How to Import Customers in Bulk With SureCart

This document explains how to import multiple customers into SureCart at once using a CSV file. The bulk import process is used during migrations from other platforms or whenever a large number of customer records must be added to a SureCart store.

For an overview of the complete migration process and how this step fits into the recommended sequence, refer to How to Migrate from Other Platforms to SureCart.

Requirements

WordPress admin access
SureCart installed, activated, and connected to a SureCart account
A CSV file containing the customer data in the required format

Stripe Customer IDs and Payment Method IDs (only when migrating active subscriptions from Stripe). Refer to How to Get Stripe Customer ID and Payment Method ID.

Important Note

Migrating an eCommerce platform is a technical process and may require developer expertise, especially when dealing with custom setups or non-standard configurations. The following points apply to all migrations:

Effort and expertise required. Migration involves transferring data accurately while keeping the store operational. Consulting a qualified developer is recommended for store owners who are not familiar with technical processes such as CSV preparation, database migration, or payment processor data transfer.
Scope of support. SureCart support can assist with questions about documentation and product functionality. Hands-on migration work, including data preparation and platform-specific exports, is the responsibility of the store owner or their developer.
Realistic expectations. Migration requires careful planning and execution. Time and complexity vary depending on the size of the store, the source platform, and the data being transferred.

For questions during the migration process, contact SureCart support.

Preparing the CSV File

The CSV file must include the column headers expected by SureCart. A template file is available to use as a starting point.

Download the template: Customer import CSV template.

Two approaches can be used to prepare the file:

Use the template directly. Open the downloaded template and fill in the customer data row by row.
Use an existing customer export. Open the existing file from the source platform and rename the column headers to match the headers used in the SureCart template. The data in each column must correspond to the field defined by its header.

Required field: The Email column is the only required field. Rows without an email address are skipped during import. All other fields are optional but recommended to maintain complete customer records.

Available Fields

The following fields are supported in the customer import CSV:

Field	Required	Description
Email	Yes	The email address of the customer. Used as the primary identifier.
First Name	No	The given or personal name of the customer.
Last Name	No	The family or surname of the customer.
Name	No	Full name of the customer. Can be a combination of First Name and Last Name, or an alternative display name.
Phone	No	The contact phone number of the customer.
Billing Line 1	No	The first line of the billing address, typically the street address.
Billing Line 2	No	The second line of the billing address, used for apartment, suite, or other additional details.
Billing City	No	The city or locality of the billing address.
Billing State	No	The state or province of the billing address.
Billing Postal Code	No	The postal or ZIP code of the billing address.
Billing Country	No	The country of the billing address. Must be in two-letter ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 format (for example, US for the United States).
Shipping Line 1	No	The first line of the shipping address, typically the street address.
Shipping Line 2	No	The second line of the shipping address, used for apartment, suite, or other additional details.
Shipping City	No	The city or locality of the shipping address.
Shipping State	No	The state or province of the shipping address.
Shipping Postal Code	No	The postal or ZIP code of the shipping address.
Shipping Country	No	The country of the shipping address. Must be in two-letter ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 format (for example, IN for India).
Stripe Customer Id	Conditional	Unique identifier assigned by Stripe to identify the customer. Required when migrating active subscriptions from Stripe.
Stripe Payment Method Id	Conditional	Unique identifier assigned by Stripe to identify the customer’s saved payment method. Required when migrating active subscriptions from Stripe.

Country codes: Both Billing Country and Shipping Country must use the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 format (two-letter code). Refer to the Alpha-2 country codes list for the complete reference.

Importing the Customer Data

Once the CSV file is ready, the import is performed from the SureCart Imports section.

Step 1: Open the Imports Section

Sign in to the SureCart dashboard at app.surecart.com.
Open the Imports section from the left navigation.
Click New Import.

Step 2: Select the Import Type

From the dropdown menu, select Customers.

Step 3: Upload the CSV File

Click Upload or drag and drop the CSV file into the upload area.
Confirm that the file appears in the upload field once selected.

Important: Only CSV files are accepted. Files in other formats (such as .numbers from Apple devices or .xlsx from Excel) are not supported. Convert the file to CSV before uploading.

Step 4: Select the Import Mode

Two import modes are available:

Test Mode (default when the toggle is off): Imports the data into the SureCart test environment. Records are not added to the live store and are clearly identified as test data.
Live Mode (toggle on): Imports the data directly into the live store.

Toggle Live Mode on if the import is intended for the live store. Click Import to start the process.

Step 5: Monitor the Import Status

After the import is submitted, the status is displayed in the Imports list. The status progresses through the following states:

Pending: The import has been queued and is waiting to be processed.
Processing: Records are being imported.
Completed: The import has finished successfully.
Failed: The import did not complete. Details about the failure are available by clicking the import row.

Note: Import duration depends on the number of records. Imports with fewer than 1,000 rows typically complete in under a minute. A confirmation email is sent to the account email address once the import finishes.

Step 6: Review the Imported Customers

Click any row in the Imports list to view detailed information about the import, including the number of records processed and any errors encountered.

To view the imported customers in the store, open the Customers section from the SureCart dashboard.

Expected outcome: All valid rows from the CSV are added as customer records in SureCart. Customers can now be associated with orders, subscriptions, and other store data.

After the Import

Imported customers exist as SureCart customer records but are not automatically linked to WordPress user accounts. To associate the imported customers with WordPress users, refer to How to Sync WordPress Users with SureCart.

Notes and Limitations

Only CSV format is supported. Files in other formats (such as .xlsx, .numbers, or .ods) are not accepted.
The Email field is the only required field. Rows without an email address are not imported.
Country fields must use the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 format (two-letter codes). Country names or three-letter codes are not accepted.
Imported customers are not automatically linked to WordPress users. A separate sync step is required.
Bulk imports do not trigger transactional emails. Imported customers do not receive welcome emails or notifications about the import.
Test Mode imports do not affect the live store. Switching from Test Mode to Live Mode requires running the import again with the toggle enabled.

FAQ

What happens if the CSV contains an email that already exists in the store?

The behavior depends on whether the existing customer record is considered a duplicate. Reviewing the import details after completion is recommended to confirm whether duplicate rows were skipped, updated, or imported as separate records. When in doubt, exporting existing customers before the import and removing duplicates from the CSV is the safer approach.

What happens if some rows in the CSV fail to import?

Rows that fail validation are skipped, and the remaining valid rows continue to be imported. The import details view lists which rows failed and the reason. The CSV can be corrected and the failed rows re-imported separately.

Is there a maximum size limit for the CSV file?

Imports with fewer than 1,000 rows typically complete in under a minute. Larger imports are supported but take proportionally longer. For very large imports, splitting the file into smaller batches can help with monitoring and error recovery.

Can the import be canceled while it is in progress?

Once an import enters the Processing state, it runs to completion. Pending imports can be reviewed in the Imports list before they start. If an import needs to be reverted after completion, customer records can be deleted individually or via the Customers section.

What encoding should the CSV file use?

UTF-8 encoding is recommended to ensure that special characters (accents, non-Latin alphabets, and others) are imported correctly. Files saved with other encodings may result in corrupted characters in customer names or addresses.

Are imported customers notified by email?

No. Bulk imports do not trigger transactional emails. Imported customers do not receive welcome emails, account creation notifications, or any other automated messages as a result of the import.

Can the same import be run in both Test Mode and Live Mode?

Yes. The same CSV file can be uploaded twice: first in Test Mode to validate the import behavior, then in Live Mode to import the records into the live store. Records imported in Test Mode do not appear in the live store and do not need to be deleted before the Live Mode import.

What should be done if Stripe Customer IDs are missing from the CSV?

Customers can be imported without Stripe IDs. However, active subscriptions migrated from Stripe will not be able to bill automatically without a valid Stripe Customer ID and Payment Method ID. If subscriptions are part of the migration, the Stripe IDs must be added to the customer rows before the corresponding subscriptions are imported. Refer to How to Get Stripe Customer ID and Payment Method ID.

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