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By creating a gift certificate as a product, you can offer them to customers to purchase without attaching them to an existing product or manually creating gift certificates and codes.
1. Go to the Product Add screen by clicking the Catalog heading on the left side of the page.
2. Add a product like you normally do, but give it an appropriate name like Gift Certificate. When finished, click the Add button.
3. After adding the Gift Certificate product, click the Attributes tab.
4. Create two attributes. Note the names in the example picture below.
5. Copy and paste the Code of each attribute into a text file. In this example the attribute codes are GC_Email and GC_Description.
6. Then, click the Gift Certificate Sales tab.
7. Click the Generate a Gift Certificate When This Product is Purchased box, and make sure the Product Sale Price radio button is checked.
In the next two steps it is important that the attribute codes that you created match exactly what you are entering on this screen.
8. Check the box next to Shopper Entered Attribute. Inside the box next to it, copy and paste the desired attribute. In our example, we’re using GC_Email.
9. In the Gift Description Attribute text box, copy and paste the other attribute. In our example, we’re using GC_Description. This attribute field allows the customer to enter a message or greeting for the recipient.
10. Click Update to save your changes. The gift certificate is now its own standalone product in your store.
You will want to set up this product for free shipping. For more information on how to do that, see below.
On the product page of your website, customers will see a screen like this. They can enter the Gift Certificate Recipient Email and a note in the description field.
During checkout, the customer will see the information about the recipient email and the description in the invoice area. When the recipient receives the email they will receive the gift certificate code and a link to the store. They must have an account, or create one, before they can redeem the code.
When you create a gift certificate as a standalone product, you will want to make sure you have free shipping available. The gift is just a special code, sent to the recipient by email, so there is no need for a shipping charge.
There are a couple different ways to accomplish free shipping for your standalone gift certificates, but one fairly easy way, and a way you can use across all gift certificate offerings, is by using a Price Group (Shipping Discount, Discounted Products Only).
1. To create a Price Group for gift certificates, click the Marketing header on the left side of the page, then click the Price Groups tab.
2. Click the Add Price Group button in the top right corner.
3. In the box that opens, you will give the Price Group a name, decide who is eligible for the price and select the type of Price Group.
4. In this example we have filled in the name as “Gift Certificate Shipping,” have made “All Shoppers” eligible for this group and applied the “Shipping Discount (Discounted Products Only).”
In the Method Selection section, we have also clicked the Reflect Discount in Shipping Method List box, and then clicked the radio button next to Replace Shipping Method Name with “Gift Certificate – Free.”
In the Display in Basket section we have clicked the radio button for Modify Applied Charge to Reflect Discount and the radio button next to Replace Description with “Gift Certificate Shipping.”
5. Scrolling further down in the Add Price Group box, in the Method Discounts section, at least one of the shipping method discounts must be set to 100 percent.
6. After completing the Price Group editing, click Save.
7. Back in the Price Groups tab, select the Price Group you just created, then click the Options button, and then Discounted Products.
8. In the Discounted Products box that opens, click the Assign button next to the product. Then click Close.