How to Import Your Existing Contacts into Farmzz

If you already have a customer list — from a spreadsheet, another tool, or a sign-up sheet — you can bring everyone into Farmzz in minutes using the CSV import feature. This guide walks you through the entire process so you can start notifying your existing customers right away.

Step 1 — Prepare your contact file

Farmzz accepts CSV files (comma-separated values), which you can export from Excel, Google Sheets, Mailchimp, or most other tools. Your file needs at least one contact column — either an email address or a phone number. Additional columns like first name, last name, and category are optional but helpful for personalization and targeting later.

Open your spreadsheet and make sure the first row contains column headers. Common headers include "email," "phone," "first_name," and "last_name." Remove any rows that are clearly invalid — blank entries, test emails, or numbers with obvious formatting issues. Cleaning your list before import prevents duplicates and bounced messages down the road.

Step 2 — Go to the subscriber import page

In your Farmzz dashboard, click Subscribers in the left sidebar, then click the "Import" button. You will see an upload area where you can drag and drop your CSV file or click to browse your computer. Select your prepared file and upload it. Farmzz will read the file and show you a preview of the data it found.

Step 3 — Map your columns

After uploading, Farmzz displays each column from your file and asks you to map it to the corresponding Farmzz field. For example, if your file has a column called "Email Address," map it to the "Email" field. If you have a column called "Mobile," map it to "Phone." Farmzz tries to auto-detect common column names, but you can manually adjust any mapping. Skip any columns you do not need by leaving them unmapped.

Step 4 — Assign a category (optional)

During import, you can assign all imported contacts to an existing subscriber category or create a new one. This is useful for organizing contacts by source — for example, "Market regulars 2025" or "CSA members." If you skip this step, contacts are imported without a category, and you can organize them later from the subscriber list.

Step 5 — Review and confirm

Farmzz shows you a summary of how many contacts will be imported, how many are new versus duplicates, and whether any rows had errors. Duplicates are automatically detected based on email or phone number and will not create duplicate entries. Review the summary, then click Import to finalize. Your contacts appear in your subscriber list within seconds.

Tips for a clean import

Format phone numbers consistently. Include the country code (e.g., +1 for North America) and remove spaces or dashes. Farmzz will normalize common formats, but starting with clean data gives the best results.

Remove unsubscribed contacts. If you are migrating from another tool, do not import contacts who previously unsubscribed. Sending to people who opted out damages your reputation and may violate anti-spam laws.

Start small if unsure. Import a batch of 10-20 contacts first to verify everything maps correctly. Once confirmed, import the rest. This avoids having to fix issues across a large list.

Use categories from the start. Organizing contacts during import saves time later. Even a simple category like "Imported from old list" helps you distinguish these contacts from new subscribers who signed up through your QR code or profile page.

Frequently asked questions

What file formats does Farmzz accept?

Farmzz accepts CSV files. You can export a CSV from virtually any spreadsheet app (Excel, Google Sheets) or email marketing tool (Mailchimp, Constant Contact). If your file is in another format, open it in a spreadsheet and save as CSV first.

Will importing create duplicates?

No. Farmzz checks each contact against your existing subscriber list by email and phone number. If a match is found, the existing entry is kept and the duplicate is skipped. You will see a count of skipped duplicates in the import summary.

Is there a limit on how many contacts I can import?

There is no hard limit. You can import hundreds or thousands of contacts in a single file. For very large files (over 10,000 rows), the import may take a few extra seconds to process, but it will complete without issues.