Gift cards are a convenient and attractive way to increase sales and strengthen customer bonds. They allow loyal customers to express their respect for your brand, share their experiences, and widely recommend your services to their relatives, giving them the freedom to choose the products or services they want.
Technically, a gift card is an alternative way to pay for your company's services or goods using a unique code similar to GIFT-XQVNXXXOXB. The administrator applies it when finalizing services or selling goods.
- How gift cards differ:
- pricing,
- validity period,
- usage type.
- How to create a gift card
- What is a gift card copy?
- How to sell a gift card
- Selling via widget
- Linking to a customer
- How to transfer a gift card to somebody
- Using gift cards for payment
- How to pause sales
- How to deactivate a sold gift card
- How to change gift card conditions
- Statuses of gift card instances
How gift cards differ
Certificates can be tailored to fit your needs, optimizing sales and customer acquisition.
1. Pricing
When creating a gift card, the following financial parameters are set:
- Face value is the amount for which the gift card is issued. The initial balance can be used for purchases or service payments.
- Retail price is the amount the purchaser pays to buy the gift card.
Gift cards can sometimes be sold for less than their face value, which can be marketed as a discount or special offer, even though these parameters are often equal.
2. Validity period
The gift card is activated on the date of purchase. You can set an Unlimited period or select 1, 3, 6, or 12 months from the purchase date.
3. Usage type
Gift cards can be issued in two types:
- For single transaction: Applied only to one purchase or service, regardless of the remaining balance. The unused balance expires after the first payment.
- For multiple transactions: The funds can be used numerous times.
How to create a gift card
Go to the Marketing – Gift cards page and use the + Create gift card button. Please define the following general conditions for all copies that will be created using this configuration:
- Name and Color: refer to the appearance of the gift card in the system and print version. You can use the name of a promotion or any other text you prefer.
- Usage type: choose between single or multiple uses for the gift card.
- Price: specify the purchase cost of the gift card and its initial balance. If necessary, you can also add the tax rate.
- Validity period: Choose between a limited or unlimited period for the gift card.
Once you have set all the required parameters, click the Create button. The newly created gift cards will be displayed on the same Marketing – Gift cards page. You can view, manage, and sell them from there.
What is a gift card copy?
In the previous step, you created a gift card. This gift card has characteristics such as price, face value, and validity period that distinguish it from others. Customers will purchase this gift card under these specific conditions. Each time you sell a gift card, the customer will receive a personalized copy with a unique discount code. All sold copies will be listed on the Marketing – Gift cards – Sales log page.
How to sell a gift card
Selling a gift card and issuing its copies is available in several places:
- Through the single point of sale on the POS page. Use the Gift cards tab and search by name.
- Go to the Marketing – Gift cards page and select the desired one from the list. The sale button is on the details page.
Specify which customer the gift card will be linked to. If the sale is made without a customer, the anonymous gift card can be linked to a user.
Just to let you know, no commission will be accrued while selling certificates.
Selling via widget
The above-described selling certificates are available through the Point of sale. Your customers can also buy them by themselves through the widget. Two simple conditions are required for this:
- You have added a payment provider to process payments.
- The certificate is created, and Online sales are activated for it:
After this, certificates with the option enabled will appear on your website and in the widget. Customers will be able to purchase them at any time convenient for them:
Linking to a customer
A gift card sold to an anonymous can be linked to a customer. Open the desired customer's profile and go to the Gift cards tab.
Here, all gift cards associated with the customer are displayed, and the Link a gift card command is available. You can use the gift card's alphanumeric code to search and select it.
How to transfer a gift card to somebody
An anonymous gift card can only be linked once. If a customer wishes to pass it to another person, they can use the print version or share the activation code in another way.
Note: Technically, anyone with the code can use the gift card, not just the person it is linked to.
Using gift cards for payment
When a gift card is linked to a customer, it appears on the payment page as one of the payment options:
Click on the desired gift card icon or Add to find it by code.
We'd like to remind you that any customer with the gift card code can use the funds on it.
Enter the amount to be deducted. If the gift card does not cover the total cost of the service or product, specify an additional payment method for the remaining amount.
Remember that the unused balance is not retained for single-use gift cards.
Click Pay.
Please take note of the following features:
- A percentage of the sale will be calculated based on the entire booking amount, regardless of whether the certificate is used.
- If a service is refunded, the funds will be refunded to the certificate. Single payment certificates will become active again.
How to pause sales
After creating a gift card, it appears in the list with an Active status, indicating it is available for sale. If there is a need to suspend the issuance of new instances technically, go to the gift card editing page and in the Options menu, select Disable sales:
- Gift cards that have already been sold will continue to operate under previous conditions.
- Issuance of new instances of this gift card will be turned off until the Activate sales command is used on the same page in the options menu.
How to deactivate a sold gift card
If, for any reason, a sold gift card instance needs to be annulled:
- You can find it in the list under Marketing – Gift cards – Sales log or in the customer profile under the Loyalty program tab.
- Open the details page of the instance.
- Use the Disable button to stop its action.
After this, the gift card code will no longer be usable. Please note that a sold copy cannot be reactivated after being disabled.
How to change gift card conditions
Before selling a gift card, you can edit its conditions. After the first sale, only the name, color, and validity period of new instances are editable.
Select the desired gift card from the Marketing – Gift cards page list, change the necessary parameters, and click Save.
Instances sold will retain their existing conditions.
Statuses of gift card instances
- Sold gift card instances are Active until the end of their validity period, after which they are set to Expired.
- After a one-time use gift card is applied or the funds on a multi-use gift card balance are exhausted, it is placed in the Used status.
- The Disabled status means that an administrator has annulled this instance.
Create gift cards for any amount, customize the design, and offer them as a versatile gift.