What is Event trigger?
An event trigger is a customer action or data change, such as placing an order or starting checkout, that starts an automated flow for that person.
Flows in Klaviyo and similar platforms start from a trigger. It can be a tracked event like Started Checkout, a list or segment joining, or a date property such as a birthday.
The trigger decides who enters and when. A trigger tied to a real action is usually more relevant than a calendar send, because the email arrives when the behaviour is fresh.
Events must be tracked reliably for this to work. If the store integration does not send an event, the flow quietly never starts, so test each trigger with a real or test profile.
A worked example.
A hypothetical bookshop sets a flow to trigger on a customer viewing a series page but not purchasing. When a visitor browses the second book of a series and leaves, the flow starts and sends an email about that series a few hours later.
Common mistakes.
- Choosing a trigger without verifying the event fires
- Triggering several flows on the same event with no priority
- Using a list trigger when a behaviour trigger fits better
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