Option for customers to send gift cards directly to recipient

[greensled]

I was surprised today to find that when I enabled gift cards, that the gift card is sent to the PURCHASER not the intended recipient. Why is this feature not available? It feels very unprofessional and confusing to myself and the purchaser. Luckily, my first gift card sale was a friend and we discussed what needed to happen. When will Shopify implement this very basic feature for gift cards??

[Helen]

Hi, @greensled. Thanks for starting this thread! I can see how being able to send a gift card to a recipient other than the purchaser would be beneficial, so I’ve passed your feedback along to our developers. While I don’t know for sure if or when this feature will be implemented, I suggest keeping an eye on the Shopify Changelog - this is where all platform updates are announced. 

I understand that having the purchaser forward the gift card to the recipient isn’t always convenient, so there are third party apps available to help with it in the meantime. For example Shopkeeper Gift Card Scheduler enables the purchaser to email the gift card to whomever they choose during the purchasing process. Feel free to take advantage of the 5-day free trial this app offers, and install it on your store to see if you like the way it works. (Just remember to uninstall it before the trial ends if it doesn’t suit your needs, in order to prevent being charged for it). Gift Cards & Loyalty Program is another app with similar functionality that also offers free trial time.

Hope this helps! If you have any other questions or concerns, please let me know.

[greensled]

I'm not looking to spend more money on an app that will provide the basic functionality that most other retail websites offer.

[Helen]

No problem, @greensled. I understand. 

Thanks again for your feedback; I assure you it has been passed along to the appropriate team. 

[adventmedia]

Shopify's business model is to create basic websites that owners will have to rely on Experts and apps ($$$) to make improvements.

[adventmedia]

I have created a free workaround for anyone interested. PM for details.

[timd]

Why not post your solution here @adventmedia ?

[adventmedia]

Try it out
https://Giftify.cards

[HilaB]

Hey @greensled !

I'm Hila from the Rise.ai team. 

Rise.ai offers you to create Gift Card and Loyalty programs and among many other things, we offer just this! 

As Helen mentioned, with Rise, you can create a customized gift card experience where customers can send the gift card to the recipient directly, as well as add a custom message and choose an image. 

You can check out this video to see the full experience- 

Visit our app page to learn more and get in touch with us. 

All the best,
Hila

[odt]

Very expensive, $599/month to remove your app's branding? Must be joking...