How To: Integrate and Verify Your Site with Mailchimp

• Video
• Walkthrough

Once we have created our Mailchimp account, it is time to connect it to your Art Storefronts website. This will establish an API connection between 2 platforms, and allow communication and transfer of data from your website to Mailchimp. 

Note: API connection works one way - data can only be transferred from your ASF website, to your Mailchimp account. Not the other way around

Instructions below will walk you through the integration as a two step process. First we need to connect the back end of your website to Mailchimp, which will generate the script from Mailchimp that we need to add back to the site. After that, second step is to generate the integration key on Mailchimp, and add it in the Integrations sections of the site.

Let's get started. 

a) Mailchimp Script

1. Log in to the MailChimp website and in the left menu, you’ll find a menu item labeled “Integrations”. When clicked on, it will drop down into 3 different options, and the one we need is labeled "Manage".
   
   
   
   
2. Click on the link on the left labelled Custom Website, and then on the button labelled Custom Website that appears to the right of it. 
   
   
   
   
   
   Due to an issue with the latest Mailchimp update, as of 01/14/2023, custom website option can only be accessed directly via this link: https://us21.admin.mailchimp.com/account/connected-sites/app-selection/#other
3. Next, you’re going to be presented with a box asking you to Enter your site URL. To get the correct address let’s go back to your Site Manager. 
   
   
   
4. Highlight and copy the URL from the address bar of your Site Manager.
   
   
   
   
5. Now let’s go back to Mailchimp and paste in the address. Make sure you get the back-end address. If you use your Custom Domain address here, connection might not work properly.
   
   
   
   
6. What we need to do is delete everything to the right of artstorefronts.com/ so you’ll have just the section shown as in this screenshot, but using your site’s address rather than my test site.
   
   
   
7. Scrolling down, there is a drop-down menu asking you what Audience you want the contacts from your site to be sent to. Select an audience, then click the button labeled Get Code.
   
   
   
8. On the next page, you’ll be provided with a code snippet that needs to be added to the website. Click the button labeled Copy.
   
   
   
9. Now switch back to your Site Manager, click on the tab labeled Site Settings, and then click on Scripts.
   
   
   
10. On this page, click in the one labeled Head and paste the code you copied from MailChimp, and then click on Save.
    
    
    
11. Return to MailChimp and click on the button labeled Check Connection.
    
    
    
12. After clicking on Check Connection, you’ll be taken to a new page that says your site is connected! If you do not receive this confirmation message you have not entered the code correctly and will need to re-attempt it or reach out to Art Storefronts support for further assistance.
    
    
    
13. Scroll down here and click on View Your Site Details.
    
    
    
14. You should be all set now, and ready to move on to the next step in the Integration process.
    
    

b) Integration key 

1. In the bottom, left-hand corner of the screen click on the account icon with your first name on it.  From the drop-up, click on the option labelled Account.
   
   
   
   
2. Click on the link labeled Extras, then on API keys. 
   
   
   
3. Scroll down to Your API Keys section and click on the button labeled Create A Key
   
   
   
4. Highlight and copy the API Key. 
   
   
   
5. Open your Site Manager and in the Jump To Menu, select Integrations.
   
   
   
6. In the MailChimp section, in the API Key field, paste the key you copied, then click on the Update button.
   
   
   
7. Click Update and your MailChimp account will be integrated with your Art Storefronts account. Check that your Audience from the previous section is in the field named Select a List, and click on Update again.
   
   
   
8. For the last step, click on the button named Sync All Data To Mailchimp. 

   Please Note: We advise that you should have the audience's "Send Welcome Email" turned off. This way, MailChimp does not send out a mass email when one uploads new contacts. Additionally, if this flag is set as ON, Mailchimp will send out an email having the wrong name sent out to them. To turn off this feature:

   1. Click on your Audience, which will have a drop-down. Please Choose Audience Dashboard

   

   2. Please find the Manage Audience Drop Down menu and click on Settings

   

   3. Choose the "Audience name and defaults" link

   

   4. Here you'll find a couple of options. Please ensure that the "" option us NOT checked:

   
   
   

   IMPORTANT: When you send your first email, you may see this scary warning message in your email client

    

   This is generated because you are sending an email from yourself, to yourself - which many email clients interpret as spam. Fortunately, no one else on your email list will see this warning.