E-commerce
September 1, 2026
Are you wondering how to set up gift cards in the Shopify admin without getting lost in the technical settings? The answer is simple: it is a powerful tool that offers unmatched flexibility to overcome your customers' purchase hesitations and stimulate their future spending. Contrary to popular belief, its management does not require advanced technical skills, but it does require a clear strategy regarding the proposed amounts and the use of codes.
The challenge lies in the ability to offer options that cover different budgets without scaring off the customer, while also securing your promotions. A configuration error can limit your revenue or cause confusion for the gift recipient.
So how do you create and manage Shopify gift cards to maximize customer loyalty? On the agenda:
How to set up a manual gift card for a refund or a targeted reward?
What pricing strategy should you choose to boost the average cart value without scaring customers away?
Why is creating dedicated products crucial for online visibility?
How to prevent deactivated codes from becoming a direct loss for your cash flow?
Let's get started.
Summary
What is a Shopify gift card and how does it help with customer loyalty?
A Shopify gift card acts as a store credit, offering a level of flexibility that standard e-commerce does not always provide. It can be assigned a fixed amount or customized by administrators to meet specific loyalty retention needs.
Unlike a classic product, it is not paid for immediately by the final beneficiary, but purchased in advance by a third party or issued by you. This flexibility makes it an ideal tool for promotions, partial refunds, or loyalty rewards.
According to data from WebToffee, 61% of recipients spend more than the nominal value of the card on their first purchase, and 57% state that it encourages them to try a new brand. This confirms the major role of gift cards in acquiring new customers and increasing the average cart value.
To understand all the mechanisms, our comprehensive guide details the subtleties of this essential tool within the Shopify ecosystem.
Convert over 2,000 customers on average per month with Qstomy.
The world’s 1st Shopify AI dedicated to customer conversion
Empowering 200+ e-commerce merchants
How do I manually create a map for a specific need?
Manual creation is often the preferred method for managing specific cases such as customer compensation, a partial refund, or a personalized VIP reward. This allows you to set exact amounts that do not match your predefined products.
To proceed, simply go to the Gift Cards section in your Shopify admin and select the Create a Gift Card option. You will then need to enter the desired amount and choose to associate this code directly with an existing customer account if necessary.
Once created and associated, you can send the card directly by email from the interface, ensuring that the recipient receives their gift instantly. It is a quick solution to de-escalate a delicate situation or reward a loyal customer without going through the purchasing process.
However, be careful with code management: if you decide to deactivate a code after use or due to an error, it is permanently lost and cannot be reused on another card. Rigorous planning is therefore imperative before validating the creation.
Why is transforming a map into a visible product strategic?
Transforming a gift card into a visible product in your store is essential to allow customers to purchase this type of credit directly online, just like any other item. This requires navigating to Products then Gift Cards and clicking on Add a gift card product.
The choice of title is crucial: it must be clear and evocative, for example "Happy Birthday Gift Card" or "Thinking of You". An engaging description accompanied by an attractive product image enhances the perception of value before purchase.
Customers cannot enter a custom amount themselves on a standard product; they must therefore choose from the options you offer. You must define price points ranging from any amount greater than 0 up to 10,000 USD, but the key to success lies in the wise choice of these tiers.
To manage a specific unavailable amount or a very precise flash offer, the alternative always remains the manual creation described previously. But for maximum visibility and recurring purchases, the dedicated product is the golden path.
How to choose the ideal amounts according to your sector of activity?
The amount strategy must align with your customers' habits and the average basket of your sector to maximize adoption. Offering only a single amount risks discouraging purchases if it does not match the donor's or recipient's budget.
In the fashion and lifestyle sector, increments such as €25, €50, €100, and €150 are often recommended. These amounts cover everything from entry-level options to more substantial gifts for major events.
For cosmetics and beauty, it is advisable to align cards with the price of your gift sets, with options such as €15, €30, €50, or €80. This reduces the gap between the gift and the product purchased afterwards.
The catering and restaurant sector lends itself well to round, easy-to-remember amounts: €20, €50, or €100. In electronics, where products are often more expensive, higher increments such as €50, €100, €200, or €500 are necessary to remain relevant. Always analyze your sales data to validate these choices.
Which customizations trigger the desire to purchase for the occasion?
Beyond the amount, personalization is a powerful lever to connect the gift to the emotion of the buyer and the recipient. You can configure personalized messages during the purchase or manual issuance to strengthen the personal aspect.
Expiration is another key setting: you can define reminder rules or time limits to encourage prompt use. This creates a sense of urgency and activates the relationship with your brand without waiting.
The creation of custom codes also allows linking the card to specific events or targeted marketing campaigns, thereby reinforcing the relevance of the offer. Adapting this offer should always aim at your precise marketing objectives and existing loyalty programs.
These options allow you to finely tune the experience so that it resonates perfectly with the customer's life stage, transforming a simple transaction into a memorable moment.
Which configuration errors are holding back an immediate sale?
Like any powerful tool, gift cards come with pitfalls that can harm your revenue if you do not pay attention to bad practices. The first common mistake is to offer only a single amount.
This drastically limits the customer's choice and can discourage the purchase if they do not have the exact sum or if the amount seems too low or too high for what they want to offer. Similarly, choosing amounts that are too high compared to your actual average cart is counterproductive.
If your average cart is around €40, offering only €100 or €200 cards risks shutting out potential buyers. It is also common to forget to write a clear description explaining how to use the card and the associated terms, which creates confusion.
Finally, deactivating codes without proper planning is a costly mistake: as we have seen, deactivated codes are not reusable. Proper preparation avoids these losses of sales potential.
How do gift cards increase customer lifetime value?
The analysis of the benefits demonstrates why gift cards are a cornerstone of e-commerce loyalty and revenue growth strategies. Unlike physical products, they do not require inventory management or complex shipping.
They directly increase revenue by enabling the purchase of cards as gifts, which often opens up a new sales window where the customer spends more than the initial value. It is a powerful loyalty tool because the recipient discovers your brand and its product universe.
The flexibility offered by these cards also makes it easy to integrate promotions, refunds, or rewards without additional administrative complexity. In short, they offer operational simplicity while generating a significant impact on customer relations and overall revenue.
How to automate recommendations with Qstomy to complete the offer?
To go further in the customer experience and further optimize your conversion rate, integrating an AI chatbot like Qstomy is recommended. This type of tool makes it possible to automate responses to frequent questions from visitors regarding how gift cards work.
The chatbot can instantly guide a customer who is hesitant about the amount to choose or explain to them where and how to use their credit. It can also recommend suitable products based on the card balance, transforming a simple consultation into an additional purchase.
In addition to your cards, this creates a fluid interaction that reassures the customer and encourages them to complete their purchase. Discover how to integrate this chatbot on Shopify to complete your loyalty offer in a smart and proactive way.
What integration with customer support is there to manage doubts?
Integrating customer service responses related to gift cards into an e-commerce SEO strategy is crucial for reducing the workload on your agents and improving organic search ranking. Customers often have specific questions about codes, balances, or expirations.
By addressing these requests via a chatbot or an optimized FAQ, you free up valuable time for your support team to focus on more complex issues. This also allows for precise and rapid answers, which are essential for not frustrating the customer relationship.
To learn more about how to structure this useful content, consult our guide on integrating support into e-commerce SEO. Ensuring a smooth and informative follow-up is the key to customer satisfaction at every stage of the journey.
How can you secure code management and avoid reactivation errors?
Secure code management and the prevention of reactivation errors are fundamental to maintaining trust and protecting your digital assets. As previously mentioned, a deactivated code is permanently lost, which requires constant vigilance.
It is therefore imperative to plan any change of status (active, deactivated, expired) by carefully verifying future needs. To manage complex cases such as the simultaneous use of a gift card and a traditional bank card payment, specific processes must be followed to avoid blockages at the checkout.
If a customer encounters difficulties with their card or code, transparency and prompt assistance are essential. For details on managing these payment combinations, refer to the specialized guides available in our knowledge center.
How does Qstomy transform every interaction into a loyalty opportunity?
Qstomy positions itself here as a true partner for the e-commerce merchant by ensuring that every interaction with gift cards is transformed into an opportunity for loyalty and additional sales. As a Shopify AI agent, Qstomy covers the entire cycle: advice, shopping cart, package tracking, and customer service.
If a customer hesitates to buy a card or wants to know their balance, Qstomy steps in to remove the obstacles. It can also help manage complex cases such as choosing between a store credit or a refund after a return, by clearly explaining the available options to maximize the remaining value.
In terms of B2B customer support or for recurring accounts, Qstomy ensures that negotiated pricing rules and orders are managed seamlessly. The agent does not just respond; it guides the customer toward the optimal action, whether that means using their balance, choosing an amount, or benefiting from a personalized offer.
This strengthens trust and satisfaction, as the customer feels that their experience is personalized and smooth, without having to navigate through confusing pages to understand their payment options.
What checklist should you follow before launching your gift card campaigns?
Before launching your gift card campaign, make sure you have a valid checklist to avoid costly mistakes. Verify that you have offered at least three or four different amounts to cover various customer budgets.
Also ensure that you have created specific products for popular occasions (birthdays, holidays) while keeping a generic option for any occasion. The use of attractive visuals is non-negotiable: the card is also sold based on its image.
Finally, integrate these cards into your strategic promotions and verify that the descriptions are clear. Also remember to set up alerts to track the activation of codes and ensure that expiration rules are properly respected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can customers choose a custom amount? No, they must choose from your predefined tiers for a product, or request a manual creation.
Can I reuse a deactivated card code? Absolutely not, the system blocks reuse. Always plan carefully.
What is the maximum amount? It is possible to set up cards up to 10,000 USD (or equivalent). You can create as many products as needed for different occasions with no technical limit.
To go further: Out of stock on a single size: helping the customer choose between waiting, alternative, and stock alert - Qstomy, How to handle customer questions about missing loyalty points - Qstomy, How to handle customer questions about missing order history - Qstomy, Store credit, gift card, or refund: helping the customer choose after a return - Qstomy, B2B e-commerce customer support: quotes, accounts, negotiated prices, and recurring orders - Qstomy, Integrating customer service answers into an e-commerce SEO strategy useful to customers - Qstomy, How to handle customer questions about gift cards combined with a card payment - Qstomy.
Enzo
September 1, 2026
