Black Friday is November 27. Your BFCM plan was probably locked in August, and Klaviyo has changed a lot since then.
WILL THESE UPDATES IMPACT YOUR BFCM RESULTS?
Yes, even if you don't touch them. Some are already live in your account: new SMS pricing, AI tools that can send campaigns, new consent rules. Others give your competitors an edge if they switch them on first. Here are the 9 that matter, and what to do about each.
THE 9 KLAVIYO UPDATES
1. SMS IS NOW PRICED PER MESSAGE
Status: Live since July 13, 2026. (Klaviyo)
What changes: No more credits. You pay per message, and the rate depends on the channel, the country and your number type.
The catch: This is your first BFCM under the new pricing. Last year's text calendar may cost more than you think.
What to do: Price your BFCM texts at the new rates and compare the total to your budget now, not when the December invoice arrives.
2. COMPOSER, KLAVIYO’s AI MARKETER, IS LIVE
Status: Generally available since October 13. (Klaviyo)
What changes: You can ask questions about your data in plain English, like "Who bought on Black Friday last year and came back?"
The catch: It's brand new, and AI answers still need a human check before they turn into segments or sends.
What to do: Use it to study last year's BFCM, and have someone verify the numbers.
3. ONE REPORT FOR EVERY CHANNEL
Status: Live since October 27. (Releasebot)
What changes: You can export campaign results for email, SMS, push and WhatsApp into one file, filtered by date, tag, channel or A/B test.
The catch: A report is only as good as your campaign setup. If your BFCM sends aren't tagged consistently, comparing them afterward gets messy.
What to do: Tag every BFCM campaign the same way before you send, so your recap takes minutes, not days.
4. KLAVIYO WANTS TO DECIDE WHO GETS WHICH DISCOUNT
Status: Partly live. Personalized send time and product recommendations work today. Discount decisioning is still in preview. (Klaviyo)
What changes: Klaviyo picks when to send, what to show and how big a discount to offer, customer by customer. Your monthly coffee subscriber probably doesn't need 30% off to buy.
The catch: These models learn from your data, so they get smarter after a big season, not right before one.
What to do: Use personalized send time now. Save discount decisioning for January.
5. KLAVIYO PICKS EACH CUSTOMER’S BEST CHANNEL
Status: Live, along with RCS (texts with images and buttons). (Klaviyo)
What changes: Customers who love email get email. Customers who answer texts get texts.
The catch: Your BFCM schedule was built for "email at 8, text at noon." Some customers could hear from you too much, others not at all.
What to do: Review your Smart Sending rules, and test channel affinity on one campaign first.
6. YOUR AI CUSTOMER SERVICE AGENT NEEDS YOUR BFCM RULES
Status: Live, and now covers multiple countries. Phone support is coming soon. (Releasebot)
What changes: Customer Agent answers "Where's my order?" and "Can I stack codes?" by email, chat, text and WhatsApp.
The catch: It only knows what you tell it. One wrong "Yes, those codes stack!" costs you margin and trust.
What to do: Write your offer, code-stacking, shipping and return rules in plain words, add them to the agent, then test it.
7. YOU CAN COLLECT SMS SUBSCRIBERS AT CHECKOUT
Status: Live for Shopify since mid-October. (Releasebot)
What changes: A checkbox at checkout turns BFCM deal shoppers into subscribers you can text again in January.
The catch: A new tracking-consent option means EU shoppers who say no won't register opens, so "opened in the last 30 days" segments can shrink.
What to do: Turn on the checkout opt-in now, and add clicks and purchases to any open-based segments.
8. POP-UPS ARE FASTER TO BUILD
Status: Live. Forms now have Brand Styles and on-site previews. (Releasebot)
What changes: Set your brand look once, then preview your Black Friday pop-up on your real site and your phone before it goes live.
The catch: None. This one is an easy win.
What to do: Use it for your BFCM forms.
9. YOUR DATA AND TEMPLATES GOT AN UPGRADE
Status: Live: Custom Objects, template version history and duplicate-profile merging. (Releasebot)
What changes: Store subscriptions or refill dates for better restock emails, and undo template mistakes in one click.
The catch: Changing how your data is set up in November can quietly break your flows.
What to do: Start using version history now. Save the data work for January.
OUR TAKE: DON’T CHANGE EVERYTHING, BUT DON’T IGNORE IT
Rushing every update before Black Friday is as risky as ignoring them all. Switch on the easy wins, audit what's already changing, and save the big rebuilds for January, when you'll have fresh BFCM data to work with.
KLAVIYO UPDATES FAQ
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Yes. Per-message SMS pricing and new consent options are already live, so they affect your costs and segments even if you change nothing.
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Composer is Klaviyo's AI marketing agent, generally available since October 13, 2026. It answers questions about your data in plain English and can run recurring analyses.
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Since July 13, 2026, Klaviyo charges per message in dollars instead of credits. Rates vary by channel, country and number type.
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Only the easy wins, like checkout SMS opt-in and branded forms. Audit what's already changed, and leave data-model changes and preview features for January.
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Middleman's Klaviyo team will audit your account before BFCM: SMS costs, segment health, campaign setup and your AI agent's answers. You'll know exactly what to turn on, what to fix and what to leave alone.
