Yotpo’s Big Pivot: What It Means for Your Brand’s Email, SMS, & Beyond

Yotpo dropped some major news recently: Yotpo, the eCommerce tech unicorn, is laying off about 34% of its team and selling its Email and SMS divisions to Attentive and Omnisend. And they’re doing this in an effort to go all-in on AI-powered Reviews and Loyalty tools. 

Yotpo’s pivot reflects a broader trend in eCommerce – the rise of AI-driven personalization and focused tech stacks. As brands compete across Amazon, Shopify, and social platforms, Blue Wheel helps you stay ahead by integrating AI tools with omni-channel strategies that drive measurable results. We’re here to unpack what this shift means for your brand and share practical tips to keep your marketing firing on all cylinders.

What’s Happening at Yotpo? 

Why the Layoffs? 

Yotpo is trimming its global workforce by about 200 employees across Israel, New York, Bulgaria, Poland, London, and Australia. This tough call is part of a plan to streamline operations and focus on AI-driven Reviews and Loyalty products. The layoffs primarily affected teams associated with Email and SMS, as Yotpo shifts its focus to where it shines brightest. 

Why Sell Email and SMS? 

Yotpo is handing off its Email and SMS customer base to Attentive and Omnisend in a deal worth tens of millions of dollars. After chatting with hundreds of customers, Yotpo’s CEO, Tomer Tagrin, realized brands want best-in-class tools over a one-size-fits-all stack. 

How’s AI Powering Yotpo’s New Direction? 

Yotpo is leaning hard into AI to supercharge its Reviews and Loyalty tools. Here’s what’s new: 

• AI-Generated Review Summaries: Turning long customer reviews into snappy, conversion-boosting blurbs. 
• Smart Sorting Tools: Supporting over 35 languages to help you reach global shoppers. 
• Reviews Atlas: A slick AI analytics engine that digs deep into customer feedback. 
• Loyalty Tiers System: A beta program for personalized rewards, perfect for subscriptions or VIP perks. 
• Multilingual Widgets & LLM Search Optimization: Making your reviews work harder in search and across markets. 
• Deep Integrations: Tying Yotpo’s tools to platforms like Attentive, Omnisend, and Shopify. 

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Inside Yotpo, AI’s already a game-changer: 70% of support requests are handled by AI, 90% of marketing campaigns use AI, and by 2026, they expect 40% of new code to come from generative AI. This focus makes Yotpo leaner and faster. 

What Does This Mean for Your Brand? 

How Will the Email and SMS Switch Affect You? 

Brands using Yotpo’s Email and SMS tools will transition to either Attentive or Omnisend, depending on their needs. For Shopify-native brands, Omnisend’s seamless integrations and automation features may be ideal, while Attentive’s robust enterprise tools suit larger brands. 

Blue Wheel can help assess your tech stack to recommend the best fit, ensuring:

• Smooth Data Moves: Your customer data and campaign histories transfer securely. 
• No Campaign Hiccups: Keeping your Email and SMS efforts running smoothly. 
• Team Training: Get your crew up to speed on Attentive or Omnisend’s platforms. 
• Cost Clarity: Yotpo’s promised price matching, and we’ll double-check it fits your budget. 

Why Yotpo’s AI Pivot Is a Win for Your Brand 

Yotpo’s AI-powered Reviews and Loyalty tools are built to help you sell more, connect deeper, and scale smarter across channels: 

• Smarter Insights: Reviews Atlas crunches customer feedback to identify and implement meaningful actions across PDPs, SEO, merchandising, and more. 
• Better Conversions: AI-generated review summaries make it easier for shoppers to hit “buy,” with early data showing conversion lifts. 
• Loyalty That Pops: The new Loyalty Tiers system crafts personalized rewards—think memberships and hidden VIP perks. 
• Global Game Plan: With support for 35+ languages, your reviews can shine worldwide, from Shopify stores to international marketplaces. 
• Omnichannel Power: Deep integrations with Attentive, Omnisend, and Shopify tie your reviews and loyalty programs into a seamless strategy, boosting performance across every touchpoint. 

For example, Yotpo’s Reviews Atlas can highlight top customer feedback to make your product pages pop, driving higher click-throughs and sales. These insights can translate to content for social platforms like TikTok or Instagram, and the Loyalty Tiers system rewards can treat engaged fans with tailored offers, turning likes into repeat purchases. 

What Challenges Might You Face? 

Change isn’t always easy. Here’s what to watch for: 

• Campaign Pauses: Switching to Attentive or Omnisend might briefly disrupt your Email and SMS flows. 
• Tech Hiccups: Integrating new tools with your Shopify setup could need some tech TLC. 
• Learning Curve: Your team might need a quick crash course to master Yotpo’s AI features or new platforms. 

How Blue Wheel Can Help You Thrive 

At Blue Wheel, we’re all about turning tech changes into opportunities for your brand. Here’s how we’ve got your back: 

• Easy Migration: We’ll guide you through the switch to Attentive or Omnisend, keeping your data safe and campaigns on track. 
• AI Superpowers: We’ll help you tap into Yotpo’s Reviews Atlas and Loyalty Tiers to drive sales and retention. 
• Tailored Training: Our team will train yours to navigate Attentive, Omnisend, and Yotpo’s AI tools like pros. 
• Seamless Integrations: We’ll make sure your tech stack integrates correctly with Yotpo’s new tools. 
• Results Tracking: We’ll set up analytics to measure how these changes boost your KPIs, from conversions to customer loyalty. 

Why Trust Blue Wheel? 

With over a decade of omni-channel expertise, we’ve helped brands like a top skincare client score a 15% year-over-year boost by optimizing their tech stack during a platform switch. Our data-driven, hands-on approach ensures your brand shines across channels—no matter what changes come your way. 

Let’s Make Yotpo’s Pivot Work for You 

Yotpo’s move to AI and the sale of its Email and SMS divisions to Attentive and Omnisend is a big moment for eCommerce. There might be a few bumps, but it’s also a chance to supercharge your brand with Yotpo’s AI-powered Reviews and Loyalty tools. 

Ready to turn Yotpo’s AI pivot into an opportunity for your brand? Contact Blue Wheel for an Email & SMS audit to ensure seamless migration and optimized performance across channels.  

How Blue Wheel Helps Brands Prepare for BFCM 

Our proven expertise in ESP migrations and deliverability makes us the go-to partner for brands switching platforms before BFCM. Whether you’re moving from a retiring ESP like Yotpo’s Email and SMS or optimizing your current setup, our strategic approach ensures strong performance without invasive tactics. Here’s a guide to preparing for BFCM, leveraging Blue Wheel’s capabilities: 

1. Seamless ESP Migration by Mid-August 

With 100+ days until BFCM, Blue Wheel helps brands transition to modern ESPs like Klaviyo or Omnisend with minimal disruption. Our team ensures customer data, segments, and flow templates transfer smoothly, preserving campaign continuity.

• What Blue Wheel Does: Coordinates data imports, sets up tracking scripts (e.g., Klaviyo’s Shopify integration), and tests flows to capture real-time actions like cart abandonments. Our migration process is streamlined to avoid starting “from zero.” 
• Timeline: Complete migration before October (6-8 weeks), leaving time for optimization. 
• Why It Works: Blue Wheel’s expertise ensures flows like welcome emails or abandoned cart sequences resume quickly, using first-party data and server-side tracking to maintain performance. 

2. Domain Authentication for Top Deliverability 

Blue Wheel ensures your emails land in inboxes during BFCM’s high-volume period by prioritizing sender reputation. 

• What Blue Wheel Does: Supports configuration for your DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records in your DNS settings, aligning with Gmail and Yahoo’s 2024 requirements. We monitor sender health using tools like Google Postmaster. 
• Timeline: Complete before October to establish trust with ISPs. 
• Why It Works: Proper authentication prevents spam flags, achieving deliverability rates up to 99.5% (per industry benchmarks). Blue Wheel’s meticulous setup keeps your emails out of the junk folder. 

3. Strategic List Warming 

Blue Wheel’s deliverability experts guide brands through list warming to build a strong sender reputation before BFCM. 

• What Blue Wheel Does: Designs a warming plan, starting with engaged subscribers (e.g., those active in the last 30 days) and gradually expanding to less engaged segments. We target a spam complaint rate below 0.3%. 
• Timeline: Ideally begin in September, wrapping up by late October, with testing during holidays like Labor Day. 
• Why It Works: Gradual sending ensures ISPs recognize your domain as trustworthy, maximizing inbox placement for BFCM campaigns. 

4. Optimized Flows with Smart Segmentation 

Triggered flows drive 20-60% of email revenue, and Blue Wheel ensures they perform at their peak. 

• What Blue Wheel Does: Rebuilds flows in the new ESP, leveraging imported data and real-time tracking. We segment audiences by engagement or behavior (e.g., high-intent browsers vs. inactive subscribers) and personalize content based on purchase history. 
• Timeline: Set up and test flows by mid-October. 
• Why It Works: Blue Wheel’s data-driven approach boosts open rates and conversions. 

5. Campaign Testing and Refinement 

Blue Wheel’s team ensures BFCM campaigns resonate through rigorous testing. 

• What Blue Wheel Does: Runs A/B tests on subject lines, send times, and CTAs in September and October, using holidays like Halloween to gauge engagement. We suppress recent purchasers to avoid irrelevant offers. 
• Timeline: Finalize campaigns by early November. 
• Why It Works: Testing optimizes performance, ensuring BFCM emails drive clicks and sales without overwhelming subscribers. 

6. Multi-Channel Strategies for Maximum Reach 

Blue Wheel integrates Email with SMS and other channels to capture attention during BFCM. 

• What We Do: Set up SMS shortcodes and sync with platforms like Shopify or Meta for compliant retargeting. We ensure clear opt-ins to meet privacy standards. 
• Timeline: Complete SMS setup by mid-October (8-12 weeks for shortcode approval). 
• Why It Works: Multi-channel campaigns increase engagement. Blue Wheel’s clients benefit from strategies similar to those yielding 233% subscriber growth in Yotpo’s 2024 data. 

Why Blue Wheel’s Expertise Wins 

Blue Wheel’s approach prioritizes consent-based, high-quality data to drive BFCM success. Our team’s deep experience in ESP migrations and deliverability ensures brands avoid privacy pitfalls, maintain customer trust, and achieve strong ROI. 

By focusing on seamless transitions, robust authentication, and strategic campaign optimization, we empower brands to navigate the switch from platforms like Yotpo’s Email and SMS with confidence. Get in touch with our team today!