Finding duplicate customer profiles in a POS

Find likely duplicates through shared contact details and staff reports, then inspect the records. Merge only when they belong to the same person and you understand which details and marketing choices will survive. A match is a lead, not proof.

Build a review queue

Start with the POS's suggestions, if available. Add pairs reported by staff, such as a returning customer with two profiles or a sale attached to the wrong person. Record both profile identifiers and why they were flagged.

Square flags possible duplicates in All Customers when profiles share an email address or phone number. Its suggestion can be ignored or merged after review. Family members may share a contact detail, and a phone number can change hands, so inspect the records before acting.

For less obvious pairs, compare information already held and ask the customer to confirm where appropriate. Do not reveal one person's purchase history to another while checking identity.

Resolve conflicts before merging

Compare names, contact details, addresses, notes, associated orders and marketing status where those fields exist. A newer phone number is not automatically the one a customer wants used. If order ownership or identity remains uncertain, leave the records separate and give staff a clear instruction for the current sale.

These are review decisions. A POS may not expose every field or control shown here.

Check the provider’s merge rules

Square allows an authorised user to merge profiles from Dashboard or its POS app. It says attached files are merged and the action cannot be undone. Avoid a bulk Merge All action unless each suggested pair has been confirmed.

For Shopify, check the current merge instructions and screen to understand what can be merged, which details will survive and whether the action can be reversed.

Before merging or using the surviving profile for marketing, verify the customer's current preference for that contact. A status shown on one record is not, by itself, proof that the surviving contact can be marketed to.

Check the surviving record

After a permitted merge, find the surviving profile and check its contact and marketing fields. Locate a small sample of orders or notes expected to remain. Record what could not be verified. A lower directory count alone does not show that the result is correct.

If duplicates recur, review the point where staff create records. Ask them to search and confirm before creating another profile, while allowing an uncertain match to stay unresolved.