Customer Management

The customer management system allows you to manage customer accounts, view order history, handle customer data, and configure registration settings.

Overview

Customer management features include:

1. Customer listing & search - Browse and search all customer accounts
2. Customer profiles - View detailed customer information, orders, and activity
3. Manual customer creation - Add customers from the admin panel
4. Import/Export - Bulk import/export customer data
5. Account deletion requests - Handle GDPR-compliant customer data deletion
6. Registration settings - Configure customer registration requirements

Customer Listing

Navigate to Ecommerce -> Customers to view all customer accounts.

Customer Table Columns

Column	Description
Name	Customer full name
Email	Customer email address
Phone	Customer phone number (if provided)
Status	Activated or Locked
Created At	Account registration date

Search & Filter

Search customers by:

• Name
• Email address
• Phone number

Filter options:

• Status (Activated/Locked)
• Date range (registration date)

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Use quick search in the table header to find customers by name or email instantly.

Viewing Customer Details

Click on a customer name to view their full profile.

Customer Profile Overview

Basic Information:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Date of birth (if provided)
• Status (Activated/Locked)
• Email verification status
• Registration date

Account Statistics:

• Total spent (sum of completed orders)
• Total orders (finished orders count)
• Completed orders (orders marked as completed)
• Total products purchased

Customer Orders

The customer profile shows all orders:

• Order number
• Order date
• Total amount
• Payment status
• Shipping status
• Order status

Click on an order to view full order details.

Customer Addresses

View all saved addresses for the customer:

• Shipping addresses
• Billing addresses
• Default address indicator

Address management:

• View all addresses
• Edit existing addresses (via customer account)
• Delete addresses

Customer Reviews

If reviews are enabled, see all product reviews submitted by the customer:

• Product reviewed
• Star rating
• Review date
• Review status (Published/Pending)

Customer Wishlist

View products saved to the customer's wishlist:

• Product name
• Current price
• Date added

Creating Customers Manually

Admins can create customer accounts on behalf of users.

Create New Customer

1. Navigate to Ecommerce -> Customers
2. Click Create button
3. Fill in the customer form:

Field	Required	Description
Name	Yes	Customer full name
Email	Yes	Unique email address
Phone	No	Phone number
Date of Birth	No	Customer date of birth
Password	Yes	Account password (min 6 characters)
Status	Yes	Activated or Locked
Avatar	No	Profile picture

4. Click Save

After creation:

• Account is immediately activated
• Email verification is marked as confirmed
• Customer can log in immediately
• No confirmation email is sent

WARNING

When creating customers manually, you set their password. Consider using a secure temporary password and instructing the customer to change it on first login.

Editing Customer Information

1. Navigate to Ecommerce -> Customers
2. Click on a customer name
3. Click Edit tab or button
4. Modify customer information
5. Click Save

Editable fields:

• Name
• Email (with confirmation)
• Phone
• Date of birth
• Status
• Avatar
• Password (optional - check "Change password" to update)
• Private notes (admin-only notes about customer)

Email change:

• Changing email requires special confirmation
• Customer receives notification of email change
• Old email is overwritten (not kept in history)

Locking Customer Accounts

Set Status to Locked to prevent customer login:

• Customer cannot log in
• Existing sessions are not terminated immediately
• Customer receives "account locked" message on login attempt

Use cases for locking:

• Fraudulent activity
• Terms of service violations
• Customer request
• Account security concerns

Email Verification

Verify Customer Email Manually

If a customer hasn't received or clicked their verification email:

1. Go to customer profile
2. Look for "Email not verified" warning
3. Click Verify Email button

This immediately marks the email as verified without sending an email.

Resend Verification Email

If customer needs a new verification link:

1. Go to customer profile
2. Click Resend Verification Email
3. Customer receives a fresh verification link

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Verification links expire after the configured time (default: 60 minutes). Customers must use the link before expiration.

Customer Import/Export

Bulk manage customers using CSV import/export.

Export Customers

1. Navigate to Tools -> Data Synchronize (or Import/Export)
2. Select Export
3. Choose Customers from the list
4. Click Export
5. Download the CSV file

Exported fields:

• ID
• Name
• Email
• Phone
• Date of birth
• Status
• Confirmed at (email verification date)
• Created at

Import Customers

1. Navigate to Tools -> Data Synchronize
2. Select Import
3. Choose Customers
4. Download the example CSV to see required format
5. Prepare your CSV file

CSV columns:

• id - Optional (for updates)
• name - Required
• email - Required (unique)
• phone - Optional
• dob - Optional (format: YYYY-MM-DD)
• status - Optional (activated/locked)
• confirmed_at - Optional (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
• created_at - Optional (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS)
• password - Optional (plain text, will be hashed)

6. Upload your CSV file
7. Map columns if needed
8. Choose import mode:
   • Create new customers only - Skip existing emails
   • Update existing customers - Update matching emails
9. Click Import

Import behavior:

• Existing customers - Matched by email address
  • If update mode: Updates customer data
  • If create mode: Skips the row
• New customers - Creates new accounts
• Passwords - Random password generated if not provided
• Email verification - Set confirmed_at to mark as verified, otherwise unverified

WARNING

Import validates each row. Errors are shown before import. Fix errors in your CSV and retry.

Import Tips

• Use the downloaded example CSV as a template
• Ensure email addresses are unique
• Use ISO date format: YYYY-MM-DD for dates
• Phone numbers can include country codes
• Status must be exactly activated or locked
• Leave password blank to auto-generate random passwords

Account Deletion Requests (GDPR)

Customers can request account deletion for privacy compliance (GDPR, CCPA).

How Account Deletion Works

1. Customer initiates request

   • Customer submits deletion request from account settings
   • Provides optional reason for deletion

2. Verification email sent

   • System sends confirmation email with verification code
   • Customer must confirm within configured time window

3. Customer confirms deletion

   • Customer clicks link in email
   • Enters verification code if required
   • Confirms deletion request

4. Account deletion process

   • Customer is immediately logged out
   • Deletion job queued for processing
   • Customer data is anonymized/deleted

Viewing Deletion Requests

Navigate to Ecommerce -> Customers -> Deletion Requests tab.

Request statuses:

• Waiting for Confirmation - Email sent, awaiting customer confirmation
• Confirmed - Customer confirmed, deletion in progress
• Completed - Account deleted successfully

Deletion request data:

• Customer name
• Customer email
• Customer phone
• Reason for deletion
• Request date
• Confirmation date
• Deletion date
• Status

What Gets Deleted

When a customer account is deleted:

Deleted data:

• Customer profile (anonymized)
• Addresses
• Wishlist items
• Stored cart data
• Reviews (deleted completely)
• Customer-specific files/uploads

Retained data:

• Orders (customer_id set to 0, order data kept for records)
• Order products
• Payments
• Used coupons/discounts (unlinked from customer)

WARNING

Account deletion is irreversible. Ensure customers understand their order history will be anonymized but retained for business records.

Enable/Disable Account Deletion

Navigate to Ecommerce -> Settings -> Customers.

Toggle Enable customer account deletion to allow or prevent deletion requests.

When disabled:

• Deletion request form is hidden from customers
• Existing requests can still be processed
• Customers must contact support for manual deletion

Customer Registration Settings

Configure how customers register for accounts.

Navigate to Ecommerce -> Settings -> Customers.

Registration Options

Setting	Description
Enable customer registration	Allow new customer signups
Verify customer email	Require email verification before full access
Verification expire minutes	Minutes before verification link expires (default: 60)
Enabled phone field in registration form	Show phone number field on registration
Make customer phone number required	Require phone number during registration
Login option	Email, phone, or either for login
Keep email field in registration form	Show email field when phone login is primary
Enabled customer DOB field	Show date of birth field in registration/profile
Customer default avatar	Default profile picture for customers without avatars

Email Verification Settings

When Verify customer email is enabled:

Customer experience:

1. Customer registers account
2. Receives verification email immediately
3. Must click link in email to verify
4. Account is fully activated after verification

Before verification:

• Customer can log in (depending on configuration)
• Some features may be restricted
• Admin can see "Unverified" status

Link expiration:

• Default: 60 minutes
• Configurable: 1 minute to 7 days (10,080 minutes)
• Expired links require resending

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Enable email verification to prevent fake accounts and ensure valid customer email addresses for order notifications.

Login Options

Three login methods supported:

Option	Login Field	Registration Requires
Email only	Email address	Email (required)
Phone only	Phone number	Phone (required), Email (optional)
Email or Phone	Either field	Email and Phone (both required)

Phone login considerations:

• Phone numbers must be unique
• Include country codes for international customers
• Some features (password reset) may still use email

Phone Field Settings

Phone field options:

• Disabled - Phone field not shown at all
• Optional - Phone field shown but not required
• Required - Phone field shown and must be filled

WARNING

Changing login options affects existing customers. If you switch to phone-only login, customers without phone numbers cannot log in until they add one.

Private Notes

Admins can add private notes to customer accounts:

1. Go to customer edit page
2. Scroll to Private Notes field
3. Enter internal notes (customer cannot see these)
4. Click Save

Use cases:

• Track customer service interactions
• Flag special accounts (VIP, problematic, etc.)
• Record account history or context
• Internal reminders about customer preferences

Notes are encrypted and only visible to admins with customer edit permissions.

Customer Permissions

Admin users need appropriate permissions to manage customers:

Permission	Allows
customers.index	View customer list
customers.create	Create new customers
customers.edit	Edit customer details
customers.destroy	Delete customers
customers.view	View customer profile details

Configure permissions in Users -> Roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can customers have multiple email addresses?

No. Each customer account has one primary email address. Change it via the edit customer page.

What happens to orders when a customer is deleted?

Orders are retained but anonymized (customer_id set to 0). Order data is preserved for accounting and legal requirements.

Can I merge duplicate customer accounts?

Not automatically. You must manually migrate data (orders, addresses) and delete the duplicate account.

How do I reset a customer password?

Customers use the "Forgot Password" link on the login page. Admins can set a new password via the edit customer page (check "Change password").

Can I bulk update customer statuses?

Use bulk actions in the customer table to lock/unlock multiple accounts at once (if theme supports it), or export, modify, and re-import customer data.

Do customer accounts expire?

No. Accounts remain active indefinitely unless locked or deleted.

Can customers change their own email address?

Yes, if theme allows it. Customers can update their email from account settings. Some systems require email re-verification after changes.

How do I find customers who haven't placed orders?

Filter customers by total orders = 0, or export customer data and filter by order count in Excel.

Can I see customer login history?

Not by default. This requires custom development or activity logging plugin.

Best Practices

1. Regular data audits - Review customer accounts quarterly to identify inactive or duplicate accounts

2. Email verification - Always enable email verification to ensure valid contact information

3. Privacy compliance - Honor deletion requests promptly and maintain compliant data retention policies

4. Secure passwords - Use strong temporary passwords when creating accounts manually

5. Customer notes - Use private notes to track VIP customers, special requirements, or service issues

6. Export backups - Regularly export customer data for backup and analysis purposes

7. Phone validation - If using phone login, implement phone number verification to prevent fraud

8. Welcome emails - Configure automated welcome emails for new customer registrations (requires email template setup)