Articles on: Import/Export/Update Your Store Data

Import/Update Customers

Download import template for Customers

Required Columns


Make sure to include these columns in your upload file. Otherwise, you can't proceed to the next step properly.
ID: If Email and Phone are not included in the upload file
Email: If ID and Phone are not included in the upload file
First Name
Last Name
Phone: If ID an Email are not included in the upload file

Available Columns


Basic Columns


ColumnDescriptionAccepted ValueExample Value
IDA unique identifier assigned to each customer. Used to track and manage customer records within the system.Alphanumeric text123456789
EmailThe customer's primary email address, used for communication, order tracking, and as a unique identifier. If login is required, it serves as the username. Each email must be unique within the store and is used to link orders to customers. If not provided, First Name must be filledA valid email formatjohn.doe@example.com
First nameThe given name of the customer, used for personalization and identification. If the Email field is empty, this field must be provided. If the Address First Name is missing, this value will be used for the address.Alphabetic textjohn
Last nameThe surname of the customer, used for identification and personalization. If the Address Last Name is missing, this value will be used for the address.Alphabetic textdoe
PhoneIt must include the country code and be valid for the respective country. Each phone number must be unique, as Shopify assigns orders to customers using this field when no email is provided. When importing customers, if ID and Email are missing, the system will identify existing customers by their phone number. The + sign is optional but can help Shopify detect the country code.Numeric text with optional special characters (+, -, (), and spaces).#ERROR!
LanguageThe preferred language of the customer, used for localization and communication. This field helps personalize emails, notifications, and store interactions based on the customer’s language preference.Language code in ISO 639-1 format (e.g., en for English, fr for French).en
Email Marketing: StatusIndicates whether the customer has opted in to receive marketing emails. This status determines if promotional emails, newsletters, or special offers can be sent.Predefined status values subscribed, unsubscribed, pending , invalid,not_subscribedpending
Email Marketing: LevelSpecifies the level of email marketing consent provided by the customer, determining the type of promotional emails they receive.Predefined values single_opt_inconfirmed_opt_inunknownsingle_opt_in
Email Marketing: Updated AtThe timestamp of the last update to the customer’s email marketing subscription status. This helps track when the customer’s marketing preferences were last changed.Date-Time format (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS), preferably in UTC.2024-02-07 15:30:00
SMS Marketing: StatusIndicates whether the customer has opted in to receive SMS marketing messagesRestrictions:SMS Marketing Status can only be updated if the current SMS Marketing Status is not_subscribed .Customer cannot update to redacted SMS Marketing Status.Customer can only be updated to pending SMS Marketing Status in combination with confirmed_opt_in SMS marketing levelCreating customer:Customer cannot be created with redacted SMS Marketing Status.Customer can be created withpending SMS Marketing Status only in combination with confirmed_opt_in SMS marketing levelCreating customers with not_subscribed SMS Marketing Status will always set SMS Marketing Level to single_opt_in no matter what is specified in the import file.Other SMS Marketing Status and Level combinations should work when creating customer.not_subscribed – The customer hasn’t subscribed to SMS marketing.pending – The customer is in the process of subscribing to SMS marketing.redacted– The customer’s personal data is erased. This value is internally-set and read-only.subscribed – The customer is subscribed to SMS marketing.unsubscribed – The customer isn’t currently subscribed to SMS marketing but was previously subscribed.pending
SMS Marketing: LevelSpecifies the level of consent provided by the customer for receiving SMS marketing messagesPredefined values single_opt_inconfirmed_opt_inunknownDefault: single_opt_insingle_opt_in
SMS Marketing: Updated AtThe timestamp of the last update to the customer’s SMS marketing subscription status. This helps track when the customer’s SMS marketing preferences were last changed.Date-Time format (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS), preferably in UTC.2024-02-07 15:30:00
NoteA custom note associated with the customer, typically used for internal reference or special instructions. This field is not visible to customers.Alphanumeric textVIP customer – offer priority support
Verified EmailIndicates whether the customer's email address has been verified. A verified email ensures that the customer can receive order confirmations and marketing emails.Boolean (true or false).Default: FALSETRUE
Tax ExemptIndicates whether the customer is exempt from paying taxes on purchases.Boolean (true or false).TRUE
TagsLabels or keywords assigned to a customer for categorization, segmentation, and filtering.Comma-separated alphanumeric text.VIP, Repeat Customer, Wholesale
Send Account Activation EmailDetermines whether an account activation email should be sent to the customer after importBoolean (TRUE or FALSE)Default: FALSETRUE
Multipass IdentifierEnables seamless single sign-on (SSO) for users moving between an external website and a Shopify store. When users log in to the external site and navigate to the Shopify store, they are automatically logged in using the same email. If no Shopify account exists for the email, one is created.Alphanumeric text123456789abcdef


Addresses


Each customer can have multiple addresses used for shipping, with one designated as the Primary address, marked in the Address Is Default column.
All of these addresses can be both imported and exported.
Customers with multiple addresses are handled similarly to products with multiple variants: for each additional address, you’ll need to create a new row and copy the basic customer information into it. To ensure the address is linked to the correct customer, you must repeat either the ID or Email (whichever comes first). If both are missing, then at least the First Name and Last Name must be repeated. You may also duplicate any other fields if that’s more convenient.
All these address-related fields correspond to those available in the Shopify Admin when editing a customer and clicking the Change button in the Default Address card.

ColumnDescriptionAccepted ValueExample Value
Address First NameThe first name associated with the specific address, which may differ from the customer's main first name. This name will be used for shipping to this address. If left empty, the system will default to the First Name in this address row.Alphanumeric textJohn
Address Last NameThe last name associated with the specific address, which may differ from the customer's main last name. This name will be used for shipping to this address. If left empty, the system will default to the Last Name in this address roAlphanumeric textDoe
Address PhoneThe phone number associated with this shipping address. If left empty, the system will use the Phone value from this address row. The number should include the country code for better detection by the platform.Numeric (including country code, spaces, dashes, or plus signs).#ERROR!
Address CompanyThe company name associated with the specific address.Alphanumeric textLitGroup
Address Line 1The primary street address for the customer, typically including the house number and street name.Alphanumeric text123 Main Street
Address Line 2Additional address details, such as apartment, suite, unit, or building number.Alphanumeric text124 Main Street
Address CityThe city associated with the customer's addressAlphanumeric textNew York
Address ProvinceThe state, region, or province associated with the customer's address. Platforms validates province names against its geographic classifier—invalid values will cause the customer creation to fail.Alphanumeric textCalifornia
Address Province CodeThe standardized code for the province, state, or region of the customer's address. If provided, the platform will use this code instead of the province name.Alphanumeric textCA
Address CountryThe country associated with the customer's address. Platforms validate country names against its geographic classifier—invalid values will cause customer creation to fail.Full country nameUnited States
Address Country CodeA two-letter international country code (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2) representing the customer's country. If Address Country is provided, this field can be left empty, and the platform will derive the country from it.Two-letter country codeUS
Address ZipThe postal or ZIP code for the customer's address. It is required for certain countries and helps ensure accurate shipping and tax calculations.Alphanumeric text10001
Address Is DefaultIndicates whether this address is the default shipping or billing address for the customer. A customer can have multiple addresses, but only one can be marked as default.Boolean (TRUE or FALSE)TRUE

Updated on: 30/05/2025

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