How to set up a birthday flow in Klaviyo

A birthday flow sends a personal message on or near a customer's birthday. In Klaviyo you collect a birthday into a profile property, build a flow triggered by a date based property, add one or two emails with a small gift or a simple greeting, and test it with a dummy profile before setting it live.

Have this ready.

• A way to collect birthdays, such as a signup form field or a preference page
• Consent from each person to receive marketing email
• A decision on the gift, such as a code, free shipping or just a greeting
• A short list of favourite products to feature

Steps.

1. 1. Collect the birthday properly

   Add a birthday field to a signup form or a post-signup preference form. Make it optional and explain why you are asking, so people are happy to share it.

2. 2. Check the property format

   Open a test profile and confirm the birthday is stored as a date property, not plain text. A flow cannot trigger on a date if the value is stored as a string.

3. 3. Create a date triggered flow

   In Flows, choose a flow triggered by a date property and select the birthday field. Decide whether it fires on the day or a few days before.

4. 4. Add a flow filter

   Limit the flow to people who can receive marketing email and exclude suppressed profiles. Consider excluding anyone who has not engaged in a long time.

5. 5. Write one warm email

   Keep the first message short and personal, with a clear greeting, one gift and one button. A second email a few days later can remind people the gift expires.

6. 6. Set the gift rules

   Create a code that is limited to one use per person and expires after a sensible window. Tell people the end date inside the email itself.

7. 7. Test with a dummy profile

   Set a test profile birthday to a date that triggers the flow soon, confirm it enters, and read the email on a phone before you set it live.

Common pitfalls.

• Asking for a birthday with no reason given, so people leave the field blank or enter false dates.
• Storing the value as text, so the trigger never fires.
• Using a gift code that anyone can share, with no use limit or end date.
• Sending to profiles that have since unsubscribed because the filter was missed.

Check it worked.

• Birthday property shows as a date on a test profile
• Test profile enters the flow on the right day
• Gift code works once and expires as stated
• Suppressed profiles are excluded
• Email status is live, not draft

Klaviyo changes its interface from time to time, so treat the steps as the order of work and match the names to what you see on screen.

Rather have this done for you? See our email flows & automation service or book a free audit.