Store Data Import

The Store Data Import gives each SmarterSends group a current list of the locations it is allowed to use. In the audience builder, users can search for locations by a readable label while SmarterSends sends the corresponding location IDs to the connected marketing platform.

This guide is intended for client data teams and implementation contacts preparing a recurring store or location alignment feed.

What the import does

Each row in the feed connects a location to a business grouping, such as an owner, franchisee, market, region, or other client-defined unit. SmarterSends matches that grouping to an existing SmarterSends group and makes the aligned locations available to users working in that group.

For example, if one franchisee operates 12 locations, users in that franchisee's SmarterSends group will be able to find and select those 12 locations when building an audience.

The import controls which locations appear as choices. It does not create SmarterSends users or groups, and it does not change customer profile data in the connected marketing platform.

Required data

Exact column names do not matter. During implementation, the client's source columns are mapped to these three required roles:

Data Role	Purpose	Requirements
Group alignment value	Connects the row to the correct SmarterSends group	Must exactly match the corresponding value configured for the group. The value may represent an owner, franchisee, market, region, or another agreed business unit.
Location ID	Identifies the location used in audience criteria	Must be stable and unique for a location. It must match the location value stored on customer profiles in the connected marketing platform. Treat it as text so leading zeroes are preserved.
Location display label	Helps a user recognize the location in SmarterSends	Must be present and understandable to a business user. Location name, number, and city are usually more useful than a name alone.

All three values should be populated on every row. A row with a blank group alignment value or location ID cannot be aligned. A blank display label prevents the row from being used reliably and should be corrected before delivery.

Location information shown to users

The current import stores two pieces of information for each location:

• The location ID, which is used behind the scenes when SmarterSends builds audience criteria.
• The display label, which appears in the searchable location selector.

To give users enough context to select the correct location, we recommend constructing the display label from the most useful source fields. A common format is:

`Location Name — #Location ID — City, State/Region`

For example:

`Downtown — #00127 — Raleigh, NC`

The source feed may also contain separate location details such as:

• Street address
• City
• State, province, or region
• Postal code
• Brand or concept
• Phone number
• Operating status

These fields are useful for validation and may be mapped for a client-specific experience, but they are not automatically displayed by the standard Store Alignment Import. If address or other context must be visible in the location selector, include it in the display label or confirm a separate display requirement during implementation. 

File expectations

The exact filename, delimiter, header names, delivery location, and schedule are agreed during implementation. Regardless of the source format, the feed should follow these rules:

• Provide one row for each active location-to-group relationship.
• Repeat the group alignment value when several locations belong to the same group.
• Provide the complete current alignment on every delivery, not only additions and removals.
• Keep IDs formatted consistently from one delivery to the next.
• Preserve leading zeroes and avoid spreadsheet-generated scientific notation.
• Do not reuse a location ID for a different physical location.
• Use a consistent text encoding and escape delimiters that appear inside values.

A location may be listed under more than one group when that is intentional. Within a single group, duplicate rows for the same location ID are treated as one location.

Example data

The following headings are examples only. A client's own headings can be used as long as they map to the required data roles.

Business Unit	Location ID	Label	Address	City	Region	Postal Code
UNIT-42	00127	Downtown — #00127 — Raleigh, NC	100 Main Street	Raleigh	NC	27601
UNIT-42	00184	North Hills — #00184 — Raleigh, NC	200 Market Road	Raleigh	NC	27609
UNIT-73	00211	Riverfront — #00211 — Wilmington, NC	300 Water Street	Wilmington	NC	28401

In this example, the first two locations would be available to the SmarterSends group configured with `UNIT-42`, while the third would be available to the group configured with `UNIT-73`.

Full-snapshot behavior

Each successful import replaces the previous alignment with the contents of the new feed. This keeps SmarterSends synchronized when locations open, close, or move between business units.

This means:

• A location omitted from the next successful feed is removed from its previous group's available choices.
• A group with no matching rows in the feed will have no imported locations after the update.
• Partial or incremental files should not be sent unless a client-specific import has been designed to support them.

SmarterSends prepares the new alignment separately and publishes it only after the entire import succeeds. If the import fails, the previously published location choices remain available.

What users see in SmarterSends

When building an audience, a user selects the configured location-related profile field. SmarterSends then shows a searchable, multi-select list containing only the locations aligned to the user's current group.

The user sees the location display labels, while the saved audience criteria use the matching location IDs. This is why the feed's location IDs must agree with the values on customer profiles in the connected marketing platform.

Group Content Area

Before the first import, SmarterSends must have a Group Content Area dedicated to the alignment value, such as an owner, franchisee, market, or region ID. Every group that should receive locations must have this Content Area populated with the exact value supplied in the feed. Matching is based on this value—not the SmarterSends group name—so formatting, leading zeroes, and spacing must remain consistent. Rows with no matching Group Content Area value will not be assigned. If multiple groups intentionally share the same value, the matching locations will be assigned to each of them.

Data quality checklist

Before the first production delivery, confirm that:

• Every active relationship has a group alignment value, location ID, and display label.
• Every group alignment value matches a value configured in SmarterSends.
• Location IDs match the profile attribute used for audience filtering.
• Leading zeroes are preserved.
• Display labels distinguish locations with similar names.
• Closed or inactive locations are excluded unless users still need to target them.
• The file is a complete snapshot of all active alignments.
• Sample counts by business unit agree with the expected counts.

After the first import, implementation teams should spot-check several groups and confirm that the expected locations appear and that a test audience returns the expected results.

Import results

Each run records a summary of:

• Rows processed
• Rows that added an aligned location
• Rows skipped because required data was missing or duplicated
• Rows whose group alignment value did not match a configured SmarterSends group
• Errors that prevented the import from completing

Unmatched alignment values should be reviewed promptly. They usually indicate a formatting difference, a missing SmarterSends group configuration, or a business unit that has not yet been onboarded.