share of buyers and a large share of revenue. The VIP flow makes sure they feel it.
After that, VIPs get a lighter version of your campaigns and first access to launches, planned by the email calendar.
- 1Email 1: Thank you
- 2Email 2: Early access
Three ways to draw the line
Who counts as a VIP is a choice, and there are three common ones. Pick the one that matches how your customers buy: a store with a few expensive products should judge by spend, a store people restock from every month should judge by orders. source, checked 25 September 2026
- By spend: customers who spent more than a set amount in a set time.
- By orders: customers who ordered more than a set number of times in a set time.
- Either: customers who clear the order bar or the spend bar, whichever comes first.
Email 1: Thank you
Subject: You are one of our favourite people
Preview: A small thank you inside
A personal note from the founder: specific thanks, what they get from now on (early access, a gift with their next order, a direct reply address), no hard sell.
Email 2: Early access
Subject: You get first pick
Preview: Before anyone else
The launch or sale, a day early, with the reason: "because you have been with us since the start".
Setup notes
Klaviyo: create a segment for your VIP rule, then a flow triggered by "Added to segment". Use the segment to include VIPs in early-access campaigns.
Omnisend: create the segment and use a segment-entry trigger if available, or send early-access campaigns to the segment.
The time window is not optional
A VIP rule with no time limit fills up with people who were great customers years ago and have not bought since. Klaviyo's example definitions look back over the last year, and set the bar just above what an average customer spends or orders in that time. source, checked 25 September 2026
Some Klaviyo accounts show Placed order value where others show Revenue. They hold the same number, so use whichever your account offers, and do not be surprised if neither appears in a brand-new store with no orders yet. source, checked 25 September 2026
Why this flow is built by hand
A flow that starts when someone joins a segment can be built in Klaviyo's editor, but an app cannot create one through Klaviyo's API. Tilly's publish step refuses a segment-started flow for that reason and says so, rather than pushing a draft that would start on the wrong trigger. Build this one in Klaviyo, and use the segment for your early-access campaigns as well.
What to measure
- Repeat order rate for VIPs versus similar customers not yet in the segment
- Early-access revenue
- Replies to the thank-you email
People leave the segment too
With a rolling window, some customers drop out every month. Do not tell them. Let the next order bring them back in, and keep an eye on how many VIPs you lose each quarter: a steady rise is an early sign that your best customers are buying less, long before revenue shows it.
Questions people ask
Who counts as a VIP?
Usually the top slice of customers by total spend or number of orders. Set the bar so it means something, often a small percentage of customers.
Do VIPs need a discount?
Not always. Early access, a personal note, or a free gift often means more to your best customers than a percentage off, and costs less.
How high should the VIP bar be?
A little above what your average customer spends or orders in a year. Much higher and the segment is too small to matter; lower and it stops feeling special. source, checked 25 September 2026
Why can't I find Revenue in Klaviyo's segment builder?
It only appears once someone has placed an order in your store, and in some accounts it is called Placed order value instead. source, checked 25 September 2026
How Tilly uses it
The email calendar plans early-access sends for VIPs before every launch and sale.
What to send besides early access
The best VIP emails ask as much as they give. Your top customers know your range better than anyone, and a short survey about what they want next is both a thank you and free product research. A bundle they choose themselves is another reward that costs little and says you trust their taste. source, checked 25 September 2026
See this on your own store
Paste your store URL. The first pass takes about a minute and needs no account. Save a card (nothing is charged) and Tilly reads the whole store and works out who buys from you.