Importing customers is the fastest way to add or update customers in DecoNetwork. To import customers, you need to have all your customer information in a CSV file, which can be edited as a spreadsheet. You can create the CSV file by downloading the sample CSV file or you can export your existing data. Click here for instructions on how to export customers.
When you import, the column headers in the CSV file will be matched with the corresponding customer fields in DecoNetwork and the customer information will be added or updated accordingly. You can also import data for custom fields. Before importing, you must first add custom fields in your Fulfillment Center Admin. Click here for instructions on how to add custom customer fields.
Prerequisites
- You must have Administrator and/or Sales Manager permission to use this feature.
In this article...
- To create the Customers CSV file using the supplied Sample CSV
- To import customers
- To import data for custom fields
To create the Customers CSV file using the supplied Sample CSV:
- Log into your DecoNetwork website.
- Browse to Business Hub > Customers.
- Click on Import Customer CSV.
The Import Customers popup is displayed.
- Click on the Download Sample CSV File link.
Depending on your browser settings, the sample file, customers.csv, will be immediately downloaded to the default download location or you will be prompted to choose a download location.
The Customers CSV file will have all the required column headers required for a complete customer record.
The following information can be imported for each customer:
- login: the username for the customer account.
- email: the email address of the customer.
- salutation: the customer's title.
- firstname: the customer's first name.
- lastname: the customer's last name.
- date_added: the date on which the customer account was created.
- phone_number: the customer's phone number.
- address: the address where billing information will be sent to.
- city: the city where billing information will be sent to.
- state: the state where billing information will be sent to.
- country: the country where billing information will be sent to.
- zip: the post/zip code where billing information will be sent to.
- company: the company where the billing information will be sent to.
- use_separate_shipping: an indication of whether a separate shipping address will be used.
- shipping_saluation: the title of the recipient.
- shipping_firstname: the first name of the shipping recipient.
- shipping_lastname: the last name of the shipping recipient.
- shipping_phone_number: the phone number of the shipping recipient.
- shipping_address: the address where orders will be delivered.
- shipping_city: the city where orders will be delivered.
- shipping_state: the state where orders will be delivered.
- shipping_country: the country where orders will be delivered.
- shipping_zip: the post/zip code where orders will be delivered.
- shipping_company: the name of the company where orders will be delivered.
- discount: the percentage discount that is applied to each order the customer places.
- credit_allowance: the amount of unused store credit remaining of the total credit allowance.
- store_domain: the url of the store the customer is registered under.
- newsletter: the opt-in status of the customer for receiving marketing newsletters. (a value of "true", "yes", or "1" indicates the user is ok with receiving marketing correspondence. A value of "false", "no" or "0" indicates the user does not want to be marketed to).
- tax_exempt: a true or false value indicating whether the customer is tax-exempt (true or false).
- is_account_holder: the account holder status of the customer (a value of "true", "yes", or "1" indicates an account holder. A value of "false", "no" or "0" indicates not an account holder).
- account_terms: the name of the account terms. If a value is specified matching a value defined under Admin > Settings > Customer Settings > Account terms, then the customer will be flagged as an account holder. A blank field signifies default terms if the is_account_holder value is true.
- max_outstanding_balance: the maximum outstanding balance customers can have when submitting web store orders.
- [custom field]: any custom customer field that has been defined. These fields are set against the billing details. (E.g. If the custom field is "Preferred Store", the column header for the custom field against the billing details would be, "preferred_store").
- shipping_[custom field]: any custom customer field that has been defined, set against the shipping details. (E.g. If the custom field is "Preferred Store", the column header for the custom field against the shipping details would be, "shipping_preferred_store").
NOTE: The following fields are included in the customer export file but are read-only fields and cannot be changed via import: - id
- store_id
- credit_balance
- order_count
- total_order_value
- outstanding
- Enter your customer information into the Customers CSV file and save it.
To import customers:
- Click on Import Customer CSV.
The Import Customers popup is displayed.
- Tick or un-tick the checkbox options as required:
- Create website account creates an account allowing the customer to log in to your primary DecoNetwork store.
- Send welcome email sends a welcome email to the customer.
- Resend welcome email if user already exists re-sends a welcome email to the customer if the customer already exists in your DecoNetwork system.
- Add customers as Company contacts will add new customers and their orders to a company record if the company name specified for the customer matches an existing company in the system. If the customer already exists in the system, the customer's details will be updated and their quotes and orders added to the matching company.
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Click on the Browse... button.
- Locate your customers.csv file and click Open in the File Upload dialog.
- Click Okay in the Import Customers popup.
An Import Progress popup will be displayed with a progress bar to show you the progress of the import. On completion of the import, a message will be displayed informing you of the success or failure of the import. If the import failed, a list of errors will be shown in the popup.
To import data for custom fields:
- Add custom customer fields from the Customer Settings section of your Fulfillment Center Admin. Click here for instructions.
- Export the Customers CSV file as per instructions above for creating the Customers CSV.
- Enter the data for the custom fields into the Customers CSV.
- Import the Customers CSV as per the instructions above for importing the Customers CSV.
Comments
9 comments
I assume at this point that custom fields are not available for import?
The sample csv does not include them?
Also, curious - will multiple imports update client info or create duplicate records
-Tommy
Hi Tom,
Custom fields are not supported at this time.
Entering the correct ids into the id field will ensure customer records are updated and not duplicated.
So I've done some testing and see import does update with an edited export list, using the id as a key I assume.
I suggest adding a bit more to help page in regards to what happens without an email address - it has a blank Login that will populate once an email is entered into the account and saved.
Regarding updates, its confusing because in my testing, reusing the Sample CSV File did indicate some updates but for records with email it does not.
However, if you export the customers, edit the records and import that edited list - it works perfectly - only updating records - likely because the ID is present.
So this could be explained a bit more.
-Tommy
Is there a limit on how many records can be imported in a file? I have 19,000 customer records in csv.
I have tried splitting it up, and can get some imports run in batches of 500, but it still seems to give errors and only import a few sometimes.
Thanks,
David.
Hi David,
There is no limit on the number of records. The errors may be due faults in your CSV file. Can you please submit a support ticket so that one of our client services team members can help you troubleshoot.
Regards,
Lee
Hey, looks like custom fields import is now available - cool!
what about credit_allowance? looks like that field exports, but is not included on downloaded csv template for import.
I assume this will not import, even if I add the column to csv?
-Tommy
SUGGESTION: The only way I could get custom fields to import was by making them visible with Register.
Often, we only want fields for HUB use. Would be helpful if custom fields imported if only visible for Quotes/Orders
Hi Tom,
The credit_allowance field, although not included in the Sample CSV, will import if added to the CSV.
Thank you for your feedback. You are correct, custom fields currently will only import if configured as visible under Register in the Field Usage Definitions.
Regards,
Lee
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