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Customer Import Guide

Updated

This guide covers everything you need to import customer accounts into Pulse Commerce. The Customer Import template supports 40 fields including account details, addresses, pricing rules, and customer groups. Use this import to migrate customer data from another system or create multiple customer accounts at once.

Important: Navigate to Import/Export from the top navigation bar → Select Import → Choose Customer Import

When to Use Customer Import

Customer Import is ideal for:

  • Platform Migration: Transfer customer accounts from another e-commerce system
  • B2B Onboarding: Create multiple business customer accounts with custom pricing
  • Bulk Account Creation: Set up accounts for wholesale or dealer networks
  • Address Updates: Update billing and shipping addresses across multiple accounts

Template Overview

The Customer Import template includes 40 total fields:

  • 11 Required Fields: Customer name, email, password, primary address details
  • 29 Optional Fields: Secondary address, custom pricing, account status, customer groups
Password Security Requirements: Passwords must be at least 8 characters and contain at least one number and one letter (uppercase or lowercase). Plain text passwords in the CSV will be encrypted upon import.

What You Can Manage

  • Account Information: Names, email (login ID), password, phone, company
  • Primary Address: Complete billing/shipping address with verification status
  • Secondary Address: Additional shipping address for each customer
  • Custom Pricing: Percentage-based discounts or surcharges per customer
  • Account Settings: Active/inactive status, mailing list opt-in, customer groups

1Navigate to Import/Export → Import → Customer Import

2Click Download Template to get the CSV file with all 40 column headers

3Open the template in Excel or Google Sheets

Excel Formatting: Format email columns as "Text" to prevent Excel from auto-correcting email addresses. Some email formats may be corrupted by Excel's auto-formatting.

4Fill in the 11 required fields for each customer account

Required Fields:

  • First Name - Customer's first name
  • Last Name - Customer's last name
  • E-Mail - Login ID (must be unique per customer)
  • Password - Must be 8+ characters with at least one number and one letter
  • Address1 FirstName - First name for primary address
  • Address1 LastName - Last name for primary address
  • Address1 Street1 - Street address line 1
  • Address1 City - City name
  • Address1 State - State or province
  • Address1 Zip - Postal code
  • Address1 Country - Country name

5Add optional fields as needed (secondary address, pricing, customer group)

6For custom pricing, set IsSurcharge (Yes/No) and Percentage (numeric value)

Custom Pricing Example: To give a customer a 15% discount, set IsSurcharge to "No" and Percentage to "15". For a 10% surcharge, set IsSurcharge to "Yes" and Percentage to "10".

7Save your file as CSV format (UTF-8 encoding recommended)

1Return to Import/Export → Import → Customer Import

2Click Choose File and select your completed CSV

3Click Submit to begin the import process

Processing Time: Customer imports typically take 1-5 minutes depending on the number of accounts. Do not close the browser window during import.

4Review the import log for success confirmation or error messages

Import Log Details: The log shows how many customer accounts were successfully created, how many failed, and specific error messages for failed records. Note the row numbers of any failures to correct them in your CSV.

5Verify customer accounts in Customers → Customer Search

The Customer Import template supports 40 fields organized into functional groups.

Required Fields (11 fields)

Field Name Description
First Name* Customer's first name
Last Name* Customer's last name
E-Mail* Customer's login ID (must be unique)
Password* 8+ characters with at least one number and one letter
Address1 FirstName* First name for primary address
Address1 LastName* Last name for primary address
Address1 Street1* Street address line 1
Address1 City* City name
Address1 State* State or province name
Address1 Zip* Postal or ZIP code
Address1 Country* Country name

Account Information (5 fields)

  • Phone: Customer's contact phone number
  • Company Name: Customer's business name
  • Mailing List Option: Yes or No (newsletter opt-in)
  • Registration Date: Date when account was created
  • Account Status: "active" or "inactive"

Primary Address Extended (6 fields)

  • Address1 Company: Company name for primary address
  • Address1 PhoneNumber: Phone for primary address
  • Address1 LocationType: House or Residence, Business, Apartment, etc.
  • Address1 Street2: Street address line 2
  • Address1 IsProvince: Set to "Yes" for non-US addresses, "No" for US
  • Address1 Verified: Yes or No (address verification status)

Secondary Address (12 fields)

Complete set of address fields prefixed with "Address2":

  • FirstName, LastName, Company, PhoneNumber
  • LocationType, Street1, Street2, City
  • State, Zip, Country, IsProvince, Verified

Custom Pricing & Groups (3 fields)

  • IsSurcharge: Yes (surcharge) or No (discount)
  • Percentage: Numeric value for discount/surcharge calculation
  • Customer Group Code: Assign customer to a specific customer group

Custom Fields (2 fields)

  • Truck#1: Custom field example
  • Truck#2: Custom field example
Note on Custom Fields: If your store has custom customer fields configured, they will appear as additional columns in the template. Fill them in as needed based on your custom field setup.

Use Case 1: Migrating Customers from Another Platform

Scenario: Moving your customer database from Shopify, WooCommerce, or another system.

Steps:

  1. Export customer data from your old platform
  2. Map fields from old platform to Pulse Commerce template
  3. Generate secure passwords (remember: 8+ chars, one number, one letter)
  4. Transform data to match Pulse format (Yes/No values, address structure)
  5. Test with 5-10 customers first to verify field mappings
  6. Import full customer list in batches of 500-1000
Email Uniqueness: Each customer must have a unique email address. If you have duplicate emails in your old system, they must be resolved before importing or the import will fail for duplicate records.

Use Case 2: Creating B2B Customer Accounts with Custom Pricing

Scenario: Setting up wholesale dealer accounts with tiered discount pricing.

Required Fields:

  • Standard required fields (name, email, password, address)
  • IsSurcharge: Set to "No" for discount pricing
  • Percentage: Set discount percentage (e.g., "15" for 15% off)
  • Customer Group Code: Assign to "Wholesale" or "Dealer" group

Use Case 3: Bulk Address Updates

Scenario: Multiple customers moved or need address corrections.

Workflow:

  1. Export existing customer data first (preserves all current information)
  2. Update address fields for affected customers
  3. Keep all other fields populated with existing data
  4. Import updated file
Tip: When updating existing customers, export first to ensure you maintain all current data. Empty cells may overwrite existing information.

Duplicate Email Address Errors

Symptoms: Import fails with "email already exists" error

Cause: Email addresses must be unique per customer account

Solutions:

  • From the customer view page, click Find Duplicates and merge as needed.
  • Check for duplicate emails within your CSV file
  • Verify the email doesn't already exist in your customer database
  • Add numbers or variations to duplicate emails (e.g., customer+1@example.com)

Password Validation Errors

Symptoms: Import log shows password validation failures

Cause: Passwords don't meet security requirements

Requirements:

  • Minimum 8 characters long
  • At least one number (0-9)
  • At least one letter (uppercase or lowercase)

Valid Examples: Password1, Welcome2024, Customer123

Address Validation Errors

Symptoms: Import fails for certain customer records

Common Issues:

  • Missing required address fields (Street1, City, State, Zip, Country)
  • Invalid state codes (use proper state abbreviations or full names)
  • Zip code format doesn't match country standards

Custom Pricing Not Applied

Symptoms: Customer accounts created but pricing is wrong

Solutions:

  • Verify IsSurcharge is set to "Yes" (surcharge) or "No" (discount)
  • Ensure Percentage is a numeric value (e.g., "15" not "15%")
  • Both fields must be filled for custom pricing to apply

Customer Group Assignment Fails

Symptoms: Customers imported but not assigned to groups

Cause: Customer Group Code doesn't match existing group

Solution: Verify the exact group code from Customers → Customer Groups and use the exact code (case-sensitive) in your CSV

Before Importing:

  • Test with small batch: Import 5-10 customers first to verify formatting
  • Verify email uniqueness: Check for duplicate emails in your CSV
  • Generate secure passwords: Ensure all passwords meet security requirements
  • Validate addresses: Verify addresses are complete and properly formatted
  • Check customer groups: Confirm group codes exist before importing

Data Preparation:

  • Format emails as text: Prevent Excel from corrupting email addresses
  • Use UTF-8 encoding: Preserves special characters in names and addresses
  • Consistent Yes/No values: Use exact capitalization: "Yes" or "No"
  • Address format: Use standard country names (United States, not USA)

Import Execution:

  • Batch imports: Import 500-1000 customers at a time for large datasets
  • Review import log: Check for errors and note failed row numbers
  • Verify customer accounts: Spot-check created accounts in the admin panel
  • Test customer login: Verify a few customer accounts can log in successfully

After Import:

  • Send welcome emails: Consider notifying new customers of their accounts
  • Verify pricing: Check that custom pricing applied correctly
  • Confirm group assignments: Ensure customers are in the right groups
  • Keep import file: Save your CSV as a backup of customer data

Related Import Types

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Need Help?

  • Review the Customer Import Template Legend (available on the Import page) for detailed field specifications
  • Check your import log for specific error messages and row numbers
  • Contact support with your import log attached for faster assistance

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