---
title: "Customer purchase order"
description: "Customer purchase order meaning: the buyer's formal order to you, usually after your quotation. See what it contains and how it differs from a sales order."
url: https://1flux.ai/glossary/customer-purchase-order
last_updated: 2026-10-10
---

[Sales and CRM](https://1flux.ai/glossary#sales-and-crm)

# Customer purchase order

Customer purchase order meaning: the buyer's own document that authorises you to supply.

Glossary Updated 10 October 2026

Definition

A customer purchase order (customer PO) is the buyer's own document that formally orders goods or services from you, usually in response to your quotation.

## Customer purchase order meaning for the seller

For the seller, the customer PO is the authority to supply. It carries the buyer’s PO number, date, items, prices and terms, and that number usually has to appear on your [delivery note](https://1flux.ai/glossary/delivery-note) and invoice, or the customer’s accounts team won’t pay. In the UAE and Saudi Arabia, many buyers issue it as an [LPO](https://1flux.ai/glossary/local-purchase-order).

Example: a contractor sends PO 4512 for GBP 7,900 of fittings against your quotation; you check prices and quantities match before confirming.

Don’t confuse it with the purchase orders you send your own suppliers, or with a [sales order](https://1flux.ai/glossary/sales-order), which is your internal record of the commitment.

In 1flux

Attaching the customer PO (number, date and file are all required) to an accepted quotation creates an order request for operations to turn into a sales order. [See sales orders and fulfilment](https://1flux.ai/products/sales-orders)

Related

## Keep exploring

### [Sales order](https://1flux.ai/glossary/sales-order)

The seller's confirmed record of what a customer ordered.

### [Quotation](https://1flux.ai/glossary/quotation)

A priced offer to a customer, valid for a limited period.

### [Local purchase order](https://1flux.ai/glossary/local-purchase-order)

The Gulf name for a purchase order sent to a supplier.

### [Sales orders](https://1flux.ai/products/sales-orders)

Customer POs to orders, deliveries, invoices and payments, on one board.

Last updated 10 October 2026