Skip to main content
Mailchimp receives your shipment, order and tracking events and files each one under the matching contact in one of your audiences. In Mailchimp you can use those events to start emails, for example “your parcel is on its way”. Mailchimp sends the emails from your own Mailchimp account; Zippendo only passes on the events. Integrations are included on every plan. Testing, the delivery log, editing and disconnecting work the same for every app: see Connect an integration. The longer guide is Mailchimp.

​
Before you start

You need two things from your Mailchimp account:
  • An API key. Generate it in your Mailchimp account. Copy the whole key, including the ending such as -us21: Zippendo uses that ending to reach your Mailchimp account.
  • The audience ID of the audience your customers are in. You find it in Mailchimp under Audience → Settings → Audience name and defaults. Use the ID, not the audience’s name.
Mailchimp About API Keys help article with a Generate an API key section

Mailchimp's help article on API keys

​
Connect Mailchimp

1

Find Mailchimp in the catalog

Click Apps & integrations in the sidebar, then Catalog. Mailchimp is under Apps. Click Connect, or Add connection if you already have one.
2

Review access

Read what Zippendo will do with the connection and click Continue.
3

Fill in the connection details

Type a Connection name, such as “Mailchimp newsletter”. Paste the key into API key and the audience ID into Audience ID.
4

Pick the events

Tick the events Mailchimp should receive, or click Select all. See the list below.
5

Click Connect

You see Integration connected, and Mailchimp shows on the Connected tab.
Catalog with the Mailchimp card and its Use in automations, Read more and Connect buttonsCatalog with the Mailchimp card and its Use in automations, Read more and Connect buttons

The Mailchimp card in the catalog

Connection window for Mailchimp with a connection name, API key, Audience ID and event checkboxesConnection window for Mailchimp with a connection name, API key, Audience ID and event checkboxes

Connecting Mailchimp: a name, the API key and the Audience ID

​
Events Mailchimp can receive

Mailchimp connection window scrolled to the order and tracking event checkboxesMailchimp connection window scrolled to the order and tracking event checkboxes

The order and tracking events for Mailchimp

In Mailchimp the events are named like the event with underscores, such as shipment_dispatched for Shipment sent. Mailchimp files each event under the contact with the customer’s email, so an event for an order without a customer email cannot be delivered. To give an event a different name, send it from an automation and fill in Custom event name (see below). The connection window has no field for it.

​
Check the connection

Click the paper plane on the connection row (Send test event), then open the delivery log (the plug icon). A test event has no customer, so for Mailchimp it always shows a red cross with “No customer email available — Mailchimp events require a contact email”. That is expected and says nothing about your key. Check with a real event instead: send a shipment for an order with a customer email and look for a green tick.
Connected tab with a Mailchimp connection and the test, delivery log, edit and delete iconsConnected tab with a Mailchimp connection and the test, delivery log, edit and delete icons

A Mailchimp connection on the Connected tab

Delivery log window for a Mailchimp connection saying No deliveries yetDelivery log window for a Mailchimp connection saying No deliveries yet

The delivery log before the first event

​
Change the key or disconnect

Click the sliders icon to open Edit your Mailchimp connection. Leave API key and Audience ID empty to keep what is stored. If you change one of them, fill in both: whatever you type replaces everything stored for the connection. Click Save changes.
Edit window for a Mailchimp connection with the connection name, empty API key and Audience ID fields and the eventsEdit window for a Mailchimp connection with the connection name, empty API key and Audience ID fields and the events

Edit a Mailchimp connection

To disconnect, click the trash can, type DELETE and click Disconnect. This stops all events to Mailchimp and deletes the delivery log.
Disconnect integration window asking you to type DELETEDisconnect integration window asking you to type DELETE

Type DELETE to disconnect

​
Use Mailchimp in an automation

In Automations, add the step Send Mailchimp event. It sends the event that started the automation to Mailchimp, but only when your conditions match. See Automations for building the rest of the automation.