Import contacts
Active Reach supports multiple ways to bring contacts into your workspace. You can import once (CSV) or set up ongoing sync (CRM, e-commerce, warehouse).
Import methods
CSV upload
The fastest way to get started. Go to People → Import → CSV Upload.
Upload your file
Drag and drop a CSV file (or click to browse). Supports up to 1M rows per file. The file must have a header row.
Map columns
The column mapper auto-detects common fields:
- email → contact email
- phone → contact phone (E.164 format preferred)
- name / first_name / last_name → contact name
- city, country, plan → standard properties
For columns that aren’t auto-detected, manually map them to a contact property or skip them.
Preview and import
Review the first 10 rows with your mapping applied. Hit Import to start processing.
The import runs in the background. You can navigate away — check People → Import → History for status and row-level error logs.
CRM sync
Connect your CRM to keep contacts in sync automatically:
| CRM | What syncs | Sync type |
|---|---|---|
| HubSpot | Contacts, companies, deals | Real-time (webhooks) |
| Salesforce | Leads, accounts, opportunities | Real-time (Platform Events) |
| Zoho CRM | Contacts, accounts, deals | Real-time (webhooks) |
| Freshworks | Contacts, accounts | Real-time (webhooks) |
Set up CRM integrations from Settings → Data Pipes → New.
E-commerce sync
| Platform | What syncs | Sync type |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Customers, orders, products | Real-time (webhooks + Web Pixels) |
| WooCommerce | Customers, orders, products | Real-time (REST hooks) |
Set up from Settings → Data Pipes → New or during onboarding (Step 3).
Data warehouse
Schedule imports from BigQuery, Snowflake, or Databricks. Set up from Settings → Data Pipes → New → Warehouse.
SDK tracking
Contacts are created automatically when the Web or Mobile SDK calls identify(). No import needed — contacts appear as users interact with your site or app.
Deduplication
Active Reach deduplicates contacts by:
- User ID (highest priority) — if two records share the same user ID, they merge
- Email — if user ID isn’t set, email is used for matching
- Phone — if neither user ID nor email matches, phone is used
When records merge, properties are combined (latest value wins for conflicts). Event histories are unified.
What’s next
- Contacts overview — search and filter your contact list
- Segments — group imported contacts into targetable audiences