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Contacts

Import contacts

Prepare a CSV, map customer fields, record consent and check import results.

Bring contacts into Kirora from a spreadsheet or another tool with a CSV import. Map the columns to contact fields and attributes, record the source of consent, then review the results when the background import finishes.

Prepare your file

  • Save it as a CSV with a header row, for example email, first_name, city, birthday.
  • Every row needs at least one way to identify the person: an email address, a phone number or an external ID (your own ID for the customer).
  • Use one date format for every date column.

Members can import files up to 900 KB. Admins and the owner can import files up to 100 MB. You can also paste up to 5,000 rows instead of uploading a file.

Import the file

  1. Go to Contacts, choose Add contacts, then Import a CSV.
  2. Drag the CSV onto the page or choose Choose file. You can also paste the CSV instead.
  3. Choose Map columns.
  4. For each column, choose what it becomes:
    • a Contact field: Email, First name, Last name, Phone, External ID, Time zone, Country or Email consent
    • Keep on the contact, as an attribute such as city or loyalty_tier. Pick an existing attribute or make a new one and choose its type. A date column becomes a date attribute you can use in date-based journeys.
    • Don’t import
  5. Set the Import options (see below).
  6. Optionally, use Add successful contacts to a group to put everyone in a group. You can create a new group here.
  7. Choose Import contacts.

A large file uploads first and then imports in the background, so you can leave the page once the upload finishes.

Import options

Contacts already here decides what happens when a row matches an existing contact by external ID, email or phone:

  • Add new contacts and update existing ones (the default)
  • Only add new contacts: matching rows are skipped
  • Only update existing contacts: rows that match nobody are skipped

Dates are written as sets how dates are read: YYYY-MM-DD, DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY. A date with no year, such as 31/12, is treated as every year, which suits birthdays.

Importing a contact never gives consent on its own. To let these contacts receive marketing, either map an Email consent column, or tick:

  • Everyone in this file agreed to marketing email
  • Everyone in this file agreed to push notifications

If you grant consent, say How did these people agree?:

  • They opted in: they signed up or ticked a box. This doesn’t lapse.
  • They’re existing customers: they bought from you and can opt out at any time. For contacts in Canada, this lapses after two years without a new purchase.

Then describe Where and how, for example “Checkout opt-in on juniperkitchen.com”. Kirora keeps this with each contact’s consent history as evidence.

Check the results

When the import finishes, you’ll see how many rows were Imported, Updated, Skipped and Failed, with the problem for each failed row. Choose Download every failed row (CSV) to fix them and import that file again. Re-importing the same people doesn’t create duplicates.

Past imports are listed under Recent imports on the import page.

Other ways to add contacts

Add contacts also offers:

  • Add one contact: type in a single person.
  • Collect with a signup form: people add themselves from your website, with consent. See Create a signup form.
  • Send from your app: a developer creates contacts and updates them as things happen. See the API quickstart.

Moving from another email tool? Also import your old provider’s unsubscribes and bounces into the suppression list, so those addresses stay protected. See Consent and unsubscribes.