Use custom objects in segments and flows

Act on your custom object data

Imagine you run a pet supply company that sells food, toys, and other essentials for dogs. Using a Pets custom object, you can keep track of each customer's dogs, including their breed, age, and other important details.

Now, let's say you're planning a promotion on grooming products designed for Goldendoodles. Rather than sending it to every dog owner, you could build a segment of customers who own at least 1 Goldendoodle.

Your business may not be in pet supplies, so the custom objects you create and manage will depend on your business and its needs. For this example, though, let's walk through how to build a segment of customers who own Goldendoodles using the Pets custom object.

Set up the segment

1. In Klaviyo, navigate to Audience > Lists & segments.
2. Select Create > Segment.
3. Give your segment a descriptive name, such as Customers with Goldendoodles.
4. In the segment builder, select Properties about someone.
5. Under the Object group, select Pets.

Define who qualifies

1. In the Person row, select has at least one.
2. In the where row, select the property breed. If the row isn't visible, select Add filter condition.
3. Set the operator to Equals and select Goldendoodle.
4. Select Create segment to save your segment.

Check your segment

Review your segment results to make sure you're reaching the right customers.

Someone with a Goldendoodle and a Labrador Retriever should qualify because at least 1 of their pet records matches the breed condition. Someone who only owns Labrador Retrievers shouldn't qualify.

With your segment created, you can send promotions featuring grooming products, toys, and other supplies relevant to Goldendoodle owners.

Create date-triggered flows using custom objects

Remember how hotels and restaurants used custom objects to track reservations in Lesson 1? Each reservation has its own record, including important dates like check-in or reservation dates.

With date-triggered flows, these businesses can use that information to automatically remind customers about upcoming reservations, helping reduce no-shows and keep customers informed.

Click through the slideshow below to build a reservation reminder flow for a restaurant.

Choose your reservation date

Navigate to Flows, then create a flow from scratch. Choose a date-based trigger using your restaurant's reservation custom object, and select the property that stores the reservation date.

Schedule your reminder

Configure the flow to trigger 3 days before the reservation date. Choose the time of day you want the reminder to send, then save your trigger settings.

Add your reminder email

Add an Email action to the flow and name it something like "Send reservation reminder." Configure the email content, review your flow settings, and set the message live when you're ready.

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Refine your flows with filters and conditional splits

Your reservation reminder flow is ready, but what happens if a guest cancels their reservation? Or if a party of 10 needs different instructions than a party of 2?

That's where filters and conditional splits come in. They let you use custom object data to control who qualifies for a flow and what happens next.

Let's explore how each one works using our restaurant's reservation data.

Want to explore these options further? Check out How to use custom objects in flows for more guidance on configuring filters and conditional splits with custom object data.

Filter reservations by status

Let's say a guest has two reservations: one confirmed and one canceled. You wouldn't want both reservations to trigger reminder emails.

To prevent this, add a trigger filter to your reservation reminder flow:

1. Open the flow's trigger settings.
2. Add a trigger filter using the reservation custom object's Status property.
3. Set the condition to Status equals Confirmed.

Now, only reservation records that meet this condition will qualify to trigger the flow.

Choose the right tool for the job

Your restaurant wants to make its reservation reminder flow more targeted. Match each scenario to the Klaviyo feature that would help accomplish it.

You've learned how to use custom object data to build targeted segments, automate messages around important dates, and refine your flows with filters and conditional splits.

In the next lesson, you'll learn how to use that same data to personalize your messages, making each interaction more relevant to the customer receiving it.