Shopify Customer Database: Management Guide

Shopify's customer database stores information about everyone who interacts with your store. This centralized system helps you track customer history, segment audiences for marketing, and build relationships that drive repeat purchases. Understanding how to manage this data is essential for growing your business.

What Is the Customer Database?

The customer database contains records for anyone who has:

• Placed an order in your store
• Created a customer account
• Subscribed to your newsletter
• Been manually added by you

Customer Profile Information

Each customer profile stores:

• Contact information: Name, email, phone number
• Addresses: Shipping and billing addresses
• Order history: All past orders and their status
• Spending data: Total spent, average order value
• Marketing status: Email subscription preferences
• Tags and notes: Custom labels you've added
• Tax exemptions: If applicable for wholesale or resellers

Accessing Customer Data

1. Go to Customers in your Shopify admin
2. Browse the customer list or use search
3. Click a customer name to view their full profile
4. View order history, edit details, or add notes

Customer Segments

Segments are dynamic groups of customers based on criteria you define. They update automatically as customer data changes.

Default Segments

Shopify provides pre-built segments:

• Email subscribers: Customers opted into marketing
• Repeat customers: More than one purchase
• High-value customers: Top spenders
• At-risk customers: Haven't purchased recently

Creating Custom Segments

1. Go to Customers > Segments
2. Click Create segment
3. Define criteria using filters (location, order count, total spent, etc.)
4. Name and save your segment

Example segments:

• Customers who spent over $500
• Customers from a specific region
• Customers who haven't ordered in 90 days
• Customers who purchased a specific product

Customer Tags

Tags let you manually label customers for organization:

• VIP: Best customers
• Wholesale: B2B customers
• Influencer: Partners and ambassadors
• Problem: Customers with issues

Tags can be used for filtering and targeting in marketing campaigns.

Customer Notes

Add internal notes to customer profiles for team reference:

• Customer preferences
• Support ticket history
• Special arrangements
• Important conversations

Notes are visible only to your team, not to customers.

Exporting Customer Data

1. Go to Customers
2. Filter or select the customers to export
3. Click Export
4. Choose export options (current page, selected, or all)
5. Download the CSV file

Use exports for email marketing platforms, CRM integration, or data analysis.

Customer Data and Collections

Understanding customer preferences helps you organize product collections:

• Analyze which collections drive repeat purchases
• See what products certain customer segments buy
• Create collections based on customer preferences

Privacy and Compliance

Managing customer data comes with responsibilities:

• GDPR compliance: Honor data access and deletion requests for EU customers
• CCPA compliance: California residents have data rights
• Marketing consent: Only email customers who have opted in
• Data security: Shopify handles security, but limit staff access appropriately

Learn more about GDPR compliance.

Using Customer Data for Marketing

Use your database for targeted email marketing:

• Send campaigns to specific segments
• Personalize messages based on purchase history
• Create automated flows triggered by customer behavior
• Win back inactive customers with targeted offers

Customer Import

Bring customers from other systems:

1. Go to Customers
2. Click Import
3. Upload a CSV file with customer data
4. Map columns to Shopify fields
5. Import the data

Best Practices

• Keep data clean: Regularly merge duplicate records
• Use segments: Don't send generic emails to everyone
• Add notes: Document important customer interactions
• Respect privacy: Honor unsubscribe and deletion requests
• Analyze patterns: Use analytics to understand customer behavior

Conclusion

Your customer database is one of your most valuable business assets. Use it to understand who your customers are, what they buy, and how to keep them coming back. Segments and tags make it easy to organize customers for targeted marketing, while notes help your team provide better service. Always handle customer data responsibly and in compliance with privacy regulations.

Related Resources

• Shopify Help: Customers
• Shopify Email Marketing Guide
• GDPR Compliance for Shopify