Integration flow

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Customer order and payment

1. Customer opens the branded app, picks a location, and browses the menu. Items that are sold out in Square are automatically reflected in the app.
2. Cart and order — The customer builds a cart and proceeds to checkout. If the customer selects a future pickup time, that slot is validated and stored with the order.
3. Promotions and discounts — Before payment, applicable discounts are evaluated and applied automatically. This includes welcome offers for first-time customers, any active in-app promotions, and Square-side discounts. The specifics of how eligibility is determined are handled by the backend.
4. Checkout — The app sends the order and payment details to the backend. The backend verifies the customer’s identity, confirms the order is in a valid state, and creates the payment in Square using a unique key to prevent duplicate charges.
5. Confirmation — Square processes the payment; the order is confirmed and made available to the kitchen. The customer sees confirmation in the app.
6. Post-checkout — Loyalty balance is updated and the customer may receive a push notification confirming any points earned.

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Gift cards

• Purchase — Buy a new Square gift card from within the app.
• Reload — Add funds to an existing gift card.
• Link — Connect an existing physical gift card to the account.
• Redeem — Apply a gift card balance at checkout.
• Designs — Each merchant can configure a custom gift card design through the dashboard.

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Keeping Square and Layout in sync

• At connect — After Square OAuth is authorized, Layout syncs your locations and catalog immediately.
• Event-driven — When things change in Square (catalog, inventory, locations, loyalty), Square sends event notifications to Layout. We verify each one and update the relevant data for your account.
• Daily scheduled sync — A scheduled job runs every 24 hours as a backstop to catch anything that may have been missed, ensuring data stays accurate overnight.
• Inventory — Sold-out states update in near real-time when Square reports inventory changes.

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Loyalty

• Loyalty balance and program data sync both on a schedule and after relevant checkout actions.
• When a customer earns loyalty points, a push notification is automatically sent to let them know.
• Enrollment and redemption happen in the app; the backend coordinates with Square’s Loyalty system.

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Kitchen display and order status

• Layout KDS — Staff open the kitchen panel, pick a location, and see that location’s orders. Moving an order through status (accepted → making → ready → completed) updates what the customer sees in the app, and can trigger a push notification or iOS Live Activity on their lock screen.
• Square KDS — If you use Square’s kitchen display only, the app shows order confirmation and an estimated pickup time.
• Square Expeditor — A workflow variant where Square’s fulfillment transitions map to Layout’s status model, suited for counter-service operations.

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End-to-end picture

Customer app          Backend               Square
     |                   |                    |
     |  Place order       |                    |
     |------------------>|                    |
     |  (Discounts,       |                    |
     |   pickup time)     |                    |
     |                   |  Create payment    |
     |                   |------------------->|
     |                   |<-------------------|
     |  Order confirmed  |                    |
     |<------------------|                    |
     |                   |  Loyalty sync      |
     |                   |<-------------------|
     |  (Push, status,   |                    |
     |   Live Activity)  |                    |
     |<------------------|                    |

Catalog / locations:  Square --> (events + daily sync) --> Layout --> App & Dashboard
Inventory:            Square --> (inventory events)     --> Layout --> App (sold-out)
Gift cards:           Square <-> Layout backend <-> Customer app
Kitchen:              Layout panel <-> order status <-> Customer app (Layout KDS)

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What this means for shop owners

• Your menu is always current — Changes in Square appear in the app automatically. No manual syncing needed.
• Payments stay in Square — Every dollar processed goes through your Square account. Layout never touches settlement.
• Orders are reliable — The system is designed so duplicate taps, network retries, and edge cases don’t result in double charges or lost orders.
• Your kitchen workflow stays yours — Whether you use Layout KDS, Square KDS, or Square Expeditor, orders flow to where your team already works.