You can migrate contacts from Mailchimp to Adaptix. This article will share some tips and a quick walkthrough of how to export your contacts from Mailchimp and import them into Adaptix.

Mailchimp & Adaptix Terminology

Before we begin, it’s helpful to point out the different terms that both platforms use:

Cleaning your import file

Aside from terminology, the other main difference to point out is the way Mailchimp stores contact data across Audiences, Tags, Groups, and Merge Fields. Adaptix includes a set of default fields and gives you the option to create as many custom fields as you need.

The main standard fields that Adaptix offers are: Full Name, First Name, Last Name, Phone, Email and Primary Company.

We recommend reviewing your Mailchimp export and pare down the number of columns to only what you need. This will keep you and your team more organized and will make it easier to locate data later.

Save two versions of your file

Make sure to save your original Mailchimp export file and then create a new, clean file for importing. That way, if at a later date you find that you do need certain fields, you can easily re-import your contacts with those fields. Just make sure to check the “Don’t overwrite value if already exists” option on the import page.

Export all Audiences or Segments with all fields

Mailchimp also lets you export contacts using Segments (saved filters). This is useful if you want to migrate a specific group of contacts, or if you need to export additional attributes in smaller batches.

To export a list:

1. Log into your Mailchimp account.
2. From the top navigation, click “Audience”.
3. Select “All contacts” (or choose the Audience you want to export).
4. Click “Export Audience” (or the export option available in your view), then download the CSV when it is ready.

To export a segment:

1. Go to Audience and open the Audience you want to work with.
2. Navigate to Segments (saved segments / saved filters).
3. Select the segment you want to export.
4. Click Export and download the segment as a CSV when ready.

Tip: If you have multiple Audiences in Mailchimp, repeat these steps for each Audience you plan to migrate.

Migrate Mailchimp Groups and Tags

Tags can be brought into Adaptix during an import as well. Mailchimp Groups may require a quick decision before importing because Groups can represent different things depending on how they were used.

• If your Groups are simply labels, import them as Tags.
• If your Groups represent structured choices (for example: “Program Type” with options), consider importing them into a Custom Field instead.

If you export Groups separately, import that CSV after your main import and apply a tag that identifies the group source. When importing a second file for the same contacts, use the option to avoid overwriting existing values unless you intentionally want to update records.

Import your contacts from Mailchimp to Adaptix

Once you have exported your contacts, remove any unwanted columns and save your file as a CSV file.

After that, you’ll want to create a segment in Adaptix to add your contacts to (if a segment doesn’t exist in your account already). To create a segment, go to the Segment overview page and click the “+ New” button.

When the Add new segment page loads, complete the fields provided and click “Save & Close”.

Now, you’re ready to import your file. To get started:

1. Under the Contacts menu, click “Manage Contacts” located on the left menu.
2. In the dropdown menu, click “Import”.
3. Click the “Choose File” button.
4. A file browser will appear. Navigate to the file you wish to import and select it.
5. Your file will process and you will be redirected to the import mapping screen. Map the columns in your file to fields in your account by clicking the dropdown for each field.
   • If you don’t wish to import data from a column, do not select a field to map it to.
   • To create a new field directly from the import page, click [Add Custom Field] and follow the prompts.
6. Optional: Select each segment that you want to add contacts to. You can add contacts to multiple segments.
7. Optional: Type the tags you wish to apply to all contacts once they’re imported.
   As a best practice, apply a tag that indicates the source of these contacts. That way, you can easily find this group if you need to make bulk edits later.
8. Optional: Click the “Don’t overwrite value if already exists” box. If turned off, Adaptix will look for a matching email address and add any additional contact data from your file into the contact record.
9. Click the “Import Now” button once you’re done configuring settings.

The length of time it takes to import contacts will depend on the size of the CSV file.

When finished, you can view your import results.