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Creating Customers

Cashier Manager Admin

When a customer wants to start earning loyalty points or needs to be tracked for compliance reasons, you can create their account directly from the POS register -- right in the middle of a sale. There is no need to switch to the admin panel or pause the transaction.

When to Create a Customer​

You should create a customer account when:

  • A new customer wants to start earning loyalty points.
  • A customer wants to use store credits or rewards in the future.
  • Your store requires customer accounts for compliance tracking (e.g., cannabis daily purchase limits).
  • A customer is making a return and needs an account to receive store credit.
  • You want to track purchase history for a regular customer.
Customer accounts are optional

Brother POS does not require a customer account to complete a sale. Walk-in sales (no customer attached) are perfectly normal. Only create an account when the customer wants one or when your store policy requires it.

Creating a Customer Inline​

POS Cart with Items

Step-by-Step​

  1. Open the customer panel by tapping the "Add Customer" button in the cart area (or scanning a barcode that does not match any existing customer).

  2. Search for the customer first. Before creating a new account, always search to make sure the customer does not already exist. Type their name, phone number, or email in the search field.

  3. If no results are found, tap the "Create New Customer" button that appears below the search results (or at the bottom of the panel).

  4. Fill in the customer details. The following fields are available:

    FieldRequired?Notes
    NameNoIf left blank, a default name is auto-generated (e.g., "Customer C10015"). You can update it later.
    PhoneNoAccepts various formats: 3065551234, (306) 555-1234, 306-555-1234
    EmailNoMust be a valid email format if provided.
    Loyalty Card NumberNoOnly needed if your store uses physical loyalty cards with magnetic stripes.

  5. Tap Create.

  6. The new customer is automatically attached to the current sale. You will see their name appear in the cart area.

Minimum information

Technically, none of the fields are required -- Brother POS will auto-generate a customer code and a default name. However, collecting at least a name and phone number makes the customer much easier to find in future visits.

What Happens When You Create a Customer​

When a new customer account is created, Brother POS automatically:

  1. Generates a unique customer code in the format C##### (e.g., C10015). This code is permanent and cannot be changed.
  2. Sets loyalty points to 0. The customer starts with no points.
  3. Assigns the base loyalty tier (typically Bronze, or whatever your store's lowest tier is named). If no tiers are configured, the customer starts with no tier.
  4. Sets lifetime spend to $0.00 and visit count to 0. These update automatically with each completed sale.
  5. Attaches the customer to the current sale so they will earn points on this purchase (if loyalty is enabled).

Anonymous Customers​

If a customer does not want to provide their name or contact information -- perhaps they only want a loyalty card for points tracking -- you can create the account with no details at all:

  1. Open the customer panel and tap Create New Customer.
  2. Leave all fields blank.
  3. Tap Save.

Brother POS will create the account with:

  • An auto-generated code (e.g., C10015)
  • A default name like "Customer C10015"
  • No phone, email, or card number

The customer can identify themselves in the future by:

  • Providing their customer code
  • Scanning a printed loyalty card label
  • Having their name or details added later by a cashier or admin
Updating anonymous customers later

Any cashier can update customer details from the POS customer panel. Managers and admins can also edit customer accounts from the admin panel. See Customer Management for admin-side editing.

Printing a Loyalty Card​

After creating a new customer, you can immediately print a loyalty card label for them:

  1. After the customer is attached to the sale, tap their name in the cart area to open the customer details panel.
  2. Tap Print Card.
  3. A barcode label is sent to your label printer with the customer's code (e.g., C10015) encoded as a scannable barcode.

The customer can keep this card (or sticker) and present it at future visits for fast lookup by scanning.

Label printer required

The Print Card feature requires a configured label printer. If no label printer is set up, the button will be unavailable. Label printers are configured per-register in POS Settings, not in a separate admin hardware section.

Duplicate Prevention​

Brother POS includes safeguards to reduce duplicate customer accounts:

  • Search before create. The interface always shows search results before offering the create option. If a matching customer is found, you can attach them instead of creating a duplicate.
  • Loyalty card uniqueness. If you enter a loyalty card number that is already assigned to another customer, the save will fail with an error message. Each loyalty card number can only belong to one customer.
  • Customer code uniqueness. Customer codes are automatically generated and guaranteed to be unique within your store.
Check for duplicates

If a customer says "I already have an account," always search thoroughly before creating a new one. Try searching by phone number, email, and name. Duplicate accounts mean split loyalty points and inaccurate purchase history.

Editing Customer Details After Creation​

If you need to correct or update a customer's information after creating their account:

From the POS​

  1. Attach the customer to a sale (or look them up in the customer panel).
  2. Tap their name to open the customer details panel.
  3. Edit the fields you need to change (name, phone, email, loyalty card number).
  4. Tap Save.

From the Admin Panel​

Managers and admins can edit customer details with more options from the admin panel. See Customer Management for details.

Common Questions​

Can I delete a customer I just created?​

Cashiers cannot delete customer accounts from the POS. If you created a duplicate by mistake, ask a manager or admin to merge or delete the duplicate from the admin panel.

What if the customer already has an account at another store location?​

In a multi-store environment, customer accounts are store-specific. A customer who shops at multiple locations will have separate accounts at each store. Points and store credits do not transfer between stores.

Does creating a customer slow down the sale?​

No. Customer creation happens in seconds and does not interrupt the sale flow. The new customer is attached to the sale immediately, and you can continue adding products or proceed to payment right away.

Can a customer earn points on the same sale where their account was created?​

Yes. When you create a customer and they are attached to the current sale, they will earn loyalty points on that purchase when the sale is completed (assuming loyalty is enabled for your store).

Best Practices​

  1. Always search before creating. Even if the customer says they are new, a quick search by phone number takes only a moment and prevents duplicates.
  2. Collect at least a phone number. This is the most reliable way to look up a customer on future visits. Names can have spelling variations, but phone numbers are consistent.
  3. Print a loyalty card immediately. If your store has a label printer, print a card right after creating the account. This gives the customer a tangible takeaway and makes future lookups instant via barcode scan.
  4. Let the customer verify their details. After entering their information, briefly confirm the name and phone number with the customer before saving.

What's Next?​