The Import List Wizard allows you to either Subscribe or Unsubscribe a list of contacts in bulk by formatting a file of contact information.
Important things to consider when importing contacts:
The list import process adds contacts to one list at a time. Ensure you are on the list associated with the action of the contacts you are importing.
The Import List Wizard requires a minimum of two contacts on your file to import.
To subscribe or unsubscribe an individual contact, use the Subscribe/Unsubscribe feature. To learn more, read the Subscribe or Unsubscribe Contacts Individually article.
Email is the primary key and must be provided to add a new contact.
There is a file size limit of 250 MB, for both the One-Time Import or Recurring Import options. Files larger than 250 MB can be zipped to be uploaded.
If a contact is currently unsubscribed from a list they will not be resubscribed during the list import process.
It's best to set up your profile fields prior to importing your list. Examples of profile fields include first name, last name, and preferences. However, you can add profile fields during the import process as well as noted below.
Acceptable import file formats include:
• Microsoft Excel (.xls, .xlsx)
• Zip file (.zip)
• Plain text (.txt, .csv)
Learn more about the process to
Using the List Import to Subscribe Contacts
To begin, navigate Contacts > Email Contacts Import List Wizard.
⚠️ The List Import experience is dependent on the features enabled in your Listrak account. If you are interested in a feature you do not see in your own account please contact your Account Manager.
Choose between a One-Time Import or Recurring Import.
A one-time import will upload a single contact file in one of the accepted file formats.
A recurring import utilizes Listrak's FTP integration to upload a file on a schedule. The FTP integration must already be configured to be available.
Select an existing FTP integration from the drop-down.
Enter the expected File Name, which may include wildcard characters denoted by asterisks (*)
Choose the purpose of your import.
Add/Update Subscribers: This option imports a list of new and existing subscribers. In the next step you will select how you update the information of an existing subscriber.
⚠️ This option will import the entire file. If a contact is already on a list their information will be updated, but they will not be subscribed a second time.Update Existing Subscribers: This option only updates subscribers that are currently subscribed to the list. If you have 100 contacts to import, of which only 75 are currently on your list, only those 75 contacts will be updated. The additional 25 contacts that do not match any records on the list will be disregarded.
💡 If using the external contactID with this option, only contacts who have an email that corresponds to the ID in the file will be updated.
📌 Learn more about the unsubscribe options in the Unsubscribe section of this guide.
Click Choose file and select the file you'd like to import. If configuring a recurring import, this can be an example file that has the same format as the file that will be uploaded to the FTP.
Click Next Step.
Configure the imported file.
💡 The configuration options will differ depending on the purpose of the import. All options are outlined below.
Data Settings
In the data settings, you have three options that determine how the data in the file is processed.
Does the first line of this file contain column names? The first question establishes whether the first row in your file contains column headers. You can either define column headers, like email, first name, and last name, for consistency, or you can leave them undefined. If your file contains column names it can make determining your file layout in later steps easier.
If a subscriber already exists on the list, I want to... This option determines what to do if a customer is already subscribed to the list. You have three options:
Update the Specified Fields: This is the default and recommended option. This option will update the fields that you are specifying in your file. If there is a blank in the file for one of the records, this function will skip over the field and leave the current data in place. Other fields that are not included in your file will not be changed.
Append New Fields: This option adds new information in fields that had not previously been completed in a contact's profile. For example, if you are importing a file that includes first name and last name, and the contact you are importing has a first name, but no last name already on the list, it will only add the last name column to that contact's profile.
Overwrite All Fields: This option will overwrite every field in a contact's profile with the value in the file. For example, if you have a file that contains blanks in the first name column, and you have contacts that have a first name, this will overwrite the value with blank instead of skipping over the field.
Configuration Options (optional)
After you have defined the data settings, you have the option to configure the import to only process rows where the selected column has a defined value.
For example: Your file may have a column labeled "optIn" with the values "true" and "false". You would select the "optIn" column using the drop-down, and enter "true" into the adjacent textbox. This would ensure that the only rows of data processed by this import were for those records where "optIn" was "true".
Import Trigger Settings (optional)
Next, you can determine if a contact should be entered into a journey when imported. Contacts can be entered into a List Subscription or Custom Event journey.
💡 You can select either one or both trigger options.
Enter subscribers into all List Subscription Journeys associated with this list: Selecting this option will enter net-new contacts (that have not been previously subscribed and are not currently subscribed) into a journey. The journey must be live and have the list selected in the entry event setup.
For example: If you are importing contacts to the Master List and have a List
Subscription Journey where the entry event is configured for the Master List, check the box to allow new contacts imported via the list import to be entered into the journey.Allow this import to trigger a Custom Event: Checking this option will trigger the contacts into a custom event journey. Select the custom event you have configured from the drop-down to enter contacts into that journey.
Import Layout Settings
Finally, you must define the Import Layout. Read more about each column in the layout below.
Attribute/External Event
If column headers were included and have the exact same name as the profile value, Listrak will match the column to the profile field automatically. If they are not named the same, you will have the option to select with which profile field the data from your import should be saved to locating the correct field in the dropdown.
Custom Event Field
If the custom event checkbox is selected above, the Custom Event Field column will appear in the import layout settings. This column allows you to save the data from the import file into a field configured when creating a custom event. Adding data to these fields allows you to use it in a custom event decision split our message in the custom event journey.
Default Value
A default value will take any blank field and populate it with a value. For example, if you wanted to add a default first name, you could give each customer that doesn't have a first name, the name of "Loyal Customer."
Choose Email Column
Only one email address can be selected for each file import, so an email address if selected in field 1 cannot use the choose email column functionality.
Add Field
This button can be used to add additional attributes if the profile fields are not created or have not been included in the import file. For example, you may want to record a date for all contacts, which can be done by creating a new field and utilizing the default value option. To learn how to do this, read more in Add Profile Fields Using the Import List Wizard.
You will them have the opportunity to confirm the layout of the file. You will be able to preview the data that will be imported based on the first few contacts in the file. You can go back to review your layout settings if changes are necessary.
Once you have confirmed your settings and file layout, depending on the import type, a button will prompt you to:
Import File for One-Time Imports
Save for Recurring Import settings.
After the process is done importing the contacts, you will receive a List Import Summary confirmation email. This will provide insights into how many new contacts were added, how many existing contacts were updated, and if any contacts were not processed (these contacts have typically unsubscribed in the past).
Unsubscribe Contacts
The Unsubscribe contacts function allows you to remove contacts in bulk. You also have the option to delete any profile data associated with those contacts.
To begin, navigate to Contacts > Email Contacts Import List Wizard.
Select One-Time Import or Recurring Import.
⚠️ If you unsubscribe a list of contacts, you can't re-subscribe them by the List Import Wizard and would need to contact Listrak Support by emailing [email protected] or by calling 1-877-362-4556 x1.
Select the Unsubscribe Contacts or Unsubscribe Contacts and Delete Personal Data option.
Unsubscribe Contacts: Removes customers from the list. Use this option to unsubscribe a list of contacts. The profile data of these contacts is stored in Listrak for 30 days. If the contact is resubscribed during this period their profile data will be restored.
Unsubscribe Contacts and Delete Personal Data: Removes customers from the list and immediately deletes profile data and personal data associated with past orders. This option will not remove data for GPPR Right to Be Forgotten requests. Please contact [email protected] for any GDPR or CCPA compliance requests.
Select a file. If configuring a one-time import these are the specific contacts who will be unsubscribed. If selecting a recurring import this file should be in the same format you will use moving forward.
Click Next Step.
After selecting the settings, you will see a confirmation popup. Confirm that you wish to remove the contacts.
You will then see a summary of your unsubscribe configurations. Click Unsubscribe Contacts to complete the process.
After the import has been completed, you will receive a List Import Summary confirmation email. This will provide confirmation of the number of contacts removed from your list.
