POS / New feature

Shopify POS
can now identify more "in-store customers"

POS now recognizes buyers who have previously purchased with Shopify Payments. With a single tap to choose a digital receipt, the purchase is linked to a customer profile and saved to your customer list. Staff no longer need to ask for contact details at checkout.

On this page
  1. What's changing (in 30 seconds)
  2. How it works: the flow at checkout
  3. Digital receipt options
  4. Before vs. now
  5. Requirements
  6. Setup steps (with or without a customer display)
  7. 5 key points for developers
  8. 3 business use cases
  9. One-line summary for proposals

1What's changing

Previously, to add in-store customers to your customer list, staff had to ask for an email or phone number at checkout.
Starting now,buyers who have previously purchased with Shopify Payments(a network of hundreds of millions) are recognized by POS, andsimply by choosing to receive a digital receipt,their purchase is linked to a customer profile.
?

Before: staff ask verbally

Staff ask "Could I get your email or phone number?" every time. The checkout line stalls, and customers who aren't asked never make it onto the list.

Now: buyers choose with one tap

Eligible buyers choose to receive a digital receipt and share their information with one tap. The purchase is linked to a customer profile and saved to the customer list.

2How it works: the flow at checkout

In-store buyer Has previously purchased with Shopify Payments Shopify POS Shopify Payments for POS Payment Eligible buyer recognized Chooses a digital receipt Shop app Email Text (SMS) Shares info with one tap Merchant's customer list Purchase → linked to customer profile Saved to customer list No need for staff to ask
Recognition covers "eligible buyers who have previously checked out at stores using Shopify Payments". The article describes this network as "hundreds of millions of buyers." The specific eligibility criteria arenot specified.

3Digital receipt options to choose from

Shop app
Receipt sent to the Shop app
Email
Receive the receipt by email
Text (SMS)
Receive it by text message
When the buyer picks any of these,the purchase is linked to their customer profile and saved to the customer list. Buyers can choose a digital receipt and share their information with the store in a single tap.

4Before vs. now

ItemBeforeNow (v11.17+)
How customers are identified Manual Staff ask for an email or phone number Automatic POS recognizes eligible buyers
Buyer action Give contact details verbally Choose a digital receipt and share info in one tap
Checkout wait time Line stalls Identified without holding up the line
Added to customer list Only if staff got the details Purchase linked to customer profile and saved automatically
Additional fees — Not specified

5Requirements

11.17

POS app v11.17

This feature is available in POS app v11.17.

Shopify Payments for POS

You use Shopify Payments for POS for in-store payments.

SNI

Shopify Network Intelligence is ON

Shopify Network Intelligence is enabled in your admin settings.

Supported countries, plans, and additional costs arenot specifiedin the article. Before rolling out, confirm it actually works for your store's country and plan.

6Setup steps (depends on whether you have a customer-facing display)

1

Update POS to v11.17 or later

Update the POS app to v11.17.

2

Enable SNI

Turn on Shopify Network Intelligence in your admin settings.

3

Follow the steps for your display setup

What you need to do depends on whether you have a customer-facing display (see below).

Do you have a customer-facing display? Yes No Update Customer View to v11.17 or later No other steps needed In the admin, enable customer receipt selection

75 key points for developers

SNI

1. Requires SNI + Shopify Payments for POS

Identification relies on the Shopify Payments buyer network. Stores that have SNI turned off or run POS with a third-party payment provider aren't eligible—confirm this when defining requirements.

POS CV

2. Two components must be on the right version

Both the POS app and Customer View on the customer-facing display must be v11.17 or later. Stores with multiple devices should audit versions first.

3. Setups without a display require an admin setting

Without a customer-facing display, it won't work unless you enable customer receipt selection in the admin. Add this to your rollout checklist.

4. Marketing requires consent

Even when saved to your customer list, customers can only be used for marketing if they've opted in (stated in the article). Your CRM/marketing automation integrations should also check consent status before sending.

API ?

5. Impact on APIs, webhooks, and data fields is not specified

How identified customers appear in the Admin API or webhooks, how duplicates with existing customers are merged, and expected identification rates arenot specifiedin the article. If you sync with an external CRM, verify the customer-creation event flow on a test store beforehand.

83 practical use cases

Keep the line moving
USE CASE 1

Capture customers at busy stores without slowing the line

Challenge
During sales or at pop-up stores, checkout lines are long and staff don't have time to ask for contact details. As a result, most in-store customers remain anonymous.
Approach
Update POS and Customer View to v11.17 or later and turn on SNI. Switch to a flow where buyers choose a digital receipt with a single tap.
Impact
Grow your customer list without staff having to ask for details, while keeping checkout fast.
Technical notes
If you have registers without a customer-facing display, remember to enable "Customer receipt selection" in the admin.
In store Email Campaigns
USE CASE 2

Win-back campaigns for in-store shoppers (opted-in customers)

Challenge
You want to give in-store shoppers a reason to come back, but without their contact details you can't build a target list.
Approach
Segment the in-store customers identified by this feature who have opted in to marketing, and send them messages that drive repeat visits.
Impact
In-store purchases become the start of an ongoing customer relationship, giving shoppers a reason to return.
Technical notes
Marketing use is limited to customers who have opted in (stated in the article). Always include consent status in your segment conditions in your marketing tool.
Purchase history
USE CASE 3

Consolidate omnichannel purchase history in customer profiles

Challenge
Customer data is split between online and in-store, so in-store purchase history can't inform customer service or product recommendations.
Approach
Link in-store purchases to customer profiles and build up purchase history as a foundation for personalization.
Impact
Personalizing each customer's experience becomes easier, and so does deciding where to invest in customer relationships.
Technical notes
The article doesn't cover merge rules with existing customers or how this appears in the API. If you sync with an external CRM, verify duplicate and sync behavior in a test environment before rolling out to production.

9One-line summary for proposals

"Leveraging the Shopify Payments buyer network,
a new POS feature that saves in-store shoppers to your customer list with a single tap to choose a digital receipt.
With POS v11.17 + SNI ON, you can turn in-store shoppers into customers without slowing down the line."