Importing into Bento

You've exported your data—now let's bring it into Bento! This guide walks you through importing your contacts, preserving their status, and maintaining all your tags and custom fields.

Take your time with imports. It's better to import correctly once than to clean up mistakes later. Most imports take 15-30 minutes.

Before You Begin

What You'll Need

Exported CSV files from your previous platform
Separate files for active and unsubscribed contacts
Access to your Bento account
30 minutes of uninterrupted time

Import Order Matters

Create custom fields first (if needed)
Import unsubscribed contacts
Import active contacts
Verify everything imported correctly
Test with a few email addresses

Download Sample CSV: Start with our sample CSV file to understand the exact format Bento expects. This template shows proper column naming and data formatting.

Bento's CSV Format

Required Fields

Only one field is absolutely required:

Field	Format	Example	Notes
`email`	Valid email address	[email protected]	Primary identifier for each contact

There is currently no way to customize or change email as the primary identifier.

Common Optional Fields

Add these columns to enrich your contact data:

Field	Format	Example	Purpose
`first_name`	Text	John	Personalization
`last_name`	Text	Doe	Full name display
`tags`	Comma-separated	customer,vip,2024	Organization & segmentation
`created_at`	ISO date	2024-01-15	Historical data
`subscription`	Text	Pro Plan	Data Enrichment in Templates

All custom field names must be lowercase and use underscores instead of spaces. For example: company_name not Company Name.

Special Columns

These columns have specific behaviors:

Column	Purpose	Format	Example
`tags`	Add tags to contacts	Comma-separated, no spaces	`customer,newsletter,vip`
`remove_tags`	Remove existing tags	Comma-separated, no spaces	`prospect,trial`
`tag_as_event`	Trigger automations	true/false	`true`

Setting tag_as_event to true creates an event for each tag, which can trigger Flows. Leave it empty or set to false for normal tag imports.

Step-by-Step Import Process

1. Prepare Your Custom Fields

Before importing, create any custom fields your data uses:

Go to People → Fields in Bento
Click Add Field
Give it a friendly name for example: Subscription Status (spaces and capitals are ok here)
For the Key enter exactly as it appears in your CSV (lowercase, underscores)
Choose the appropriate field type (text, number, date)
Save each field

Some examples of common fields you might create: company_name, phone_number, customer_id, signup_source

3. Import Active Contacts

Always import Active subscribers first:

Navigate to People and click the Import Button in the upper right
Select the Import CSV button
Click Next then Select Subscribe Users from the select command dropdown
Make sure you select all the fields you created in step 1
Leave "Mark as unsubscribed" unchecked
Map columns (should auto-detect if named correctly)
Verify tag formatting looks correct
Click Import

Large imports process in the background. You'll receive an email when complete.

2. Import Unsubscribed Contacts First

Always import unsubscribed contacts before active ones:

Navigate to People → Import
Select your unsubscribed contacts CSV
Check "Mark as unsubscribed" option
Map your columns to Bento fields
Review the preview carefully
Click Import

This includes bounced, blocked, and complaint contacts. Importing them as unsubscribed prevents accidental emails.

4. Verify Your Import

Check that everything imported correctly:

Total contact count matches your expectations
Search for a few known contacts
Verify tags appear correctly
Check custom fields populated
Confirm unsubscribed status preserved

CSV Formatting Examples

✅ Correct Format

email	first_name	last_name	tags	company_name
[email protected]	John	Doe	customer, vip	Acme Corp
[email protected]	Jane	Smith	prospect, newsletter	Tech Inc

❌ Common Mistakes

Email Address	First Name	Last Name	Tags	Company Name
[email protected]	John	Doe	customer, vip	Acme Corp
[email protected]	Jane	Smith	prospect, newsletter	Tech Inc

Don't use semicolons (;) and pipes (|) as tag delimiters, which isn’t standard for CSV Files.
Columen names should match the sample csv file, be all lower case and use an underscore (_) in place of spaces.
Importantly you must match formatting for things like names for stripe integrations for you to not have multiple version of a contacts name.

Problems with the incorrect example:

Column headers use capitals and spaces
Tags separated by semicolons instead of commas
Inconsistent tag separators

The correct format uses:

Lowercase column names with underscores
Commas to separate multiple tags
No spaces between tags

Advanced Import Options

Triggering Automations on Import

To have tags trigger Flows during import:

email	tags	tag_as_event
[email protected]	welcome_series	true
[email protected]	customer	false

Only use tag_as_event if you want to trigger automations immediately. For most imports, leave this column out.

Updating Existing Contacts

When importing contacts that already exist in Bento:

Email matches: Existing contact is updated
New fields: Added to the contact
Existing fields: Overwritten with new values
Tags: Added (not replaced) unless using remove_tags

Removing Tags During Import

To remove tags while importing:

email	tags	remove_tags
[email protected]	customer	vip, trial, prospect

This adds "customer" and "vip" while removing "trial" and "prospect".

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions or contact our support team

Import Failed or Shows Errors

Common causes and solutions:

Invalid email formats: Check for typos, missing @ symbols, or spaces
File too large: Split files over 10MB into smaller chunks
Encoding issues: Save CSV as UTF-8 to handle special characters
Empty rows: Remove blank lines at the end of your file

Pro tip: Test with 10 rows first to catch formatting issues early.

Custom Fields Not Showing

Fields must exist before import:

Go to Settings → Fields
Create fields matching your CSV columns exactly
Use lowercase with underscores (company_name not Company Name)
Re-import after creating fields

Field names are case-sensitive. Double-check spelling and formatting.

Tags Not import Correctly

Check your tag formatting:

✅ Correct: customer,vip,2024

❌ Wrong: customer, vip, 2024 (has spaces)

❌ Wrong: customer;vip;2024 (wrong separator)

❌ Wrong: customer|vip|2024 (wrong separator)

Import Best Practices

Do This

• Test with 10-100 contacts first
• Create custom fields before importing
• Import unsubscribes before active contacts
• Use our sample CSV as a template
• Keep original export files as backup
• Verify data after each import

Avoid This

• Importing all contacts in one file
• Using spaces in field names
• Mixing active and unsubscribed contacts
• Rushing without checking formatting
• Deleting original exports too soon
• Ignoring import error reports

After Successful Import

Once your contacts are in Bento:

Set Up Segments

Recreate your dynamic segments using Bento's powerful filtering:

Go to People → Segments
Use tags, fields, and behavior to build segments
Test each segment shows expected contacts

Configure Flows

Rebuild your automations as Bento Flows:

Start with welcome sequences
Add abandoned cart flows
Set up re-engagement campaigns

Test Everything

Before going live:

Send test emails to yourself
Verify personalization works
Check unsubscribe links function
Test form submissions

Quick Reference

Import Checklist

Before starting any import:

CSV saved in UTF-8 format
Column headers are lowercase with underscores
Email addresses validated
Tags formatted with commas, no spaces
Custom fields created in Bento
Unsubscribed contacts in separate file
Test file with 10 rows ready

Field Naming Cheat Sheet

❌ Incorrect	✅ Correct
First Name	first_name
Company Name	company_name
Phone Number	phone_number
signupDate	signup_date
User-ID	user_id
ZIPCode	zip_code

Need Help?

If you encounter any issues during import:

Email: [email protected]
Discord: Join our community
Import Report: Check your email for detailed error logs
Documentation: Visit docs.bentonow.com

Our support team specializes in migration assistance. Don't hesitate to reach out—we've helped thousands of businesses switch to Bento successfully.

Remember: You can always re-import if something goes wrong. Keep your original export files until you're completely satisfied with the import.