How the VoqadoWiFi → Mailchimp Sync Works
When a guest completes your WiFi portal form and consents to marketing, VoqadoWiFi immediately creates a contact record in its CRM and syncs it to Mailchimp via the Mailchimp API. The sync happens in real time — within seconds of form submission.
To enable the sync: VoqadoWiFi Settings > Integrations > Mailchimp. Enter your Mailchimp API key (found in Mailchimp Account > Extras > API Keys) and select the Audience you want contacts synced to. If you manage multiple venues, either create separate Audiences per venue or use a single audience with location-based tags.
What Fields Are Synced
VoqadoWiFi syncs the following fields to Mailchimp as merge tags:
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| VoqadoWiFi field | Mailchimp merge tag | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First name | FNAME | Used for personalisation in emails |
| Email address | Primary key for contact matching | |
| First visit date | FIRSTVISIT | ISO date format (YYYY-MM-DD) |
| Last visit date | LASTVISIT | Updated on every new session |
| Total visit count | VISITCOUNT | Incremented on each session |
| Days since last visit | DAYSLAST | Recalculated and updated daily |
| Location name | LOCATION | For multi-location operators |
Tags are also applied automatically based on visit count thresholds: VoqadoWiFi adds the tag "new-visitor" at 1 visit, "returning-visitor" at 2–4 visits, "regular" at 5–9 visits, "vip" at 10+ visits, and "at-risk" when days since last visit exceeds 30 for a contact with 2+ prior visits.
Building Segments in Mailchimp
With the merge fields and tags synced, Mailchimp's segment builder has all the data it needs for behavioural segmentation:
- New visitor segment: Tag is "new-visitor" AND VISITCOUNT = 1
- At-risk segment: Tag is "at-risk" AND DAYSLAST > 30 AND VISITCOUNT >= 2
- VIP segment: Tag is "vip"
- Birthday month segment: BIRTHDAY_MONTH = current month (requires birthday month merge field, optional)
Save each segment for repeated use. Mailchimp updates segment membership dynamically as merge fields are updated by VoqadoWiFi.
Setting Up the Welcome Automation
In Mailchimp: Automations > Classic Automations > Create > Automation triggered by "Subscriber joins audience".
Add a filter: Tag contains "new-visitor" (to ensure the automation only triggers for fresh WiFi subscribers, not historical imports).
- Immediate (0 days): Welcome Email 1 (brand introduction)
- 3-day delay: Welcome Email 2 (social proof)
- 4-day delay: Welcome Email 3 (incentive) — add a conditional filter: "VISITCOUNT = 1" to skip this for guests who have already returned
Setting Up the Re-Engagement Automation
Mailchimp's automation triggers on contact field values, but DAYSLAST requires a trigger that fires when the field value changes to a threshold. Use Mailchimp Customer Journeys for this:
Journey entry point: "Contact activity > Contact field changes" > DAYSLAST changes to "30"
Add exit condition: "DAYSLAST changes to less than 30" (i.e., guest visits and the counter resets — exit them from the journey)
Email steps: 3 emails at 0 days, 30 days, 30 days delay (total: day 30, day 60, day 90 of inactivity).
Mailchimp Plan Limits
Free plan: 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/month. Sufficient for the first 2–4 months. Essentials (£13/month): 500–50,000 contacts, 10x monthly email sends. Standard (£20/month): Adds automation (Customer Journeys require Standard or above), A/B testing, behavioural targeting.
Most venue operators on VoqadoWiFi are on the Standard plan — the automation capability is essential for running welcome and re-engagement sequences. The plan cost is typically recovered within the first campaign.
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