Understanding data types
You will learn
Learn about the different options available for storing your data in Klaviyo, and how to use each one. Klaviyo allows you to harness the data collected about your customers to power data-driven marketing choices that will grow your brand. That being said, it's important to understand the data that's being pulled into your account.
Where data types appear in Klaviyo
When creating a segment or configuring a flow filter using Properties about someone, you will notice a dropdown menu that appears after you choose a dimension for your condition. This dropdown menu relates to the data type of the value you input.
The following data types are available to select:
- Text
- Number
- Date
- Boolean
- List
Text
A text input is any finite sequence of characters (i.e., letters, symbols, and punctuation marks). It is always used to represent plain text, even when it includes numbers or is formatted like a date. Use the text data type for:
- Names
- Numerals that are mixed with other characters (e.g., a currency symbol)
- Street addresses
- Short or long-form answers to a question (e.g., shopping preferences, favorite color)
Additionally, text is the default data type when the intended data type is unclear.
You can think of a text input as what might appear within quotation marks in a paragraph. Regardless of content in the quotation marks, whatever is inside of the quotation marks exists as a finite sequence of characters. Below is a sign-up form that gathers preference information that will be translated into text properties.
Number
A number is a numeric value without a decimal. When you import numeric values, Klaviyo automatically recognizes the value as a number, rather than text.
Number inputs could reference someone’s age, the number of emails received, or how many times a customer has purchased from you. Below is a segment that shows customer engagement by interaction with the number of emails that have been clicked on or opened in the last month.
Date
A date is used for any date-time value. Unlike a number, Klaviyo will only automatically recognize a date value as a date if it is formatted a certain way (i.e., YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS).
Dates could reference someone’s birthday, the day they first signed up for your newsletter, or an anniversary with a partner. Below is a sign-up form collecting birthday information as a date.
Boolean
The boolean data type can only represent two values: true or false. An example of boolean data is the property stored when someone has accepted marketing from you. Below is an example of a customer profile who consented to marketing.
Accepted true values are:
True, "1", 1, "true", "t", "yes", "y"
Accepted false values are:
False, "0", 0, "false", "f", "no", "n", None
All string values (those surrounded by quotes) are not case-sensitive.
If you're using a CSV to upload a boolean value to Klaviyo or sending custom object data via API, use True and False.
List
A list is any array of values; for example ["Offer1","Offer2"]. In Klaviyo, lists are used when the goal is to collect an array of words or phrases where every single item in the array can be identified individually.
One common use case for this is when different tags are being collected under a single property, such as the Shopify Tags property. When Klaviyo stores a property as a list, this allows you to use the property in a segment or filter and then include as many available tags as you'd like. You have the ability to choose from any value stored as part of the list.
Another common use case is when Klaviyo captures a Placed Order metric through an integration and the data we receive along with this placed order includes an Items property. This single Items property will need to include all items purchased in the order.
To achieve this, the property is always synced and stored as an array (a list) in Klaviyo. This allows us to store the Items property while including a series of values (i.e., each item purchased in the single order), where each value in the array can be identified individually.
When uploading a CSV that includes a list property, include the full list formatting within the cell. Make sure every entry in the column follows the list format, even if a particular person’s list contains only one item.
String (during list uploads)
When uploading a list of profiles into Klaviyo, there's one other data type that may appear; string.
String is the same as the text data type. When creating a segment, you can segment based on string data using the text data type.
Additional resources
- Getting started with segments
Learn how to create and use segments in Klaviyo, which are a powerful tool for understanding your audience and sending targeted messages.
- Understanding the information section of a profile
Learn about the information section of a profile in Klaviyo, which contains details such as when and how the profile found you and the last time they were active.
- How to update a profile property when someone clicks a link
Learn how to build email templates with buttons that tag subscribers with information based on the option they click. You can use this process to add profile properties when they click a link.
- How to embed a sign-up form on your BigCommerce order confirmation page
Learn how to embed a sign-up form on your BigCommerce confirmation page to collect additional information from customers after they finish the checkout process. These recent customers are already interested in your brand, so the confirmation presents a great opportunity to further engage with them.