Overview
Klaviyo lets you send beautifully designed preview emails using your existing Klaviyo account. When a shopper shares their preview via email, Instant Art Kit sends an event to Klaviyo which triggers a Flow that delivers the email.
Prerequisites
- Instant Art Kit installed and configured
- A Klaviyo account connected to your Shopify store
Step 1: Get your Klaviyo private API key
- Log in to your Klaviyo account
- Go to Settings > API Keys
- Click Create Private API Key
- Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “Instant Art Kit”)
- Make sure the key has Full Access to Events (required to send preview events)
- Copy the generated API key
Store your API key somewhere safe. Once you leave this page, Klaviyo won’t show the full key again.
Step 2: Configure Instant Art Kit
- In your Shopify admin, go to Apps > Instant Art Kit > Settings
- In the Preview sharing section, check Email button
- Select Klaviyo as the email provider
- Click Add API key and paste your Klaviyo private API key
- Click Save in the modal, then save your settings
Step 3: Send a test email to register the event
Before you can create a Flow in Klaviyo, the Preview Email Requested event needs to exist in your Klaviyo account. Klaviyo registers new API events automatically when they are first received.
- Go to a product page on your storefront that has Instant Art Kit enabled
- Generate a preview
- Click the Email button and enter a test email address
- This sends the first event to Klaviyo and registers it under your API metrics
This step is required. Klaviyo won’t show the event as a trigger option until it has received at least one event.
Step 4: Create a Klaviyo Flow
- In your Klaviyo account, go to Flows
- Click Create Flow > Build from scratch
- For the trigger, select API as the source
- Search for Preview Email Requested in the event list
- Select it and click Done
Step 5: Add an email action
- Click the + button below the trigger
- Select Email as the action
- Design your email template
Available event data
The event includes the following properties you can use in your Klaviyo email template:
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
event.productUrl | Link to the product page with the preview pre-loaded | https://yourstore.com/products/diamond-painting?iak_uuid=... |
event.previewImageUrl | Direct URL to the generated preview image | https://api.instantartkit.com/api/files/.../preview |
The customer email is used as the event profile, so Klaviyo automatically sends to the right recipient.
Designing the email template
- Add the preview image using the
event.previewImageUrlproperty as the image source - Add a call-to-action button linking to
event.productUrlso the customer can return to the product with their preview loaded - The
productUrlincludes deep-link parameters that automatically open the preview modal when the customer visits the page
Step 6: Activate the Flow
- Review your Flow to make sure the trigger and email action are connected
- Set the Flow status to Live
- Your Klaviyo email automation is now active
Testing
- Go to a product page on your storefront
- Generate a preview and share it via email
- Check Klaviyo’s Activity Feed to confirm the event was received
- Verify the email arrives with the correct preview image and product link
If the event doesn’t appear in Klaviyo, verify your API key is correct in the Instant Art Kit settings. You can replace it at any time from the settings page.