Are you looking to increase revenue, acquire new customers, and boost brand loyalty by offering gift cards in your WooCommerce store?
With over 82% of consumers purchasing gift cards each year, integrating gift card functionality can significantly benefit your online store.
In this detailed guide, I‘ll draw upon over 15 years of experience as a WordPress developer to explain how to easily add advanced gift cards in WooCommerce.
Whether you‘re a merchant looking to implement gift cards for the first time or want to optimize an existing program, this guide will walk you through the entire process with pro tips and actionable advice along the way.
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Why Offering Gift Cards is a Smart Business Decision
Before we dive into the how-to, let‘s look at some compelling stats that demonstrate why gift cards should be part of your ecommerce strategy:
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According to a National Retail Federation survey, 83% of shoppers planned to purchase gift cards during the 2021 holiday season.
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Consumers spent $27 billion on gift cards from supermarkets and mass merchants in 2020 in the United States alone according to Blackhawk Network.
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Another report shows that 55% of gift card recipients spent 38% over the initial value of the card, bringing in additional revenue.
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Research by McKinsey found that customers redeem their gift cards faster when merchants provide convenient digital gift card options.
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When it comes to corporate gifts, Blackhawk Network reports that 78% of recipients are more likely to shop at the retailer where they received a gift card.
As you can see from these stats, integrating gift cards can significantly boost your WooCommerce sales. Customers also appreciate the flexibility and convenience gift cards provide.
Now let‘s dive into how to add them to your store.
How to Add Advanced Gift Cards in WooCommerce
The easiest way to create customizable virtual and physical gift cards for WooCommerce is using the Advanced Gift Cards for WooCommerce plugin along with the free Advanced Coupons plugin.
Here is an overview of the step-by-step process:
Step 1: Install and Activate the Required Plugins
The first step is installing and activating both the Advanced Coupons and Advanced Gift Cards for WooCommerce plugins:
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Advanced Coupons (Free) – This provides the underlying coupon management foundation.
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Advanced Gift Cards for WooCommerce (Premium Add-On) – This enables the gift card functionality.
You can find these plugins directly on WordPress.org or the plugin company‘s website. The gift card add-on requires the free Advanced Coupons core plugin.
Once both plugins are installed, make sure to activate them.
Step 2: Enter Your License Key
After installing the Advanced Gift Cards add-on plugin, you‘ll need to enter your license key to activate it:
- Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced Coupons in your WordPress admin.
- Expand the License tab.
- Scroll down to the Advanced Gift Cards section.
- Copy and paste your license key into the License Key field.
- Enter the email you used to purchase the plugin.
- Click Activate.
You should receive your Advanced Gift Cards license key via email immediately after purchasing. If you need to retrieve it, you can log into your account on the plugin company‘s website and access it under your licenses.
Without this license key, the gift card functionality will remain disabled.
Step 3: Create Your First Gift Card Product
Once the plugin is activated, you can create your first gift card product:
- Go to Products > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
- Enter a title and description for your gift card. Include key details like the value and expiration.
- Under Product Data, choose the Advanced Gift Card product type.
- Set a price (the cost of the gift card) and value (the amount that will be loaded). Enter the same amount for both fields if the gift card value matches the price.
- If customers should be able to gift it to someone else, check the Giftable box.
- Pick a gift card design and customize the email template if desired.
- Publish the gift card product or save it as a draft if you need to tweak the settings.
Once published, your gift card will appear in your store ready for customers to purchase!
Step 4: Customize Your Gift Card Email Template
You‘ll want to customize the email template that gift card purchasers receive to match your brand:
- Go to WooCommerce > Settings > Emails in your WordPress dashboard.
- Scroll down and click Manage next to the Advanced Gift Card email.
- Edit the email subject, heading, content, and any additional text as needed.
- Preview your changes using the Send Preview Email button.
- Save the customized email template.
Be sure to use your brand colors, logo, tone of voice, and other elements to ensure your gift card emails represent your business well. High-quality email design makes a difference.
Step 5: Set Up Additional Gift Cards as Needed
To offer customers multiple gift card options and amounts to choose from, simply repeat the gift card product creation process.
Just go back to Products > Add New, configure the settings, and publish each additional gift card.
Before long, you‘ll have a whole suite of flexible gift cards available for customers to purchase on your WooCommerce store!
Pro Tips for Maximizing Your Gift Card Program
Here are some professional tips and best practices I recommend based on my experience helping implement gift card programs:
Promote Gift Cards Heavily Around the Holidays
The fourth quarter is when consumers purchase the most gift cards, but you should start promoting early. Begin gift card marketing campaigns and send dedicated emails in October or November to boost holiday sales.
Offer Custom Design and Personalization
Allow shoppers to upload photos, add custom text, and select from multiple design templates for a personalized touch. This makes gift cards more special.
Integrate Scheduling for Future Delivery
Let customers pick a future delivery date during checkout to send digital gift cards on a specific date. This is perfect for holidays and birthdays.
Make Sure Gift Cards Don‘t Expire Too Soon
While you want recipients to redeem quickly, balance expiration dates with customer convenience. Consider at least a 1-year expiration, and send reminder emails as balances approach the expiry date.
Provide an Easy Way to Check Balances
Allow gift card holders to check their balance in real time in their customer account. You can also send periodic balance update emails if desired.
Incentivize Bulk Gift Card Orders
Offer discounted pricing, bonus gift cards, or free rush delivery for large corporate or bulk gift card orders to encourage big spends.
Allow Gift Card Exchanges
Partner with a gift card exchange service like CardCash to let customers swap out unused gift card balances from your store for other brands. This reduces unused balances.
Offer Gift Card Bundles
Make it easy to purchase multiple gift cards at once. This allows shoppers to buy cards for several people in one click.
Send a Post-Redemption Coupon
After a recipient uses their gift card, follow up with an email coupon to incentivize another purchase and secure repeat business.
By optimizing your gift card program using ideas like these, you can maximize the revenue, customer acquisition, and loyalty benefits gift cards provide.
Avoid Common Gift Card Pitfalls
When implementing gift cards, there are a few common mistakes to avoid:
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Forgetting to test the full purchase and redemption process. Gift cards need extensive testing.
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Not setting up proper fraud protections. Require the gift card claim code to prevent abuse.
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Sending bland or text-heavy gift card emails. Well-designed emails perform better.
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Letting gift cards expire too quickly. Strike a balance between expiration periods.
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Not advertising gift cards prominently. Gift cards need dedicated promotions.
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Making the balance check process difficult. Allow easy balance lookups anytime.
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Not segmenting bulk orders. Apply unique codes to each bulk order card.
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Failing to customize the experience. Personalization and branding matter.
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Not offering support documentation. Provide FAQs and instructions for recipients.
By being aware of these potential issues and pitfalls, you can avoid them and ensure your gift card program runs smoothly.
Supercharge Gift Cards with Premium Extensions
To take your WooCommerce gift card capabilities to the next level, consider these premium extensions:
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Scheduled Delivery – Let customers pick a future delivery date for gift cards.
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Gift Card Printing – Generate print-at-home or mail physical gift cards.
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Gift Card Marketplace – Sell both your own and third-party gift cards in one spot.
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Automatic Discounts – Configure rules to apply automatic discounts to gift card purchases.
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Free Upgrades – Offer free expedited or rush delivery upgrades at checkout.
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Gift Card Coupons – Generate coupons that award gift card credit instead of discounts.
Premium features like these provide more customization, flexibility, promotions, and convenience for your customers. The investment is well worth it.
Get Started Offering Gift Cards Today
As you can see, integrating gift cards into your WooCommerce store is easy using the Advanced Gift Cards plugin, and providing this flexible option can significantly boost your ecommerce sales and revenues.
The step-by-step instructions in this guide walk you through the entire setup process. Just follow along to get advanced gift cards running on your WordPress site in no time.
And be sure to implement the pro tips provided to maximize your results. With the right optimization and promotion, your gift card program can help acquire new customers, drive repeat business, and increase brand loyalty.
Stop leaving potential revenue on the table and give your customers the flexible, convenient gift card option they love. Get started today!
