My site is connected to Mailchimp, but the contacts aren't arriving, what should I do?

understand the possible causes

Key points • The problem often stems from the form or field mapping • Mailchimp embeds behave differently from native forms • Double opt-in can prevent subscribers from appearing in your audience

When your hotel website is connected to Mailchimp but new subscribers aren't appearing in your audience, it usually means something in your email flow is blocking synchronization. This guide helps you identify the cause and quickly fix the issue, whether you're using a Mailchimp embed, a native form, or external automation.

💡 Tip: Never rely solely on the absence of a notification email. Mailchimp doesn't necessarily send an alert for every signup.

Main reasons why contacts aren't arriving in Mailchimp

1. Double opt-in is enabled

If double opt-in is enabled for your audience: • the contact will not appear until they have clicked on the confirmation email • internal tests (work emails) often end up in spam and are never validated

Solution • Check in Audience settings if double opt-in is enabled • Test with a Gmail or Outlook address rather than an internal address

2. The email address used already exists in the database

Mailchimp refuses to add a contact who has already subscribed, even if the form is filled out again. The contact may exist in: • the primary audience • an archived audience • a deleted but still referenced audience

Solution • Search for the address in All contacts, including archived segments

3. The Mailchimp embed form is not configured correctly.

If your site uses a Mailchimp embed: • the code may be outdated or incomplete • the installed version may no longer be suitable for your current audience • the required fields may not correspond to the form fields

Solution • Retrieve a new embed from Mailchimp and replace the old one. • Verify that the required fields are identical between your embed and your audience.

4. The field mapping is incorrect

In some cases, a required field on the audience side doesn't match a field submitted by the form. As a result: • Mailchimp rejects the registration • no error message appears on your website

Solution • In Audience fields & merge tags, check the required fields • Disable unnecessary fields or add them to the form

💡 Tip: Only leave the email address as a required field to maximize compatibility.

5. The form is processed through external automation (API, Make, Zapier)

If your hotel website uses automation: • a step may be paused or returned with an error • the API may have expired • the scenario may be blocked by a missing field

Solution • Test the automation with a new address • Check the logs and the status of the scenarios • Check the Mailchimp API key if it needs to be renewed

6. The test is filtered as spam

Mailchimp automatically filters certain subscriptions: • internal hotel emails • generic mailboxes (info@, contact@…) • suspicious names or temporary addresses

Solution • Test with a personal email address (Gmail, Outlook)

Quick checks to perform to resolve the problem

1. Test the form with a new external address
2. Check if the contact exists in All Contacts
3. Check if double opt-in is enabled
4. Recreate the embed if your site uses a Mailchimp code.
5. Verify the mapping in Audience fields & merge tags
6. Inspect the automation if your flow uses API / Make / Zapier

💡 Tip: Always repeat a test in private browsing mode to avoid cached data.

Conclusion

If contacts aren't arriving in Mailchimp despite an active connection, the cause is usually double opt-in, field mapping, an outdated embed, or a blocked automation. By following these steps, you can quickly restore synchronization and ensure smooth email collection for your hotel marketing strategy.