Install and activate the Mailchimp for WooCommerce plugin from your WordPress dashboard, click Connect Account, log in to Mailchimp and click Allow, then choose your audience and import settings and click Sync now. WooCommerce has to be installed and activated first, and your host must meet WooCommerce's minimum requirements.
Before you install anything
Mailchimp for WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that adds your WooCommerce customers and their order information to your Mailchimp audience. Check three things first.
- WooCommerce is installed and activated.
- Your host meets WooCommerce's minimum requirements, including SOAP Client Support. Your hosting company can confirm this in a minute.
- You're running a recent plugin version if you want the extras: Order Notifications need 1.0.9 or later, and pop-up forms and product retargeting emails need 2.1.10 or later.
The integration works with version 3.0 of Mailchimp's Marketing API, so there's nothing to set up on the API side.
Installing and connecting the plugin
- In WordPress admin, go to Plugins > Add New, search for Mailchimp, click Install Now, then Activate.
- In Installed Plugins, open Settings on the Mailchimp for WooCommerce listing.
- Click Connect Account, log in to Mailchimp and click Allow.
- Pick the linked audience from the drop-down.
- Choose your import option, decide whether to sync customers who haven't opted in, and add any tags.
- Click Sync now and wait for the completion email.
- If you'll use Mailchimp's Order Notifications, turn off WooCommerce's own notification emails.
The sync time depends on how many customers you have. Stats update in real time, and Mailchimp emails you when it's finished.
Choosing how customers come across
| Import option | When it fits |
|---|---|
| Sync as subscribed | Your customers have agreed to marketing emails |
| Sync as non-subscribed | You want their order data in Mailchimp without marketing consent |
| Sync existing contacts only | You only want to update people already in your audience |
Pick the option that matches the consent you hold. If your records are patchy, Sync as non-subscribed is the cautious choice: the order data arrives, and nobody gets a newsletter they didn't ask for. There's also a checkbox for ongoing syncs that lets you sync customers who haven't opted in to marketing emails. You need that ticked for abandoned-cart messages, because a shopper who leaves a basket usually hasn't subscribed.
Any tags you add are applied to every contact synced from WooCommerce, so a tag like Shop customer makes it easy to tell buyers apart from newsletter sign-ups.
Abandoned carts, archived contacts and double emails
Mailchimp Help's Connect or Disconnect Mailchimp for WooCommerce article covers three traps. Abandoned-cart emails only reach people if you tick the option to sync customers who haven't opted in. A contact archived in your Mailchimp audience has the same status in WooCommerce and can only resubscribe once you unarchive them in Mailchimp. And if you use Mailchimp's Order Notifications without switching off WooCommerce's, customers get both.
Managing the connection afterwards
In Mailchimp, go to Integrations > Manage > WooCommerce to see stats, change the linked audience, and manage pop-up forms and double opt-in settings. After the first sync, glance at those stats to check the customer count looks about right for your shop. If the connection plays up, Resync Now refreshes it without losing your e-commerce data, and deactivating, deleting and reinstalling the plugin is the fallback.
Other email tools with WooCommerce plugins
Klaviyo has a WooCommerce plugin whose page lists omnichannel templates for Welcome, Back in Stock and Abandon flows. My Klaviyo and Mailchimp comparison covers how they differ for shops.
Kit says on its WordPress plugin page that it can tag WooCommerce customers for email marketing.
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The advice I'd give a WooCommerce shop owner
Install the plugin, choose the import option that matches your consent records, and tick the non-opted-in sync if you want abandoned-cart emails. Add a Shop customer tag, switch off WooCommerce's order emails if you use Mailchimp's, and wait for the completion email before building flows. If you're still deciding on a platform, my Shopify versus WooCommerce guide sets out the options.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need anything installed before the Mailchimp plugin?
Yes. WooCommerce must be installed and activated, and your host must meet WooCommerce's minimum requirements, including SOAP Client Support.
Which sync option should I choose?
Mailchimp offers Sync as subscribed, Sync as non-subscribed or Sync existing contacts only. Choose the one that matches the consent you hold.
Why aren't abandoned cart emails sending?
Mailchimp says you need to tick the option to sync customers who haven't opted in if you plan to send abandoned-cart messages.
What if the connection breaks?
Use Resync Now, which doesn't lose e-commerce data, or deactivate, delete and reinstall the plugin.
Can I change the audience later?
Yes, on the Manage WooCommerce page in Mailchimp's integration settings.
