Identify more in-store customers with POS

Shopify POS can now recognise some in-store shoppers and add them to your customer list when they choose a digital receipt. For brands with shops, pop-ups or events, in-store sales are often the biggest blind spot in customer data. This update, announced on 28 October, aims to close part of that gap without asking staff to collect email addresses at the till.

What it is

Shopify POS can now identify eligible shoppers who have previously checked out at a store powered by Shopify Payments. When one of those shoppers chooses a digital receipt, the purchase is connected to a customer profile and added to your customer list. Staff do not need to ask for contact details at the register, and buyers can share their details in one tap.

Shopify describes three benefits: a larger customer list, the ability to market to customers who have opted in to marketing, and the chance to personalise the shopping experience and encourage return visits.

How it works and how to access it

The buyer chooses a digital receipt, delivered through the Shop app, email or text. That choice is what links the sale to a customer profile. Several requirements apply:

• Your POS app must be on version 11.17.
• You must use Shopify Payments for POS.
• Shopify Network Intelligence must be enabled in your admin privacy settings.
• If you use a buyer-facing display, Customer View must be on version 11.17 or later, and nothing else is needed.
• If you do not have a buyer-facing display, you need to enable customer receipt selection in the Shopify admin.

Limits and caveats

The scope is narrower than it may first sound. It applies only to eligible shoppers who have previously checked out at a Shopify Payments store, so it will not identify every customer who walks in. Profiles are created only when the buyer picks a digital receipt, and you can market only to customers who have opted in. The announcement does not say which plans or regions are covered, so check that against your own setup.

The Network Intelligence setting also deserves attention. It sits in your privacy settings, so whoever owns privacy and data protection for your business should review it before it is switched on.

What it means for merchants

Many fashion and streetwear brands cannot say how many of their in-store buyers also shop online, or how many walk-in customers ever buy again. Linking a store sale to a profile can start to answer that. Over time it should make your customer list more complete, and it gives you a way to follow up with opted-in shoppers rather than treating the shop as a separate business.

It also removes an awkward moment. Asking for an email address at a busy till slows the queue, and staff often skip it. A one-tap option on a receipt screen is easier for everyone.

What it means for agencies and partners

Agencies supporting retail brands should check that POS and Customer View are on the required version, that receipt selection is configured on every device and location, and that the privacy settings have been reviewed with the client. They should also look at how new in-store profiles flow into email and SMS tools, and whether marketing consent is recorded correctly, since only opted-in customers can be marketed to. Reporting should be set up to show how many in-store customers are now identified, so the benefit can be tracked.

How we would approach it

1. Confirm you use Shopify Payments for POS and update the POS app and Customer View to version 11.17 or later.
2. Review the Network Intelligence privacy setting with whoever is responsible for data protection.
3. Enable customer receipt selection where there is no buyer-facing display.
4. Brief store teams so they can explain the digital receipt option in a sentence.
5. Track new in-store profiles and opt-in rates, and decide how follow-up messages should work.

The short version

Shopify POS can now link eligible in-store shoppers to a customer profile when they choose a digital receipt, as long as you use Shopify Payments for POS, run version 11.17 and have Network Intelligence enabled. It will not capture everyone, and you can only market to those who have opted in, but it is a low-effort way to learn more about your shop customers.

ETTA provides fractional ecommerce leadership for fashion, streetwear and sportswear brands. If you want a senior view on how this affects your store, get in touch.