Pen and Paper
FAQs

General Questions

What exactly is Pen and Paper and how does it work?

Pen and Paper is a combined server-side and browser-side tracking solution built specifically for Shopify merchants using Klaviyo. Unlike cookie-dependent tracking, we capture 99.9% of shopper events using first-party server tracking that works with ad blockers, iOS privacy changes, and Safari's 7-day cookie limitation. Our identity resolution technology matches anonymous visitors to known profiles across sessions and devices, creating complete customer journeys that last a full year instead of just 7 days.

Do you send emails to people who haven't subscribed to my list?

Absolutely not. Pen and Paper does not send emails. Our system simply provides enhanced customer events that you can use to trigger your existing campaigns and flows in Klaviyo. All the data we work with is first-party information that comes directly from your store interactions—we never cross-reference with other platforms or sites. This approach ensures complete compliance with privacy regulations while eliminating any concerns about unwanted communications or spam complaints.

Compliance & Privacy FAQ

Is Pen and Paper compliant with privacy regulations?

Yes, Pen and Paper is fully compliant with global privacy regulations including GDPR and CCPA. We maintain privacy standards while capturing first-party data, and we never share your customer data across different merchants. Our privacy-first architecture is built to handle iOS updates, GDPR, and CCPA requirements without compromising data quality.

How does Pen and Paper ensure compliance with data privacy regulations?

Pen and Paper integrates seamlessly with your existing consent management solution, such as OneTrust or TrustArc. During our simple setup process, you select your current consent management provider, and we automatically align with your established privacy framework. This means we honor all user consent choices at the source. We never collect or store data that customers have opted out of sharing. This approach ensures compliance with major privacy frameworks including GDPR, CCPA/CPRA, and other privacy regulations while maintaining the highest tracking effectiveness for consented users.

How does Pen and Paper's approach to compliance differ from other tracking solutions?

Unlike some tracking solutions that collect data first and filter later (potentially creating compliance gaps), Pen and Paper respects consent choices at the point of collection. When a visitor opts out through your consent management platform, that data is never captured or stored in our system. This architecture eliminates the risk of processing non-consented data and provides a more defensible compliance position than standard tracking implementations. By working in harmony with enterprise consent management platforms like OneTrust and TrustArc, we leverage your existing compliance infrastructure rather than creating parallel systems.

Platform Comparisons

How is Pen and Paper different from Shopify's built-in tracking?

Pen and Paper goes far beyond Shopify's native tracking capabilities in several critical ways. While Shopify only reconciles customer behavior once someone logs in or completes checkout, our system stitches together anonymous and authenticated identities across devices, sessions, and channels in real-time. This means we capture the complete customer journey even when visitors browse anonymously for weeks before purchasing.

Additionally, Pen and Paper enhances your customer data quality by masking PII (Personally Identifiable Information), enriching profiles with geolocation data, and computing derived fields before this data lands in your downstream destinations. Shopify's pipeline performs only basic enrichment (such as currency conversion) but doesn't allow you to inject custom logic or create a truly unified customer view across touchpoints. This difference is why our merchants typically see a 40-50% increase in identifiable customers compared to using Shopify's tracking alone.

How is Pen and Paper different from Klaviyo's built-in tracking?

Klaviyo's tracking is purpose-built to measure the performance of your email and SMS marketing campaigns—focusing on metrics like opens, clicks, and direct attributions. While excellent at what it does, Klaviyo's tracking wasn't designed to solve the identity resolution challenges that modern privacy changes have created.

Pen and Paper complements Klaviyo by focusing on comprehensive customer identification and behavior tracking that works despite iOS privacy changes, ad blockers, and cookie limitations. We capture events Klaviyo misses, stitch together fragmented customer profiles, and then enrich this unified data before sending it to Klaviyo. This means your existing Klaviyo flows and campaigns can target 40-50% more customers with significantly improved personalization. The combination of Pen and Paper's identity resolution capabilities with Klaviyo's powerful campaign tools creates a significantly more effective marketing ecosystem than either platform could achieve alone.

How is Pen and Paper different from other tracking solutions like Retention.com or Elevar?

Unlike some solutions that leverage networks of third-party sites to identify visitors or send emails to people who haven't explicitly opted into your brand, Pen and Paper is GDPR-compliant by design and only works with your existing customer data. We don't send emails to non-subscribers or use cross-site tracking networks. Our technology focuses on identifying visitors who are already in your database but whom Shopify and Klaviyo fail to recognize due to cookie limitations, device switching, or privacy settings.

Implementation & Results

How long does it take to set up Pen and Paper?

Our setup process takes just 20 minutes and requires zero coding on your part. Our team handles all the technical implementation while you focus on your business. We provide guided configuration and one-click integration with Klaviyo, making it incredibly simple to get started.

How soon will I see results after implementing Pen and Paper?

Most merchants begin seeing measurable improvements within 2 weeks of implementation. Typical results include a 40-50% increase in audience reach and a 40% lift in email revenue as your Klaviyo campaigns start reaching previously missed customers.

How do I know if the ROI claims are real and not just Klaviyo's generous attribution?

We understand the skepticism around ROI claims, especially since Klaviyo's attribution can sometimes be generous. That's why we measure results across multiple metrics including customer retention (typically 50% higher), conversion rates (40% higher), and customer lifetime value (30% higher). We're happy to work with you to validate results through your GA4 or other analytics platforms to confirm the actual uplift.

Pricing & Value

Pen and Paper sounds expensive. Is it worth the investment?

While our solution isn't the cheapest option available, our customers consistently see 40% higher revenue from existing customers and 30% lower wasted advertising spend. For a typical Shopify store, this translates to an ROI of 4-5x the subscription cost. We're confident in our ability to deliver value, which is why we're transparent about our pricing and results.

Do you offer a trial period to verify the results before committing?

Yes, we offer a trial period that allows you to verify the uplift in your specific store environment before making a long-term commitment. During this period, you'll receive full access to our platform and support team to help you measure the actual impact on your revenue and customer engagement metrics.

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