Gift cards are one of the simplest ways to increase revenue, attract new customers, and encourage repeat purchases. They’re popular during the holidays, birthdays, special occasions, and increasingly as part of employee rewards and corporate gifting programs.

Shopify includes built-in support for gift cards, making it easy to start selling them online. However, many merchants quickly discover that customers expect a more personalized gifting experience than Shopify offers out of the box.

In this guide, we’ll explore how Shopify gift cards work, where the native experience has limitations, and how you can create a gift card experience your customers will love.

---

Why Gift Cards Are Good for Business

Gift cards benefit both merchants and customers.

For customers, they provide a flexible gift that allows the recipient to choose exactly what they want.

For merchants, gift cards can:

• Generate immediate revenue
• Introduce new customers to your brand
• Increase average order values
• Encourage repeat purchases
• Reduce the number of returns and exchanges
• Support seasonal promotions
• Strengthen customer loyalty

Many gift card recipients spend more than the value of the gift card, creating additional sales opportunities.

---

How Shopify Gift Cards Work

Shopify allows merchants to create digital gift card products that customers can purchase directly from their online store.

Once purchased, Shopify generates a unique gift card code that can be redeemed during checkout.

Merchants can choose:

• Fixed gift card values
• Gift card products
• Basic gift card management within Shopify Admin

This provides a solid foundation for selling digital gift cards.

---

Where the Native Shopify Experience Falls Short

While Shopify handles gift card redemption well, the purchasing experience is relatively basic.

For example, many merchants want customers to be able to:

• Send gift cards directly to the recipient
• Schedule gift card delivery for a future date
• Add a personalized message
• Upload a video greeting
• Deliver gift cards by SMS
• Choose from multiple gift card designs
• Enter a custom gift card amount
• Send gift cards to multiple recipients in a single purchase

These features have become increasingly common, especially for businesses selling gifts or serving corporate customers.

---

Making Gift Cards Feel Like a Gift

Receiving a gift card shouldn’t feel like receiving a coupon code.

Customers increasingly expect a thoughtful gifting experience that includes:

Personalized Messages

Allowing customers to include a personal note transforms a gift card into a meaningful gift.

Whether it’s a birthday, anniversary, graduation, or holiday, a personalized message adds a human touch.

---

Scheduled Delivery

One of the biggest frustrations with digital gift cards is timing.

Without scheduled delivery, customers often need to purchase a gift card at exactly the right moment—or risk it arriving too early.

Scheduling allows customers to purchase today while ensuring the recipient receives the gift on the perfect date.

---

Branded Gift Card Designs

Gift cards should reflect your brand.

Offering multiple professionally designed templates for occasions such as birthdays, holidays, weddings, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas creates a more polished customer experience.

---

Video Gift Messages

A short video greeting can make a digital gift feel much more personal.

Rather than sending only text, customers can record a message that accompanies the gift card, creating a memorable experience for the recipient.

---

Corporate Gift Cards

Gift cards aren’t just for individual shoppers.

Businesses frequently purchase gift cards for:

• Employee recognition
• Holiday gifts
• Customer appreciation
• Sales incentives
• Referral rewards
• Conference giveaways
• Staff onboarding
• Client thank-you gifts

These purchases often involve dozens—or even hundreds—of recipients.

A corporate gifting solution should make it easy to purchase and distribute gift cards at scale.

---

Bulk Gift Card Sending

Sending individual gift cards one at a time quickly becomes impractical.

Modern gift card solutions allow businesses to:

• Upload recipient lists
• Send hundreds of gift cards in one order
• Personalize each message
• Schedule delivery
• Track gift card activity

This can significantly reduce the administrative work involved in large gifting campaigns.

---

Introducing Gift Card Pro

Gift Card Pro extends Shopify’s native gift card functionality by creating a complete digital gifting experience.

Instead of simply selling a gift card, merchants can offer customers a more thoughtful and flexible way to send gifts.

Features include:

• Email and SMS gift card delivery
• Scheduled delivery
• Personalized written messages
• Video gift messages
• Multiple gift card designs
• Custom gift card amounts
• Bulk gift card sending
• Corporate gifting tools
• Gift card balance pages
• Automatic balance reminders

Because Gift Card Pro builds on Shopify’s native gift card system, merchants continue using Shopify’s secure gift card infrastructure while offering customers a significantly improved purchasing experience.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Can customers schedule gift card delivery on Shopify?

Shopify’s native gift card functionality is designed for immediate delivery. Apps like Gift Card Pro allow customers to schedule delivery for a future date and time.

Can I send gift cards by text message?

Yes. Some gift card solutions support SMS delivery, allowing recipients to receive their gift card directly on their mobile device.

Can customers choose their own gift card amount?

While many stores offer fixed denominations, advanced gift card solutions can also support customer-defined gift card values.

Can businesses send gift cards to multiple recipients?

Yes. Bulk gifting features allow companies to purchase and distribute gift cards to large groups of employees, customers, or event attendees.

Can customers include a video message with a gift card?

Yes. Some gift card platforms allow customers to record and send a personal video greeting alongside their digital gift card.

---

Final Thoughts

Gift cards continue to be one of the most effective products an online store can offer. They’re convenient for customers, generate immediate revenue for merchants, and often introduce new shoppers to your brand.

While Shopify provides an excellent foundation for selling gift cards, today’s customers expect more than a simple email containing a redemption code.

By offering scheduled delivery, personalized messages, video greetings, branded designs, SMS delivery, and corporate gifting tools, merchants can transform digital gift cards into a memorable gifting experience that keeps customers coming back.