Migrate from PAWS to Mailchimp

PAWS owner records map directly to Mailchimp contacts. Each unique owner email address becomes a single Mailchimp contact, even if the owner has multiple pets in PAWS. The owner’s first and last names are split into the standard FNAME and LNAME merge fields. If duplicate email addresses exist across PAWS records, FlitStack AI consolidates them into one contact and notes the merge in the data‑quality report.

Individual pet names, species, breed, and date of birth cannot each become separate Mailchimp contacts, because Mailchimp keys contacts by email. FlitStack AI merges the first two pets into named merge fields (PET1_NAME, PET1_SPECIES, PET1_BREED, PET1_DOB, PET2_NAME, etc.) and applies species‑specific tags (dog, cat, bird) for any additional pets. This strategy lets you segment by pet type using tags while keeping core pet details on the contact record.

Vaccination status for each pet is translated into Mailchimp tags attached to the owner contact. Tags follow a consistent format such as vaccine‑rabies‑current, vaccine‑dhpp‑overdue, vaccine‑bordetella‑due, or vaccine‑expired. By applying these tags to the owner record, you can segment your entire audience by health status in a single pass, targeting owners with overdue pets for recall campaigns or those with current vaccinations for wellness promotions.

Last visit date and service type are migrated as merge fields on the owner contact (LAST_VISIT, SERVICE_TYPE). In addition, FlitStack AI creates frequency‑based tags such as frequent‑visitor, annual‑checkup, or occasional‑visitor derived from the appointment history. These tags enable you to build re‑engagement campaigns that target owners whose pets have not visited recently or to reward loyal clients with special offers.

Phone numbers extracted from PAWS are mapped to Mailchimp’s standard PHONE merge field for each contact. Because SMS marketing requires explicit consent, any consent flags stored in PAWS do not automatically carry over to Mailchimp. After migration, you should verify SMS opt‑in status using Mailchimp’s built‑in consent collection tools, such as signup forms or double‑opt‑in keywords, to comply with SMS regulations.

Street, city, state, and zip code extracted from PAWS are mapped to Mailchimp’s standard address merge fields (ADDR1, CITY, STATE, ZIP, COUNTRY). If PAWS stores the address as a single concatenated string, FlitStack AI parses it into the five required components before loading. Proper address formatting ensures that Mailchimp’s geolocation and label features work correctly for campaigns that use postal codes or location‑based segmentation.

PAWS stores species values such as Dog, Cat, Bird, Reptile, and Other. FlitStack AI converts these values into Mailchimp tags using a lowercase, hyphenated format (dog, cat, bird, reptile, other). Owners who have pets of more than one species receive multiple tags, allowing you to create segments for “cat owners only,” “dog owners only,” or “mixed‑species households.” Tagging by species enables targeted messaging based on the type of pet in each household.

PAWS medication histories often include multiple active prescriptions per pet. FlitStack AI creates custom merge fields in Mailchimp (MED1_NAME, MED2_NAME, MED3_NAME) for the three most recent medications per pet. Medication names are stored as text strings; any additional medications beyond the first three are exported to an overflow reference CSV. This approach keeps the contact record clean while preserving the most relevant medication information for health‑focused segmentation.

The name of the PAWS practice or clinic is used as the Mailchimp audience name for the migrated contacts. If your organization runs multiple locations, each location’s owner list should be migrated into its own separate Mailchimp audience to keep campaign segmentation clear and to align with location‑specific branding. This separation also allows you to apply location‑based tags or custom fields if needed.

Clinical notes, diagnosis codes, and treatment details recorded in PAWS have no corresponding fields in Mailchimp’s marketing‑focused data model. FlitStack AI does not transfer clinical notes or treatment histories to Mailchimp. If you need to retain referral information, follow‑up notes, or any clinically sensitive details for future reference, we can export those records to a separate CSV file that you can store alongside your Mailchimp audience data.