noun
first-time customer; customer one has never met before
Used in business contexts, especially in hospitality and retail, to refer to a customer who is not a regular and whose preferences are unknown.
一見客にも丁寧に対応するようにしている。
We make sure to treat first-time customers politely as well.
新規客 also means a new customer, but is more general and can include customers who have been introduced or have some prior connection, whereas 一見客 emphasizes a complete lack of prior relationship.
Compound of 一見 (いちげん, 'first meeting' or 'once seeing') and 客 (きゃく, 'customer'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is conventionally used to mean a customer one encounters for the first time.