Manage customer store credit
Store credit allows us to manage a cash balance (positive balance) or a debt owed to the customer (negative balance).
Prerequisite: this feature requires the Premium option.
Under 'Settings/Users/Access management', enable the following permissions:
- 'Manage store credit'
- 'Add funds to store credit'
- 'Display the Credit payment method on sales'
Then, under 'Settings/Payment methods', enable the CRED payment method.
#1. Adding funds to store credit
To add funds to a customer's account:
- Open the customer's profile, then go to the 'Store credit' section.
- Enter the amount to add, select the payment method, and optionally add a comment.
- If necessary, print a receipt to give to the customer.
Store credit top-ups are included in the daily report (Z report), under the 'Store credit' section, to facilitate bank reconciliations.
A top-up cannot be deleted. To cancel or reduce the credit, enter a negative amount, which will be treated as a refund and reduce the customer's balance.
To prevent this operation, enable the 'Prevent adding negative amounts to store credit' permission under 'Settings/Users/Access management'.
#2. Using store credit
To pay for a sale using store credit, the sale must be associated with a customer.
- The store credit balance appears below the customer's name in the sale.
- Go to the payment page and select the 'CRED' payment method.
- When the sale is closed, the customer's store credit is debited by the amount paid.
Sales paid for using store credit are summarized in the daily report (Z report) and in the 'Store credit' section of customer profiles.
How can we prevent a negative balance?
The 'Prevent negative store credit balance' permission, available under 'Settings/Users/Access management', prevents a sale from being paid using an amount greater than the available balance in the customer's account.
How can we pay for a sale when the store credit balance is insufficient?
If the store credit balance only covers part of the sale, use the DIV payment method to split the payment between the available credit and one or more other payment methods.
For example, for a sale of €80 with €30 of available store credit:
- Select the DIV payment method.
- Allocate €30 to store credit (CRED).
- Pay the remaining €50 using another payment method (cash, credit card, etc.).
The amount charged to store credit will be deducted from the customer's balance when the sale is closed.
#3. Analyzing and exporting store credit
Several tools allow us to view store credit balances and transactions:
- Customers / Advanced search: filter customers by their store credit balance and export the results for analysis in a spreadsheet.
- Customers / Store credit: generate and export a store credit balance report as of the current date.
- Reports / Store credit: generate and export a balance report for a past date corresponding to a closed period.
- Accounting / Store credit: view and download the monthly breakdown of store credit top-ups and usage.
#4. Things to know
Store credit can also be used in the following situations:
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Managing returns without an exchange: when a customer returns a product without exchanging it, the credit note generated can be incorporated into a negative-value sale. By finalizing this sale using the CRED payment method, the credit note amount is added to the customer's store credit, avoiding an immediate refund.
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Managing partially used gift cards: when a single-use gift card is only partially redeemed, we can finalize the negative sale corresponding to the remaining amount using CRED. This amount is then credited to the customer's account and can be used for future purchases.
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Recording partner vouchers or checks: to credit a customer's account using a partner voucher or check, first create a dedicated payment method under 'Settings/Payment methods' (e.g. VOUCH, PARTN). Then use this payment method when adding funds to the customer's store credit.
Please note: adding funds to store credit does not generate revenue. It is recorded as a customer receivable transaction.