Customer Groups are a great way to manage people who belong to certain organizations. You create the groups, and you decide who's in them. And if you want to offer special pricing to group members, you can do that too.
User permissions
For a staff member to edit Customer Groups, they’ll need the right permissions. Navigate to Database Explorer and select Users. Double-click on a name to edit that User and then select the Permissions tab.
The Customer Group permissions are:
* Add/Edit, which lets you create new and update existing Customer Groups, including special pricing.
* Add/Remove Members from Customer Record, which allows you to manage customer group associations from within a customer record.
* View, which lets you see Customer Group information in Database Explorer.
When you’re done, click Save.
Create a Customer Group
- Navigate to Customer Groups in Database Explorer.
- Click the Add icon to start a new group.
- Fill in the Customer Group Name.
- The Start Date autofills with today’s date, but you can easily update it.
- If this group is temporary, or seasonal, you can also indicate an End Date as well. Otherwise, check the No End Date box.
- Then write a short group Description.
- If there is a main contact for the group, add their name and information to the Contact field.
- Check the Use Customer Group Pricing box if you plan to honor group discount pricing at this location.
Note: If you’re a multi-store retailer, the group will be shared with your other locations. Groups can be created or edited at any store and they will automatically be shared. If this Group should only be active at one or two locations in a multi-store chain, let your shops know you created it! They can edit the group at their location and uncheck the Use Customer Group Pricing box to ignore the Group pricing at their location. - Then select Save to record your changes.
Add Group members in Database Explorer
After saving a new group, the Select [Group] Member window opens and you can add members now, or exit and add them later. If you exit, you'll just have to return to Customer Groups in Database Explorer to add members.
Add one person at a time:
- Navigate to Database Explorer > Customer Groups and highlight the appropriate customer group.
- Select the Members tab in the lower part of the screen.
- Click the Add icon.
- Use the search bar to find customers who belong to this group - such as the contact person you added earlier.
- When you find someone who should be in the group, highlight their name in the search results and then select Add Members.
Note: If you accidentally add the wrong person, just highlight their name on the lower part of the window, and then select Remove Members.
Add multiple customers at once:
- Navigate to the Customer Email Search tab.
- In the top portion of the screen, paste a list of emails for the customers you want to add to the group.
Note: Make sure to separate the emails with commas or a line break. - Then select Add Members.
- Click Save to Customer Group when you’re done.
Add a Group Member through their customer record
You can also add someone to a group through their customer record - whether you’re creating a new customer, editing their profile during a sale, or going through Database Explorer.
- If you’re in a transaction, select the Groups tab under the customer’s name to see what groups they’re part of.
- Click their name to edit their customer record.
- Select the Groups tab one more time and click the Add icon.
- Check any groups the customer should be part of, and then select Save to Member.
- Click Save to record your changes to their customer record.
If you’re in a transaction, the customer group discount will automatically be applied when you attach the customer to a sale.
Add a sales Promotion to the Customer Group
Once you create a group, you can set up group discounts. These discounts are created by attaching an On Sale promotion to a customer group. If you need to Create a sales promotion, simply navigate to On Sales in Database Explorer and follow the normal steps for adding a new promotion. And make sure to check the Customer Groups Only box so you’re not giving the discount pricing to every customer!
When you check this box, you’ll get a notification that you cannot undo this. Only select Yes if you know this On Sale should only apply to groups.
- Navigate to Database Explorer > Customer Groups and highlight the appropriate customer group.
- In the lower part of the screen, there are tabs for group Members and Group On Sales. Select the Group On Sales tab.
- Click the Add icon.
- Check the box next to the promotions that should affect this customer group.
- Select Save to Customer Group to record your changes.
Additional Resources
KB22-137