QR code scanner - membership

[Joanna8]

Hi 

We (are a small community run petting farm) currently do not have a barcode scanner but our farm shop products are increasing to the point we need one before we open for the season in March.  We are hoping to launch a membership card for visitors where they will purchase one for the year providing them with 'free' entry for the rest of the season.  We need to buy some kind of card printer to do this. 

I understand from the guides that we can create a customer account, then create a QR code which we will print onto their personal membership card. 

When they arrive, we will then need to scan the card, identifying them as a paid up member, but.. apologies for the long explanation, here are the questions:

1: Once recognised as a customer is there a way to set up that the entry price would automatically be deducted, because we still need to ring everyone in for headcount etc?

2: Which scanner do I need.  I keep checking the compatible list but they all say 1D and as far as I understand a QR code is 2d?

3: Is there a different way we could offer this membership scheme more efficiently/cost effectively? I've looked at smart phone membership schemes but they're all very pricey, and doesn't help our purple pound visitors who don't have smart phones. TIA

[k_atie]

Hey @Joanna8, thank you for your post and I wish you a warm welcome on board the seller Community! 

Can you let me know where you have seen the option to create a customer account? This feature is only available to US customers at the moment. 

At this time, physical and/or digital membership cards are not available with Square Loyalty. But I think it's a great idea, so I'll be sure to pass it over to our team. We’re constantly working to improve the product, so keep an eye out for any updates here, in our Seller Community.

In the meantime, you could use Square loyalty to give discounts to your customers by assigning them to a specific group. In this case, you could create a group for those who have free entry into your establishment. 

Your Customer Directory allows you to create customer groups to view how customers interact with your business, store contact information and track visit frequencies. When you create a discount for a Customer Group, the discount will automatically apply when a buyer from the group is added to a transaction.

Learn more about creating discounts and managing customer groups and filters.

As for the barcode scanners, most of the models we provide on our website are for scanning products into the till system for purchase rather than scanning a member's QR codes, which are usually scanned by a mobile phone. In this case, you'd need to purchase a barcode scanner outside of Square or one that is listed on our compatibility page. Please note, if the device you are looking to buy is not listed on our compatibility page, it is not guaranteed to work with our hardware. 

Hope this helps!