Importing employees

Written by Justin Hoehn •Updated Jun 11, 2026

Importing employees is one of the fastest ways to set up and manage your company store.

By adding employees to Launch, administrators can automate store notifications, organize employees into groups, manage Launch Code eligibility, and simplify future store administration.

While employees can be added individually, most companies choose to import their employee list during setup because it allows employee records to be created quickly and organized from the beginning.

Bulk importing employees

Launch supports employee imports using a simple CSV or Excel spreadsheet.

Employee imports typically include:

First Name
Last Name
Email Address

Administrators can also include an optional Tags column during import. This allows employees to be automatically grouped during the upload process rather than being organized later.

For larger organizations, bulk imports can save significant time and help ensure employee information is added consistently across the store.

Organizing employees during import

Many companies choose to assign tags while importing employees.

Tags can be used to organize employees by:

Department
Office location
Job title
New hire status
Event participation
Any custom employee group

For example, employees may be tagged as Chicago, New York, Sales, Marketing, Leadership, or New Hire.

Adding tags during import helps create a more organized employee database and makes future store management easier.

These tags can later be used for Launch Codes, Multiple Location Shipping, employee programs, and other employee segmentation needs.

What happens after employees are imported?

Once employees are imported, they are automatically added to the Active employee list.

Active employees can participate in employee programs and receive store communications sent through Launch.

This may include:

Store opening announcements
Store reminder notifications
Store closing reminders

Employee information can be updated at any time as your organization changes and grows.

Additional employees can also be imported later when new hires join the company.

Is importing employees required?

Importing employees is not a required step and stores can operate successfully without an employee list.

However, employee lists power several automation features within Launch, including employee notifications, Launch Code eligibility, employee segmentation, and certain shipping workflows.

Because of this, many companies choose to add their employees during setup, even when they have relatively small teams.

Companies that choose not to import employees can still run a store normally. In these situations, administrators are responsible for managing employee communications internally, including sharing:

Store links
Store opening and closing dates
Launch Codes
Program instructions

Without an employee list, Launch cannot automatically send store notifications or organize employees using tags.

While this approach can work well for smaller groups, importing employees allows Launch to automate many administrative tasks and provides greater flexibility as employee merchandise programs grow over time.

Keeping employee records updated

Employee lists often change as organizations hire new employees, open additional office locations, or restructure departments.

Periodically reviewing employee records helps ensure communications are sent to the correct employees and that Launch Codes and employee programs remain organized.

Maintaining an accurate employee list can also simplify future launches, onboarding programs, and company-wide merchandise initiatives.

Best practices

Use bulk imports when setting up your initial employee list
Include employee tags during import whenever possible
Use consistent naming conventions for employee tags
Review employee records periodically as teams change
Add new hires to Launch as they join the organization