Migrate from Swift Digital Suite to Mailchimp

Swift Digital Suite Contacts map directly to Mailchimp Subscribers in the target Audience. Email address serves as the primary dedupe key. All standard contact fields (first name, last name, phone where available) map to Mailchimp Merge Fields FNAME, LNAME, and PHONE. Custom property values from Swift Digital Suite are mapped to Mailchimp Merge Fields with strict alphanumeric-plus-underscore naming; we validate field names before API import and flag any that exceed Mailchimp's 30-character limit or contain invalid characters for pre-approval.

Swift Digital Suite Segments group contacts by behavioural or demographic criteria. We map each Segment as a named Tag applied to the subscriber record in Mailchimp. Where a contact belongs to multiple Swift Digital Suite Segments, we apply all corresponding Tags. Mailchimp does not have native Segment objects with independent membership tracking; Tags serve as the functional equivalent for filtering within the Audience. The customer chooses between Tags-only or a combination of Tags and Mailchimp Audience Segments (saved filter views) during scoping.

Swift Digital Suite campaign metadata (name, type, created date, status) is documented in the migration inventory. Mailchimp Campaigns are created in the destination platform independently; we do not replay historical campaign sends. The inventory serves as a reference for the customer's admin to configure equivalent campaigns in Mailchimp using the imported subscriber list and Tags.

Individual email send engagement data (open timestamp, click events, bounce status, unsubscribe status) is mapped to static Merge Fields on the subscriber record rather than replayed as Mailchimp activities. Open and click timestamps from Swift Digital Suite are stored as date Merge Fields (e.g., SDS_LASTOPEN_DATE) to preserve the historical record. This approach avoids duplicate engagement events in Mailchimp's reporting and preserves the data as a reference layer.

Swift Digital Suite engagement scores are computed from open, click, and conversion events using the platform's proprietary algorithm. We export the current score value as a static numeric Merge Field (SDS_ENGAGEMENT_SCORE) on the Mailchimp subscriber. Mailchimp's own engagement scoring will recalculate independently based on Mailchimp activity; the exported score serves as a historical benchmark rather than an active segmentation trigger.

SMS send history and consent flags from Swift Digital Suite are mapped to Mailchimp subscriber Merge Fields. SMS consent (the SMS opt-in flag from Swift Digital Suite) is stored as a boolean Merge Field SDS_SMS_CONSENT on the subscriber. Mailchimp SMS functionality requires a paid Standard or Premium plan and separate SMS credit purchase; we flag this requirement during scoping. Outbound SMS message content is documented in the migration inventory as a reference rather than imported as Mailchimp SMS records.

Swift Digital Suite survey definitions (question text, answer types) are exported as structured records. Survey responses are tied to contact records. Complex conditional branching and skip logic from Swift Digital Suite are not preserved because Mailchimp Polls do not support equivalent branching. We deliver survey data as a flat response table with contact email, question text, answer value, and response timestamp, which the customer can import as tagged subscriber records or use for manual reporting. Whether branching needs to be rebuilt in a dedicated survey tool is a scoping decision.

Swift Digital Suite event registrations (registration date, ticket type, attendance status, RSVP history) are mapped to Mailchimp subscriber Merge Fields or Tags. Each event becomes a Tag (e.g., EVENT_2024_ANNUAL_GALA) applied to all registrants, with attendance status stored as a Merge Field (SDS_ATTENDED_2024_GALA). Event-level custom fields (venue, speaker list, session schedule) are documented in the migration inventory for manual Mailchimp configuration.

Swift Digital Suite automation workflows are documented as structured records showing the trigger, each step, and its conditions. We deliver a written inventory covering every active workflow for the customer's admin to rebuild in Mailchimp Customer Journeys. The two platforms use different automation models (event-triggered branching in Swift Digital Suite vs. Mailchimp's trigger-based Customer Journey builder), so a direct code migration is not possible. We do not rebuild automations as part of the standard migration scope.